INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Snapchat isn''t revealing sales numbers of version 2 of its Spectacles camera sunglasses, but at least they&re not getting left in a drawer
The company tells me V2 owners are capturing 40 percent more Snaps than people with V1s.
And today, Snapchat is launching two new
black-rimmed hipster styles of Spectacles V2 — a Wayfarer-esque Nico model and a glamorous big-lensed Veronica model
Both come with a slimmer semi-soft black carrying case instead of the chunky old triangular yellow one, and are polarized for the first time
They look a lot more like normal sunglasses, compared to the jokey, bubbly V1s, so they could appeal to a more mature and fashionable
They go on sale today for $199 in the US and Europe and will be sold in Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom later this year, while the old styles
remain $149.
The new Spectacles styles (from left): Veronica and Nico
Spectacles V2 original style (left) and V1 (right)
Snap is also
trying to get users to actually post what they capture, so it planning an automatically curated Highlight Story feature that will help you
turn your best Specs content into great things to share
That could address the problem common amongst GoPro users of shooting a ton of cool footage but never editing it for display.
The problem is
that V1 were pretty exceedingly unpopular, and those that did buy them
Snap only shipped 220,000 pairs and reportedly had hundreds of thousands more gathering dust in a warehouse
It took a $40 million write-off and its hardware &camera company& strategy was called into question
Business Insider reported that less than 50 percent of buyers kept using them after a month and a &sizeable& percentage stopped after just a
week.
The new styles come with a slimmer semi-soft carry case
That means the bar was pretty low from which to score a 40 percent increase
in usage, especially given the V2s take photos, work underwater, come in a slimmer charging case, and lack the V1s& bright yellow ring
around the camera lens that announces you&re wearing a mini computer on your face
Snap was smart to finally let you export in non-circular formats which are useful for sharing beyond Snapchat, and let you automatically
save Snaps to your camera roll and not just its app Memories feature.
I&ve certainly been using my V2s much more than the V1s since they&re
more discrete and versatile
And I haven''t encountered as much fear or anxiety from people worried about being filmed as privacy norms around technology continue to
relax.
Why Snapchat Spectacles failed
But even with the improved hardware, new styles, and upcoming features, Spectacles V2 don''t look
like they&re moving the needle for Snapchat
After shrinking in user count last quarter, Snap share price has fallen to just a few cents above its all-time low
Given most of its users are cash-strapped teens who aren''t going to buy Spectacles even if they&re cool, the company needs to focus on how
to make its app for everyone more useful and differentiated after the invasion of Instagram copy-cats of its Stories and ephemeral
messaging.
Whether that means securing tentpole premium video content for Discover, redesigning Stories to ditch the interstitials for
better lean-back viewing, or developing augmented reality games, Snap can''t stay the course
Despite its hardware ambitions, it fundamentally a software company
It has to figure out what makes that software special.
Snapchat launches Spectacles V2, camera glasses you&ll actually wear
