As early as 2014, it seemed Snapchat was interested in developing its own wearable product. That year, the now $18 billion company best known for its disappearing messaging product acquired Vergence Labs, which specializes in creating a smart-glasses product. Last month, C.E.O. Evan Spiegel was photographed wearing what appeared to be a smart-glasses prototype—a pair of dark, very circular frames with cameras on each side. Now, more evidence points to Snapchat’s hardware ambitions.
The Financial Times reports that Snapchat has recently become a member of a Bluetooth group that would let Snapchat build hardware products using Bluetooth’s wireless technology—likely some sort of Snapchat-connected headset. The mounting evidence for Snapchat building a hardware product lends credence to an earlier CNET report this year, which asserted the company may be working on a Google Glass–style competitor after hiring people including eyewear designer Lauryn Morries.
Snapchat is building out a hardware-centric team to focus on 3-D projects, making a string of hires pertaining to hardware and augmented reality.
Among Snapchat’s hires this year is Dan Stein, who led recruitment for Google’s Project Aura, which oversaw the creation of Google Glass and other wearables. Two former Nokia hardware designers have joined the company, too.
If Snapchat ends up making a hardware play, it may benefit from being able to learn from its competitors’ successes—and failures. Facebook C.E.O. Mark Zuckerberg has been lauded for his $2 billion purchase of virtual-reality start-up Oculus, with which he hopes to expand Facebook’s social platform with V.R. hardware. Google, meanwhile, was criticized for its own Google Glass wearables product, which was perhaps too early to market to find a receptive audience. Snapchat, whose Snap Lab experimental division is still hiring, appears to be taking a different approach in its focus on augmented reality.