Snapchat's video-recording Spectacles became available to buy in the U.S. on Thursday, not online or in stores, but from pop-up vending machines.
Called 'Snapbots', the giant vending machines will dispense the Spectacles in either Black, Coral or Teal, and allow customers to try them on virtually using a built-in augmented reality display.
For those unfamiliar with Snapchat's first hardware product, the $129 Spectacles are a one-size-fits-all pair of sunglasses that can record 10 seconds of video at a time and sync wirelessly with the mobile Snapchat app, which was updated on Tuesday.
According to Recode, Snapchat plans to deposit the machines "soon" throughout the U.S., with the first machine appearing in Venice Beach, California. Reminiscent of Snapchat, the machines will only remain in one location for a day before being removed. The company said it will announce new Snapbot locations 24 hours before they appear, via the "Find a Bot" map on the Spectacles website.
Upon discovering a bot, customers press one of the large circular buttons to 'try on' their chosen color of sunglasses, after which they must insert a debit or credit card to purchase. About 10 seconds passes as the transaction is processed, before the Bot's mouth lights up and the spectacles are dispensed along with a receipt.
Snapchat, now dubbed Snap, has been developing the Spectacles for years and considers them "a toy" best used at concerts and outdoor events. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the limited-distribution product was made "because it's fun" and the company wants people to figure out if the glasses fit into their lives.
Called 'Snapbots', the giant vending machines will dispense the Spectacles in either Black, Coral or Teal, and allow customers to try them on virtually using a built-in augmented reality display.
For those unfamiliar with Snapchat's first hardware product, the $129 Spectacles are a one-size-fits-all pair of sunglasses that can record 10 seconds of video at a time and sync wirelessly with the mobile Snapchat app, which was updated on Tuesday.
According to Recode, Snapchat plans to deposit the machines "soon" throughout the U.S., with the first machine appearing in Venice Beach, California. Reminiscent of Snapchat, the machines will only remain in one location for a day before being removed. The company said it will announce new Snapbot locations 24 hours before they appear, via the "Find a Bot" map on the Spectacles website.
Upon discovering a bot, customers press one of the large circular buttons to 'try on' their chosen color of sunglasses, after which they must insert a debit or credit card to purchase. About 10 seconds passes as the transaction is processed, before the Bot's mouth lights up and the spectacles are dispensed along with a receipt.
Snapchat, now dubbed Snap, has been developing the Spectacles for years and considers them "a toy" best used at concerts and outdoor events. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the limited-distribution product was made "because it's fun" and the company wants people to figure out if the glasses fit into their lives.
18 comments
The Wall Street Journal today published a profile of Tony Blevins, Apple's vice president of procurement, providing an inside look at Apple's corporate culture and what Blevins does for the...
Apple today overhauled its Apple jobs website, introducing a new look and a new video in an effort to better recruit employees. The updated video on the site features the different Apple logo designs...
Apple is preparing to release a third season of its ongoing show "Carpool Karaoke: The Series," with the new trailer shared this morning on YouTube.
"Carpool Karaoke: The...
Apple today announced the launch of a new Apple Watch Connected program that should benefit both gyms and gym-goers.
The program will reward gym-goers for using an Apple Watch to track their...
As noted in our coverage yesterday of the latest Safari Technology Preview 99, Apple has removed all support for Adobe Flash. Safari Technology Preview is basically a beta of the next version of...
Google researchers discovered multiple security flaws in Apple's Safari web browser that let users' browsing habits be tracked despite Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature.
...
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3.1 updates to developers, one week after seeding the second betas and more than a month after the release of iOS 13.3 with...
At least one iPhone 12 model will come in a new Navy Blue finish, according to XDA Developers writer and leaker Max Weinbach, who shared his information with YouTube channel EverythingApplePro.
...
