Snap Reportedly Readying Next Generation Of AR 'Spectacles' And Its Own Drone

Snap is reportedly iterating on the next generation version of Spectacles — a smart glasses product it first launched in late 2016. The latest generation of Spectacles would enable users to view augmented reality (AR) effects through their glasses without the use of an accompanying smartphone, The Verge reports, and is part of a renewed push into hardware devices by Snap that could also comprise the launch of a camera drone. Snap has popularized AR with its Lenses, a signature feature that transforms selfies and scenes on smartphones with a variety of visual effects. The new Spectacles would appear to bring this capability to a wearable headset. That said, the reported Spectacles will initially target developers and creators rather than consumers, with the intention that developers create Lenses that will ultimately be used by the everyday wearer. The Spectacles evolution was first reported by The Information, which notes that Snap is likely to unveil the product at its Partner Summit developer conference on May 20. The Verge notes that there have been three generations of Spectacles to date, which predominantly serve to capture footage — with subsequent processing and editing being conducted on the Snapchat app. The most recent generation of…
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