Over 12 million consumer smart glasses will ship globally in 2020, with the majority of growth occurring after 2017.
This is according to a study by Juniper Research that predicts a huge long-term surge in smart glasses sales when Microsoft's HoloLens becomes generally available.
Juniper's predictions for 2016 show that less than a million devices will likely be shipped this year from a variety of vendors, but this will change in the next four years.
Juniper defines smart glasses as "head-mounted computing devices that provide display and computing capabilities while overlaying, but not replacing, the visual world".
The research finds the current market is 15 months behind previous expectations, due to the withdrawal of Google Glass in 2015. However, Juniper analysts expect the market will be reinvigorated by 2017, as the HoloLens becomes generally available. The boost will also be aided when other vendors like ODG, Sony, Meta and potentially Magic Leap move beyond developer-only devices and into general availability.
Juniper says smart glasses currently provide a range of niche consumer use cases ? like the Recon Jet's cyclist and athletics focus ? as well as strong benefits across many workplaces. However, "uncertainty around how the devices would be used by consumers has held back the market's development".
"While Google Glass encouraged smart glasses users to take their devices everywhere, Juniper believes the key to the consumer smart glasses segment will be found in home-based use cases, in much the same way consumer tablets are primarily used indoors, rather than taken everywhere."
Juniper's report explains this was a key part of the Atheer One's appeal in 2014, but when that device got shelved, so did the advent of successful consumer smart glasses.
"While an appealing consumer smart glasses product has yet to be launched, the benefits of smart glasses are now being realised in many workplaces, with vendors like Vuzix, Atheer and even Google focusing on enterprise use," says Juniper.
"Hands-free computing and video transmission can be a huge productivity booster in many workplaces now, while it's not a huge draw for consumers," according to research author James Moar.
"It will take the development of devices that give unique vision-based capabilities, that can't be replicated by a smartphone, for a truly worthwhile consumer use case for smart glasses to emerge," adds Moar.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
Share