If Snap’s Spectacles are really about sharing your life with the world, we need a solution for capturing the majority of our lives that occur boxed inside buildings. This solution could come in the form of replacement lenses or in the form of an entirely new device.
Niche lens manufacturer Rochester Optical gave us the first one today with replacement lenses for Spectacles that come in clear optical, sun and photochromic versions. Sure, this is good news for people who can’t wear sunglasses without prescription lenses, but it also means Spectacles can now be used indoors. Lucky Spectacles owners can send their glasses in to be cut and upgraded to any prescription strength (including none at all).
From the ascetics of the plating on that hipster dinner you ordered to the smiles on the faces of your family meeting you at the airport after a long time apart, many moments are missed for the sheer fact you would look like an idiot wearing tinted Spectacles inside a fancy restaurant or busy airport. This is not to mention the fact that capturing video with a smartphone is cumbersome and often impolite.
Unfortunately, the pricing on the custom alterations put the changes out of reach for most people.
- Standard plastic – $99
- High-index – $149
- Polarized RX sun – $199
- Photochromic – $199
Even regardless of price, the average consumer is not going to take the time to send their new glasses in to be altered. What we really need is an integrated solution for capturing video indoors.
This could come in the form of something like Glide’s smartwatch band that features two cameras, but it could also just be refined indoor glasses without tint. It’s not necessary that Snap or any other company sell millions of units either. At this point, any product in this category is niche, but I can think of more than one instance where a camera on an ordinary pair of (cool) glasses could come in handy.
It’s true that sunglasses have an element of je ne sais quoi that prescription glasses will never have. It also makes sense that Snap’s first cameras were integrated into sunglasses to stay far away from the branding disaster that was Google Glass. But there remains an opportunity to help people capture their indoor lives handsfree.