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Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

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Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#331

Post by jrockway »

PavlovsCat wrote: post #178
jrockway wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the number of vlogs I see on YouTube shot with DSLRs, I don't think many people care about being filmed. I probably show up in hundreds of videos from bike commuting over the Brooklyn Bridge. It doesn't matter. I'm guessing 99.99% of the videos go unwatched anyway.

> Based on the number of vlogs I see on YouTube shot with DSLRs, I don't think many people care about being filmed. That's because they cut the ones who don't want to be filmed out. > It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to you. And you know what, that it doesn't matter to you doesn't matter to me, so this gains nothing.

I don't know much about vlogging, but I assume that the controversy would increase views/shares/revenue, and as a result, you'd want to keep the controversial segments in.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#332

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#333

Post by phamilton »

dingaling wrote: post #286
TAForObvReasons wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

A Spectacle is also a performance or something worth watching. One could say many moments in our lives are spectacles that few people see, and recording those would help us share.

It's really not a bad name.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#334

Post by yaegers »

mgiannopoulos wrote: post #75
leetrout wrote: post #12

Even thought I'm not "inb4" Glass comparisons this really does hit a market that I think is untapped. I used to have a "flipcam". It was before I had a phone with the ability to take HD video and before a GoPro was a choice for me because of cost (I still don't have a GoPro). The ability to have cheaper, stylish, handsfree video recording of my POV has a lot of potential. How-to videos, the "capturing memories" as no…

My first thought was "GoPro for parties". That's basically what this is.

Cause who doesn't want to be recorded at a party without knowing it.

These things will go the way of google glass. Cue reports of people being beaten up for wearing them.

And unlike google glasses, the only usecase these things are good for is taking creep shots and uploading them automatically.

Don't think for a second that all the limitations like 10 second recording length won't be patched out by users on day one.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#335

Post by yaegers »

tartuffe78 wrote: post #258
ajamesm wrote: post #219

Great product for people who want to film women in public, but not be noticed. Game changer

These products draw a lot of attention to the cameras, even the black model where they could have blended in they're outlined in yellow.

>they're outlined in yellow.

Good thing that cannot possibly be painted over or something. crisis averted...

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#336

Post by Bud »

dang wrote: post #87
Bud wrote: post #81

First, before commenting on Apple Watch, it might be useful to get two things straight: first, the name of the fucking product, and second, the fact that it's by far the best-selling smartwatch in history, and an instant #2 in revenue in the watch market in general, behind only Rolex. So actually, it is a pretty big deal. Second, how do you know whether this product does anything well? You don't. You're guessing. Odd…

This breaks the HN guideline about civility. That's the most important guideline, so please don't comment like this here. It wouldn't be hard to turn this post into a fine, substantive comment with a little cooling down and a little editing. We detached this comment from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569256 and marked it off-topic.

You're right. I apologize. I think I was in a bad mood. ;)

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#338

Post by x2f10 »

yolesaber wrote: post #222
n72 wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take a long, deep breath. Then take a few steps backwards, so you can take the scene in with a slightly broader perspective. Now hark back to how many times someone has been breathlessly been compared to Steve Jobs and how many times the person who has made that comparison has ended up looking silly. Let's give Evan a few years before we start fanboying him.

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.

Is keithwhor's comment not sarcastic? Read it again.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#339

Post by mankash666 »

Nicholas_C wrote: post #48
mankash666 wrote: post #47

2015 revenues of $59M. Assuming an above average salary range, 1000 employees cost about $250M. If they were a public company, they'd get slaughtered on the stock markets.

Companies are valued on expected future profitability. Not current profitability.

Beg to differ - this might be the spin made popular by the valley's VCs and founders as a collective price gouging strategy, but it never flies in the public market. Ever wondered why the unicorns are hesitant to go IPO - they don't even buy their own spin on valuation, that's why.

Re: Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles

#340

Post by thomasi »

josephpmay wrote: post #84

Being someone in the AR space, I find this a smart but risky move. If they're marked right and become "cool" I'll definitely have to cop a pair (and at $130 they're almost disposable). Spectacles will make it way easier for me to post to Snapchat at parties/concerts/etc without having to break out of the moment by taking my phone out. Strategy-wise, this is a Trojan horse into the AR hardware space, which Evan has wa…

Had to scroll down pretty far to get to something about valuing the AR real estate here!

Grabbing mainstream users with integrated glasses/camera then moving up market seems like some weird but logical form of disruption.

Snapchat's flagship app has been similar -> come in the bottom and substitute for texting photos to one another -> become the primary form of social media (user generated content, consumption, time in app?) for a broad set of social media users.

Disclaimer: this coming from an avid snapchatter, hoping spectacles are a big hit.

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