Google Glass verdict from Apple CEO Cook: 'A pain in the temple'
Apple CEO Tim Cook has tried out Google Glass himself - and doesn't like it all that much. Speaking at at D11, the AllThingsD executive conference, he said Google Glass wasn't likely to be mass market, but could "appeal to certain markets."
COOK: OK for people who wear glasses
"I've been using Google Glass for a few weeks now off and on, but it's hit the point where it's mostly off."
Cook said he didn't like wearing glasses. Period.
"The problem with Google Glass is that when the novelty wears off, I'm still wearing glasses that are a pain in the temple.
"In addition, sometimes Google Glass can be an overheated annoyance — that navigation bar can run hot if shooting video, for example."
As for glasses in general,he said, "I don't know a lot of people that wear them that don't have to."
At Google I/O, Google Glass almost looked normal, "but I was in a developer Petri dish. For someone as blind as a bat (that would be me), it was odd to see people willingly wearing bulky devices on their face for giggles."
Google Glass's future is likely to revolve around a licensing model for people who wear glasses, said Cook.
"Some folks, but not many, will choose to wear glasses just for computing: think specific industry uses and techies looking to make a statement.
"Glass lacks a killer app. Photos are the closest thing that Google Glass has to a killer app.
"I've had trouble navigating applications and bouncing around between Twitter, The New York Times, photos and other items."
Cook pointed to single-use strategies with wearables, but Google is going for a multi-use approach and leaving a lot up to developers.
"The fact that Glass does a bit of everything can be jarring. For instance, I don't really want my text messages going to Glass, but they were there when my phone was paired with Bluetooth. I never found the option to turn the texts off."
Fashion will matter, said Cook.
The Apple CEO thought the wrist was interesting as a wearable computing target.
The wrist, he said, was the flipside of Google's glasses conundrum.
"In many cases, Apple and Google will have to create something so game-changing that you're willing to wear it.
"What will happen? I don't think the wrist or glasses approach quite works. Over time, I think computing will be embedded in multiple places such as clothes, shoes and the like."