Paul Travers recognized the need for hands free situational awareness long ago. I think that he saw the need for that same thing for business and the tremendous potential there, as well as the potential for the general public.
I was discouraged when the military arm of the business was eliminated. I did not see the larger picture at the time.
Large companies are just picking up on what is possible now. Competition in the marketplace and increasing efficiencies is what guarantees that AR will explode.
When?
NOW!
The market for AR and the technology and software also were not quite there. The systems now are more than useful, and soon will be indispensable in meeting the competition in the open market.
I remember watching an interview with Paul on Bloomberg. The anchorwoman seemed very skeptical of any possible need for AR. When asked by her why one might need such a thing, Paul seemed momentarily bewildered that someone could have trouble grasping the potential.
Amazing as it is, there is still resistance to a simple concept which has become a reality and will become commonplace very quickly. Business can not afford to delay the benefits of AR.
Software development is of tremendous importance now. The hardware will continue to become streamlined. There is no going back.
Yes, Vuzix will have a lot of competition, however, Paul "got it" before the big boys. Vuzix understands that AR implementation starts with the enterprise.
The general public will come later. But, not by much. Google glass is a perfect example of choosing the wrong market and misreading the chosen target market.
In the long run, when the form factor for the hardware becomes easy to incorporate in our daily lives, and the software is simple useful and attractive, AR systems will be the evolution of phones and computing platforms working within The Internet of Things.
Even if Vuzix is swallowed up, Paul Travers will be responsible for getting AR off the ground.
2016 is the year that the future of AR became clear to the people that matter in making the revolution.
Thanks Paul!
