Smart Glasses Survey Shows App Developers and Early Adopters Focused on Devices from Trusted Tech Brands

Sponsored by Epson, More than 500 Developers and 3,000 Consumers Respond to Survey from Prelaunch.com

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Jul 22, 2015, 09:05 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Established brands currently lead the pack in developer and consumer interest in the nascent smart glasses industry, according to the results of a recent smart glasses industry survey.

Conducted for Epson by Prelaunch.com in May 2015, "The Current View of Smart Glasses" survey offers a snapshot of opinion from more than 500 mobile app developers and more than 3,000 tech-savvy consumers. A summary of top results include:

Developer awareness of smart headsets favored those from established tech brands, with an average 82% of developer respondents aware of devices from such companies as Google, Microsoft, Facebook's Oculus Rift, Epson, Samsung and Sony;
Google-backed start-up Magic Leap trailed many brands in developer awareness with slightly less than 60 percent aware of the device. The average number of developers aware of smart headsets from start-ups such as Vuzix, ODG and Recon Jet was 29%;
On average, 44% of developers have included devices from established tech brands on their app development roadmaps; roughly 12% of developers have included devices from start-ups in their app plans with Magic Leap the exception at 27%;
Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Epson Moverio^® glasses led the percentage of developers currently creating apps for devices at 15%, 12% and 10% respectively. Google Glass came in fourth at 9%;
Among consumers surveyed, 1) functionality, 2) availability of apps and 3) price were the top considerations when purchasing a VR or AR headset;
Approximately 26% of consumers surveyed wish to own a smart headset from an established tech brand with 3% from start-ups. Most consumers surveyed would be willing to pay between $200-$399 for an AR or VR device.

"This survey shows that VR and AR smart glasses from more established brands have gained the trust of developers and consumers alike in this early stage of the industry," said Donald Brewer, president of Prelaunch, a platform for brands to manage and optimize the pre-order sales process of technology products. "We will have to see if this trend holds as innovations continue to come to market."

Smart glass app developers and technology enthusiasts were in agreement on several fronts in the survey, including:

All respondents ranked the top app categories for both VR and AR platforms in the following order of interest: gaming/entertainment, travel/recreation, and education;
Roughly half of all respondents believe VR glasses will reach mass-market adoption in the next 1-2 years;
Roughly half of all respondents believe AR glasses will reach mass adoption in the next 3-5 years.

Survey respondents were gathered from the Prelaunch.com database as well from various developer and enthusiast forums and news sites.

Virtually all developers surveyed are currently creating apps for smartphones and tablets. Roughly 21% are also developing apps for virtual reality (VR) headsets and 17% for AR headsets.

"We are encouraged by the developer and consumer interest in this exciting new area of technology," said Eric Mizufuka, product manager, New Ventures for Epson America. "As one of the few providers in the smart glasses industry with product currently available to the public, we will continue to work closely with developers to meet the expectations of consumers and enterprises."

About Prelaunch Labs, Inc.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Prelaunch is the first and only platform that partners with established brands to offer pre-orders to a network of early-adopter consumers before launching new products. Consumers visit Prelaunch.com to find out what's next in various product categories and directly interact with their favorite brands and products, ultimately influencing their marketing and product development. Prelaunch also provides brands with market intelligence to help direct inventory planning, product messaging and other marketing efforts. Prelaunch serves as a vehicle to generating excitement and insights before launching new products.

SOURCE Prelaunch Labs, Inc.