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Snap's smart sunglasses are not going away.
The latest version of Snapchat's video-recording sunglasses, Spectacles 3, was unveiled on Tuesday by the company that owns Snapchat. It features brand-new 3D effects and a price that is out of this world.The device, which will be shipped in the fall but can be pre-ordered now, costs $380, which is more than twice as much as the previous version.
The move was made less than three years after Snapchat introduced its first pair, which were initially sold through vending machines.The spectacles went viral;For hours, people waited to get them.They were sold by resellers for more than $900 on eBay.However, the hype wore off, and the business was eventually forced to write off nearly $40 million for excess inventory.
Last year, Snap (SNAP) made a second attempt at the Spectacles, which were smaller and waterproof but resembled the first pair.
The product is now back with round lenses, a slimmer design, and 3D cameras.By tapping a button on the frame, users can transfer photos and videos to the Snapchat app, just like with its predecessors.The dual HD cameras in spectacles aim to replicate the human eye's ability to perceive depth and dimension in three dimensions.
Snapchat teased the new special effects that users can add to their "Snaps" with Spectacles in a video that was shared on social media.It showed videos with an augmented reality sting ray or bright pink bird overlaid on top, for instance.
According to the company's statement to CNN Business, it anticipates a time when computing, such as augmented reality, will be overlayed on the environment around you rather than being limited to a small screen.Snapchat is well-known for its augmented reality (AR) filters, which let users overlay virtual dog ears and flower crowns on videos and photos.
The new model is available in black and a rose-gold shade called "mineral," whereas the earlier models were available in bright colors like blue and orange.
However, Snap may be gaining knowledge from its mistakes.According to Snap, Spectacles 3 will be produced in smaller quantities than in the past because it is a limited-edition product.
The tech industry continues to actively invest in smart glasses despite Spectacles' initial failure and Google Glass' consumer failure.Apple is rumored to be developing augmented reality glasses, and Google is currently concentrating on providing augmented reality glasses to businesses.
Companies on the internet such as Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), and Amazon (AMZN) are also actively attempting to diversify their revenue streams through the sale of hardware products, thereby becoming even more ingrained in the lives of their customers.Facebook (FB), for instance, recently entered the hardware market with its Portal device for video chatting.
eMarketer's principal analyst, Debra Aho Williamson, praised Snap for continuing to experiment with its vision for augmented reality, but she doubts that this new Spectacles version will have "mass appeal."
She stated, "The high price and cumbersome user interface will make the majority of Snapchat users simply look the other way."
After a difficult year in 2018, Snap is recovering from a poorly received app redesign.Snapchat saw an increase of 13 million daily users in its most recent quarter, bringing an end to a long period of stagnant growth and putting its total audience above 200 million daily users for the first time.
