After more than a decade of work, Snap on Tuesday unveiled Specs, a new pair of augmented reality glasses with a price tag more commonly seen on a gaming PC or high-end TV: $2,195.
The launch marks Snap’s biggest bet yet on a future where computing moves from smartphones to eyewear, a sentiment frequently shared by Mark Zuckerberg, who made the prediction that smart glasses will become the next major computing platform, much as smartphones displaced PCs as the primary way people access digital services.
Still, Specs cost far more than Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which start around $350, though they’re cheaper than Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset.
The usual AR features are expected: wearers will be able to record first-person footage, browse the web, and play games, along with a feature called “EyeConnect,” which lets two wearers launch shared experiences simply by making eye contact.
Still, that might not be enough of a differentiator given the massive price tag.
“Snap Specs for $2,195 is an instant nope for 99% people,” said Ray Wong, senior editor of Gizmodo, on X.
Raj Nijjer, the CMO of Symmetry Software, called the Specs “out of touch,” while Riley Brown, a tech educator and startup founder, posted on X that the Specs would be “dead on arrival.”
Each pair of Specs also weighs around 132 grams, nearly twice that of Meta’s Ray-Bans, which weigh around 70 grams.
Specs arrive as Meta has established an early lead with its Ray-Ban partnership, while Google recently unveiled its own AI-powered eyewear plans.
A problem dogging the tech is that no one has cracked the economics. Meta’s Reality Labs division, the unit responsible for its VR headsets, AR glasses, and metaverse ambitions, has become one of the most expensive bets in tech. Since 2020, the division has racked up tens of billions of dollars in operating losses, including more than $17 billion in 2024 alone.
Snap has also been facing mounting challenges. The company has spent years trying to turn its AR vision into a sustainable business while navigating a volatile advertising market, slowing user engagement in the US, and a stock price that remains well below its pandemic-era highs.
Earlier this year, Snap spun off a separate company focused on bringing Specs to market. In April, Snap also conducted a round of layoffs as it continued efforts to streamline operations and control costs.
If you’re convinced Specs are worth the price tag, preorders open on June 16 with a $200 refundable deposit, and shipping will begin this fall in the US, UK, and France.
Read the full article here
