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Snap Sold Fewer Than 42K Spectacles, Down 35% In Q2 (androidheadlines.com)

The hype surrounding Snap's Spectacles appears to be dwindling. Their sales have decreased by 35 percent in the second quarter of the year, with the company's latest consolidated financial report revealing that its "Other" revenue amounted to $5.4 million over the three-month period ending June 30. Android Headlines reports: With Spectacles being the company's only miscellaneous endeavor at this point in time and sporting a $130 price tag that has yet to see any discounts, it seems that the Venice, Los Angeles-based social media giant managed to only sell approximately 41,500 units of its first wearable in Q2 2017. During the first quarter of the year that also disappointed investors, Snap's "Other" business category recorded a revenue of $8.3 million, suggesting that the firm managed to sell around 64,000 units. The overall commercial performance of Spectacles may still improve during the current quarter as Snap just recently made the smart sunglasses available on Amazon, in addition to partnering with a number of physical retailers. Likewise, the Snapbot vending machines selling Spectacles only started appearing in Europe in June and are still popping up in a number of major cities on the Old Continent, which is another factor that could help improve the sales figures of Snap's camera-equipped pair of sunglasses. Regardless, the current state of affairs is unlikely to please investors, especially in light of the fact that Snap recently proclaimed itself to be "a camera company," noting how Snapchat is just one aspect of its product vision that's meant to incorporate a wide variety of photography-oriented hardware.

50 comments

  1. Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Maybe one could make a song from this theme :)

    1. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just what a neo-Nazi would say...

    2. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh? Care to explain? Or are you an AI?

    3. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, BTW: AI == "Altright Idiot"

    4. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember, anytime you insult a liberal you're a Nazi.

    5. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And when you insult a Nazi?

      Far in the North, there's an island populated by Nazis. There's one Nazi, Hinkel, who insults all Nazis who don't insult themselves...

    6. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      Is it an insult to apply a Hinkel to a NAZI?

    7. Re: Another glasshole bites the dust. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depending on how you apply it, it might be mayhem or feeding a troll (Hinkely is an old word for chicken)

  2. Delusions of grandeur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    'Snap recently proclaimed itself to be "a camera company,"'

    I think Nikon and Canon for a start would have something to say about that. Snap is a dogears on photos company.

  3. Oh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    SNAP

    1. Re:Oh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WTF are Snap Spectacles?

  4. Sell That Stock by WankerWeasel · · Score: 5, Funny

    It never was a smart long-term investment. Even their stock symbol was an indication.

    S hort

    N ow

    A nd

    P rofit

    1. Re:Sell That Stock by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      I'd say the competition that sells their similar product for under $30 on Amazon would have a lot of say about SNAP's business model. And a cop that got shot using those same under $30 glasses is a great product release.

  5. I didn't even know they were selling them! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought there were still one of those hype products that only "early adopters" aka dumbasses who wait in line all day could get ahold of. Who knew?

    1. Re:I didn't even know they were selling them! by Ramze · · Score: 2

      I didn't even know this product existed. Not that I'd have made a purchase, but still... shows how their marketing was horrid. I have a snapchat acct, but haven't used it in ages (they disabled use on rooted devices).

      I'm surprised they sold any at all.

    2. Re:I didn't even know they were selling them! by unrtst · · Score: 1

      Ditto.
      I looked them up, and they have only one style, and it's kinda awful (IMO), and comes in 3 colors. They shoot a video (10-30 secs) when you push a button, and come with a charging case. Reviews have noted that they are heavy, bulky, and the camera bits block your view quite a bit.

      I have no idea why anyone would buy this except for shits and giggles. Glasses with built in cameras have been around for over a decade, and generally make the camera blend in quite a bit better. Maybe they made the cameras stand out on purpose so it didn't seem like they were hiding it, probably hoping to avoid the glasshole comments, but they just look dumb.

      If I ever buy glasses with some smarts to them, they must have a heads up display of some sort. Even just monochrome plain text is fine, but I want some communication from my smart thing (probably phone). I'd probably miss it if it didn't have a camera, but that's just convenience factor - I could always point some other camera at things... but I need that display, otherwise it's not worth making my glasses heavier.

  6. And nothing of value was lost... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

    If there were anything worth bothering with here, I might be slightly concerned about it's apparently questionable viability. Luckily that isn't a problem.

  7. Oh.... SNAP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm glad to hear this. It will save me from the inevitable angry reaction that I would have on seeing them in public.

  8. It's not the missing discounts by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't buy one either, if I saw people wearing them getting punched in the face in the pub.

