10 ms·

I think this is brilliant. Even the press details seem perfectly crafted, with one article referencing Evan's "supermodel girlfriend." Snapchat can win here ba

I think this is brilliant. Even the press details seem perfectly crafted, with one article referencing Evan's "supermodel girlfriend." Snapchat can win here based on brand alone. The hardware features are a plus, but they're going to sell a lifestyle. Think GoPro + Versace. Commenters here are caught up in the tech. It's not the tech. Get a few celebrities in these, people will buy them and barely use the recording features. They're cheaper than Ray-Bans and I bet you and half of your friends own a pair of those. Snapchat can assemble an AR powerhouse from the ground up with brand goodwill. Evan and his team have figured out the best market strategy to do so. Google is not "cool" and could never attempt to pull this off. I have tremendous respect for Evan Spiegel right now. Bold move. Amazingly positioned. I wish them the best of luck. Dare I say, it has the scent of Jobs to it - the vision, the risk ("we make sunglasses now!") and definitely the "cool-factor." Don't misinterpret - this isn't the iPhone, not yet anyway, but I think they're on to something very big.

ellisdewalt 10y ago
Not sure how it's brilliant. Secondly, it still suffers from that fact that literally everyone is creeped out by a rando staring at them with two cameras. At least a phone is halfway obvious when in use.
- keithwhor 10y ago
  Consider that: - You have to visibly tap the glasses to record - People don't usually wear sunglasses indoors or at night (Corey Hart excluded) - You're probably overestimating the amount of people that actually care if they get snapchatted
  - ellisdewalt 10y ago
    -Nobody else knows that. -That means they can't be used more than half the time. -No, I'm not.
- 7952 10y ago
  Maybe the main market will eventually be little kids. This is obviously a toy after all, and who would ever be creeped out when ot is used in that context.
  - stephenr 10y ago
    I'm guessing you haven't been the obvious standout (in terms of being different, not amazing) in a crowd. I live in Thailand and having occasional locals who literally eye-ball fuck you without blinking because it's so novel for them to see a foreigner, I can tell you that someone just staring at you is creepy, regardless of their age.
flohofwoe 10y ago
I can't tell whether your comment is satire or serious, I should quit the internet today ;) Also, that 'thing' looks even more ridiculous then Google Glass.
- akhatri_aus 10y ago
  It doesn't look ridiculous to the audience its catered to. Thick frames are in style & its symmetrical. A typical snapchat user would not be concerned by most of the things mentioned on this thread, except that these glasses fit a certain lifestyle these users are aspiring to. I.e what you could be doing with these glasses on you as opposed to anything to do with the glasses themselves. I guess the only way to find whos right is to wait a few months to see what its uptake is like
  - flohofwoe 10y ago
    Yeah, my guess is it will be similar to the Apple Watch. Somewhat popular for a little while with people working in tech or tech-media, but completely non-existent in the 'real world'.
    - ChrisLTD 10y ago
      At Apple's last event they said they were the number 2 watchmaker by revenue. They can't have gotten there by only selling to techies. Anecdotally, I see tons of Apple Watches around Manhattan.
      - flohofwoe 10y ago
        I hardly know any people who still have a traditional watch, yet alone a smart watch, so #2 watchmaker doesn't mean much to me ;) I haven't seen many Apple Watches yet in the wild (may be 2 or 3) might have to do with the fact that I'm from Germany (Berlin). A lot of iPhones here though. I know, anecdotal evidence etc...
    - cstejerean 10y ago
