Yes, Apple will bring out a cool version in 2020.
Cool people already puts on sunglasses yeahhh!
Electronics in your pocket: cool
Electronics in your hand: cool
Electronics hanging out of your ears: cool
Electronics on your head, face, or built into your clothing: irredeemably uncool.
I can't explain why in words, all I can tell you is that the world sees these things differently. If you don't understand why computer-enabled glasses are unavoidably dorky then I can't explain it to you, but I'm pretty sure it's the case.
edit: That's not to say they won't sell well, to certain people. I envisage engineers on building sites walking around with 'em, or travelling salesmen, or police officers, or... I dunno, there's gotta be lots of good use cases for these sorts of things. But the very utility of 'em makes 'em desperately uncool, like Bluetooth earpieces.
I might be getting old, but I remember a time where electronics ANYWHERE in your person were incredibly uncool.
They were called "wereables" from a reason.
Isn't "pens in the front pocket" a defining characteristic of a 1950s-era nerd?
Now using bluetooth earpieces is commonplace
Sure, among two classes of people: travelling salesmen and complete toolbags.
I am sure people will get used to using very tiny gadgets on their clothing or ears if they assist them in meaningful ways.
Oh sure, I'm just arguing that it'll never be cool.
Yeah... next time you're walking through a crowded place, look at people's ears more closely.
If it doesn't work well enough, then it will be the new Newton—and even then, here we are 20 years later, and tablets are cool.
apple made walkmans cool again. After the 80s. with marketing alone.
edit: Adding a hard drive, making it easier to use than the competition, itunes store, app store. None of that had anything to do with it?
But nobody bought Nomad, and everyone bought an iPod. Why? Because Apple told people to buy an iPod, and people tend to do what they're told.
"Because Apple told people to buy an iPod, and people tend to do what they're told".
Even if you credit marketing with bringing this to people's attention, it's a mistake to think that marketing closes the deal. That credit goes to the experience, which was as imaginative, compelling, and well-designed as the object itself. As the (very) old ad agency joke goes "Nothing destroys a bad product faster than good advertising." Clearly that's not happening here.
I will never understand people ignore the product itself while insisting success is "just" marketing (as though this were an invariably witless task). Usually this is followed by "to people who are idiots." Perhaps you just don't appreciate things that are carefully considered and well made. There are people like this, and there always have been. And they suck. Or as Shakespeare put it "you blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things."
hard drive was a step back. for the same price (and 5 months before ipod launched) you could get a creative flash memory mp3 player with 2/3 of the size. again, same price, you give away 1/3 of the storage for NO gravity or dropping of issues. far superior if you ask me... yet, bad marketing on creative. (btw, ipod evolved some 5yr later and what? 1/2 of the space and flash memory, so yeah, even apple consumers agree it was better without it.)
that's simple, you ask apple to make it.
Wear glasses with non-corrective lenses.
I went from never wearing glasses for ten years to wearing glasses every day. (I was previously using contact lenses.) Hardly anyone batted an eye.
Oh god. Why did I even say that? Someone kill me now.