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Snap unveils fifth generation of Spectacles

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Spectacles initially available to developers for $99 per

month

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Snap redesigns Snapchat app, reducing sections from five

to

three

By Sheila Dang

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Snap announced an upgraded

version of its Spectacles augmented-reality glasses on Tuesday,

doubling down on its bet that wearable devices to enhance the

view of the real world will be one of the next frontiers in

tech.

Snap, long known for its ephemeral messaging app Snapchat

and animated filters, has been an early leader in augmented

reality, which can overlay digital effects onto photos or videos

of real-life surroundings through a camera or lens.

The first edition of Spectacles launched in 2016, but the

effort has not increased revenue for Snap, whose business relies

on selling digital advertising.

Larger rivals are also racing to advance AR. Meta is

expected to unveil its first AR glasses during its Connect

developer conference next week.

The fifth generation of Spectacles is powered by a new

operating system called Snap OS. The user interface responds to

the wearer's hands and voice and the operating system better

understands the user's surroundings to render AR effects, said

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel during the company's annual partner

summit.

The glasses have a larger field of vision than previous

generations and automatically tints in sunlight.

Spectacles will not be sold to consumers initially and

instead will be available for $99 per month to developers who

create AR features.

That is a key step toward building adoption among everyday

users, Spiegel said in an interview ahead of the summit.

"There has to be really compelling experiences," he said.

"By working really closely with developers and just continuously

improving our platform, I think we're going to get to a place

where there are a lot of compelling lenses for people to try

with Spectacles."

The new operating system will also enable developers to make

better AR experiences between two or more Spectacles wearers,

Snap said. For example, two users in the same room could play

chess on a virtual board that is rendered in the players'

surroundings.

A SIMPLIFIED SNAPCHAT

Snap also announced a redesign of the Snapchat app, reducing its

previous five separate sections to three. The company previously

simplified how users can interact with ads on Snapchat to

improve results for advertisers.

Still, Snap shares are down 40% this year as the company

struggled against larger digital-ad platforms with more users.

In a letter to staff this month, Spiegel said Snap has reversed

two years of declining revenue and would continue to compete for

ad dollars by going after smaller advertisers.

But he laid out the case for continuing to pursue AR, citing

it as a nascent field where Snap can create user demand.

"Unlike in digital advertising, where we were a late entrant

in a market with established, scaled players, we are a leader in

the market for this new type of glasses," he said.