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By Newspot Nigeria Tech Desk
📱🕶️ Smaller, Smarter, and Powered by AI
📍Los Angeles, USA — In a bold move to reclaim its footing in the fast-evolving smart wearables market, Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has announced its upcoming sixth-generation augmented reality (AR) smartglasses, branded simply as Specs. The device is scheduled for release in 2026, signaling Snap’s continued investment in immersive consumer technology.
The new Specs will mark a significant departure from Snap’s earlier “Spectacles” brand identity, which had been in place since the company’s first wearable debut in 2016. According to CEO Evan Spiegel, the rebranded smartglasses are designed to deliver a more human-centered computing experience, powered by cutting-edge AR and AI capabilities.
🚀 Key Features of Specs:
- Sleeker and lighter build compared to earlier models
- Runs on Snap OS, optimized for real-world visual overlays
- Supports Google’s Gemini AI models, giving developers new flexibility—previous versions only supported OpenAI’s GPT models
- No final price or launch date announced, though hints suggest a consumer-first pricing strategy, unlike the developer-only 2024 model which came with a $99/month lease agreement
🧠 While Snap pioneered mainstream smartglasses in 2016 with simple video capture tools, its latest specs aim for broader functionality—overlaying interactive digital objects onto users’ physical environments. The last version with AR capabilities was limited to developers, but the 2026 model is expected to target everyday consumers and creators alike.
This announcement comes at a time when the competition in wearable AR is heating up:
- Apple’s Vision Pro ($3,500) entered the market in February 2024, emphasizing premium immersive computing
- Meta has doubled down with its Ray-Ban Meta line and experimental Project Orion glasses
- Google announced a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker to release their own line of smartglasses, expected post-2025
🎯 Snap’s re-entry into the consumer market suggests confidence in a new wave of wearable tech demand—one driven not just by novelty but by deeper AI integration and lifestyle computing.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the extraordinary progress in artificial intelligence and augmented reality,” said Spiegel, framing the Specs as a step toward a more intuitive interface between humans and machines.
As tech giants race to define the future of head-worn computing, all eyes will be on whether Snap’s Specs can reclaim cultural relevance and market share in an increasingly crowded field.
📰 Stay tuned to Newspot Nigeria for the latest on emerging technologies, global innovation, and how developments like these will shape the future of digital experiences—both in Nigeria and around the world.
