Snap has downplayed the future of Spectacles on recent earning calls, but sources tell me that not one, but TWO new versions are currently in the works. V2 slated to ship by the fall. Full scoop here: cheddar.com/videos/exclusi…#CheddarScoops
V2 of Spectacles, which is currently being manufactured, will look like V1 but come in different colors and have performance improvements. Thinks get interesting with V3…
V3, which is currently being prototyped, looks similar to this rendering we made based on how it was described to me. Two cameras that allow for “depth,” 3D-like videos. Made of aluminum and could cost around $300 with a GPS inside. Slated to ship by end of 2019.
Snap has also talked to Luxottica and Warby Parker about licensing cameras to place on their glasses. But those talks haven’t progressed far.
Snap also acquired a small R&D company called FiveFocal, which is the reason it quietly opened a Boulder, Colorado office early last year
Important to note that V3 will likely NOT include AR optics. That tech is still years away from reality for Snap. Think more immersive version of the circular videos Spectacles record now.
That being said, true AR on eyewear is the obvious goal for Spectacles.
Most will probably wonder why Snap is trying again with Spectacles after they overestimated demand so badly the first time. Hint: They’re ordering far less inventory this time. 😄
Seeing a lot of criticism that because Snap overestimated Specs V1 inventory that the product was a failure.
Overestimating demand is an operational failure, not a product failure.
That said, my understanding is that Snap feels it can get better usage metrics next time if key software issues are fixed (like app connectivity, better clip syncing, smoother performance on Android). Critics will say Spectacles were just a fad regardless of the performance bugs.
Apple’s Safari browser will now block the technology that companies like Google and Facebook use to track you across the web. Facebook was shown onstage as the example of what could be blocked, which is the third time Apple has shown ways to limit FB during this keynote. #WWDC18
In terms of big tech public rivalries, it’s increasingly looking like Apple vs. Facebook is the new Apple vs. Microsoft. Although the issues at hand are obviously very different.
For those who haven’t been following, what Apple announced today is Safari essentially blocking the ability for FB to create “dark profiles” of people based on their web history, which is what Zuck was grilled about in DC. Also affects actual FB accounts
External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @sfiegerman view original on Twitter
Hello, I’m at SXSW and Apple’s Eddy Cue is about to speak. Expecting him to (hopefully) talk about their growing content ambitions/why they are buying shows left and right. Will tweet highlights. #SXSW18
Cue starting by saying that Apple has acquired Texture, an iOS app that aggregates magazines. Assume this is to bolster Apple News from a layout perspective.
“Generally, the history of Apple, we haven’t made huge acquisitions.” - Eddy Cue when asked if Apple will buy Netflix or Disney. Talking about the trend of cord-cutting and on-demand video. “We think there’s a real change coming in the marketplace” as to where people get content.