Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has outlined a long-term path to mainstream adoption for the company’s new Specs augmented-reality glasses, saying the device may not reach mass-market consumers until toward the end of the decade.
Speaking during Snap’s second-quarter earnings call, Spiegel said the premium AR glasses are an early step towards what the company sees as a new computing platform.
Specs are due to launch on September 16, but Snap is initially focused on giving developers, early adopters and consumers an opportunity to try the product firsthand.
“I think it will be towards the end of the decade before we see mass-market consumer adoption,” Spiegel told investors.
“I think things, for example, like weight and cost are going to have to come down to see unit volumes really meaningfully pick up.”
A High-Consideration Hardware Purchase
Spiegel’s comments came after an investor asked Snap about early preorder demand for Specs.
He did not give a preorder figure, waitlist total or shipment forecast. Instead, he emphasised that prospective customers wanted to try the glasses.
“What we’re hearing from folks is really that they want to try Specs,” Spiegel said. “It’s obviously a high-consideration purchase at $2,195.”
He added that the company expected physical demonstrations to be important as it expands beyond developers and AR enthusiasts.
“For the broader public and consumers, it’s going to be really important for folks to go hands-on,” he said. “Our upcoming launch event, will be an important sort of starting point for that consumer-oriented journey.”
A New Computing Platform
Snap has spent more than a decade developing Spectacles hardware and the underlying AR platform.
The company is now positioning Specs as a much more ambitious product than its earlier camera-focused glasses.
“Our largest long-term opportunity is Specs, a new kind of computer built into see-through glasses,” Spiegel said.
“Specs are designed for a future in which AI does more work on our behalf and people spend less time operating screens.”
The idea is that AI and AR could move some computing tasks away from handheld screens and into a user’s field of view, enabling hands-free interaction with digital information and services.
Investors asked Spiegel why Snap believed it could pursue that opportunity on its own, particularly when Apple, Meta and Alphabet all have larger hardware budgets, broader distribution and major AI investments.
His response was that AR glasses are exceptionally hard to produce because the hardware and software must work together as one product.
“Everything from our developer platform and tools to our Lens Core rendering engine into our operating system to the optical engine itself, all of those things have to work perfectly together,” Spiegel said.
He added that Snap’s early work in AR could be a strategic advantage. “What’s so unique about this opportunity for us is really that we’re a first mover, and that really plays to our strengths as an innovator.”
Developers And Experience First
For the initial release, Snap appears to be prioritising product experience and developer support over an immediate drive for consumer volume. Spiegel said developers have been building on the Specs platform for several years, which could give the product a base of software and experiences at launch.
Snap CFO Derek Andersen also said the company is focused on product quality, customer experience and ecosystem development.
“I think looking forward on September 16, we’ll be sharing a lot more about all the different ways people can use Specs, how they fit into people’s lives,” Andersen said. “We’re just really excited to get Specs into folks’ hands later this year.”
That approach reflects the current state of the broader smart-glasses market. Meta has pursued a lower-cost route with Ray-Ban smart glasses centred on cameras, audio and AI features, while Apple’s Vision Pro remains a high-priced mixed-reality headset for early adopters, developers and professional users.
A Longer-Term Bet Funded By Advertising
Snap’s AR ambitions are being funded while its core advertising business shows signs of improvement.
The company reported $1.6 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 19 percent year over year and ahead of analyst expectations. It forecast third-quarter revenue of between $1.7 billion and $1.74 billion.
Snap nevertheless reported a $164 million net loss for the quarter. It also raised its full-year infrastructure-cost forecast by $50 million, saying it needed additional AI and machine-learning investment to support revenue growth.
The company has not disclosed preorder volumes, hardware sales targets, expected margins or a specific timeline for Specs to become profitable. In that context, Spiegel’s comments give the launch a more measured frame.
