When you think of tech companies making hardware and smart products, who do you think of? You probably think of Apple, Google, Microsoft, maybe even Facebook? Do you think of Snapchat? Maybe you should. Snapchat debuts it’s own sunglasses.
These are called Spectacles. These aren’t regular sunglasses. These sunglasses can record videos 10 seconds at a time. They’ll be available for $130 and will be made available this fall. To record the semi-video, all one has to do is press a button. The camera has a 115-degree lens. The sunglasses have circular videos and playback experience. These glasses are the baby of Snapchat CEO Even Spiegel. He told a magazine about his hiking experience with Spectacles. Spiegel marveled at how the video the hiking experience through his own eyes, literally. He calls it, “…an experience of the experience.” It’s the fact that after you go home, you can experience wonderful memories again, and again, and again. Even though Spectacles can only record ten seconds at a time. That can be more than enough to record something spectacular. But often times you need much more time.
Snapchat says Spectacles will be released slowly. On the surface, this makes sense for them to produce Spectacles. Snapchat users, which numbers around 150 million a day, can take pictures and short videos with these glasses. They could upload such content to their Snapchat accounts. Some compare this to Google Glass. Well…yes and no. Snapchat glasses are far cheaper. Google Glass costs $1,500. And I will say, the Spectacles look better than the Google Glass. But in my opinion, both violate one of humanity’s most basic rights: privacy! With Spectacle, someone can press a button, take a picture of someone without their knowledge or approval, blast it all over social media, and ruin somebody’s life. There isn’t anything the victim can do about it. That’s the danger behind Spectacles. And the fact that people can get Spectacles cheaper makes it more of a threat. I doubt that Snapchat’s intention. But some people will twist it into something ugly. That’s what I am afraid of. What do you think of Snapchat Spectacles?