Snap launches Specs Inc to advance AR smartglasses and digital-physical integration

New Delhi: Snap has announced the creation of Specs Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary tasked with developing its next-generation smartglasses, known as Specs. The move is intended to provide operational focus, foster partnerships, enable capital flexibility including potential minority investment, and support a clearer valuation of the business ahead of the product’s public launch later this year.

In a company statement, Snap said, “For over a decade we’ve been working to make computing more human by building a new type of eyewear called Specs that integrate your digital experience with the real world. Instead of staring at an opaque screen that separates you from your surroundings, Specs smartglasses have see-through lenses that add digital objects to the world in three dimensions, enabling natural controls with your hands and voice.”

The company highlighted that developers have already begun creating applications for Specs, including tools for learning, gaming, and workplace collaboration. According to Snap, the smartglasses are designed to keep users present in the real world, facilitating shared experiences with friends, family, and colleagues. 

The statement added, “Computers and smartphones feel like they are designed to capture our attention, block out the real world, and isolate us from our in-person relationships. Specs do the opposite, keeping you present in the moment and bringing you together with friends, family, and coworkers through shared experiences like running around in the backyard playing capture the flag, learning about chemistry by simulating reactions, or reviewing virtual designs of a new product together as a team.”

Snap highlighted the integration of artificial intelligence in Specs, stating that the glasses feature an Intelligence System designed to assist with tasks by interpreting the user and their environment, while maintaining privacy. The company added that the system is intended to perform more functions on the user’s behalf, reducing the need for constant manual interaction.

The company suggested that the technology could reduce reliance on physical objects by enabling the creation and sharing of digital equivalents, potentially lowering resource use and environmental impact.

“Nearly 50 years since the introduction of the Macintosh, it’s time for a new computing paradigm that puts people first by bringing us together in the real world, gets work done for us by understanding our surroundings and anticipating our needs, and is designed to reduce our environmental impact by substituting physical goods with digital ones,” the statement said.

Specs Inc. is expected to continue hiring as it prepares for the wider launch of the product later in 2026.