'iPod Father' Tony Fadell to Take Charge of Google Glass

[Rogifan]

what about under the iHome integration platform and division? would have been the perfect "centre" piece. I think Apple missed out bigtime for that.

Most people who have a home, have their thermostat in a very central, uncovered and visible location (sort of a requirement for it to work right). that would have been a fantastic product for Apple to have right there in everyones main halls/living rooms, with a big bright glowing Apple logo on it when you or your guests walk by. It would have been the flagship of their home integration platform.

Apple doesn't have divisions, it has functions. Where would Nest rollup in the org chart below? I can't imagine Tony coming back to Apple and reporting to anyone other than Cook.

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Google Glass wasn't a failure, because it wasn't meant to be a mass consumer device. If it had been, Google would've designed it differently and sold it for under $100 like Chromecast.

Google priced it so high because they wanted the barrier to entry. They didn't want tons of people buying it and freaking everyone out. Google should have targeted it to certain vertical markets where it would have been been useful. My guess is that's how they'll repurpose it.

 

[bozzykid]

Apple is being criticized for releasing a watch that costs $350.00 minimum, looks better and does more than the Google Glass which costs $1500.00?

Google already said that when they actually make a retail version that it will not cost anything near $1500. They are not mass producing the developer edition at any large scale that would allow them to lower the price.

 

[Roessnakhan]

Google already said that when they actually make a retail version that it will not cost anything near $1500. They are not mass producing the developer edition at any large scale that would allow them to lower the price.

Shh, take your logic out of here!

 

[samcraig]

I'm not missing any points. The product was released at retail and withdrawn because it went over like a fart in a spacesuit. This can only be called a success in some alternate universe. Any product for Apple that doesn't become a huge and instant success will be branded as a failure, not because of anything Apple said or did, but because they are very simply expected to get things right. I don't have to "spin" anything at all, since you are proving my point with every reply.

You're missing a lot. Or choosing to ignore what's already been said. No point in discussing any further.

 

[jjofc11]

oh, ok

oh! ok no problem

 

[anthony11]

For as enormous as its potential is, we're going to need a considerably more modernized world to live in before this becomes useful and appealing on a mass scale. This is a bit cart before horse.

For it to catch on Google would need to actually allow people to buy it. Remember Jobs' "Enroll." pretension at NeXt?

 

[AppleSauce007]

Agreed. Letting Google acquire Nest was a strategic mistake that'll have long term repercussions. Nest could've been the centre hub for HomeKit. I understand that Apple doesn't want to grow to having a large product matrix but they could've kept Nest running as an independent company making homekit devices.

Google not only got the product, they got Fadell.

Good engineers/managers leave Apple from time to time, it's not the end of the world. Google has not done much with Nest anyway and Apple has HomeKit partners like Honeywell in the thermostat business so Apple does not need to make thermostats. You can only do so much with a thermostat or smoke detector anyway.

 

[IJ Reilly]

You're missing a lot. Or choosing to ignore what's already been said. No point in discussing any further.

You consistently mistake not agreeing with you for misunderstanding. So yes, that does make further discussion with you quite pointless.

 

[Regbial]

Just let it die!

 

[maflynn]

Well I never supported Apple buying Beats. I think they should have bought Waze.

As far as Nest goes where would it roll up in Apple's functional hierarchy? Nest isn't a function or a piece of technology it's a fully baked product.

I think they could find a home for it. They figured out where to put the beats stuff. My point is not how would they integrate it internally but rather using what Nest has to increase the reach of apple into the home. They are already trying to do that now. W/o Nest they have more work in front of them.

We really don't know how Fadell feels about Apple in 2015, other engineers have left and come back, others refused. I don't think we can say emphatically that he would leave, or even he would stay.

I stand by my opinion though, apple missed the boat on this. Instead of spending billions on a headphones company that has no real synergy with apple, they could have went after a company that was moving in the same direction as apple into the same sector that apple wanted to be in.

 

[samcraig]

You consistently mistake not agreeing with you for misunderstanding. So yes, that does make further discussion with you quite pointless.

Well you keep insisting that Glass was a (mass) consumer product and marketed in the same manner as such and that's simply not accurate.

 

[Rogifan]

I think they could find a home for it. They figured out where to put the beats stuff. My point is not how would they integrate it internally but rather using what Nest has to increase the reach of apple into the home. They are already trying to do that now. W/o Nest they have more work in front of them.

We really don't know how Fadell feels about Apple in 2015, other engineers have left and come back, others refused. I don't think we can say emphatically that he would leave, or even he would stay.

I stand by my opinion though, apple missed the boat on this. Instead of spending billions on a headphones company that has no real synergy with apple, they could have went after a company that was moving in the same direction as apple into the same sector that apple wanted to be in.

