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Snapchat Takes a Second Try at Spectacles (cnbc.com)

Snapchat is launching an updated version of Spectacles, its glasses with an embedded camera, and says its first version of the smart glasses sold over 220,000 units. From a report: That first version also caused the company to take a nearly $40 million write-down in the third quarter due to excess inventory. But instead of scrapping its hardware unit, the company is pressing ahead. Snap "listened to our customers and our community and incorporated every part of their feedback," said Mark Randall, Snapchat's vice president of hardware. The new version costs $150 -- $20 more than the prior version. They come in three new colors (onyx, ruby, and sapphire), are water resistant and can take photos and videos in high definition. Plus the content transfers much faster.

43 comments

  1. I would like to purchase their customer list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you cross reference this with MyPillow and ShamWow lists, you would have a very valuable list of people who will basically throw away money on anything.

    1. Re:I would like to purchase their customer list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This also explains why they are going to be going with unskippable advertising on some of their content. It wasn't enough for them to throw money down a rathole once; obviously all they need is to do it again. and this time they'll make money from it. Really. Trust us. We're certain this time.

    2. Re:I would like to purchase their customer list by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      If you cross reference this with MyPillow and ShamWow lists, you would have a very valuable list of people who will basically throw away money on anything.

      But Vince really came across as a trustworthy expert on absorbent, square pieces of cloth. He even had a headset!

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  2. Who are they for? by grumbel · · Score: 1

    I don't quite get who the target audience of those are. All the social media seems to be focused on people posting photos of themselves, not of stuff they are looking at. So a selfie-stick makes sense for that audience. The camera on these glasses however is pointing in the wrong direction. These glasses might have more success if they'd changed the design into something more serious and make it a cheaper consumer focused alternative to a Taser Axon.

    1. Re:Who are they for? by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's my question.

      If you're targeting nerds, wouldn't it be better to produce a set of snap on add ons for perscription glasses? Say, a camera, a laser readout, and bluetooth speakers?

      Hmm, somebody's had to have had that idea before. I'm off to research eyeglass bluetooth speakers....

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    2. Re:Who are they for? by Kenja · · Score: 1

      Revenge porn?

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    3. Re:Who are they for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Revenge porn?

      How exactly is a self-shot video of a greasy neckbeard rubbing Cheeto crumbs into his flacid penis "revenge" or "porn"?

      Maybe he's mad at his Mom and wants the world to see her basement?

    4. Re:Who are they for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They’re not targeting nerds. Why would they target a group that would yield even fewer sales than the previous model?

    5. Re: Who are they for? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've been stuck wearing glasses for 34 years. It's 2018 and they still don't have a HUD - this is bullshit.

    6. Re: Who are they for? by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      I completely agree. I want prescription lenses with a bluetooth enabled HUD

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  3. experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccers by iggymanz · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Go around a large cities public transit system taking videos and pictures of fellow passengers, especially in high crime sudivisions. After you get the shit beat out of you, you will then no longer wonder why wearing glasses such as these will get you punched in the face in many places.

  4. Just buy generic camera glasses. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are cheaper, better specs (pun intended), less conspicuous and won't freak out the rubes.

  5. Hipsters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just look at their marketing FFS they want hipsters so bad you can taste the Portland with a hint of Brooklyn

    The irony is rather than a consumer product this would be a great industrial one. Imagine doing on-site inspection with this crap built into safety glasses. There's a lot of untapped potential there.

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

      So instead of targetting a huge group of people they should target a tiny, niche minority? That sounds like a winning formula!

    2. Re:Hipsters by Khyber · · Score: 1

      There are tons of niche minorities that would make this economically viable.

      Live stone cutting.
      Live mining.
      Live POV guitar lessons.
      Live concert video from POV of players/conductor.

      Plenty of educational and industrial and entertainment uses.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    3. Re:Hipsters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or they could just target billions of consumers and make vastly more money with a hit product?

    4. Re:Hipsters by Khyber · · Score: 1

      What makes you think a bunch of niche markets wouldn't already add up to billions of consumers? Do you think only a few exist or something?

      Every market fills a niche.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  6. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Indeed. I just embed a regular camera on my regular glasses. Pinhole. No one notices it is there.

