Snap welcomed 45 of its most active Spectacles developers to its Santa Monica headquarters last month. The full-day AR developer bootcamp brought together participants from the United States, Zambia, Sweden, and Belgium. Developers discussed the latest augmented reality innovations and opportunities ahead of the Specs device consumer release.
The event marked the first time many developers met peers they had known online for years. Participants swapped projects and traded ideas about what is possible on Spectacles and the upcoming Specs device. However, developers have been building ambitious AR experiences over the past year by collaborating through Discord and Reddit.
Snap stated the bootcamp reminded the company how far the developer community has come. The event aimed to boost creative collaboration between active Spectacles developers before the consumer device launch. Furthermore, Snap has long been a leader in AR innovation with Snapchat’s in-app Lenses prompting viral trends.
Snap is steadily ramping up its hype machine for the Specs device scheduled for later this year. The company released various updates about AR development progress and the expanding potential of digital overlays.
As Snap notes in their own words:
The Bootcamp was just the beginning. We’re already looking forward to the next chapter, starting with AWE this June where we’ll have more to share about SPECS, our developer program, and what’s coming next for the community building the future of AR.
Meanwhile, a key challenge is that Meta’s AI glasses already stole some of Snap’s thunder.
Meta’s device does not come with AR overlays yet but its capabilities have drawn significant attention. Snap hopes to leverage unique use cases and developer insights to establish its AR device successfully. The bootcamp showcased community-driven innovation fueling new AR experiences while accelerating development ahead of the anticipated consumer launch.
