Snapchat Spectacles Vs Google Glass
Looking beyond Google Glass, wearables have finally become mainstream, we think…
The race to create popular consumer wearables has been a hot topic for a while. Yes there have been some successes, such as FitBit and the Apple Watch, but overall the hype around wearables hasn’t tended to match the actual enthusiasm around purchasing them. While consumers surely love their smartphones, there has been a notable reluctance around taking one’s computing ability out of their pocket and onto their body.
Seeing Clearly
There are potentially many reasons for this consumer reluctance. The most compelling is perhaps the options for wearables haven’t been that enticing until now. We all remember the epic failure of the much-lauded Google Glass, a project that was heavily promoted by Google and its hand-picked influencers but didn’t translate into popularity with the public. Not only that, the project itself was mocked and shunned, with many calling the glasses nerdy, impractical, and totally unrealistic.
Aw Snap
However, potentially there seems to be a new bright spot on the wearable scene and we have a social media company to thank for that. Snapchat’s Spectacles are sunglasses with a wearable camera embedded. This allows for hands-free recording from the eye’s point of view. While they haven’t yet been made widely available, there is every indication that these glasses will be a hit.
As Mashable noted, “Instead of selling them online or in stores, Snap Inc.’s using the vending machine, along with an interactive map, to drive the Spectacles hype train. And so far it’s working. People are freaking out over Spectacles’ exclusivity and word of mouth, and social media posts are only making Snapchatters (and some olds) more eager to get a pair.There haven’t been so many people this excited over something that’s not from Apple in a long time it seems.
Face It
Google Glass and Snap Inc’s Spectacles have quite a bit in common: both created by an existing tech company (not necessarily known for hardware) and both oriented around the idea that you can wear technology in front of your face. But the similarities end there. Though mass adoption hasn’t quite yet happened for Spectacles, there are several reasons why it’s highly more probable than it ever was for Google Glass.
Here’s a look at the reasons why:
The Price
Like it or not, price is always a huge determiner of how popular something will become. At just $150, Spectacles are priced low enough that they can be purchased as a novelty—not a huge investment. Contrast that to Google Glass’ hefty price tag of $1,500—a price that’s only feasible for people with serious money to burn—and it’s easy to see why Snapchat’s offering has more mass appeal.
The Functionality
Google really jumped the gun with glass in trying to put a ton of functionality into a tiny space. It was, in a word, overwhelming and perhaps too premature for a market that wasn’t quite used to wearables to begin with. Snapchat, on the other hand, has taken the “less is more” approach. By only offering the in-lens camera, the features are far fewer, but the functionality is far greater. In other words—the glasses do exactly what they’re supposed to do.
The Aesthetics
Looking at the now-defunct Google Glass, you’d have to assume that aesthetics were not a priority. The glasses were clunky, nerdy, unattractive and frankly unappealing to wear for anyone that cares about fashion or style. Spectacles, on the other hand, took a page out of Ray Bans classic style playbook and offer shapes that aren’t too fashion forward or outrageous to simply be worn as regular sunglasses. This dual offering of style and function is something that was entirely overlooked with Google Glass.