Specs
Snap's augmented reality glasses, a fully vertically integrated AR hardware and software stack.
- 1Camera off the phoneFirst Specs began as a phone-linked camera
- 2Second cameraAdded for depth
- 3Display addedContent anchored in the real world
- 4Operating system, 2024Developers can build full software
- 5Consumer Specs launchAfter about 12 years of investment
From Evan Spiegel on Lenny's Podcast
What was said about Specs
1The 12-year road to consumer Specs
Snap reached glasses one hardware step at a time, not in one leap. Specs began as a camera off the phone, then added a second camera for depth, then a display. In 2024 Snap released an operating system so developers could build full software, and consumer Specs launch this year after about 12 years of investment.
Evan Spiegel frames Specs as the end of that roadmap and says it has been about 20 years since the iPhone, "so it's about time for something new."
Specs targets shared play with friends, not notifications on your face. Specs anchors content in the real world instead of pinning a small screen to your face. Evan doubts phone notifications in glasses are valuable to most people and focuses on new ways to hang out with friends.
Lenny's preview included bending air, placing plants around his house, drawing in the room and multiplayer. Evan's jab at heads-up display glasses: checking the corner display means looking at your friend's crotch.
The product thesis starts from what phones do to people. People spend seven or eight hours a day on screens, and AR on a phone is "like a keyhole" driven by thumbs. Specs is meant to bring people together instead of isolating them on phones.
Evan describes his 15-year-old and friends looking down at their phones when together, "hunched over like gremlins."
2Why Snap bet on hardware as a moat
Software gets cloned, so Snap built ecosystems and vertically integrated hardware. Snap learned 15 years ago that features get copied quickly, even with patents. It responded with a creator network, an AR platform where developers have built millions of lenses, and a fully vertically integrated AR stack in Specs.
Instagram copied the Plus subscription after Snapchat Plus passed 25 million subscribers and a $1 billion revenue run rate. "It's very easy to copy software features, it's very hard to copy or to replicate a full ecosystem or a platform."
New platforms like glasses reopen distribution, mostly for incumbents. Generational companies such as Uber and Snapchat grew out of mobile, and Evan sees glasses as the next surface. He expects most of the upside to go to companies that already have distribution.
Specs can only win if Snap's core business proves profitable first. Evan calls this year Snap's crucible moment: the core business must show profitability before Specs can succeed.
Snap is still not net income profitable, and its stock has lagged despite these defenses.
How to win when software is not a moat | Evan Spiegel (Snapchat CEO)
Snap released an operating system for developers in 2024 and launches consumer Specs this year after 12 years of investment. It focuses on shared play and hanging out with friends in the real world instead of notifications on your face.
Snap reached glasses one hardware step at a time, not in one leap. Specs began as a camera off the phone, then added a second camera for depth, then a display. In 2024 Snap released an operating system so developers could build full software, and consumer Specs launch this year after about 12 years of investment.
Evan Spiegel frames Specs as the end of that roadmap and says it has been about 20 years since the iPhone, "so it's about time for something new."
Specs targets shared play with friends, not notifications on your face. Specs anchors content in the real world instead of pinning a small screen to your face. Evan doubts phone notifications in glasses are valuable to most people and focuses on new ways to hang out with friends.
Lenny's preview included bending air, placing plants around his house, drawing in the room and multiplayer. Evan's jab at heads-up display glasses: checking the corner display means looking at your friend's crotch.
The product thesis starts from what phones do to people. People spend seven or eight hours a day on screens, and AR on a phone is "like a keyhole" driven by thumbs. Specs is meant to bring people together instead of isolating them on phones.
Evan describes his 15-year-old and friends looking down at their phones when together, "hunched over like gremlins."
Software gets cloned, so Snap built ecosystems and vertically integrated hardware. Snap learned 15 years ago that features get copied quickly, even with patents. It responded with a creator network, an AR platform where developers have built millions of lenses, and a fully vertically integrated AR stack in Specs.
Instagram copied the Plus subscription after Snapchat Plus passed 25 million subscribers and a $1 billion revenue run rate. "It's very easy to copy software features, it's very hard to copy or to replicate a full ecosystem or a platform."
New platforms like glasses reopen distribution, mostly for incumbents. Generational companies such as Uber and Snapchat grew out of mobile, and Evan sees glasses as the next surface. He expects most of the upside to go to companies that already have distribution.
Specs can only win if Snap's core business proves profitable first. Evan calls this year Snap's crucible moment: the core business must show profitability before Specs can succeed.
Snap is still not net income profitable, and its stock has lagged despite these defenses.
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