    1. Re:It's not the missing discounts by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

      There is no API or SDK for the product?! Close Source? cute.

  9. Poor build quality by Harold+Halloway · · Score: 2

    I bought a pair and they Snapped.

  10. A big flaw by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A big flaw in their distribution plan for these glasses is that those vending machines are intended for people to purchase them on impulse. At a $130 price point it's hard to get people to make a snap decision to purchase one.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    1. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vending machines? The thing that's crazy to me is last year they completely covered Hoboken in big yellow ads with nothing but the ghost logo. I guess they figured since it's a town known for it's bar scene it matched their demographic or something. After all that Snap spam, they never bothered to promote the glasses? I did see one kid in Hoboken wearing them, but considering the massive deluge of Snap ads all over the place last year, that's not a great ROI, but like I said I had no idea where the hell to even get them. Then again I don't use Snapchat, but I am very interested in AR as a developer, and so would be willing to shell $130 for a low end AR device, if that is in fact what these are, and not just a crummy sub-iPhone camera attached to your face.

    2. Re:A big flaw by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      Vending machines would had worked in Japan, where all kind of things are available for sale.

    3. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think it was the distribution plan. When the glasses are designed to be ugly/appeal to teenagers you're just not going to sell a lot at that price point.

    4. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If only vending machines sold dictionaries.

      Vending machines would had worked

      HAVE, dummy.

      where all kind of things are available for sale

      Oh? Like what? 1500 calorie chocolate bars? Schoolgirl underwear? Tranny fantasy graphic novels? What?

    5. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you buy ladyboys from a vending machine there, Creimer? We need your input on this crucial matter!

    6. Re:A big flaw by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      Disappointment: when your entire post is a set up to a pun to try and get +5 Funny and you end up modded Interesting without anyone acknowledging the pun :(

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    7. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought it was punny.

    8. Re:A big flaw by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      HAVE, dummy.

      Very good, grasshopper. I was afraid that you might have missed that one. You're well on your way to being a Slashdot grammar nazi.

    9. Re:A big flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you seen Yasmin Pires or Jessica Versace? The sexiest women these days have dicks! Who could have guessed?

      I guess it's only fair, the most muscular men these days have tits, right creimer?

    10. Re:A big flaw by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 1

      Those vending machines were just for hype. You've been able to buy Spectacles online for a long time now.

  11. We got our phones. by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The problem with Google Glass, Snap Spectacles, iWatch... Is the fact that we are carrying around a computer that 20 years ago would be the size of 2 refrigerators (One for the computer, one for storage) With a full desk worth sensors and cameras. All this in a pocket sized computer that we call a telephone. For the most part it is convenient enough for most tasks, and these extra devices only add a marginal improvement factor, with a tradeoffs, that make them not so effective.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:We got our phones. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      20 years ago was only 1997 dude. You did not require a refrigerator sized computer to match current cell phone capabilities by quite a margin.

    2. Re:We got our phones. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Not at all. The problem is we still need our phones.

      Smart glasses are where PDAs were 20 years ago. Not smart enough to be useful, Not smart enough to replace having to carry around something else, and technology not quite there yet to prevent them from being a major PITA.

      I'm sure many people would rush at the opportunity to replace their smartphone with just a set of smart glasses, if they didn't look incredibly ugly, if they were useful, and if they could actually replace their smartphone.

  12. Or maybe it was just an undesirable product? by jandrese · · Score: 2

    Have you seen those Snap glasses? They're fugly as hell. And they cost $130 a pair. And the camera on them isn't even all that good, and the battery life is mediocre. It's just a bad product all around that sold poorly. This really shouldn't be a shock.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
    1. Re:Or maybe it was just an undesirable product? by asavage · · Score: 1

      Also they only record 10 seconds of video.

    2. Re:Or maybe it was just an undesirable product? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are camcorder sunglasses that are cheaper and look nicer.

      Word verification: capybara

    3. Re:Or maybe it was just an undesirable product? by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      They're fugly as hell.

      That's by design. They are anti-Google Glass stealth so as to make it plain when what they are and when they are in use.

  13. Nobody wants to wear stupid glasses by xtal · · Score: 1

    People spend billions on alternatives to glasses. Hell they cut their eyes up so they don't have to deal with glasses and pay thousands of dollars for the procedures. I'm saving for implantable lenses..

    Nobody will buy smart glasses. They are stupid.

    There is no mass market application. None.

    Stop wasting money!

