Snapchat’s Spectacles
In last weeks post I wrote about Apple’s new “Airpods” and tech’s movement away from the screen into the background, allowing for a more “human” experience. This trend in product design and direction has been a part of Apple’s brand since its inception, and began with its refined, empathetic approach to UI — utilizing skeumorphic design to make the computer more understandable and relatable. Think “folders” on your “desktop” and the calendar app being designed like a physical calendar. It is only now that the focus on user experience has brought them away from the screen, and that fact puts makes Snapchat’s recent product launch of their “spectacles” all the more interesting.
Over the past have been floating around the internet that Snapchat — a wildy popular iOS app — was looking into developing hardware. With pictures of founder Evan Speigal wearing oversized glasses (with a camera in them) on his beach vacation, to the company joining the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), it seemed like a certainty. Finally, on Sept. 24th, the product was released along with a rebranding of Snapchat to Snap, Inc. While these glasses can at first seem stupid — twitter and short-sighted tech blogs had a field day making fun of them. They have even been called Google Glass 2.0, t there are a few things that make the Spectacles a industry changing product.
- Spectacles are a “Toy”
- In the exclusive Wall Street Journal feature that accompanied the announcement of Spectacles, founder Evan Speigal was very sure to describe the new product as a “toy”, “to be worn for kicks at a barbecue or an outdoor concert“. This description serves a dual purpose; making the product more accessible and taking a little bit of pressure off the first hardware release from a software company value at 25+ billion. The genius price tag at $130 also makes it the a vacation or adventure accessory, that would be a bummer to lose but wouldn’t break the bank. Spectacle’s as a toy attempts to remove them from the field and conversation of high tech, making them more human and fun while being less intimidating, thereby selling more units.
- Present over Future
“Specs aren’t trying to conjure up the future’ they’re a product the steeped in the present” — Brian Barrett
- Over the past decade, Silicon Valley vocab has been steeped in hyperbole and large promises. The mission of every founder, from an on-demand car wash app to yet another photo-sharing social network, is to make the world a better place. Often attached with this this promise is a future-centric vision, always building toward the next thing, aiming to “disrupt” old industries and define new markets. In this environment, Spectacles are a breath of fresh air. Spectacle’s are a product that is for right-now, both in terms of look and style (the Illesteiva inspired lens) and the actual purpose of the product. In the first “commercial” for Spectacles, a group of friends is seen skateboarding around Venice beach, hinting at a mix of half go-pro half social usage. In these, the user of spectacles (which you become in the POV) is completely in the moment as their recording their snap. These are the moments which many criticize the use of Snapchat for currently — in social settings, many people pull out their phones to record the moment for later then be in it. Spectacles are positioning themselves as a product that allows for both.
- A Sneaky Move to AR
- Behind the casual aura infused into “spectacles” is extremely smart positioning in soon exploding market. Augmented Reality (AR) is still in infancy, but expected to grow exponentially until full market adoption in 2020. With the introduction of Spectacles, Snap Inc. is aiming to become the first computer powered eyewear, and their product’s incorporation of “face filters” introduced much of the public to augmented reality experimentation. Even though they aren’t delivering true augmented reality yet, a market desire for spectacles would be a great start.
All in all, Spectacle’s mark an incredible shift in tech, a shift where platforms before hardware, and hardware becomes casual products. The next big thing in tech will not come from a grand announcement of incredible innovation, but will sneak up on us through the toys and gadgets we let play a role in our lives.
