Google Glass and competitor products could hit 9.4m sales by 2016 … or maybe only 1m

Analytics company IHS has estimated that the ‘smart glasses’ market could generate 9.4m sales by 2016, with real growth beginning in 2014 when Google Glass goes on sale to the general public (via ZDNet). Sales have so far been restricted to a limited number of developers, celebrities and contest winners via the Explorer Edition.

The company describes 9.4m as the most optimistic forecast, and says that apps are key. Without compelling apps, they estimate just 1m sales.

While analyst forecasts are a black art at the best of times, predicting the sales of a new product category without even knowing who else may enter the market seems a particular stretch, but perhaps you can’t go too far wrong with a forecast ranging all the way from 1m to 9.4m …