Snapchat has commenced a new countdown on the Spectacles website. Whereas a countdown in itself tends to be the company’s way of revealing where its Spectacles vending machine will land next, this particular timer is a little different — and it’s got people talking.
The countdown can be accessed by selecting the “find a bot” link on the Specatcles website home page. Here you’ll find a timer on a bright yellow background that reveals where its video-recording sunglasses will next be available to purchase via the Snapbot vending machine. This time, however, the countdown does not include a Snapbot image. And that’s evidently enough to get people speculating like crazy about the buzzing device.
There’s a bunch of theories floating around online at present, with people claiming Snapchat will open more stores, start selling the video-recording sunglasses online, release an update, or new versions. Other people claim its all just a ruse, and that Snapchat will just reveal another Snapbot location as usual. All of these could theoretically turn out to be true, but some make more sense than others.
The data feed for the @Spectacles countdown has changed. The locations field was removed, only countdown remains. Online/Retail starting?
— Where's Snapbot? (@WheresSnapbot) February 19, 2017
There are two major indicators that Snapchat will do something different in terms of how it retails Spectacles. First, and more pressing, is the fact that its NYC pop-up store — which first opened its doors in late November — is due to close permanently today at 10pm. The brick-and-mortar approach was likely chosen to build on Spectacles’ buzz during the holiday season. Therefore, Snapchat could be seeking another way to sell the sunglasses: whether that turns out to be online or offline (via more pop-ups) remains to be seen.
Hopefully this new @Spectacles countdown releases spectacles worldwide
— alex (@_alwx) February 19, 2017
Secondly, in its recent S-1 filing for its initial public offering, Snap revealed that it is pouring investment into inventory, marketing, and distribution for the $ 130 wearable. It also mentioned that it plans to focus on “product innovation,” but it’s hard to imagine it will release a major update to a device that isn’t even widely available. It could also be counting down to a number of new options — for example, Snapchat hasn’t capitalized on the customization features of the device (aside from selling them in three color variations), allowing other retailers to fill that gap. A more traditional retail approach will likely please investors ahead of the company going public next month.
The Snapbot’s most recent location was Seattle. The Spectacles site still lists its vending machine as the only way you can purchase the device. We reached out to Snap for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
This is a developing story: we will update the article as we find out more.
