Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has unveiled a new pair of augmented reality smart glasses priced at $2,195, according to BBC Technology.
The glasses are expected to ship in autumn, the BBC reports. Augmented reality technology overlays digital images and information onto the real world as the wearer sees it, rather than blocking out their surroundings the way virtual reality headsets do.
The launch is notable because, as the BBC puts it, it follows "previous flops" — earlier attempts by the company to break into the wearable hardware market that did not succeed. With this device, Snap is trying again, this time at a premium price point well above that of ordinary consumer gadgets.
The BBC's reporting focuses on the headline details: the maker, the price, the product category, and the expected shipping window. The steep $2,195 cost signals that the glasses are positioned more as cutting-edge hardware for early adopters and developers than as a mass-market purchase.
Why it matters: smart glasses are seen by several major technology companies as a possible successor to the smartphone, and Snap's renewed, expensive bet shows how much is riding on getting wearable computing right — even after past failures.