Recently, Snap announced a new model of its Spectacles series of “smart glasses.” The product caused a divide in the community due to its poor design and choice of features. Now, a former Snapchat engineer who worked on the latest Spectacles claims that they are “obviously bad.” He also hints at problems during development.
Snapchat Spectacles’ new design and features are a “disaster,” says the engineer who worked on them
To create a good technical product, you not only have to integrate all the impressive technologies available, you also have to find a balance between functionality and practicality. The new Spectacles offer a miniature LCOS projector in a limited space, which is a technological milestone. However, this came at the cost of several drawbacks, such as a clunky design, a limited 45° field of view, and a battery life of just 45 minutes.
Sterling Crispin, a former Snap Spectacles engineer, expressed regret over the end result. “I worked on this for about a year at Snap and I can say a million negative things about the experience and the device, but I think the product speaks for itself and is obviously bad,” Crispin said on X. The engineer was particularly harsh on the product, even calling it a “disaster.” So even though he worked on the project, he seems to want to distance himself from it completely.
Crispin also suspects that the problems arose from mismanagement during development. “This device is a collection of very bad decisions that added up and made things worse,” he said. “Everyone who worked on it knew about the problems and knew who was causing them.”
The industry may not be ready for standalone AR glasses yet
However, even the social media company seems to be aware that the product is not suitable for the consumer market. Snap is currently offering the glasses to developers who want to get into the Snap OS AR ecosystem. Developers can access the new Spectacles through a rental model that costs $99 per month (with a minimum one-year contract). Previous models stood out for their aesthetic appeal and the ability to create content that can be shared within the app.
Smart glasses technology is evolving rapidly and products are reaching more and more people. However, it seems to be too early to develop a compelling standalone AR product with such a form factor. Recent reports suggest that Apple has recognized this and its first Apple Glasses will resemble the Ray-Ban Metas, but without AR features. Current technological limitations are still an obstacle to overcome. However, Snapchat has made it easy to react against the new Spectacles with an aesthetically poor redesign.
CHEERS TO THE NEXT AR GLASSES WITH @Glasses!!! pic.twitter.com/L0cKKipY2q
– Sophia Dominguez (@sophiaedm) 17. September 2024