      You are underestimating the popularity of the Apple Watch. Sure, it's nowhere near as ubiquitous as the iPhone, but it's by no means limited to tech circles. Part of the problem is that many people that might be ineterested in one were not able to justify the price. With the new price drop on the series 1 I suspect the market share will inrease significantly. Others meanwhile were waiting for the second generation because they didn't want to be on the bleeding edge. The series 2 is sold out everywhere and has a 3-5 week lead time, about the same as the iPhone.
smokeyj 10y ago
> this isn't the iPhone, not yet anyway Remind me to read this in a year. Or a week.
- Noughmad 10y ago
  No wireless. Less space than a Google Glass. Lame.
RodericDay 10y ago
Spidey thought Hey Amy - just a couple of rando thoughts from 35,000 LAX-JFK: - A rising trend we see with Millennials are the really extreme forms of experiential exercise like Tough Mudder (a sort of filthy triathalon), the Color Run and even things like Hot Power Yoga, veganism etc. Millennials will often post “N.B.D.” on their social media after doing it , as in No Big Deal, also known as the “humble brag”.....wondering if Spidey could get into that in some way....he’s super athletic, bendy, strong, intense....and it’s all NBD to him, of course. - EDM (electronic dance music) is the defining music for Millennials. Wondering if there’s an EDM angle somewhere with Spidey? His movements are beautiful, would be awesome with a killer DJ behind it - Snapchat just launched a “story” functionality, which is sort of “day in the life of me” told in a series of snapchats that expire after 24 hours. It has a very VIP quality about it, since invitation only. Getting invited into Spidey’s Snapchat circle would be huge, and very buzzworthy and cool. http://www.avclub.com/article/spider-man-should-be-snapchatting-edm-fan-accordin-218519 http://www.avclub.com/article/spider-man-should-be-snapchatt...
n72 10y ago
Take a long, deep breath. Then take a few steps backwards, so you can take the scene in with a slightly broader perspective. Now hark back to how many times someone has been breathlessly been compared to Steve Jobs and how many times the person who has made that comparison has ended up looking silly. Let's give Evan a few years before we start fanboying him.
- Kiro 10y ago
  > Let's give Evan a few years before we start fanboying him. Apart from the norm that fanboying is bad, why? Isn't his resume pretty good already?
  - n72 10y ago
    Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?
- yolesaber 10y ago
  LMAO right? These are literally shitty-looking sunglasses with a ten second loop camera on them that's only usable with Snapchat. These will be handed out at fancy NYC/LA/SF parties where people will play with them for a minute or so before putting them back down and going on their phones.
  - flycaliguy 10y ago
    Ever use the first iPhone? It could barely make PHONE calls. It was a terrible phone.
    - yolesaber 10y ago
      Are you seriously comparing a pair of shitty-looking sunglasses to the iPhone? These are sunglasses that take a ten second video that is tied to Snapchat. They cost 130 bucks and immediately signal that you are a techie douchebag because that's what people still associate video-taking glasses with. It is literally a novelty toy that is using a WSJ article (native content advertising) to make it seem like a revolutionary technology / something cool. No one is going to buy these.
mhomde 10y ago
One step closer to a Black Mirror episode :)
- jackarg 10y ago
  Exactly my train of thought. Gets me thinking of the actual advantages of such a thing, is it really necessary?
whitecarpet 10y ago
Best comment so far Edit: Thanks for the downvote.
engx 10y ago
