Snap’s Expensive Vision: A Misguided Attempt to Make Computing Human?

The latest innovation from Snap, the company behind Snapchat and a new pair of $2,195 augmented-reality smart glasses, has sparked both excitement and skepticism. The Specs glasses promise to revolutionize human-computer interaction, but their price tag raises important questions about accessibility and equity in the tech industry.

At $2,195, these glasses are a luxury item that only the most affluent consumers can afford. This exclusivity is a concern, as expensive gadgets often cater to a narrow demographic, perpetuating the trend of exclusionary innovation in the tech world. By targeting high-end customers, Snap may be exacerbating this issue.

The Specs do offer some impressive features, including the ability to take calls, listen to music, and stream video from services like YouTube and HBO Max. They also come equipped with a display, allowing users to view 3D product models and even buy stuff on Shopify. However, these capabilities are not unique to the Specs, and their value is diminished by the device’s high cost.

The real value of the Specs lies in their potential as an enterprise tool. Snap has partnerships with major companies like Salesforce, Amazon, and Nvidia to build out features that bring up codes or specs in the wearer’s field of view. This could be a game-changer for industries like manufacturing and logistics, where workers need quick access to information on the job.

Snap’s efforts to position the Specs as an enterprise product are also somewhat disingenuous. The company has a history of promoting its Spectacles as a consumer product, only to later pivot towards more practical applications. This raises questions about Snap’s true intentions and whether it is genuinely committed to creating a more human-centric computing experience.

The Specs Intelligence AI service, announced alongside the glasses, is another area where Snap’s vision falls short. The app promises to anticipate what users want to do based on their daily routines and preferences. However, its reliance on data collection and aggregation raises concerns about user privacy and security. This “anticipatory AI” sounds more like a marketing gimmick than a genuine innovation.

In the end, Snap’s expensive vision for computing may be misguided. By prioritizing luxury features and enterprise applications over practical usability and accessibility, the company risks alienating its core audience and perpetuating the trend of exclusionary innovation in tech. As we move forward into an era of increased technological advancement, it’s time to rethink our assumptions about what makes computing “more human.”