An Overlook on Snapchat Spectacles

 

Over the past few years, Snapchat has proved itself to be one of the most influential platforms of social media, amassing nearly 100 million daily users worldwide in 2015. A few days ago, the company made the decision to trade its name for a slightly more inclusive title–Snap Inc., arriving hand-in-hand with their first ever hardware product, Spectacles.

 

In the form of a pair of sunglasses, Spectacles allows the user to record 10-30 second videos hands-free, all with a 115 degree field of view and circular mimicry of the human eye’s perspective. The videos themselves are stored immediately, and can be easily transferred to Snapchat Memories, a feature that allows the uploading of saved material as well as the saving of newly captured shots.

 

Despite the appeals, however, Spectacles does not appear to be incredibly popular amongst DHS students. Sophomore Priyanka Kedia stated, “I feel like the advertisements are trying to sell the glasses as something common to be used on a daily basis, when in reality, it’s not really that relevant or applicable.”

 

When asked about the product’s potential and future, other peers commented on the similarities between Spectacles and Google Glasses, a product that ultimately was not as successful as originally anticipated. And of course, the issue of experiencing life through the lenses of technology was brought up–will Spectacles inevitably cause technology to become further rooted into our everyday lives, enforcing the ongoing phone craze, despite the product being advertised as phone-free?

 

Snap Inc. has not yet announced a specific release date for Spectacles, although the date is estimated for late fall; prices have been determined to be approximately $130, with the product itself coming in three different colors.