    Until these things can go on a lens that is implanted or contact, there isn't any compelling reason for the added hassle over a smartphone.

    Sigh

    --
    ..don't panic
    1. Re:Nobody wants to wear stupid glasses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People spend billions on alternatives to glasses. Hell they cut their eyes up so they don't have to deal with glasses and pay thousands of dollars for the procedures. I'm saving for implantable lenses..
       
      Nobody will buy smart glasses. They are stupid.

      While many people do avoid glasses, it's not like everyone does. I'm in a room right now, where about half the people are wearing dumb glasses.

      So why would nobody buy smart glasses? I'm not talking about specific existing products like whatever Spectacles is (never heard of it until today), and Google Glass. But if someone tried to make something that doesn't suck (where "don't suck" is one of the main design goals) why do you think everyone would avoid it? Lots of people have shit on their faces anyway.

      Sure, Vingean contacts would obviously be cool as fuck, but (again: quick'n'dirty poll) about half of the people I see, are ok with contacts and the other half prefers glasses instead. And you damn well know contacts are simply a harder problem and therefore a lot further down the road. If you want to walk around with a HUD in the next 10 years, it's glasses or nothin'.

      I think if someone does their marketing research right, they'll be able to design something that some people would buy.

    2. Re:Nobody wants to wear stupid glasses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Regular glasses with corrective lenses are expensive enough as it is and many of us still wear them because we find them to still be preferable to the alternatives like contact lenses (for some of us they are an absolute pain to use) or expensive surgery (which still has a chance of failure and is not permanent either.)

    3. Re:Nobody wants to wear stupid glasses by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      There is no mass market application. None.

      What are you even saying. That because people don't want to wear corrective eyewear, there's no application for smart eye tech?

      Completely misses the point. Smart eye tech is about technology than can (discretely) project visuals and (discretely) record from the user's perspective, at any time. It's not about using prescription glasses as a place to attach a camera. Actually needing corrective eyewear is orthogonal.

  14. I looked at these, and.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are pretty gay; why arent they out of business yet?

  15. The hype surrounding Snap's Spectacles appears to by mapkinase · · Score: 1

    Uh-oh. I missed the hype. Again.

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  16. Craptacles by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 2

    I ordered a pair of Snaptacles online when they became available. I figured Snap wouldn't be around for long and thought it would be a neat toy to add to my collection of failed/obsolete tech.

    The problem is they just don't work. I carried mine for a day and took videos until I ran out of space. When I got home and tried to retrieve the videos through the Snap app it just says "Failed". There's no way to get the videos off the Spectacles! I did find a workaround by marking videos as favorites and then saving to my camera roll, but then I can't view the video in the Snap app.

    Pairing was a nightmare. Why do I have to look at an image instead of doing the normal Bluetooth pairing procedure? The Spectacles refuse to pair with my Moto X Pure!

    The Snap stories don't work properly. You can only create a single story from all of your recorded videos and anything you don't want to include gets deleted. Did none of the developers actually use the Spectacles?

    Then you have the bare-bones functionality. There's no way to record continuous video. There's no way to take a picture instead of a video. There's no way to automatically take a Snap every X number of minutes. There's no way to trigger the Snaptacles from the app itself.

  17. China already did these years ago. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can even buy them at your local big box electronics store for 50-100 dollars with 720p to 1080p resolutions.

    But honestly, at the point where you want a heat mounted camera, why wouldn't you just get a Hero action cam with a headband, secure that to your head, then have an app on your phone to turn it on/off?

    You can get chinese knockoffs of the smaller Hero4/360 degree cameras for ~100 dollars, and the real ones only cost ~350, for better fit, finish, and limited water resistance. As an added bonus they won't interfere with your prescription glasses!

    Personally I really like the idea of the augmented reality glasses, but until a google glass-like device sporting 720p/1080p overlays and *OPTIONAL* camera support comes out, it isn't very useful to me. Personally having a camera-free two eye transparent overlay for day to day activities would be the best. Get the time, current biostatus, incoming messages, shopping lists, ability to look up/scroll text feeds without digging out my notebook/phone/desktop. All of these are perfectly good uses for AR that don't require a camera/mic spying on you. Plus they allow the OPTION of either of those as an addon, or future value added upgrade for people in the niche that *DO* require those features, without making it into a huge pervasive privacy issue. Honestly with the way stores and governments are rolling out security/traffic cameras, privacy should be assumed lost already, and soon enough sufficient feeds will be gathered to either chart your entire life, or fabricate events, depending on which better suits private business datamining/government enforcement narratives.