Snap’s next generation of standalone augmented reality glasses will arrive next year and will be smaller, lighter and more powerful than the developer-focused device the Snapchat maker introduced last year. CEO Evan Spiegel announced the upcoming glasses, which will be called “Specs,” during a keynote at Augmented World Expo (AWE).
“Specs are coming next year, in a much smaller form factor, at a fraction of the weight, with a ton more capability,” Spiegel said. He said the glasses will be “ready for public release,” but didn’t provide details on how much they may cost. The current fifth-generation glasses are available only to approved developers willing to commit to a year-long $99/month subscription.
Still, a smaller pair of AR glasses from Snap should be welcome news to Snapchat fans curious about the company’s standalone AR device, but who may have been put off by its bulky, oversized design. Spiegel shared few details about the glasses, but in a blog post Snap suggested that AI will play an important role. “It’s clear that today’s devices and user interfaces are woefully inadequate to realize the full potential of AI,” the company wrote. “Chatbots will soon give way to immersive experiences that bring AI into the world through augmented reality, empowering us to express ourselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.”
The existing version of Spectacles already has some AI-powered experiences, thanks to a partnership with OpenAI. And Snap today also announced new integrations with OpenAI and Google that allow developers to build multimodal lenses for Spectacles that can use the built-in cameras to react to the wearer’s surroundings. Developers have already created experiences for recipe generation, translation and currency conversion, Snap said.
Spiegel did confirm that the AR lenses that developers are building now will work with the next-generation of frames. So whenever they do launch, there should be an established catalog of AR experiences for the glasses.
