When I was at E3 this year I spent some time talking to industry
leaders about Microsoft’s SmartGlass. This isn’t so much a piece of hardware,
as it is an app. SmartGlass turns any android or iOS device into a controller/peripheral
device for an Xbox. I was somewhat skeptical about this approach until after E3
was over and it sunk in. Tablets are the only growing segment in the consumer
hardware market and they are expected to double every year for the next two
years. Tablet sales outsold PC sales this year (a first) and this trend will continue.
As the go-to device, the tablet and superphone will be the dominant technology
of the foreseeable future.
Now as a console maker, I might find this growth combined
with the declining sales of consoles very disturbing (which I’m sure they are).
You could, as a console maker, try to compete head-to-head as Sony is with their
portable players or the sure-to-fail Wii U GamePad but I think Microsoft’s
approach is much... well, smarter. Instead of competing directly with the
tablets, they’re leveraging their popularity (and adoption) to become the next peripheral
device. More than that, they’re using these tablets to extend the functionality
of Xbox to outside their console. Whether you’re watching a movie on the device,
using it to provide behind the scenes info on the movie you’re watching on the
TV or as a controller for an Xbox game, SmartGlass is connecting the value of
their entertainment platform to the power of your portable device.
As with all new ideas, it’s not really the validity of the
idea that determines success, as much as the ease of adoption. SmartGlass is a
great idea, but its true test will be how Microsoft brings it to market.
For a complete outline of Microsoft’s SmartGlass go here.
Chris Hennebery
June 10, 2012
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