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Snap has announced a new partnership between its AR-glasses focused subsidiary, Specs, and chipmaker Qualcomm, as the company revs up for the release of its wearable later this year. <\/p>\n
The Snapchat creator has been teasing the release of the glasses\u2014dubbed Spectacles, or merely Specs\u2014for a long time and, earlier this year, it spun off a new company<\/a> to specifically focus on the business venture. In February, the company abruptly parted ways<\/a> with Scott Myers, its SVP of Specs, over a reported \u201cblow-up\u201d between himself and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. <\/p>\n The newly announced partnership with Qualcomm shows signs of life for the project. Specs will be\u00a0powered by\u00a0Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon XR platforms, which are its systems-on-a-chip designed to power augmented and virtual reality devices, a press release states.<\/p>\n The two companies will develop\u00a0\u201con-device AI, cutting-edge graphics, and advanced multiuser digital experiences\u201d as part of a multi-year strategic agreement, a press release claims. <\/p>\n \u201cOur work with Qualcomm provides a strong foundation for the future of Specs, bringing developers and consumers advanced technology and performance that pushes the boundaries of what\u2019s possible,\u201d Spiegel said. <\/p>\n The saga of Specs has been a long one. Snap originally began developing the product over a decade ago. The last consumer-facing version of the glasses was released in 2019. Since 2024, the glasses have been\u00a0a developer-only product<\/a>\u2014giving Snap the opportunity to work on seeding new kinds of programs that the company hopes will draw users to it upon launch. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n