Snapchat parent unveils a new operating system for Spectacles AR glasses

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel using the 5th gen of Spectacles AR glasses (Image Source: Snap)

Snap Inc chief executive Evan Spiegel believes that augmented reality (AR) hardware will be the next major computing platform. He hopes that the social media firm's early advances with this emerging technology will give it an advantage over rivals such as Meta, Google, and Apple.

At Snap's annual Partner Summit on September 18, Spiegel unveiled a brand new operating system called Snap OS that is purpose-built to power its fifth generation of Spectacles AR glasses and future hardware.

The new operating system features a natural interface that uses the person's hands and voice and the main menu is in the palm of their hand, with no controllers needed, as per the demos shown by Spiegel at the event.

"Snap’s Spatial Engine understands the world around you, powering immersive Lens experiences that integrate into your natural environment. An astounding 13 millisecond motion-to-photon latency renders Lenses with incredible accuracy," Spiegel said. Lenses are a type of AR experience that enable people to add 3D effects, objects, characters and transformations to the environment before taking a picture or a video.

'No developer tax'

The Snap chief also made an enthusiastic pitch to developers, aiming to attract them to build software for the new platform, with the goal of becoming the "most developer-friendly platform in the world".

"We’re developers ourselves. So we know what it feels like to deal with the arbitrary rules and high developer taxes that platforms demand today. We know how hard it is to build something great and we want to make it easier for all of you" Spiegel said.

He said the company has optimised the end-to-end experience of developing and deploying a Lens and is also providing developer tools through the newly rebuilt Lens Studio 5.0, Snap's AR authoring software.

Snap is also partnering with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to provide developers access to multimodal large language models, enabling them to easily build Lenses that recognise objects around them and provide more context. "We want developers on Spectacles to be able to invest in building amazing Lens experiences. So we’re launching Spectacles with no developer tax," he said.

Developers who intend to build and test lenses for the new platform will face a significant initial hurdle: A steep upfront cost.

The new Spectacles are available for developers to access through the Spectacles Developer Program in Lens Studio, which costs $99 plus tax per month with a one-year commitment, which effectively translates to $1,188 plus tax per year. The programme is currently available only in the US.

In his keynote, Spiegel said that developers and partners such as LEGO Group, ILM Immersive, Niantic, and Wabisabi Games are using Lens Studio and Snap OS to create new Lenses for Spectacles.

This move comes as Meta is expected to showcase its AR glasses at its Connect conference later this month. In April, the social networking giant had announced that it is opening up Meta Horizon OS, the operating system powering its Meta Quest mixed reality headsets, to third-party hardware makers.

With this measure, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg had said that their goal is that "the open model defines the next generation of computing again, with the metaverse, glasses and headsets".

Google is also reportedly collaborating with Samsung and Qualcomm to work on mixed reality smart glasses. In May, Google also struck a technology partnership with AR startup Magic Leap, that will see both the firms collaborate on AR solutions and experiences.

VR vs AR

During his keynote address, Spiegel took aim at virtual reality headsets, while explaining why AR glasses have a better chance at success.

"VR headsets are like sticking a laptop to your face. They're isolating, make you feel motion sick, they're really heavy, and they can be uncomfortable" he said "But AR glasses allow you to see the real world through Lenses. They allow you to share experiences together with your friends and family, and they're lightweight and wearable"

Spiegel further added that they didn't want to make a new gadget that's unfamiliar. "We believe the best way to make technology more human is to make it part of something that billions of people already use and wear every day" he said.

Alongside the operating system and Spectacles announcements, Snap also unveiled a new, simplified version of the Snapchat app and announced a range of generative artificial intelligence (AI) features for consumers, creators, and developers.

Spiegel said that about 850 million people use Snapchat at present and the company is "well on its way to over one billion people". Of this, over 300 million Snapchat users engage with augmented reality every day on average, the company stated.

More than 375,000 creators, developers, and teams have published over 4 million Lenses on Snapchat, websites, mobile apps, and the firm's AR glasses Spectacles, Snapchat stated.