The same cool but failed Google glasses, can give Apple Watch a few lessons?

While Apple is poised to enter the new product market for wearables, another Silicon Valley technology giant, Google, 10 miles north of Apple, has quietly halted the production of its most watched wearable device, the smart eyewear. Google glasses temporarily withdrew from the market after two years of listing.

Now, it's hard to hear the news from Apple Watch. When the smart watch was released in early March, its news coverage was overwhelming. Reporters reported on their blogs about each stage of the launch, and Apple fans discussed the smart watch through blogs, tweets and YouTube videos.

To prevent anyone in the world from knowing about this device, Apple Watch app is automatically embedded in the iphone's latest iOS operating system on millions of iphones. The app includes an Apple Watch AD, a 10-minute video by chief designer Joni Yves on Apple Watch, and a link to the Apple Watch app that will be launched on the Apple App Store App Store. Don't worry if the watch doesn't start shipping by the end of April.

While Apple is poised to enter the new product market for wearables, another Silicon Valley technology giant, Google, 10 miles north of Apple, has quietly halted the production of its most watched wearable device, the smart eyewear. Google has suspended the production of Google Eyewear and is waiting to redesign its products. Google glasses temporarily withdrew from the market after two years of listing.

The device was originally sold to the invited testers, which Google called "Explorers", before being sold to the general public, with mixed comments. But Google said it would not give up the smart glasses for the time being. "We will continue to develop Google glasses, and consumers will see new versions of Google glasses," he adds. "And now, no peeking," the Google Eyewear team said in a letter posted on Google Plus on January 15. "

Of the two wearable devices, the two competing technology giants are known for their emphasis on innovation and financial wealth, but they have taken a different approach when entering the new product market. At the moment, Google glasses have failed to arouse public interest and even face privacy concerns over its video features. In fact, Google's strategy to launch smart glasses is a wake-up call for other companies seeking to enter the wearable device market.

While Apple may be a marketing guru, it is the first time it has entered the smart watch market, and Google's mistakes can make it warning.

Apple's strategy is different from Google's. "The release of the two devices is very high-profile and is interesting to interested companies, but they are very different in every way. Peter Fader, co-director of the Harvard Business School marketing professor and Harvard Business School Customer Analytics Program (Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative), said: "Apple has the two different technologies we know – watches and smartphones -Together. When the two are combined and two are one, the overall effect is greater than the sum of the parts. ”

The situation with Google Glasses is different. "There is no one in Google glasses that we can see clearly. You can say it's a combination of a computer or a smartphone and a pair of glasses, "Federica's says (his son has a pair of Google glasses)," but the way Google's glasses function and how they are worn, and how they use them, is very different from the way they are used by glasses and smartphones. ”

Google glasses initially did not have the lens, only the frame. On the edge of the glasses is a microcomputer screen that activates when the wearer tilts the head or touches the frame. Users can scroll through the screen or perform actions by using voice commands, or by tapping and sliding the touchpad on one side of the frame.

But in addition to novelty, the positioning of Google's glasses is unclear: why should users wear a computer on their faces? "We haven't figured out why it exists," Federica's said. "Unfortunately, I think it could have been a huge success, but Google didn't manage the development and release of the product properly, and they never gave it a chance – it's really hard to get rid of these negative effects." ”

Federica's points out that since Google Eyewear is a strange product for most consumers, a gradual release strategy should be adopted. Federica's that Google should learn from the marketing strategy of mobile phones when it first entered the market in the 1980s: first for professionals with mobile jobs, such as real estate brokers and doctors, to meet their professional needs, and then expand to the general public.

If the product is phased out, Google can continue to develop the technology and reduce the cost of the product (the product is priced at $1500). Next, Google can let the discussion craze for the product rise, from users to experts, to high-end consumers, and then to the mass market, so that more consumers accept it. "Google glasses are so different that they need to take a completely separate strategy. ”

Federica's compares Google glasses to Segway, an ingenious battery-powered two-wheeled electric vehicle that allows users to shift their focus to make it move. In 2001, on ABC's Good Morning America, Segway first came out and then immediately launched it for the general public without confirming its usefulness to consumers beforehand. The initial price of the Segway is $5000, and even with its revolutionary technology, the price is prohibitive for consumers.

Federica's that the Segway is a strange product that should be brought into the market in stages, while the company should strive to reduce costs. "It should never have appeared in Good Morning America and let [TV host] Charlie Gibson and Dian Soyer drive it," Federica's said.

At the time, however, the Segway faced another difficult difficulty: it made the person driving it look strange, as if standing on a rolling platform. Wired Magazine once called it a "ridiculous" high-tech "scooter". The American Connecticut State local newspaper, Hartford, says it looks like a "rotary lawn mower".

