A recent Saturday Night Live segment poked fun at Glass, the wearable smart-device soon to be released by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG). At the Weekend Update desk, Seth Meyers watched as Fred Armisen repeatedly tossed his head back and unsuccessfully tried to operate the headgear. But Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a different reaction when trying on Glass. He thinks a Facebook app should be a priority.
“Is there anything specific you want us to be trying?” Zuckerberg reportedly asked Google founder Sergey Brin at a recent awards ceremony honoring both companies. “If so, I want to be doing that.” Zuckerberg even said there were several engineers on his staff waiting for Google Glass to arrive so they could start developing products
for it. The two spoke informally in the back of a gymnasium while reporters stood by and snapped photos.
While many have questioned the need for Glass, few doubt that Facebook will play a major role in the device’s use. As smartphone use is dominated by Facebook activity, Glass seems like a natural fit for the visual focus of the social media site. Could you “friend” someone on sight or “like” something by offering a command on Google Glass? That remains to be seen. In any event, Zuckerberg was highly enthusiastic about the product, hinting he’d love to get involved immediately…
“I can’t wait to get my own,” Zuckerberg repeatedly told Brin, who calmly showed the Facebook CEO how to use the device and what it can and can’t do at the moment. Users of both Android smartphones and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones are doing more on Facebook than on any other site, so Zuckerberg is right to get started on the next device that could make an impact on mainstream tech usage.
At the moment, reviews of Google Glass are skeptical at best , but such a reception is to be expected for the first device that changes the look of a person at eye level. Can Google Glass catch on and sidestep the perception that it is turning people into robots? The answer will be decided in the coming years, but either way, Facebook will be tied to the outcome.
