Start-up takes three years to send my smart glasses. However much I like them – and I do – that’s not a good look
- Our consumer tech editor was among the 10,410 people who crowdfunded San Francisco start-up Vue’s smart glasses in 2016. He’s finally received his pair
- The prescription is spot on despite the wait, and the glasses really are smart. Yet for all Vue’s transparency about delays, the experience is a disappointment
They finally arrived. The pair of smart glasses I bought from Vue, a San Francisco-based tech start-up, back in December 2016 landed on my desk at the end of last month– almost three years after I placed the order. Had it not been for the occasional “project updates” I received through email, I would have completely forgotten about this US$204 purchase.
The Kickstarter campaign for the project raised US$2.2 million from 10,410 backers, but the production of these glasses in Shenzhen, southern China was plagued by technical issues.
A June 2017 update I received said: “Progress is great, but we also want to make sure to give backers insight into the true complexity of manufacturing a product, and that includes talking about headaches.” Of which there were plenty, evidently. By that point, I knew I would not be getting my Vue Smart Glasses in July 2017 as pledged.
But at least I eventually got mine. Looking through some of the 5,000-plus comments on Vue’s website, it looks like some of the backers are still waiting for theirs.
So, has it been worth the wait?