He is like Jobs in the sense that he didn't invent Snapchat and he didn't code it. Maybe he articulated the philosophy of it being an anti-Kodak moment app. The article quotes someone saying Evan's the "best product visionary" they had ever met. Give a smart kid a hot app, millions in funding and thus more smart minds, and great things can happen. But let's not overly romanticize it. I am impressed by Snapchat's evolution, Stories etc but all that is somewhat obvious iterations on someone else's initial idea. Snapchat is fun and sexy for a variety of reasons, none of which correlate well with people wearing clunky glasses. Spectacles aren't cool and won't be. It's a head-mounted camera. It needs to be more sleek, more expensive, and have some novel features to be considered a status symbol.
CodeWriter23 10y ago
This product is about branding. But not about SnapChat's branding. And at $129/pop, certainly not about Versace's either. Branding is about putting the innate and immutable truth about the product in the forefront. What is the immutable truth about Spectacles? To get there, we will take my obligatory tour of the immutable truth about "Glass". Glass started out as evil empire all the way. Visually, Glass looks the headgear the Cardassian Commanders wore while fighting side-by-side with other races in The Dominion. Got that? The Evilest of Evil Empires. Add to that, the subtle design aspects that tried to make Glass as invisible as possible to passersby. Though noticeable to the trained eye, Glass was certainly not prominent in the visual hierarchy of the average person. And if you were in the room with someone wearing Glass, you never knew if they were recording you. Glass is covert and voyeuristic, and that's what people hated about Glass. So, back to what the "Spectacles" brand is. It's basis is in fun. A serious design effort to make them look fashionable. Perhaps not everyone's taste, but you can tell they didn't use a stock frame out of the catalog of a Chinese sunglass factory. Combine the shape with some goofy (or "ironic" in hipster parlance) color/pattern options, Spectacles come off as an every day stylish person's accessory. Add to that, the LEDs around the camera light up when recording, so you know when the wearer has chosen to record. They are right out in the open with their intent, not slithering around in the shadows like some Glasshole.
downandout 10y ago
You're essentially saying that if Evan Spiegel had released Google Glass, it would have been successful because Evan is cool and Google is not. First, Evan isn't that cool - he tried to cut out and leave penniless his frat brother that actually came up with the idea for Snapchat [1]. While that may be a Jobs or Zuckerberg-type move, it certainly doesn't make him cool. Second, Glass failed largely because of the invasive techno-snob feel to it - something that Spectacles has not overcome. It's one thing to have an iPhone in your pocket; it's quite another to shove your camera and microphone enabled face computer into the lives of literally everyone you interact with. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-lawsuit-video-depositions-2013-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-lawsuit-video-deposi...
- ENGNR 10y ago
  Glass could have taken the GoPro market, except GoPro did it better. These are positioned more for celebrity events, where everyone understands they could be on camera. The film crew are celebrities too now, or celebrities start filming their interactions, so a big bright pair of these tells everyone 'hey I'm filming!' like a big camera would. At private parties, I imagine it's largely the same thing, except that everyone there can only post onto Snapchat where it's lost to the sands of time. The overtness and ephemeralness fixes both of the problems people had with 'glassholes'
lazzlazzlazz 10y ago
These are shitty glasses that are already being billed as <$150. This is not even remotely "Versace" - it can't possibly be. Imagine pimply-faced teen nerds wearing these. They will not even attempt to go for a "luxury" / "high-end" feel. Snapchat is not even remotely Apple. Relax for a moment and come out of your fantasy.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

