Snap’s new AR Spectacles target developers with $99 monthly subscription plan

Snap has announced its fifth-generation augmented-reality glasses, which will only be available to developers. The upgraded version of Spectacles overlays digital effects onto photos or videos of real-life surroundings through a camera or lens.

While Snap has been an early leader in AR, its core online advertising business has been struggling. Hence the latest edition has been targeted at key players who must commit to paying $99 a month for one full year if they want to build AR apps for the device.

The Spectacles were announced on Tuesday (September 17), at Snap’s annual Partner Summit in Los Angeles, where CEO Evan Spiegel acknowledged that breaking into the AR field has been challenging.

He said: “Making augmented reality glasses is really hard. And we know that the industry is littered with companies that have tried, and we’ve been working for a really long time on these.”

Snap first launched its smart glasses capable of recording video in 2016, selling them through vending machines in Los Angeles before expanding availability online. While the company reported sales of 150,000 pairs, most users stopped wearing them after a month, and lackluster demand left hundreds of thousands of units unsold.

Consequently, Snap’s director of AR Platform, Sophia Dominguez, admitted they were being cautious about the new release. She stated: “What we can’t predict is consumer adoption and so that’s why we’re taking this more thoughtful approach to how we’re releasing this version.

“It could change at any time, and if it does change … we’re ready to go.”

In February, ReadWrite reported that Snap had laid off around 529 employees as part of a restructuring, and its shares fell more than 20 per cent after the company reported its latest quarterly results in August.

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