From the company that brings you disappearing messages comes a lightweight drone with only one function – it takes a photo of you, follows you, and generally captures your vibe for sharing online.
Why has a social media company released not just one but two hardware products? Have they even made back the money invested in their first product, Spectacles the AR glasses?
In 2017, Snapchat reported losing almost $40 million on Spectacles due to unsold inventory.
And in 2021 Snap released Spectacles 3, plus they spent $500 million to acquire WaveOptics, who makes components for AR glasses.
Despite what it feels like, Snapchat has 332 million daily users versus 217 million on Twitter – that’s 50% more users!
How is a platform that feels like old news more wide-spread than the tool Elon Musk wants to buy for $44 billion?
Because messaging will never die.
Snapchat attracted young people looking for a less serious medium, and those people stuck around. The app is built around intimate group chats and less around broadcasting, which is more and more appealing to younger generations.
250 million people use Snapchats AR features every day. They may not all have the glasses, but they certainly take advantage of the technology.
So the question is, will 1% of those 250 million users buy a drone?
Selling 2.5 million drones would be an enormous success, way more than the 1.2 million original iPhones sold in 2007.
I am personally excited about future live events where no one pulls their phone out. The drones come out instead.
