The debut of Snap Inc.’s camera-equipped sunglasses was exactly what you’d expect from the Los Angeles company: Unorthodox, viral, and a little too much.
Spectacles went on sale Thursday from a single, bright yellow, pop-up vending machine on the Venice Beach boardwalk. In September, Snapchat announced it would rebrand as Snap Inc. and produce its first hardware product.
The sunglasses retail for $130. But, as The Verge notes, there’s a secondary market on eBay where they go for as much as $950. The WiFi-enabled Bluetooth sunnies allow users to take photos and videos without reaching for their smartphones.
Hundreds lined up to purchase Spectacles from the “Snapbot” vending machine, while they had the chance. Snapbots are restless creatures, you see. They’ll only stay in one place for 24 hours before moving on to another location, according to the L.A. Times.
Here’s some of the initial reaction to Spectacles and their creative rollout:
https://twitter.com/MEGra18/status/796747865326383104
https://twitter.com/RossSheingold/status/796740411364495360
https://twitter.com/johnnymartin/status/796754387062226944
https://twitter.com/ijustine/status/796922241061531648
https://twitter.com/johnnymartin/status/796794256581070848