I'm not sure how thermostats and smoke detectors have more synergy with Apple than music and headphones. TV will be Apple's HomeKit hub. And I think it will be much easier to get lots of 3rd parties on board if they know Apple isn't directly competing with them.

 

[940272]

I saw the first few words of the title and became sad...

If only the iPod would return

 

[mdelvecchio]

Agreed. Letting Google acquire Nest was a strategic mistake that'll have long term repercussions. Nest could've been the centre hub for HomeKit. I understand that Apple doesn't want to grow to having a large product matrix but they could've kept Nest running as an independent company making homekit devices.

Google not only got the product, they got Fadell.

Neither is a strategic mistake for Apple. Why? 1) Apple isn't in the thermostat business. 2) they could have hired Fadell had they wanted him.

Pretty simple.

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I saw the first few words of the title and became sad...

If only the iPod would return

What do you mean? The iPod hasn't left.

 

[baryon]

Glass can be a good and unique thing because it allows information to be superimposed over the real world, giving you unobtrusive information like walking directions, live translation like word lens, and other stuff like that.

However, for things like Facebook notifications, searching, replying to texts, I would really rather have something in my hand or even just a watch for quick information rather than talk to my sunglasses, because it simply makes you look very stupid. Even people with headsets sound a bit odd when they seem to just be talking to themselves until you notice the headset.

I don't think the benefit of this is big enough to warrant a place so privileged as being on your face and always visible to you and to others.

Perhaps if they could build this into contact lenses and figure out a way to display information over your entire visual field, then that could truly make this idea worthwhile. But that ain't going to happen anytime soon.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Well you keep insisting that Glass was a (mass) consumer product and marketed in the same manner as such and that's simply not accurate.

No, have not insisted on anything of the kind. What I actually did is reject "mass market" as being a meaningful distinction. This is one of several points I made to which neither you or anyone else even attempted to respond.

 

[samcraig]

No, have not insisted on anything of the kind. What I actually did is reject "mass market" as being a meaningful distinction. This is one of several points I made to which neither you or anyone else even attempted to respond.

Of course it's a distinction. And has meaning.

 

[512ke]

Google Glass is a really innovative, brilliant, and original thing that almost no one wants.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Of course it's a distinction. And has meaning.

Not really. You need to read more about the history of this product so that you will better understand Google's ambitions for it, none of which appear to have been realized. The argument that Glass was essentially designed to fail is absurd on the face of it and not actually true in any event.

 

[samcraig]

Not really. You need to read more about the history of this product so that you will better understand Google's ambitions for it. The argument that Glass was essentially designed to fail is absurd on the face of it and not actually true in any event.

Never said it was designed to fail. And I've read plenty. Have a great weekend

 

[Keirasplace]

Good engineers/managers leave Apple from time to time, it's not the end of the world. Google has not done much with Nest anyway and Apple has HomeKit partners like Honeywell in the thermostat business so Apple does not need to make thermostats. You can only do so much with a thermostat or smoke detector anyway.

Honeywell are not that well known in the home sector, but they are huge in the commercial sector. Their systems operate all the door security of our international airport. These commercial systems are already very centralized and automated; wonder if they could make home versions that don't cost an arm (or are they interested in that?).

 

[chimpboy74]

Glass has its place as mentioned. Surgeons etc.

For me the sports aspect (cycling mainly), with hud for info whilst doing activity and/or tbt directions would push me towards a product like this. And it already exists. Jet recons. I still won't buy those. Why? Price.

These things need to be waaaaay cheaper.

 

[maflynn]

I'm not sure how thermostats and smoke detectors have more synergy with Apple than music and headphones. TV will be Apple's HomeKit hub. And I think it will be much easier to get lots of 3rd parties on board if they know Apple isn't directly competing with them.

Apple is trying to get into different areas, and home automation is but one aspect of that. They would have had a bigger headstart with Nest, now they only have an SDK.

Spending billions on a headphone company that seems to have a moderately successful streaming service doesn't make sense to me.

 

[maflynn]

Glass has its place as mentioned. Surgeons etc.

I don't think the product is dead, though I do think it will need to transform some how, in function and price. I also think the public needs to find a good balancing act of what's acceptable and what isn't

 

[Rogifan]

Apple is trying to get into different areas, and home automation is but one aspect of that. They would have had a bigger headstart with Nest, now they only have an SDK.

Spending billions on a headphone company that seems to have a moderately successful streaming service doesn't make sense to me.

Hey I thought the Beats acquisition was stupid too. Time will tell if Eddy Cue was right or not. If Apple really wants to jump into home automation they don't need Nest to do it. Plus how do we know Nest was even willing to be accquired by Apple or that Apple was willing to pay $3B for it? And if Nest has some really high valued employees Apple could probably poach them with the right offer.