ellisdewalt 10y ago

Not sure how it's brilliant. Secondly, it still suffers from that fact that literally everyone is creeped out by a rando staring at them with two cameras. At least a phone is halfway obvious when in use.

keithwhor 10y ago
Consider that: - You have to visibly tap the glasses to record - People don't usually wear sunglasses indoors or at night (Corey Hart excluded) - You're probably overestimating the amount of people that actually care if they get snapchatted
- ellisdewalt 10y ago
  -Nobody else knows that. -That means they can't be used more than half the time. -No, I'm not.
7952 10y ago
Maybe the main market will eventually be little kids. This is obviously a toy after all, and who would ever be creeped out when ot is used in that context.
- stephenr 10y ago
  I'm guessing you haven't been the obvious standout (in terms of being different, not amazing) in a crowd. I live in Thailand and having occasional locals who literally eye-ball fuck you without blinking because it's so novel for them to see a foreigner, I can tell you that someone just staring at you is creepy, regardless of their age.

flohofwoe 10y ago

I can't tell whether your comment is satire or serious, I should quit the internet today ;) Also, that 'thing' looks even more ridiculous then Google Glass.

akhatri_aus 10y ago
It doesn't look ridiculous to the audience its catered to. Thick frames are in style & its symmetrical. A typical snapchat user would not be concerned by most of the things mentioned on this thread, except that these glasses fit a certain lifestyle these users are aspiring to. I.e what you could be doing with these glasses on you as opposed to anything to do with the glasses themselves. I guess the only way to find whos right is to wait a few months to see what its uptake is like
- flohofwoe 10y ago
  Yeah, my guess is it will be similar to the Apple Watch. Somewhat popular for a little while with people working in tech or tech-media, but completely non-existent in the 'real world'.
  - ChrisLTD 10y ago
    At Apple's last event they said they were the number 2 watchmaker by revenue. They can't have gotten there by only selling to techies. Anecdotally, I see tons of Apple Watches around Manhattan.
    - flohofwoe 10y ago
      I hardly know any people who still have a traditional watch, yet alone a smart watch, so #2 watchmaker doesn't mean much to me ;) I haven't seen many Apple Watches yet in the wild (may be 2 or 3) might have to do with the fact that I'm from Germany (Berlin). A lot of iPhones here though. I know, anecdotal evidence etc...
  - cstejerean 10y ago
    You are underestimating the popularity of the Apple Watch. Sure, it's nowhere near as ubiquitous as the iPhone, but it's by no means limited to tech circles. Part of the problem is that many people that might be ineterested in one were not able to justify the price. With the new price drop on the series 1 I suspect the market share will inrease significantly. Others meanwhile were waiting for the second generation because they didn't want to be on the bleeding edge. The series 2 is sold out everywhere and has a 3-5 week lead time, about the same as the iPhone.

smokeyj 10y ago

> this isn't the iPhone, not yet anyway Remind me to read this in a year. Or a week.

Noughmad 10y ago
No wireless. Less space than a Google Glass. Lame.

RodericDay 10y ago

Spidey thought Hey Amy - just a couple of rando thoughts from 35,000 LAX-JFK: - A rising trend we see with Millennials are the really extreme forms of experiential exercise like Tough Mudder (a sort of filthy triathalon), the Color Run and even things like Hot Power Yoga, veganism etc. Millennials will often post “N.B.D.” on their social media after doing it , as in No Big Deal, also known as the “humble brag”.....wondering if Spidey could get into that in some way....he’s super athletic, bendy, strong, intense....and it’s all NBD to him, of course. - EDM (electronic dance music) is the defining music for Millennials. Wondering if there’s an EDM angle somewhere with Spidey? His movements are beautiful, would be awesome with a killer DJ behind it - Snapchat just launched a “story” functionality, which is sort of “day in the life of me” told in a series of snapchats that expire after 24 hours. It has a very VIP quality about it, since invitation only. Getting invited into Spidey’s Snapchat circle would be huge, and very buzzworthy and cool. http://www.avclub.com/article/spider-man-should-be-snapchatting-edm-fan-accordin-218519 http://www.avclub.com/article/spider-man-should-be-snapchatt...

n72 10y ago

Take a long, deep breath. Then take a few steps backwards, so you can take the scene in with a slightly broader perspective. Now hark back to how many times someone has been breathlessly been compared to Steve Jobs and how many times the person who has made that comparison has ended up looking silly. Let's give Evan a few years before we start fanboying him.

Kiro 10y ago
> Let's give Evan a few years before we start fanboying him. Apart from the norm that fanboying is bad, why? Isn't his resume pretty good already?
- n72 10y ago
  Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?
yolesaber 10y ago
LMAO right? These are literally shitty-looking sunglasses with a ten second loop camera on them that's only usable with Snapchat. These will be handed out at fancy NYC/LA/SF parties where people will play with them for a minute or so before putting them back down and going on their phones.
- flycaliguy 10y ago
  Ever use the first iPhone? It could barely make PHONE calls. It was a terrible phone.
  - yolesaber 10y ago
    Are you seriously comparing a pair of shitty-looking sunglasses to the iPhone? These are sunglasses that take a ten second video that is tied to Snapchat. They cost 130 bucks and immediately signal that you are a techie douchebag because that's what people still associate video-taking glasses with. It is literally a novelty toy that is using a WSJ article (native content advertising) to make it seem like a revolutionary technology / something cool. No one is going to buy these.

