SPECS standalone AR glasses could undercut VR headsets sans all the bulk

Smart glasses and VR headsets have a big, gaping rift that a keen manufacturer could fill. Evan Spiegel has been working to bring the best of both worlds to consumers with a pair of glasses that combine the Ray-Ban AI glasses with popular VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3. Evan’s brand, Snap, has been working under the covers on AR glasses ever since the early 2020s, and now they have revealed something that looks practical and cuts the competition in half.

These are SPECS, a pair of fancy frames that are more than just Snapchat-worthy. The glasses employ the SPECS Intelligence AI service to understand the user’s priorities and routines to show only the most relevant information that makes sense at that point in time. Most importantly, the inherent software works well with iOS, and already the preview is available in the US, with the early-access Mac experience soon to follow

As I said, the flames are much more than just smart glasses, as they hold their own computational power, letting the developers create unique AR experiences with the Lens Studio. Enterprise partners like NVIDIA, AWS, and Salesforce are already exploring the possibilities for hands-free applications in workspaces and field operations. The AR and the preemptive AI work in conjunction to bring the next level of smart capabilities to the SPECS, much beyond the ability to click hands-free selfies. According to Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap, “Computers should fit into our lives, not the other way around. SPECS Intelligence is designed to help you spend less time managing your life and more time living it.”

Unlike other smart glasses on the market that have 2D notifications and navigation cues, SPECS brings the whole Augmented Reality gamut in front of your eyes. For instance, the Soccer Skills app trains you while dribbling the ball in real-time with directional arrows. But there are limitations as to how real things seem when wearing these glasses, even with the improved 51 degrees FOV. The virtual 115-inch display (supporting 16 million colors) is placed around 10 feet away from the eye to enable non-intrusive translations in 60 languages, a Shopify Catalog of 3D products to shop using just voice commands and hand gestures, as well as stream content from popular services like HBO Max or YouTube. In fact, Snap has struck a partnership to bring the HBO Original Series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, premiering on Christmas, to these smart glasses.

Staying a step ahead in terms of real-world usage, two SPECS can be connected together to share digital experiences in a common physical space. In light of the recent controversies surrounding the smart glasses being used for public recording, Snap says these glasses don’t record the world around you or constantly capture videos. The standalone glasses made from high-performance Swiss TR90 polymer come in two sizes – a 47mm version weighing 132 grams and a 52 mm model weighing 136 grams. For people with a prescription, the glasses support removable inserts. The electrochromic lenses on the glasses boast tinting technology adapted from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner windows to gently shift from clear to tinted in just 10 seconds.

For now, SPECS can be pre-ordered for $2,195 ($200 refundable deposit), and shipping to the US, UK, and France is expected to begin later this year, most likely in time for the holiday season. The augmented reality glasses will also be on display at Westfield Century City on October 1.

augmented realitysmart glasses