Google Glass has ‘zero chance’ of becoming mainstream, says Khosla Ventures’ Keith Rabois

Khosla Ventures’ partner Keith Rabois appeared on Bloomberg TV today to talk about a variety of things, but there’s one particular piece that caught our ear. In the nearly eight minute conversation, he said that there was ‘zero chance’ of Google Glass ever becoming mainstream.

Glass is Google’s foray into the world of wearable computing and is going a different route from other companies, which are targeting watches, wristbands, and the like. But it hasn’t received worldwide acclaim — it has received both supporters and critics, including those who think it’s creepy, a tool to invade people’s privacy, and just costs too much with a current price tag of $1,500 (this isn’t the final consumer price, as some say it will be $299 at release).

When asked to clarify his answer, Rabois said that the idea of forcing someone to “voluntarily” wear glasses “makes no sense whatsoever”. However, he did say that there were industries that variations of Glass could be used in. The former PayPal executive and COO of Square said that he would hedge his bets on wristwatches and similar technology, such as ones rumored to be coming from both Samsung and Apple.

Although he does raise a good point, some might say that wearing a computer on your head isn’t necessarily a deterrent to buying Google Glass. After all, there are those that wear sunglasses and, while technically not voluntarily, eyeglasses. Google has said before that it will be releasing versions to accommodate those with prescriptions.

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It’s a bit early to assess whether Glass will be a hit with the general public. Naturally, Google is optimistic and thinks that mainstream users will flock to the technology. It even said so at its Developer Conference when asked by the audience. The dais said that normal people have been interested in what Glass is, simply because they’re trying to figure out what it is and what it could become.

➤ Watch the full Bloomberg TV interview here (Glass discussion starts around 2:33):

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