mhomde 10y ago

One step closer to a Black Mirror episode :)

jackarg 10y ago
Exactly my train of thought. Gets me thinking of the actual advantages of such a thing, is it really necessary?

whitecarpet 10y ago

Best comment so far Edit: Thanks for the downvote.

engx 10y ago

He is like Jobs in the sense that he didn't invent Snapchat and he didn't code it. Maybe he articulated the philosophy of it being an anti-Kodak moment app. The article quotes someone saying Evan's the "best product visionary" they had ever met. Give a smart kid a hot app, millions in funding and thus more smart minds, and great things can happen. But let's not overly romanticize it. I am impressed by Snapchat's evolution, Stories etc but all that is somewhat obvious iterations on someone else's initial idea. Snapchat is fun and sexy for a variety of reasons, none of which correlate well with people wearing clunky glasses. Spectacles aren't cool and won't be. It's a head-mounted camera. It needs to be more sleek, more expensive, and have some novel features to be considered a status symbol.

CodeWriter23 10y ago

This product is about branding. But not about SnapChat's branding. And at $129/pop, certainly not about Versace's either. Branding is about putting the innate and immutable truth about the product in the forefront. What is the immutable truth about Spectacles? To get there, we will take my obligatory tour of the immutable truth about "Glass". Glass started out as evil empire all the way. Visually, Glass looks the headgear the Cardassian Commanders wore while fighting side-by-side with other races in The Dominion. Got that? The Evilest of Evil Empires. Add to that, the subtle design aspects that tried to make Glass as invisible as possible to passersby. Though noticeable to the trained eye, Glass was certainly not prominent in the visual hierarchy of the average person. And if you were in the room with someone wearing Glass, you never knew if they were recording you. Glass is covert and voyeuristic, and that's what people hated about Glass. So, back to what the "Spectacles" brand is. It's basis is in fun. A serious design effort to make them look fashionable. Perhaps not everyone's taste, but you can tell they didn't use a stock frame out of the catalog of a Chinese sunglass factory. Combine the shape with some goofy (or "ironic" in hipster parlance) color/pattern options, Spectacles come off as an every day stylish person's accessory. Add to that, the LEDs around the camera light up when recording, so you know when the wearer has chosen to record. They are right out in the open with their intent, not slithering around in the shadows like some Glasshole.

downandout 10y ago

You're essentially saying that if Evan Spiegel had released Google Glass, it would have been successful because Evan is cool and Google is not. First, Evan isn't that cool - he tried to cut out and leave penniless his frat brother that actually came up with the idea for Snapchat [1]. While that may be a Jobs or Zuckerberg-type move, it certainly doesn't make him cool. Second, Glass failed largely because of the invasive techno-snob feel to it - something that Spectacles has not overcome. It's one thing to have an iPhone in your pocket; it's quite another to shove your camera and microphone enabled face computer into the lives of literally everyone you interact with. [1] http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-lawsuit-video-depositions-2013-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-lawsuit-video-deposi...

ENGNR 10y ago
Glass could have taken the GoPro market, except GoPro did it better. These are positioned more for celebrity events, where everyone understands they could be on camera. The film crew are celebrities too now, or celebrities start filming their interactions, so a big bright pair of these tells everyone 'hey I'm filming!' like a big camera would. At private parties, I imagine it's largely the same thing, except that everyone there can only post onto Snapchat where it's lost to the sands of time. The overtness and ephemeralness fixes both of the problems people had with 'glassholes'

lazzlazzlazz 10y ago

These are shitty glasses that are already being billed as <$150. This is not even remotely "Versace" - it can't possibly be. Imagine pimply-faced teen nerds wearing these. They will not even attempt to go for a "luxury" / "high-end" feel. Snapchat is not even remotely Apple. Relax for a moment and come out of your fantasy.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]