Developers have barely cracked the shrink wrap on the Google Glass preview devices, but already one research firm is anticipating big business for the product category by 2016.
According to research from IHS iSuppli outed this week, Glass-style "smart glasses" will turn from buzz-worthy to downright lust-worthy over the next three years, when shipments are expected to reach nearly 10 million pairs.
Just a wearable camera?
iSuppli analyst Theo Ahadome opined that the hardware will be ultimately less important to end users than the practical applications that power it.
Ahadome cited the ability to provide "live updates for travel, location reviews and recommendations, nutritional information and matching personal preferences, and previous encounters to aid decision making" among the more exciting possibilities.
But for all the buzz surrounding Google Glass, the gadget must be more than a glorified "wearable camera."
If it can't provide worth beyond that, then analysts will ultimately temper their expectations to a more realistic 1 million units sold by 2016.
On the heels of news that the battery life for the current Glass Explorer Edition is a mere 30 minutes following video capture, Google has some tinkering to do to make sure the tech takes off.
Via SlashGear