Announced in a press release on the company’s website, Snap Inc. revealed Spectacles 3, the updated release of their augmented reality (AR) sunglasses with dual cameras that let people take photos in 3D. The AR sunglasses are available for pre-order on Spectacles’ website for $380 to ship in November this year.
According to a report by The Verge, Spectacles 3 will have the same battery life as the previous generation of Spectacles, include 4GB of internal storage, and can be recharged via USB-C. Unfortunately, pictures taken with Spectacles 3 don’t automatically transfer to your Snapchat account, which the company chalks up to “technical hurdles.” Instead, photos are downloaded to your Snapchat account via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and then can be shared.
While the move towards more robust wearables is admirable for Snap Inc., this iteration of their AR glasses leaves a fair bit to be desired. By making the photo posting process to Snapchat directly from the glasses more difficult, doubling the price of the previous generation of Spectacles, and not providing any additional AR functionality outside of 3D photos, it’ll be difficult for Snap Inc. to persuade consumers to pre-order. Hopefully the company’s $1 billion in funds for AR and media acquisitions can help keep the Spectacles brand afloat for the long-term.
