Snap's New Specs AR Glasses Bend Your Ears. That's a Problem

When Snap announced the new Specs at Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Long Beach, California, I was excited about the prospect of getting some hands on time with the new AR glasses. However, instead of giving the press the opportunity to wear them, Snap locked the $2,195 Specs in a box as if they were an art exhibition.(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)You could argue that the Specs' design is, in many ways, a masterpiece. After all, Snap says it solved one of AR’s toughest challenges: fitting powerful spatial computing hardware into a compact, wearable chassis. As someone who has tested a fair share of head-mounted displays, from the Apple Vision Pro to the Viture Beast AR glasses, hardware engineers have often reminded me that achieving that Ready Player One form factor is nearly impossible.When I finally got a look at Specs on display at AWE, it almost seemed to have reached that Ready Player One ideal. However, when I saw them resting uncomfortably on CEO Evan Spiegel's ears, the reason for Snap's strict no-touch policy for the press became glaringly obvious.Perhaps Snap Specs 2 Will Be Easier on the EarsSnap Specs feature two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors—one dedicated to computer vision and the other to AR experiences. Add in waveguide technology, a four-hour battery, spatial-tracking sensors, and a 51-degree field of view, and it’s easy to see why the glasses ended up with some extra bulk in the stems.(Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)The Specs can deliver a wide variety of virtual experiences, from Google Maps-like directional guidance and real-time translation with captions to desktop mirroring for spatial computing and interactive gaming. With this in mind, I can forgive the Specs' chunky arms. Batteries are space-hungry. Processors generate heat. And spatial computing is demanding, requiring heavy-duty sensors. (Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)However, what I have a harder time overlooking is comfort. When I saw Spiegel wearing Specs in person, the glasses appeared to push down on the tops of his ears, causing them to bend under the frame's weight and pressure. (Credit: Kimberly Gedeon)Snap may have come incredibly close to mastering AR glasses from a feature perspective, but if the CEO can't wear them comfortably, I doubt Specs will resonate with everyday consumers at this point. We'll likely have to wait for the second generation before we see an increase in comfort. (Of course, I didn't wear them myself. Nor did anyone else.)Snap Specs Are Smaller Than the Apple Vision…