There are two important new things to know about SnapChat. The first one is relatively easy: SnapChat is called Snap now. The second new thing might be somewhat more of a gamechanger: Snap(Chat) will start selling video-grabbing sunglasses starting this fall. Shooting Snaps without your phone, pretty cool right?
Spectacles, Specs for short, tries to become a success in the market where the Google Glasses failed.
What are the specs of Snap’s Specs? They are sunglasses, that will be available in three colours, that will have a small camera in both front upper corners of the frame (see featured image). When the button next to left camera is tapped, the cameras will record for up to 10 seconds. Additional clicks get you 10 more seconds each, with a maximum of 30 seconds of video. The snap you make will be stored in your glasses until you transfer them to your phone. These so-called Specs Snaps will be saved under the memories section of the snap(chat) application.
By means of a lightsource, the specs will let you (but also the people around you) know that you are recording. Meaning: it will not be able to secretly film individuals around you, as they aware of the fact that you are making a video.
According to Snap, your Specs should last about a day on one battery. Additionally, a charging case will be available that will make your Spectacles’ battery last for about a week.
So, now the important question, how much will a pair of these bad boys cost you? $130, including the battery case. That is equal to the price for a new pair of Ray Ban’s (that cannot record). Also, comparing this to Google’s first initial price of $1500 for their glasses, $130 seems more than reasonable. Of course, Google Glass could certainly do more than Snap’s Specs, but where $1500 just seemed to scare potential buyers, $130 is more likely to attract early adapters.
Where Google Glasses focused on ‘being the future’, and GoPro focuses on the adrenaline junkies and sport fanatics, Snap chose to go for a different market segment: the day-to-day life of an individual who is not called Travis Pastrana. Think of the Specs as a GoPro for the ‘normal’ stuff. With the Spectacles, Snap choses to stay in the present instead of ‘being the future’.
In today’s Western world, where everything is recorded and put on social media, Specs help you do just that. Specs will help you relive your memories by focusing on video capture, rather than on augmented reality.
Of course, as can happen with every new product, things could turn south. The Specs might flop when it turns out the human race is just not interested in recordable glasses. But the fact that they actually look like designer sunglasses, have an affordable price, and that Snap simply focused on today’s trend of recording memories, builds a strong case in favour of Snap’s Specs.
I’m curious to see if this indeed becomes the new social media #trend, but the prospects are positive.
I think this is a really cool idea, and definitely makes it a lot easier to take videos of everyday life, enabling users to watch them back as though they were actually there. However, this new product also brings up the age old issue of privacy again, and whether you should be able to film people in public without their permission. I see Snap(chat) have added a light so people around them can see when they’re actually filming, but do you think this is likely to quell arguments that could arise, or do you think many people will still view this as another unwanted intrusion into their lives whilst going about their everyday business?
Interesting post Jaimy! Thanks for the contribution, I’ve actually read a bit about the release (as I’m sure most of us will have on the odd Facebook scroll!) so I’m somewhat familiar with it. I think it’s certainly worth considering Snapchat’s new venture, as well as the fact that the company has decided to rebrand – much like Apple’s move some years ago to remove “computer” from it’s name.
On the sunnies front, I think the argument has been made in the past that Snapchat was struggling to find a way to diversify and monetize its service. The introduction of some forms of advertising may have kept these “concerns” at bay, but the clock was undoubtedly ticking. Perhaps, then, Spectacles was Snapchat’s response? Though it shouldn’t come as a total surprise to us, considering their purchase of Vergeance for $15 million in 2014, and all Snapchat’s really done is rebrand their original concept…
For these reasons, I’m not all that excited about the release of Spectacles, however novel the concept may appear to be. Frankly, I believe that the most interesting aspect of the recent rumors and/or news surrounding the company is that they will soon become “Snap Inc.”, as you mentioned, and Snapchat along with Spectacles will become subsidiary products/services. Thus, in the wake of such restructuring, what are we to expect of Snapchat’s future? Is the introduction of their first piece of hardware to be taken as an insinuation of a future path? And will all future Snap Inc. products & services tie in with Snapchat, or will they try to move away from their namesake? In my opinion there is quite some way to go for Snap Inc. but, in spite of that, I look forward to the future of the company and whatever it may bring our way!
I also read about snapchat announcing the new sunglasses. However, I doubt it will be a succes to be honest.
Firstly, you cannot wear those sunglasses all the time as it is dependent on the weather. It would be kind of strange to wear sunglasses when it isn’t sunny at all or when you are inside. Secondly, there is indeed the problem of privacy. You can tell that people are recording, but what if they won’t delete their videos if you ask them to. Then there is nothing you can do about it. Also, I don’t think those glasses look fashionable, but that is just my opinion.
Nonetheless, I think the Snapchat app itself is great and I think they do have a future, but I expect that they won’t have much profit – if any- with these ‘Spectacles’.