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Google Glass Signs Deal With Ray Ban's Parent Company
sfcrazy (1542989) writes with news that fancier Google Glasswear is coming soon "Google has signed a deal with The Luxottica Group, the world's largest eyewear company (controlling 80% of the eyewear market). Luxottica owns Ray-Ban, Oakley, Vogue-Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli, and Arnette. The deal shows how serious Google is about Glass, contrary to the skepticism raised by high-profiled users like Robert Scoble who spelled doom for the device."
At this rate Google will be the new Apple. Overpriced designer products that rely on being the "in thing" anyone?
Many people wear cheap sunglasses - I guess "80% of the eyewear market" is in terms of value, not volume, since 1 Ray-ban costs about as much as 100 cheap sunglasses?
So we can pay even MORE to be glassholes?
Pass.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I posted this story a few years ago about Luxotica...
http://www.clarksvilleonline.c...
"GET / HTTP/1.0" 200 51230 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; Setec Astronomy)"
Now glassholes who get regularly beaten by angry people will fall to the ground with more style. They will be the most elegant patients in hospitals! Good for them.
He's the prick that slagged off the original Droid because he couldn't find the @ symbol and claimed you couldn't enter this character, clearly missing the dedicated key for it! All Scoble does it do social media rounds pushing his own PR for his crappy place-holder site.
I can't see a significant demographic of people wanting to spend this amount of money to wear glasses. Usability/utility is going to be a far bigger issue than any of the potential technical or social problems. Contact lenses and laser eye surgery are around because most people would rather *not* wear glasses and most people only wear their sunglasses when they need to. Glasses are simply not convenient. I have't seen any features in Glass that's going to compel the masses to want spend this kind of cash to have these things on there head. Sure, there's probably a niche market and there will certainly be the tech gadget people, but that's all.
> The deal shows how serious Google is about Glass contrary to the skepticism raised by high-profiled users like Robert Scoble who spelled doom for the device.
How do you get from there to this? So they signed a deal with Ray Ban. So what? Does this suddenly mean Scoble has to publish a retraction?
More astroturfing. NSA and now this.
Pocket protectors and beanie hats to complement their Google Glass products.
They want to deploy more spy droids. The spies can turn on your webcam now. I bet google glasses are tapped.
Not just Glassholes, but stylish Glassholes.
I'm pretty sure those are counterfeit. You can't buy RayBan's at wholesale prices because that would undercut the cost that Luxxotica gets via their outlets. They're subject to huge markup, but it's not anywhere close to 3500% last I checked. If you're buying them for such a low price, then chances are they're counterfeit.
They are grossly overpriced, but not by that much.
So one near monopoly with 80% market share is getting together with another near monopoly with a 90% market share?
What could possibly go wrong?
Since they're partnering with Oakley, is there any change we could get Red camera integrated into their version?
Could the girl in the picture be any less enthusiastic? "I'm too hip to sit still for a camera... alll right... fine"
I will say one thing... it's a neat idea. It just needs about 2 generations to be useful. By generations I mean human generations.
I do think the Military will be a major buyer of these things though. In fact, the military is probably the only valid use for these things.
I thought they DIDN'T want douchebags wearing their products?
What if you want to record whoever/whatever you see and not get beaten up for it? Maybe they're planning a Glass model that looks just like regular sunglasses.
Maybe it's sharply different outside the US, but this recent arcticle estimates Luxotica's US market share as only 40-50%
..."The Luxottica Group, the world's largest eyewear company (controlling 80% of the eyewear market). Luxottica owns Ray-Ban, Oakley, Vogue-Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli. and Arnette"..
So this is why eye wear is so expensive?
I wear glasses already... if they can fit the technology into a form factor that does not substantially change the appearance of what I already wear on my face, I may be interested once they can improve the battery life.
I am not, however, interested in any way, shape or form in looking like Locutus of Borg.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I knew people in the "real world" use Excel for a database. I did not know they used them for professional document editing too. Thanks for clearing that up.
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
The Luxottica Group is the recognized leader in over priced eye-ware.
Competition Good, Monopoly Bad.
... When Google Docs came out. It was the first office app suite to offer something new.
I'll hold off on wearing Glass until one can wear them and not have every hipster, homosexual, and school kid on the street come up to you and want to try them out.
Although, if I were a homosexual or a hipster, that sounds like a feature.
I think that the partnership is to fix how Locutus of Borg stupid Glass looks.
It seriously looks like the old Slashdot icon for Bill Gates.
Second they need to change how they look to get away from the association with all the Sarah Slocums on the world.
Glass explorers, with a few exceptions, have been snobby asses without respect for other people's wishes.
They are willfully ignorant that people, other than their yuppy friends, don't like Glass.
You can tell by reading any article they will always include a disclaimer for this item.
If there wasn't an issue there wouldn't be a disclaimer.
In SF if you wear these it pretty much is like saying "I am a total tool and suck as a human being".
So much so there is even a website for places that don't want you wearing them. http://www.glasshole-free.org/
My guess is they will get a designer look to the device, and try to hide the price with cellphone like contracts.
I avoid Luxottica eyewear, because they have monopolized the industry and hurt small producers. They are on a constant buying binge to buy-up any producer that might gain some traction in showrooms, and make monopolistic demands on retailers.
They make (IMO) poor-quality eyewear at inflated prices. Most of the "designer" labels they make agreements with seem to be OK with this. BTW, you should be able to get any Luxottica products on line for at least half off of retail, because the prices are so inflated. You can get actual quality eyewear for the same price.
Retailers and professionals hate them, but have no choice.
Good one, Google. You really showed us how you do no evil.
"I've had older."
The Grand Budapest Hotel - in theaters now!
I love Google Glass because it allows me to take pictures of strangers without their permission in public and then publish and sell the photos for as high as $50,000 in fine art galleries and museums that specialize in street life photography and social documentary photography. Irene Zilou