Snap Inc. is now selling Spectacles online
Are Snap’s Spectacles just a goofy brand stunt? Snap, with its upcoming IPO, is determined to prove otherwise. The company has begun selling Spectacles online in the US.
The video-recording sunglasses used to only be available in Snapbot vending machines in surprise locations and Snap’s pop-up shop in New York City, but now they’re available to the whole country for $129.99 on Spectacles.com–cheaper than Ray Bans, but with a camera included!
Interested?
Expect to wait about two to four weeks for your specs to ship, and be aware that each household is limited to 6 pairs–this means if you have lots of children or cats, you might have to choose your favorites. And of course you’ll each need a special charging case ($49.99) and charging cord ($9.99), only sold on Spectacles.com.
So what’s with the sudden mass release of what started as a cute buzzworthy accessory? Snap CEO Evan Spiegel explains the company’s goal when launching the product back in November was simply to test the waters and see “if it fits into people’s lives”.
Snap into it
Everyone seemed stoked about this new way to snap, so Spiegel decided it was time to let everyone join in the fun.
The pop-up shop has been closed, but Snapbots will continue randomly appearing around the US, keeping the hype alive offline, too.
How lucrative this decision is still remains to be seen: Snap revealed in its IPO filing that Spectacles had not generated substantial revenue, and that they “expect to experience production and operating costs related to Spectacles that will exceed the related revenue in the near future.”
After some initial growing pains, who knows? In a year we might all be viewing the world as a montage of 10 to 30-second videos and puppy face filters, wondering how we lived before.
The long game
Even if Spectacles don’t rake in the cash, all the buzz around them will likely entice more folks to get in the Snapping game, watching videos and creating their own. Snap also deserves recognition for somehow managing to shatter social norms and make it acceptable to walk around with a computer on your face, a feat that Google Glass couldn’t quite pull off. [clickToTweet tweet=”Snapchat spectacles prove that you can actually redefine “cool”.” quote=”Spectacles prove that if you truly know your target market and make an effort to meet them where they are, you can actually redefine “cool”.”] What will Snap put cameras on next? Braces? Paleontology textbooks? We’ll have to wait and see.
