Snapchat hasn’t given up on trying to sell hardware, despite reports of a huge number of unsold Spectacles inventory that resulted in nearly $40 million. The company has announced a new version of the Spectacles that comes with several upgrades in what appears to be doubling down on wearables.
The new Spectacles looks pretty much the same as the previous version. Only this time smaller and more comfortable to wear. A welcome upgrade is a water-resistant feature that will let users can Snap stories using the Spectacles even when it’s raining or splashing around in a pool. Users can now capture better quality videos with the new Spectacles can now record 10, 20 or 30-second clips or capture images in HD resolution.
Snap has also improved the file transfer capabilities of the wearable. Transferring images via Wi-Fi are now three to four times faster than previous Spectacles. With all the added improvements and also the smaller size of the new Spectacles, it doesn’t affect much of the battery life. The Spectacles will last just as long as its predecessor which means that users can shoot and transfer about 70 videos on a single charge.
The company has reused part of its unsold inventories for the second generation Spectacles which is not exactly a bad idea considering how many were just sitting around in a warehouse. It is now selling the Spectacles exclusively via its website with a prescription and polarised options available online. Price-wise, the new Spectacles is a bit more expensive at $150 which is $20 more expensive than before. The US, Canada, UK and France will be the first countries to be able to buy the new Spectacles starting today.
(Source: The Verge via GSMArena)
