Social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram are constantly rolling out new updates and wacky filters to keep users coming back for more. But actual gadgets? Well, Snapchat has certainly upped its game. Recently, the company unveiled a new product called Snapchat Spectacles. The interactive accessory is essentially a pair of sunglasses with a small camera that takes 10-second video clips from the user’s perspective, which can be uploaded and sent out exclusively through Snapchat.
Until recently it was almost impossible to get your hands on a pair of the techy shades because they were previously only sold at Snapbots, special one-eyed vending machines that looked like a cartoon character and randomly popped up across the United States for short periods of time. According to CNET, they were also sold for a brief moment at a pop-up shop in New York City, which is now closed. As of today, Feb. 20, getting your hands on a pair of Spectacles has gotten a whole lot easier, considering that the company has started selling them online only through spectacles.com. (Happy Presidents Day to all!)
The spectacles will set you back $129 and come in three colors: black, teal and coral. According to New York Magazine, the company is currently only shipping in the United States, which will take between four to six weeks. So if you’re abroad, you might want to check on eBay or Amazon to see if anyone is looking to resell their pair — or you can simply remain patient and stay tuned for any announcements from the company that they'll be expanding their market.
When the app first launched Spectacles in November 2016, people spent hours waiting in lines and hunting down Snapbots to get their hands on a pair, which certainly added to the gadget's exclusivity. According to CNN, at the beginning of the Spectacles hype, resellers had listed the glasses for more than $900 on eBay.
Monday's announcement comes after Snapchat's parent company, Snap, filed for IPO in early February, offering its stock to the public for the first time. However, according to CNN, Snap has reportedly not made any money off the glasses as recent the company's recent IPO filing shows that "Spectacles have not generated any revenue for the company."
Regardless, the company's first wearable product definitely looks like it could be a lot of fun. While its target demographic is clearly the tech-obsessed trendsetters and adventurous travelers on the go who live for social media, we might be seeing these Spectacles a lot more, now that snagging a pair has become so much easier.
