Will people in smartglasses really be a common sight by 2018?

OPTIMISTIC PREDICTION: As Google opens up its Google Glass Explorer programme to potentially all US residents, another new report claims that by 2018 consumers will be buying 10 million pairs of smartglasses a year. — ©AFP/Relaxnews 2013

As Google opens up its Google Glass Explorer programme to potentially all US residents, another new report claims that by 2018 consumers will be buying 10 million pairs of smart glasses a year. 

That's a huge jump considering that fewer than 90,000 pairs are expected to ship in total in 2013. But Juniper Research — the company behind the report — believes that as soon as the devices can be demonstrated to improve consumers' lives and go beyond existing smartphone functionality, they will become mainstream tech objects of desire.