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Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

wsj.com

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Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don't underestimate the power of social signaling. You mean the social signaling that is going to brand these users as "glassholes" as well? >At $129 this is a no-brainer. Please step out of your tech bubble. Most snapchat users are teenagers or college-age persons who absolutely do not have $129 to drop on a pair of novelty sunglasses.

These are the same teenagers/college-age persons who own $600+ iPhones.

Most phones are subsidized by wireless contracts.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the glasses are stupid, but then again, I thought the whole idea behind snapchat was stupid to begin with, yet here we are. Obviously my finger is not on the pulse of today's youth. I don't think the kids today will be too inclined to shell out $130 for these gimmicky things, but my judgement on such matters is demonstrably terrible.

Not a kid, but I absolutely love the idea of a camera at eye level that can capture what I'm seeing. Many times I've missed random animal sightings or funny moments because I didn't have a camera at the ready (and sometimes it takes a while to dig out the phone).

Same problem as Google glasses though, people dont like having a camera pointing at them when they talk to you.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#283
post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you seriously comparing a pair of shitty-looking sunglasses to the iPhone? These are sunglasses that take a ten second video that is tied to Snapchat. They cost 130 bucks and immediately signal that you are a techie douchebag because that's what people still associate video-taking glasses with. It is literally a novelty toy that is using a WSJ article (native content advertising) to make it seem like a revolution…

What's with the hate? You realize there's a possibility you will stand corrected?

OH NO i'll be wrong on the internet

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#284
This article mentions Snapchat's hundreds of employees and multiple offices. This is one of the most obvious examples of the "what are they all doing?" question for me. I know it must take quite a few people to run operations at that scale, and of course they have an advertising business too, which likely explains the need for multiple offices. But it seems like Snapchat is still an extremely minimal app with only a couple of extra features being added over the years. Instagram had only 13 employees when it was acquired, so what role are most of these people in?

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#285
post #191

This fixes everything broken about Google Glass. It's almost disturbing how much more on point this is: Of _course_ they're sunglasses. Of _course_ it's focused completely on video. Of _course_ it's marketed as being about sharing your memories as you lived them. Of _course_ you can only record 10 second videos at a time. Of _course_ snaps automatically sync to the app. Of _course_ they're designed to appeal to young…

As Google learned with glass and Twitter still needs to learn: If you don't know what your product is for, your customer is unlikely to figure it out for you.

I think what killed Google Glass was more price and availability. Combined with concerns over the camera, that solidified the whole glasshole thing.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LMAO right? These are literally shitty-looking sunglasses with a ten second loop camera on them that's only usable with Snapchat. These will be handed out at fancy NYC/LA/SF parties where people will play with them for a minute or so before putting them back down and going on their phones.

Try to understand the essence of the problem and the whole thing makes perfect sense. Problem: many spontaneous moments are missed because the phone is not immediately accessible. The phone is in the pocket and it takes seconds to dig out the phone and switch to the camera app, and by that time I missed the moment. Solution: put a camera at line of sight. Make it super simple to capture. When you phrase it as a camer…

> Solution: put a camera at line of sight. Make it super simple to capture.

But these are sunglasses which are unlikely to be worn much indoors. So one might still have to fumble in a bag for the glasses, don them to put the camera in line of sight and then take a snap.

What really irks me is the overloading of the term 'spectacles'. These are absolutely not spectacles as commonly understood: "lenses to help a person's sight". But henceforth, any time anyone wants to search for spectacles they'll have to include terms to exclude Snapchat's gadget.

Surely they could have saved some of the money they spent on buying spectacles.com and invented a unique name. Snapticles? ( Google lists four hits for that word right now ).

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't look ridiculous to the audience its catered to. Thick frames are in style & its symmetrical. A typical snapchat user would not be concerned by most of the things mentioned on this thread, except that these glasses fit a certain lifestyle these users are aspiring to. I.e what you could be doing with these glasses on you as opposed to anything to do with the glasses themselves. I guess the only way to find w…

Yeah, my guess is it will be similar to the Apple Watch. Somewhat popular for a little while with people working in tech or tech-media, but completely non-existent in the 'real world'.

You are underestimating the popularity of the Apple Watch. Sure, it's nowhere near as ubiquitous as the iPhone, but it's by no means limited to tech circles. Part of the problem is that many people that might be ineterested in one were not able to justify the price. With the new price drop on the series 1 I suspect the market share will inrease significantly. Others meanwhile were waiting for the second generation because they didn't want to be on the bleeding edge. The series 2 is sold out everywhere and has a 3-5 week lead time, about the same as the iPhone.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#288
post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a kid, but I absolutely love the idea of a camera at eye level that can capture what I'm seeing. Many times I've missed random animal sightings or funny moments because I didn't have a camera at the ready (and sometimes it takes a while to dig out the phone).

Same problem as Google glasses though, people dont like having a camera pointing at them when they talk to you.

The ten second limit could be helpful for social acceptance, plus these look more like Raybans and not the gargoyle glasses that Google Glass embodied.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#289
post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you seriously comparing a pair of shitty-looking sunglasses to the iPhone? These are sunglasses that take a ten second video that is tied to Snapchat. They cost 130 bucks and immediately signal that you are a techie douchebag because that's what people still associate video-taking glasses with. It is literally a novelty toy that is using a WSJ article (native content advertising) to make it seem like a revolution…

The article says over and over again it's a toy. Young people, 14-25 are going to buy these and make them cool. Not the 35 year old engineers who bought Google Glass. Google has never made something cool. Snapchat was cool out of the gate.

>Google has never made something cool.

Gmail was pretty revolutionary when it came out, and nearly everyone in that 14-25 age group uses Chrome.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#290

I think this is brilliant. Even the press details seem perfectly crafted, with one article referencing Evan's "supermodel girlfriend." Snapchat can win here based on brand alone. The hardware features are a plus, but they're going to sell a lifestyle. Think GoPro + Versace. Commenters here are caught up in the tech. It's not the tech. Get a few celebrities in these, people will buy them and barely use the recording f…

This product is about branding. But not about SnapChat's branding. And at $129/pop, certainly not about Versace's either. Branding is about putting the innate and immutable truth about the product in the forefront.

What is the immutable truth about Spectacles? To get there, we will take my obligatory tour of the immutable truth about "Glass". Glass started out as evil empire all the way. Visually, Glass looks the headgear the Cardassian Commanders wore while fighting side-by-side with other races in The Dominion. Got that? The Evilest of Evil Empires. Add to that, the subtle design aspects that tried to make Glass as invisible as possible to passersby. Though noticeable to the trained eye, Glass was certainly not prominent in the visual hierarchy of the average person. And if you were in the room with someone wearing Glass, you never knew if they were recording you. Glass is covert and voyeuristic, and that's what people hated about Glass.

So, back to what the "Spectacles" brand is. It's basis is in fun. A serious design effort to make them look fashionable. Perhaps not everyone's taste, but you can tell they didn't use a stock frame out of the catalog of a Chinese sunglass factory. Combine the shape with some goofy (or "ironic" in hipster parlance) color/pattern options, Spectacles come off as an every day stylish person's accessory. Add to that, the LEDs around the camera light up when recording, so you know when the wearer has chosen to record. They are right out in the open with their intent, not slithering around in the shadows like some Glasshole.

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