Snap Commits $750,000 to AR Influencers for 2020

Snap is all-in on AR. Need proof?

• Last month, Q3 earnings remarks contained 24 mentions of augmented reality.
• The company started shipping the limited-run Spectacles 3 last week and has also pledged $750,000 to its best AR influencers for 2020 (3x the amount it offered in 2019).

The Brew bought Spectacles 3 to play with test the 3D photo/video capabilities. Verdict: The $380 dual-camera glasses are fun, but have limited tech functionality.

That's OK from Snap's POV. The glasses are the latest iteration in its long-term quest to merge the virtual and physical worlds. As it builds and releases new tech, Snapchat gets feedback from power Snappers, designers, and advertisers. Meanwhile, the $750,000 incentivizes crowdsourced creation of new AR Lenses that can keep users engaged.

Big picture: Snap has leading AR software, but the hardware field is wide open. Its challenge = beating Big Tech's well-capitalized push toward consumer AR eyewear…

...and fending off He Who Must Not Be Named—whose Instagram app generously helps itself to Snapchat features—and TikTok, which just crossed 1.5 billion global downloads.