Snap tries to sell consumers on the idea of US$2,195 smart glasses

SNAP revealed new partnership and software details about its forthcoming Specs augmented reality glasses, pitching the US$2,195 device to early adopters ahead of a launch planned for later this year.

The social media company, which believes it has found a design that could make consumers more comfortable with donning a computer on their face, announced a partnership on Wednesday (Sep 16) with Verizon Communications that will allow people to try Specs at select Verizon stores and purchase custom wireless data plans for the wearable device. 

A higher-priced US$2,395 version of the Specs will include a carrying case that features built-in cellular data connectivity, allowing the glasses to move beyond Wi-Fi networks and function anywhere a user can get Verizon reception. There will be a separate monthly fee for users who want that level of freedom.

Snap, best known for the Snapchat social media app, sold quirky camera-equipped “Spectacles” glasses a decade ago. It is now reentering a smart glasses market currently dominated by Meta Platforms.

But Ray-Ban Meta glasses have faced growing pushback from consumers who are wary of being recorded in public without their knowledge or consent.

“Success for this product is showing people that we can build a totally different type of computer that makes computing feel way more human,” Snap chief executive officer Evan Spiegel said in an interview ahead of the announcement. 

“I think if we can land that vision and people understand it, then they understand the next 20 years of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

The Snap Specs are more technically advanced than Meta’s highest-end US$799 glasses that feature an integrated display, though they fall short of the visual clarity and immersion offered by larger, bulkier headsets like Apple’s US$3,699 Vision Pro, which has failed to find significant momentum with consumers.

Along with the ability to understand three-dimensional space and layer digital effects onto the real world, the most compelling aspect of Snap’s hardware is that it’s fully untethered, with all of the computing technology fully contained inside the glasses.

There’s no dangling puck or battery, which can’t be said for Apple’s headset or the upcoming “Aura” AR glasses developed by Xreal and Alphabet Inc’s Google. 

But this style isn’t without compromise: Some parts of the design — like the temples — are quite thick. 

Snap’s June unveiling of its consumer Specs, which followed several years of testing developer-focused AR models, was ridiculed by some on social media when Spiegel’s ears seemed to fold under their weight. 

During a roughly half-hour hands-on session ahead of Wednesday’s keynote, the Specs felt mostly comfortable, though they still feel hefty compared with conventional glasses.

Users can bring up the virtual interface’s home screen by looking at their open palm. From there, the glasses’ hand tracking allows for making selections. This approach to navigation worked well enough, but there wasn’t enough time to assess how intuitive it really is over extended use or if the glasses cause fatigue when worn for long stretches.

Spiegel said Specs are designed for intermittent use and not something people are meant to have on their face all day, which is partially a reflection of their limited battery life: They last for around four hours of mixed usage factoring in both video and audio playback.  

Users can stream video from services such as YouTube and HBO Max through the included web browser on Specs, resizing the content and placing it wherever they’d like in nearby three-dimensional space. The glasses can dim their lenses to make entertainment easier to focus on.

Some popular apps like Spotify won’t be available until after the glasses go on sale, the company said. Others, like Shopify, will allow users to preview the actual size of furniture and other items in their personal space — though this is something most smartphones can replicate with software AR features. 

Different “lenses”, another word for apps in Snap parlance, will allow users to see navigation directions mapped into their actual view or provide live translation functionality in as many as 60 supported languages.

The glasses also allow for standard-fare tricks like setting up a virtual secondary display for a laptop or privately watching a movie on the go.

Snap is building a social element into Specs, letting two owners play games like dominoes together. Other experiences can help people improve upon their golf swing or basketball skills by blending virtual lessons and challenges with a user’s real-world view.

“I think right now, the narrative is computers are replacing us and we think people are going to spend more time in virtual worlds,” Spiegel said. “And we’re saying, ‘No, we don’t agree with that vision. We think computers should enhance human capability and skill.’”

Since few people are likely to purchase US$2,000-plus glasses sight unseen, Snap plans to open a pop-up experience in Los Angeles as another way for consumers to test out Specs as they evolve over time. Other locations could later follow, the company said.

The company is also introducing its own artificial intelligence platform, called Specs Intelligence, that is being framed as a proactive assistant meant to present information exactly when it’s most helpful.

Specs Intelligence will be available for the iPhone and Apple’s macOS operating system, so users don’t need to splurge on the AR glasses just to give Snap’s personalized AI helper a try.

In the interview, Spiegel shrugged off the idea that the backlash around camera glasses could taint the Specs launch. With his product, he said, “you can see them from a mile away,” since the hardware is unmistakable to bystanders. 

“They’ve got iridescent lenses. And they’re a computer, so people aren’t using them to primarily record videos. They’re watching videos, right? Or playing a game or working on their golf swing or getting work done.”

The “misstep” that Meta and others made, he added, was pursuing a conventional glasses style while building in cameras that can often be hard to see. Spiegel is confident consumers will understand “that we built something really different and they’re not a pair of spy glasses.”

Spiegel said the Specs have the best odds with early adopters and tech enthusiasts, but declined to comment on how many units the company is aiming to sell or what would constitute a commercial success. For now, he said, the company is able to fully back Specs Inc., a standalone subsidiary formed earlier this year, through the broader Snap business. But Spiegel said there could be room for outside investment if the effort takes off.

“What’ll be interesting is, let’s say the opportunity is way bigger than we thought and we really want to accelerate. Then I think we have an opportunity to look at raising more capital for whatever that may be,” he said. REUTERS