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Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

wsj.com

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Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#251

Post by Fricken »

berberous wrote: post #234
yolesaber wrote: post #230

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…

I spoke to a 25 year old girl this morning that is not a techie, but likes Snapchat, and she had already heard of the glasses and wanted a pair. Sample size of one, but I'm pretty confident that non-techies will buy them. The question is whether it can grow to anything bigger than instant film Polaroids, which people also buy and enjoy using at parties, etc.

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.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#252

Post by engx »

keithwhor wrote: post #99

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…

He is like Jobs in the sense that he didn't invent Snapchat and he didn't code it. Maybe he articulated the philosophy of it being an anti-Kodak moment app.

The article quotes someone saying Evan's the "best product visionary" they had ever met. Give a smart kid a hot app, millions in funding and thus more smart minds, and great things can happen. But let's not overly romanticize it.

I am impressed by Snapchat's evolution, Stories etc but all that is somewhat obvious iterations on someone else's initial idea.

Snapchat is fun and sexy for a variety of reasons, none of which correlate well with people wearing clunky glasses. Spectacles aren't cool and won't be. It's a head-mounted camera. It needs to be more sleek, more expensive, and have some novel features to be considered a status symbol.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#253

Post by skybrian »

losteric wrote: post #192
binarymax wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention, one tenth the retail cost.

One tenth the cost, one tenth the functionality. This is just a wireless camera for your smart phone. Point and shoot, that's it. It really reminds me of the cheap "Spy Sunglasses" I had as a kid. Glass had a camera but it was secondary. Glass was about AR, it was an interactive experience.

Yes, that's why it's different. People aren't ready to commit to wearing technology on their face. This is more like a costume or a party game, something to try out briefly in a friendly situation rather than commit to as a serious part of your look. It would be more popular if it were cheaper, but at least people can pass it around.

It reminds me of the difference between Google Cardboard and real VR in the level of commitment required.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#254

Post by TAForObvReasons »

Fricken wrote: post #251
berberous wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spoke to a 25 year old girl this morning that is not a techie, but likes Snapchat, and she had already heard of the glasses and wanted a pair. Sample size of one, but I'm pretty confident that non-techies will buy them. The question is whether it can grow to anything bigger than instant film Polaroids, which people also buy and enjoy using at parties, etc.

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).

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#256

Post by agumonkey »

yolesaber wrote: post #233
agumonkey wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, this removes a ton of useless and uber-annoying friction.

And replaces it with the uselessness of only being able to record to snapchat and the friction of only 10 seconds at a time.

Pictures are only 1ms. Nobody had problems with it. More would make you a journalist and trigger people privacy alarm completely. The snapchat lockin is "bad" in theory, but snapchat is leveraging its market/brand/whatever and to their audience it's a no brainer.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#259

Post by gaius »

Bakary wrote: post #247
agumonkey wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, this removes a ton of useless and uber-annoying friction.

There will be a lot of friction associated with being filmed and recorded all the time, as will probably be the case not with this generation of tools but in maybe 5 years

Bit harsh to describe the Millenial generation as "tools".

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#260

Post by agumonkey »

1_2__3 wrote: post #238
agumonkey wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except the market isn't ready for this. Impedance mismatch.

This is the key that nobody seems willing to admit in this thread. For about fifty different reasons, most of which have been hashed out ad nauseum, these products are not what people want. The best you can say right now is that there's a prospective customer base who wants these kinds of products to be popular or even just not considered laughable, but we're not there yet.

I guess it's a matter of what "want" means. People might want it in a few moments, and some see it as obvious but the actual people are not "in the mood" right now. Basically, what you just said (I only read the first sentence before typing heh).
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