• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, July 9, 2013

Google Glass does not allow wearers to do anything they can't already do with a smartphone, according to one analyst -- but he admits to being impressed overall with the first attempt at a "meaningful wearable technology."

Tech companies constantly look for the next life-changing device that will make an impact on society. Mobile has transformed the way that search engine marketers optimize sites, content and campaigns, but we have yet to experience the impact of wearable technology like Google Glass on search engine marketing.

Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster, Douglas J. Clinton, and Matthew E. Lebo explain in a research note published Tuesday that a poll of 10 investors gave Glass an overall rating of 5 out of 10 for its initial usefulness. The report explains how Glass will likely improve in time, and how developer adoption will become important to make the device more useful.

"Over time, we expect that Glass will replace higher-end smartphones, but in its first year of wide availability, 2014, we believe Google is more likely to sell between 1 million and 2 million," according to the report.

ABI Research recently forecast that product enhancement will contribute 22% in 2013 to augmented reality apps, and stand-alone apps will contribute about 10%. Developers will invest 68% of budgets -- about $670 million – this year into augmented reality applications, up to $2.5 billion in 2018.

Tech companies continue to look for that "truly revolutionary hardware product" that will change lives, but many of the products being released in the market today perform the same functions. It takes a new type of product that offers a different experience to change the world.

Piper Jaffray analysts believe that some wearable tech falls into this life-changing category --  including Glass -- but the device typically performs the same functions as smartphones, such as taking photo, searching, navigation, and sending messages. The difference with Glass is that the image appears in the wearer's line of sight.

The report explains how products like Glass could replace higher-end smartphones, but it will take between three and five years from the official launch year -- 2014. The analysts estimate the high-end smartphone market at $165 billion this year. The report also mentions technology like self-driving cars and consumable robots among the next truly revolutionary technology products.

How do you think Google Glass will influence search engine marketing?