Snap CEO Evan Spiegel on the future of his $2,195 AR glasses

Unlike previous generations of Spectacles, these units rely on a proprietary liquid-crystal-on-silicon display, positioning them as a wearable computer rather than a simple phone accessory. Spiegel identified three primary use cases for the hardware: practical utility like navigation and measurement, portable private displays for media consumption, and shared 3D collaborative experiences. The device is scheduled to ship this fall, with preorders currently open for $2,195.

Addressing the high cost, Spiegel compared the investment to the early days of personal computing, suggesting that while the price remains steep, the company is prioritizing accessibility for future iterations. Privacy remains a core component of the design, featuring outward-facing LEDs to signal recording activity. Spiegel emphasized that as users shift their perception of the glasses from recording tools to productivity devices, social norms around wearing them will evolve. Snap currently supports a base of 450,000 developers using its existing augmented reality tools, a group the CEO views as the foundation for building this new ecosystem.