Snapchat arguably made camera glasses popular when they rebranded as a hardware company called Snap and launched Spectacles late in 2016 but sources suggest that the company’s experimenting is far from over. According to three anonymous sources that work closely with the company, Snap is exploring the possibility of creating a 360 camera.
The speculation comes a day after the New York Times suggested the company is working on a camera drone. Both leaks come during the week Snap Inc. officially went public on the New York Stock Exchange, trading up at 48.4 percent, according to Reuters.
According to the leak, Snap recently brought in 360 camera experts to pitch potential new hardware for the company. Of course, an early pitch does not necessarily mean a 360 Snap camera is a sure thing, but it’s an indicator of what the company is thinking, at least.
When Snapchat rebranded under Snap Inc. in 2016, the group described themselves as a camera company, not the social media platform Snapchat is known for. Along with the recent leaks suggesting that both 360 and camera drones are on the company’s radar, Snap also met with several startups to discuss possible acquisitions. One of those talks was with the Lily drone, which later closed down despite $34 million in pre-orders.
Both 360 and drone tech are rising in popularity, but many companies are still struggling to churn a profit off the tech. After launching its first 360 camera last year, Nikon recently reported the camera was not selling as well as the company first anticipated.
For drones, Parrot last year laid off nearly 200 employees, adjusting their focus to commercial rather than consumer drones. 3D Robotics moved from a drone hardware company to a software one, after being unable to compete with the prices from Chinese drone manufacturer DJI. Designing a drone is also not an easy task and quite different from developing cameras, as action cam giant GoPro learned after needing to recall its first drone, which is now back on the market.
While neither leak is a sure thing, the information offers a glimpse at what Snap is considering in the future.
