Introduction to Spectacles
Snap Inc.’s newly unveiled video-recording glasses, Spectacles, are a major step forward for the corporate that owns Snapchat. These face-cameras bring into focus how Snap Inc. is preparing for the longer term while attempting to secure its present opportunities.
A Glimpse into the Future
Looking ahead, it is easy to assume an eventual edition of Spectacles that features augmented reality lenses. The glasses’ cameras would find a way to soak up a scene, use object-recognition technology to detect things in view, and alter them. This could be an evolution of what Snapchat’s facial-recognition technology already does with lenses. People could share these augmented images to Snapchat, like they already do, but they might even be projected onto Spectacle’s physical lenses, fulfilling the promise of Google’s Goggles, Yelp’s Monocle, and Magic Leap’s teaser videos.
Focusing on the Present
However, the initial version of Spectacles seems to serve the alternative purpose. They’re not about augmenting reality but capturing it. When Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel talked about using Spectacles to film his vacation in Big Sur, he emphasized the rawness of what the glasses recorded. He mentioned that he could see his own memory, through his own eyes, and that it was the closest he’d ever come to feeling like he was there again.
The Raw Reality of Snapchat
Snap Inc’s original product, Snapchat, caught on since it captured reality more closely than its competitors. If people put forth their best selves on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Snapchat was for the side of themselves that was harder to seek out elsewhere: the true them. As much as the flexibility to place a mask in your face or edit your posts with filters and illustrations has helped popularize Snapchat, it has also modified the platform. People now spend more time considering what they post, giving them opportunities to obscure the raw reality.
The Evolution of Snapchat
Lately, Snapchat seems to have grow to be more of a spot for put-on personas. The next share of the snaps seen in public Stories are selfies, workout clips, food porn, and nature shots. That’s what Instagram is for; Snapchat was for more. You might post your beach days to each Instagram and Snapchat, but Snapchat was also where you shared your sunburns. Snapchat still is that place, but inside private chats, meaning that what makes Snapchat unique is less apparent to people just now stepping into the platform.
The Potential of Spectacles
With Spectacles, people record what they see in front of them, identical to with their phone cameras. Except they will only record what’s in front of them and might’t necessarily review what they recorded immediately afterward. Recordings might be saved to Snapchat’s Memories section, implying that individuals will find a way so as to add filters and illustrations to those videos after they’re recorded but before they’re posted. Maybe Spectacles won’t change much, but they may mean fewer selfies in people’s Stories and more first-person, GoPro-style perspectives.
A New Era for Snapchat
Or perhaps Spectacles will mean more unfiltered looks at other people’s experiences. Then, each time the AR versions grow to be available, we do not only use them to reinforce our own realities but additionally to experience others’. This might be a major step forward for Snapchat, helping the platform to reclaim its unique identity and differentiate itself from its competitors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Spectacles are an exciting development for Snap Inc. and Snapchat. While the initial version may not revolutionize the way in which we use the platform, it has the potential to bring back the raw, unfiltered reality that made Snapchat so popular in the primary place. As the technology evolves and AR versions grow to be available, we will expect much more modern features that can change the way in which we experience and interact with the world around us.