    Make a spectacle of yourself and get the shit beat out of you, or DIY your own incognito system where they just look like normal glasses.

  7. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Hush! Darwin has the right to be right from time to time.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by PPH · · Score: 1

    The glasses are pointless. I can just walk around with my phone, snapping pictures and taking videos of everybody. Nobody questions people fiddling with phones in practically any setting.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Are you a narc? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's what I'm going to say to anyone who wears those around me.

    "Are you a narc? You look like a narc."

  10. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...and pretty soon, anyone wearing normal glasses will get the snot beaten out of them too...

  11. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...and pretty soon, anyone wearing normal glasses will get the snot beaten out of them too...

    NERD!

  12. The glasses need... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An augmented reality display like Google's Glass was trying for, but also voice and virtual keyboard (google or epson or somebody had a little touchpad thing you could manuver that would allow a virtual keyboard for typing) so that you could annotate and post your photographs on the go.

    As to why someone would want this over a cell phone? Simplicity. One click photography is not something MOST cell phones have. Combined with a quick voice annotation and post, or virtual text entry and post a lot of people might be interested in such a device for taking shots of their day to day life without the fumbling required to dig out your cell phone for that split second shot.

    Having said that, I don't think the market for that is big enough to finance SnapChat, or anyone else's products. And furthermore China has already produced these devices for going on 10 years now, up to 1080p@15(maybe 30 now) resolution. If this device supports touchless upload to your phone, it might be handy, but if it just stores files on an SD card, it has literally already been done by china with a few dozen different implementations based on glasses frame design.

  13. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So are you saying the police could use these to increase survelience in crime ridden areas? Perfect, i'll buy a million.

  14. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by iggymanz · · Score: 1

    the police in large cities don't care if obnoxious people get beat up. guess again.

  15. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    It's quite telling that the behaviour most resembling an "arsehole" is that of the people who use the term "glasshole" to describe someone who owns something rather than describing their actions.

    Maybe go on youtube one day and see just how many people have photos or videos of strangers online. You'll be amazed to know that the majority of the world does not simply beat the shit out of other people.

  16. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by iggymanz · · Score: 1

    in plenty of countries you have to blur the faces of strangers in your pictures. You must be unaware of how life is in at least half the world, not like your little safe space between your ears. Those acting outside accepted norm will get beaten or worse.

  17. More like takes a 2nd try at spycam eyeglasses. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a dual-use tech and, when someone gets the formula right, means that the "consumers" will fund the development and propagation of a body spycam on every citizen.

  18. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Stolovaya · · Score: 1

    Punching someone for taking your picture sounds like a great way to get into trouble with the law. Also good luck if the person is bigger than you.

  19. Great they gonna lose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They gonna lose another 50$ million lol

  20. Re: ShamWow by tripleevenfall · · Score: 1

    Who cares about the ShamWow, I only bought it to get the SlapChop.

  21. Mall kiosk sunglasses by jtara · · Score: 1

    Too bad, though, that they look like something you got at the kiosk in the mall, the checkout counter of 7-11, or a TV infomercial.

    Maybe they can throw in a free Mr. Microphone?

    "Hey, good lookin'! We'll be back to pick you up later!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  22. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by iggymanz · · Score: 1

    big doesn't matter, there will be more of "them" than of the picture taker. Again, you try it in New York or Chicago CTA train (I recommend south side red line late at night) and get back to us with how your high moral views are respected by the natives. You'll be lisping a lot with no teeth....

  23. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Stolovaya · · Score: 1

    Not sure if I should be more disappointed by that fact or that you seem to delight in that scenario...

  24. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    in plenty of countries you have to blur the faces of strangers in your pictures. You must be unaware of how life is in at least half the world

    Nope, you're just the arsehole who assumes everyone who owns these glasses does so in order to take photos of strangers. Congratulations, you're exactly the type of person I'm talking about.

    And no in nearly all countries you don't need to blur photos of strangers taken in public if not used for commercial reasons.

  25. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by iggymanz · · Score: 1

    No It's a warning about reality and how some subcultures will act on violation of their privacy which should not be done in any case even where there will be no immediate consequences

  26. Re:experiment for glassholes and snatchchatspeccer by Stolovaya · · Score: 1

    There is no expectation of privacy in public, though.