21.6 million geeky Americans want Google Glass right now

Luke Stangel

Contributing writer-Silicon Valley Business Journal

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If you find yourself wishing you had gotten your hands on Google Glass when you had a chance, you’re not alone. Analysts at Forrester Research estimate 12 percent of the population—roughly 21.6 million Americans—would buy Google Glass if it were available in stores right now.

Who are these 21.6 million geeks? Forrester says on average, they are under the age of 50, have higher-than-average income and find themselves perpetually connected to their smartphones, relying on them for everything. Sounds like pretty much every person in Silicon Valley.

Sensor-laden, wearable computers are emerging as a big trend. Forrester estimates nearly a third of Americans would buy a wearable clipped to their clothing or attached to their wrist, such as the FitBit or Jawbone UP. Other popular form factors include devices clipped to shoes, embedded into clothing, jewelry, headphones and glasses.

The least popular wearable? A device tattooed onto your skin. Just 3 percent of the country’s hardest hardcore geeks would be up for getting a computer installed under their skin.

The report validated the idea that Americans are hungry for Web-connected smartwatches. Apple and Intel are two big names reportedly working on watches.

Wearables perpetually gather data in the background, allowing people to quantify their lives—tracking steps, calories, location, elevation, speed, heart rate and more. Sophisticated wearables like Google Glass or the rumored Apple smartwatch are capable of connecting to the Internet and displaying live information.

In related news, pro tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 28, will wear her pair of Google Glasses on the court at Wimbledon next week. She’s the first pro athlete to wear Glass during a game.

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