Snap officially announced plans to start selling AR Specs glasses to the general public in 2026. The device will be cheaper than Apple Vision Pro but more expensive than Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, positioned as a potential smartphone successor.
G. Ostrov
Snap, the company behind the Snapchat messaging app, made a significant announcement at the Augmented World Expo conference in Long Beach. CEO Evan Spiegel revealed plans for the commercial launch of AR Specs glasses in 2026, marking a major step in augmented reality technology development.
From Spectacles to Specs: Product Evolution
The Spectacles glasses story began in 2016 as a first-person video recording device. In 2021, the company added augmented reality support, and now prepares for mass launch under the new name Specs. The name change reflects users' long-standing preference for this abbreviation.
The new generation of AR glasses will receive significant improvements compared to previous versions. The device will become thinner and lighter, featuring a wider field of view that allows virtual elements to be displayed across a larger portion of the lenses.
Pricing Strategy and Competition
The exact cost of Specs hasn't been announced yet, but Evan Spiegel indicated the price will fall between Apple Vision Pro ($3,499) and Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses (around $300). This positioning makes the device potentially accessible to a broader audience.
Snap has invested $3 billion in Spectacles development, which is relatively modest compared to competitors' investments, especially Meta's. However, Snap has a significant advantage - the Snapchat ecosystem with 1 billion monthly users.
Ecosystem and Developers
Snap boasts a community of 400,000 developers creating augmented reality effects, filters, and lenses. Many support multiplayer capabilities and artificial intelligence features. Integration of the MyAI chatbot, already available in the Snapchat app, is planned.
Technological Innovations
The company is actively developing "spatial intelligence" technology, which will allow glasses to analyze camera images locally without sending data to servers. This is crucial from a user privacy perspective.
Snap also collaborates with Niantic Spatial - a subsidiary of the Pokémon Go developer. Together, they're working on creating "next-generation AI maps" for AR device interaction with the real world.
The Future of AR Technology
Specs are positioned as one of the potential successors to smartphones in the future. This reflects the tech industry's general trend toward creating more natural and intuitive interfaces for digital content interaction.
For the latest information about AR Specs glasses, visit Snap's official website.
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