When 23-year-old Jonathan Gottfried snagged a coveted Google Glass back in spring 2013, he turned into an overnight superstar.
Gottfried says he was “swarmed” by admirers while donning the $1,500 high-tech eyewear that lets you receive notifications instantaneously and take pics and videos hands-free.
“It was this crazy thing,” says the Williamsburg resident who works in tech. “If you imagine what a day in the life of a celebrity is like, it kind of felt like that, just because you have this crazy device on your face.”
But the pressures of fame became too great.
“I stopped wearing them because I got a little bit tired of always being stopped on the street,” explains Gottfried, who still utilizes the device for work purposes. “That’s kind of annoying every day.”
Like it or not, a Google Glass world is finally upon us. And it’s a divided one.
Since its April 2013 rollout, tens of thousands of Google Glass devices have been sold nationwide, says a Google spokesperson who declined to provide specific numbers.
This past April, the headset, which is still in beta form, sold out in 24 hours during Google Glass’ first online sale to the masses. (Previously, Glass was only available to developers or those who grabbed it through special campaigns or connections. A post-beta version will be available by early 2015.)
The pricey gadget promises to revolutionize tasks both mundane (getting directions) and extraordinary (assistance in rare surgeries and real-time foreign translation while abroad). For status seekers, there are even $1,800 Diane von Furstenberg-designed versions now available on net-a-porter.com.
But not everyone is going Glass. Critics argue that the flashy gizmo is both pretentious and intrusive, letting wearers take photos with a simple wink of the eye.
“I don’t see why anyone feels the need to wear them,” says 30-year-old Pete, who works in financial research and declined to give his last name for professional reasons.
He recently spotted a man with Glass on the subway. “Was he reading his emails, watching an old episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ or recording everyone? Just reach into your pocket and get your phone!”
“Glasshole” has become the term du jour, and outrage has spiraled so out of control that San Francisco has seen a series of reported attacks on users.
New York City’s not immune to the backlash, either.
Gottfried chased down a man who had stolen his Glass right off his face. (He also had an incident at a San Francisco bar where drunken patrons accused him of recording them. He insists he wasn’t.)
In April, a techie war erupted when East Village restaurant Feast kicked out Glass-user Katy Kasmai after she refused to remove her device. Kasmai vented online, and hundreds of Glass groupies rallied against Feast on Google, accusing the eatery of discriminating “against people who are into new technology.”
Feast co-owner Brian Ghaw is unapologetic. He says Feast’s no-Glass policy is for guests’ peace of mind. “They just felt uncomfortable about having somebody who could potentially videotape them,” explains Ghaw. “If someone were sitting at a table with their smartphone constantly pointing in a certain direction and you didn’t know what they were doing with it, you’d feel pretty uncomfortable as well.”
But Glass users claim that discomfort fades with education.
“Everyone’s a hater in the beginning,” says 29-year-old Glass-wearer Drew Austin, CEO of Augmate, a company that develops software for wearable devices, including Google Glass.
“It’s just the norm. People hate what they don’t understand,” says the Soho resident.
One popular misconception is that the device is always recording. (It’s not — a visible prism lights up when the user is photographing or videotaping.)
“If someone asks me or says something about the Glass, I will always take the time to explain what it can and cannot do,” says Narunas Bukauskas, an Android developer who bought the gadget in December 2013 and wears it every day.
Though Google provides its own manual on how not to be a Glasshole — including “Don’t be creepy or rude” — social navigation can be tricky.
Town & Country Web editor Micaela English says Glass should be taken off during a seated dinner (though cocktail hour is a go-Glass zone).
Even Glass gadfly Bukauskas, 49, admits that he removes the device in bars and public bathrooms: “I get a little bit self-conscious,” he explains.
For many Glass users, including new mom Rebecca Soffer, etiquette is a learning process.
Soffer recently wore her new Google Glass to her baby boy’s music class.
“No one said anything to me, but the energy in the room was like, ‘Um … why are you wearing this thing?’ It’s understandable, because I can wink and take a picture with it,” says Soffer, co-founder of the site Modern Loss, who uses Glass to read emails while breastfeeding and washing bottles. “I think that’s fair. I’m a mom. If I went to class and saw someone wearing Glass, I’d be like, ‘Don’t look at my son!’ ”
Soffer, who got Google Glass through a grant in April, says the device can be a blessing for a multitasking mom, but she’s aware of its potential pitfalls.
“It freaks me out,” admits the Upper West Sider. “You can get any sort of information above your right eye at a second’s notice, and that’s a lot of power. [But] I also want to assure everyone that I’m using my powers for good. And I like to have faith that others will, too.”