A notable exception to the sequential promotion strategy is the iphone, Federica's points out. Apple introduced the product to the public at once. Even at the time it was operating in a vastly different way from most phones, consumers were buying it because they saw the iphone as a replacement for their MP3 music player, video player and camera, while still making phone calls, surfing the web and sending text messages. In addition, the mobile app extends the capabilities of the smartphone to turn it into a pedometer, flashlight, compass, camcorder and many other tools.

Federica's added that Apple's excellent marketing capabilities and its "Halo and consumer trust in it" helped drive the iphone's sales success. In addition, Apple has a large number of loyal fans is one of the elements of the iphone success. "When Apple released the product, people lined up in the streets scrambling to become its first buyer, and no other company in the world could rival it," he says. "If [Apple] tells me it's a good thing, I'd like to try it." ”

"Just too bulky."

David Hsu, a management professor, David Xu that Apple Watch's positioning is not just a high-tech timer, but also a fashion accessory. This is important for wearable devices, which are part of the user's overall image, as they do not fit into the pants pocket or bag like a smartphone.

Google's vision of Google's vision of revolutionary technology makes a profit, but does not take into account that most people do not want to wear something that makes them look silly. last year, Google tried to reverse the image of Google's eyes by partnering with luxury eyewear maker Lu Xun (Luxottica) to apply Google Eye technology to Ray-Ban and Olympus glasses. Even so, Lu Xun's founder, Leonardo Dale Vicio, said in an interview with the Financial Times last autumn: "It makes me feel awkward to go around wearing that stuff on my face." ”

David Xu, who likes to rush into the tech world, says he tried wearing Google glasses but didn't like it, "it's too cumbersome, and it's really unacceptable to think about it from this social factor." It seems ridiculous that you put your finger on your glasses and then tap it from the outside to view the picture or screen. "Google Glasses has also become a social satire object," Saturday Night Live "program even drew a sketch to make fun of Google glasses on the head to wear a computer concept.

Apple Watch, in contrast, has been designed to look like a traditional watch, with the same side-rounded crown. Apple Watch's crown is "comforting", David Xu said: "Many times when companies launch new products, they want to incorporate some familiar elements. "In fact, at the launch of Apple Watch, Apple CEO Tim Cook took some time to introduce the design of the smart watch and the technology behind it.

Apple Watch is priced from $349 to $17000 and is available in a variety of colours, from rubber, leather or stainless steel straps, some of which are very eye-catching on the wrist. This smart watch even has a luxury model of 18K gold. Users can change the dial style to their liking, just like the wallpaper of a smartphone, and the dials have multiple options, including Mickey Mouse, space scene and classic dials.

Not that every wearable device has to be combined with fashion. David Xu Remember for a while many people like to put the Bluetooth headset on the ear, do not have to take out a mobile phone can answer and call. "People are walking around wearing Bluetooth headsets, like talking to themselves,"

He said. Bluetooth headsets look strange, but they are useful, so people are used to seeing it in public. However, "Google glasses has not been able to overcome this problem," David Xu added, "It has failed to get into the mainstream, and it is not even clear whether it has the will to enter the mainstream." ”

David Xu believes Apple Watch as a fashion accessory has one more benefit: giving consumers another reason to buy it. If Apple Watch was brought to market because of its technical advantages, consumers might ask, "many of its features have been implemented on smartphones, why should I buy another digital device?" But the fashion trend is another matter. "Maybe when you're dressing, you'll find that you're missing something without a fashion accessory," he says. "This is more of a fashion perspective and personality, which has largely broken the tradition of Apple's computer products." ”

The moment of competition comes

Rivals have apparently noticed the side of Apple Watch's fashion. A few days after Apple Watch was released, Tag Heuer, the Swiss luxury watch maker, announced that it was developing a smart watch in collaboration with Heuer and Google's Android Wear. Android Wear is an Android operating system designed for wearable devices.

David Singleton, director of Android Wear engineering, says the partnership will create "a better, prettier, smarter watch." "It's worth noting that Motorola Mobile, a former subsidiary of Google, has sent a smart watch called Moto 360, which has been likened by technical commentators to" ice hockey "on the wrist.

Google's ability to design is also improving. It is reported that Google in January this year, Google Glasses division into Apple's former executive President Tony Fader (Tony Fadell) responsible. Nest joined Google after Google bought the smart device maker. Prior to the founding of Nest, France led the Apple team to develop the first 18 generations of ipods and the first three iphone. The French will showcase his wizards and reinvent Google's glasses.

David Xu points out that another big problem with Google Glasses is that it has not made substantial improvements in its replacement. For example, the second generation compared to the first generation, the most significant change is to double the memory, up to 2G, and allow the use of lenses with degrees.

