Evan Spiegel wants people to see SPECS as a computer. That is the point behind Snap’s new enterprise push for its $2,195 augmented-reality glasses, unveiled on Wednesday through partnerships with Salesforce, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services.
Snap originally introduced SPECS in June as a consumer product. It is now aiming the device at retail, manufacturing and field operations, where workers could use the glasses to call up company information, automate routine tasks and interpret what is in front of them. Spiegel, Snap’s chief executive, told CNBC that the effort is intended to change public perceptions of the device from photo-taking smart glasses into a computer.
The shift reflects the difficult record of consumer augmented-reality hardware. Microsoft and Meta have struggled to turn their own augmented-reality products into mainstream successes. Snap is placing its bet on workplace uses, where access to data and hands-free tools may offer a clearer reason to wear the hardware.
Salesforce will integrate its Agentforce platform with SPECS. Snap said the connection will allow workers to retrieve company data and automate tasks through the glasses. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is connecting SPECS with its Amazon Quick AI assistant, enabling voice-led requests including checks on product availability.
Nvidia is working with Snap to bring agents built on its XR AI platform to SPECS. Those agents are intended to read a worker’s visual surroundings and pull up relevant company data. Snap also announced partnerships with software company Trifork and augmented-reality software firm Hololight.
The company did not disclose financial terms for its agreements with Salesforce, Nvidia and AWS. It also gave no revenue targets, customer commitments or enterprise pricing details for the new services.
Alongside the partnerships, Snap introduced SPECS Intelligence, an artificial-intelligence service designed to work across the glasses, iPhone and Mac. The service connects personal accounts to help users manage tasks and sort information into specific “corners”.
A preview of SPECS Intelligence is available today in the SPECS app for iOS in the United States. A fuller Mac version is available by invitation only. Snap said the service will include a free tier and other plans that vary by usage level.
Spiegel also told CNBC that Snap will not use personal content to train AI models or serve advertising. The assurance addresses a central question for a device intended to sit on a user’s face while drawing on personal accounts and workplace systems.
SPECS glasses are available for pre-order, with shipping expected later this fall in the United States, United Kingdom and France. Snap is also offering a new SPECS Charging Case with Cellular through a partnership with Verizon. The bundle costs $2,395.
Consumers will be able to try the glasses from October 1 at a pop-up location at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. The retail demonstration sits alongside a strategy that now rests heavily on business software and artificial intelligence. Whether companies adopt the glasses for daily operations remains unknown, though Snap is clearly seeking a more practical route into a market that has repeatedly proved resistant to consumer augmented-reality devices.
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