Fairly significant #SNAP scoop coming up on Cheddar.com… will be on air to break it live at the top of the 9am hour #CheddarLIVE #CheddarScoops
Snap has downplayed the future of Spectacles on recent earning calls, but sources tell me that not one, but TWO new versions are currently in the works. V2 slated to ship by the fall. Full scoop here: cheddar.com/videos/exclusi… #CheddarScoops
V2 of Spectacles, which is currently being manufactured, will look like V1 but come in different colors and have performance improvements. Thinks get interesting with V3…
V3, which is currently being prototyped, looks similar to this rendering we made based on how it was described to me. Two cameras that allow for “depth,” 3D-like videos. Made of aluminum and could cost around $300 with a GPS inside. Slated to ship by end of 2019. 
Snap has also talked to Luxottica and Warby Parker about licensing cameras to place on their glasses. But those talks haven’t progressed far.
Snap also acquired a small R&D company called FiveFocal, which is the reason it quietly opened a Boulder, Colorado office early last year
Snap also acquired a small R&D company called FiveFocal, which is the reason it quietly opened a Boulder, Colorado office early last year
Important to note that V3 will likely NOT include AR optics. That tech is still years away from reality for Snap. Think more immersive version of the circular videos Spectacles record now.
That being said, true AR on eyewear is the obvious goal for Spectacles.
That being said, true AR on eyewear is the obvious goal for Spectacles.
Most will probably wonder why Snap is trying again with Spectacles after they overestimated demand so badly the first time. Hint: They’re ordering far less inventory this time. 😄
Seeing a lot of criticism that because Snap overestimated Specs V1 inventory that the product was a failure.
Overestimating demand is an operational failure, not a product failure.
Potentially more troubling is some of the usage data from Specs 1: businessinsider.com/less-than-half…
Overestimating demand is an operational failure, not a product failure.
Potentially more troubling is some of the usage data from Specs 1: businessinsider.com/less-than-half…
That said, my understanding is that Snap feels it can get better usage metrics next time if key software issues are fixed (like app connectivity, better clip syncing, smoother performance on Android). Critics will say Spectacles were just a fad regardless of the performance bugs.
Thanks so much for the video hit on our story @CNET! cnet.com/videos/snaps-n…