Instead, "Apple's usual practice is to keep the price of each version stable, but it will significantly increase functionality and upgrade technical specifications," David Xu said. He wants Apple Watch to continue the same strategy, which works for the iphone. "I think this strategy is equally effective in this product category (smart watches), and is committed to upgrading the equipment every year. ”

In addition, Google Eyewear does not offer a range of applications that can persuade people to buy the product for its versatility, especially if the device is very expensive. "They never really let all the apps play their part. "Federica's said. In addition, many websites are not compatible with the screen of Google glasses, resulting in a normal display.

"Some features are not properly configured, and some features do not work at all ... They have never built a perfect system, "Federica's said," because it is very limited because of the haste to push the market. According to a March 19 article in Vanity Fair magazine, Google X, the head of Google's eyewear development at the southwestern south-west Media and art conference in Texas, United States, acknowledged that Google had made a mistake when it Astor Thelles the product before it was finished. , and no wonder the user was disappointed.

By contrast, Apple has spent a lot of time developing Apple Watch and is not rushing to market. But when Apple Watch was released, there were many apps that users were familiar with and synced with their iphone. not only can Apple watch answer calls, display messages and notifications, track physical activity and timekeeping, but also book hotel rooms, check in at the airport, encourage users to exercise, use it as a remote, and even send graffiti to other users. "The whole ecosystem is perfect," Federica's said.

Apple Watch, of course, has its own limitations. David Xu that one of its biggest drawbacks is its battery life. Thanks to its many features, the watch has a charge that lasts only 18 hours, so the user must be fully prepared to recharge every day. In contrast, the Pebble smartphone he is currently using is charged only once every five days according to his usage.

Another big disadvantage is cost. Although Apple Watch has a variety of price options, it is generally more expensive than many rivals, even at a minimum price of $349. Jawbone Some models of smart watches may cost less than $100, while Moto 360 starts at $250. Smartphones such as Sony Smartwatch 3, Asus Zen Watch and Samsung Gear Live are hovering around $200. However, Apple Watch does carry much more than its competitors.

David Xu said he wanted Apple Watch to provide more health features, and Pebble's activity tracker encouraged him to change his behavior--if the tracker showed he was sitting too long, he would be more active. He had expected Apple Watch to provide more sophisticated features so that he could track his health more closely. But he still plans to buy Apple Watch. "I was, like many people, disappointed that it was not releasing more health applications at the time of release," he said.

Killer app?

While Apple Watch may be attractive, it still faces the challenge of convincing people to embrace it, a dilemma many wearables face. Mitsey Pater Mitesh Patel, a professor of health management at Harvard Business School and a professor of medicine at the Perelman Medical School in Pennsylvania, says that only 1% to 2% of adults in the United States have wearables and 65% of adults have smartphones.

According to Patel, health-care applications are helping to increase the prevalence of wearable devices. "Everyone cares about their health, and if these devices play a role in this, they can dramatically increase penetration," he said, "but there are a lot of challenges, including affordability, ease of use, and the need to remember to wear them at any time." In addition, there are many questions to be answered about its impact. But I do think wearable devices have great potential to take advantage of the health-care function. ”

But wearable devices also face a challenge. More than half of the users will end up using wearable devices for six months, Patel added, "Maybe the multi-function watch may be different and people may be willing to wear it, but we have to wait and see." "To ensure long-term user use, wearable devices that are marketed as healthcare must succeed in helping users change their behavior.

"I think wearables demonstrate their role in fitness and health," he said. "The question is, is it really going to improve the health of users in the long run?" We are not sure, but at least they play a role in monitoring the health of the user, which I think is the advantage of wearable devices. ”

Jeff Woith, head of medical equipment consultancy at Giwood, New Jersey, believes that an important opportunity for wearable devices is that they can help people cope with chronic illnesses. Wearable devices, for example, can monitor the daily lives of diabetics and send relevant data to a physician for analysis. "I think this is a promising place," he said. But wearable devices must be easy to use and protect patient privacy, wojtek that eventually these problems will be solved.

Wall Street is now bullish on Apple Watch. According to a March 10 paper by the Wall Street Journal, the market estimates that the smart watch will be shipped in 2015 to 10 million to 40 million. This number will easily defeat the Android Wear smart watch-according to analysis company Canalys, the latter's global shipments last year were only 720,000, while the global smart bracelet has a total of 4.6 million shipments. Apple can make a splash in this market. The company says Apple Watch is expected to "dramatically expand the market space for smart bracelet and the entire wearable device." ”

Federica's that Apple Watch is hard to fail. "It's not going to fail miserably," he said. "It may not be a significant success, but no one will look at Apple Watch and say, ' What are they thinking? ' "And for Google Glasses, no one would say: ' Gosh, that's a good idea! ’”

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The same cool but failed Google glasses, can give Apple Watch a few lessons?