A Sight to Behold or a New Way to Make a Spectacle of Yourself?

Here at ICS-digital, we love a new gadget as much as the next person, but it’s difficult to know what to make of Snapchat’s new ‘Spectacles’.

While I’m sure we’ve got a few Snapchat junkies in our office who already have these on pre-order, how will Snapchat Spectacles fare in the wider market? Will they take off in the same way as wearables like Fitbit? Or, will they fail like Google Glass?

Earlier this year, Snapchat unveiled its new ‘Memories’ feature allowing users to save snaps and stories within the app for viewing or sharing later. Surely it’s only natural that the company should go one step further and allow memories to be captured straight from the perspective of the user? It’s an interesting concept and one that is likely to appeal to many Snapchat fans.

The glasses use a built-in camera (with a 115-degree lens to replicate human vision). On the top right of the glasses there’s a button which you can tap to begin recording in 10 second increments. For Android devices, the recording can then be transferred via Wi-Fi, and for iOS it can be transferred via the Bluetooth connection.

"Snapchat" by theglobalpanorama

It sounds good on paper, but in reality it’s difficult to say how many people will actually want to wear the glasses. Edgy promo material can go a long way but will it go far enough to convince consumers that the Spectacles are not only an innovative piece of gadgetry but also genuinely fashionable? If they follow the success of Fitbit, who are constantly improving their design (their latest model, the Alta, is one of their sleekest yet), then it’s possible.

Experts seem to agree that wearable tech will ultimately fail until we can no longer live without it. Customers quickly become tired with novelty and want something which is actually going to add value to their lives. If we look at Google Glass, it had multiple functions (it was able to make phone calls, surf the web, take videos etc) but arguably didn’t do any of them very well. To some extent, Snapchat’s Spectacles have an advantage in that they don’t pretend to be all-singing, all-dancing, but are simply a new way of capturing the millions of Snaps which are sent every day.

However, whether they will reach a stage where we can no longer live without them is another matter. I’m not entirely convinced on the longevity of Snapchat’s Spectacles but I’m sure they’ll be fun while they last!