Google Glass, the tech giant’s highly anticipated augmented reality device, has not even been released for consumer use and yet has already made waves in the industry and government alike. Earlier this month, the 5 Point Cafe, a bar in Seattle, became the first public establishment in the United States to ban the face mounted apparatus due to privacy violation concerns. A similar policy has been proposed last week by a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates to ban the use of the device while driving due to concerns that it would be a distraction. While both of these qualms with Google Glass are legitimate, the most important question remains: Why?

To better state the question, why is Google developing such a product that will, at best, only fill the needs of a small niche in the consumer market? As described by political commentator Rob Asghar, “Google Glass is a bold solution in the search of an imaginary problem, that problem being how difficult it is to explore the Internet while walking down the street engaged in a conversation with another person.”  

Based on usage video released by Google on their Google Glass website, the device can be boiled down to a wearable smartphone with a heads-up display. The wearer can use the glasses to make calls, hold video conferences, take pictures, record video, bring up a navigational overlay and other things that you can also do with your phone.  According to a study conducted by U.S. cell phone carrier T-Mobile, the average smartphone user looks at their phone 150 times a day, almost once every 10 minutes. For $1500, you can use Google Glass to easily increase that number by 500 times, for nearly every second of the day.

While the 5 Point Cafe ban is widely considered a PR stunt, the concerns of West Virginia holds true. The National Safety Council estimates that over 23 percent of car accidents in 2011 were caused by cell phone usage. The blame doesn’t rest on drivers alone: The numbers of distracted pedestrians who have walked into traffic while using their phones has quadrupled in the past seven years, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. With its convenient heads-up display, Google Glass will only make it harder for both drivers and pedestrians to keep their eyes on the road. Furthermore, the discreteness Google Glass has when taking video leads real concerns of privacy violation.  

The bad news doesn’t end there. Even if you wanted what is essentially a face-mounted smartphone, you probably can’t get one when it’s released later this year. In order to receive the opportunity to purchase a Google Glass, you needed to have applied to their Google Glass Explorer program to be allowed to pay the exorbitant price tag. In fact, if you don’t live within driving distance of San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York, expect to account for the additional cost of your plane ticket to one of those cities to pick up your Google Glass.  

Despite all this, the efforts put out by Google’s Project Glass team has not been in vain. While not suited as a consumer product, the technology has started the trend in wearable technology which could be incredibly beneficial for those with disabilities. It also represents what is now technologically possible and the direction the industry is headed in. However, like the Segway, Google Glass is just not practical right now.

Brian is a junior in LAS and can be reached at [email protected].