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A comment on Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2. Parent comment

Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by vm on Monday August 14, 2017 @02:17PM (#15011039)
They're doomed by the slow UX for uploading: 1) record w/o really knowing how the content is coming out (it's like stepping back into the Kodak age after using an iPhone for 10 years), 2) open Snap app, 3) reconnect the Bluetooth for 1-2 min because the connection is crap from the glasses to my phone, 4) upload all the videos from my glasses which takes another 1-2 min, 5) select specific video snips to share, 6) select people to share / upload to story, etc.

Seemed to take 5 min when I did it. Enough to kill the moment. Sharp contrast to how fast Snap is on iOS.

Plus the glasses are uncomfortable and have large blind spots, so I can't wear them all the time (i.e. not good for driving)

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by jjoonathan on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:14PM (#15012978)
There's no UX that bluetooth can't ruin.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by Spivak on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:25PM (#15013078)
And yet there's really no replacement. I mean if MS uses Bluetooth for their surface pens, when they completely control the hardware at both ends, then there's really no hope for getting rid of it.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by acchow on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:49PM (#15013311)
Bluetooth working great for Apple AirPods. I think Snapchat is having a software problem.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by jjoonathan on Monday August 14, 2017 @06:14PM (#15013505)
I agree that it's a software problem, but most vendors aren't in apple's position of controlling every single link of the chain.

I do think it'll get better over time. NFC/tap pairing will eventually replace Menu + Manual Madness, show-stopping bugs will get fixed, capability sets will stabilize, conventions will develop to smooth over variation in UI choices, "worse is better" decisions will be unwound, and eventually it'll be a smooth experience and people will wonder how they ever lived with wires. If my own experiences are typical of even a tiny minority of users, however, that day is still disappointingly far off.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by jorvi on Monday August 14, 2017 @08:53PM (#15014440)
Apple will probably do the Bluetooth equivalent to what they did with earphones: they switched the mic and ground wire, forcing earphone manufacturers to either support iOS or TRRS on the built-in remotes. I love my Macbook Pro and iPhone, but Apple can be a truly infuriating company.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by pdimitar on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @02:36PM (#15021021)
You must definitely add investor pressure in all of this, and if history is of any indication, that pressure can and will kill any creative efforts. It's all about being first to market, making a big buck and having a lucrative exit nowadays.

Nobody is interested in the tech becoming more comfortable.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by Rjevski on Monday August 14, 2017 @07:55PM (#15014137)
I think the problem is that in this case Bluetooth is just not fast enough to transfer large amounts of video data. What they should do is use BT to negotiate details of an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network and use that larger pipe to send the actual data.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by cornstalks on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @01:57AM (#15015873)
You basically just described Bluetooth 3.0 + HS[1]. The Bluetooth connection is used to establish an 802.11 link, over which data is transferred. It's only (up to) 24 Mbit/s, so it's still slower than some (direct) Wi-Fi alternatives, but it's much faster than normal Bluetooth connections.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth#Bluetooth_3.0_.2B_HS

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by omtinez on Monday August 14, 2017 @09:11PM (#15014529)
That is exactly how the Spectacles work. Bluetooth is only used for transfer as a fallback mechanism.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by acchow on Monday August 14, 2017 @08:05PM (#15014196)
Yup. This is how Wifi Direct and Apple's Airdrop work.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by lathiat on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @01:25AM (#15015740)
This random thing I found claims about 1-1.5MB/s possible at least using the multipeerconnectivity libraries. ~ 0.1MB/s for bluetooth-only.

https://github.com/thaliproject/Thali_CordovaPlugin/issues/1...

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by semi-extrinsic on Monday August 14, 2017 @06:01PM (#15013405)
FWIW I recently bought a $30 waterproof bluetooth speaker that goes on my bike. Paired it once on first power up, it Just Works (tm) since.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by jjoonathan on Monday August 14, 2017 @06:19PM (#15013540)
I just bought $40 bluetooth earbuds that required RTFMing to pair, don't hold the pair between workouts, take a minute to perform the ritual, and use friction to anchor themselves to my ear so thy fall off the moment I start sweating. Oh, and they need to be recharged.

I have similar stories for every single bluetooth device that I have ever tried, which amounts to probably a dozen peripherals and half that many hosts. I've had fleeting moments of "it's magic" to punctuate the sea of crap so I'm fully on board with the potential of the technology, but it has continued to mature at an obnoxiously slow rate.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by schrodinger on Monday August 14, 2017 @08:09PM (#15014228)
Try AirPods. I've been every happy with them!
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by acchow on Monday August 14, 2017 @08:47PM (#15014420)
Your bluetooth speaker setup works great for precisely your scenario - the speaker is paired with one only device.

It gets wonky if that single speaker has paired with multiple devices before. For example in a home, where you've paired it with your laptop, phone, iPad, etc. Try it out. Audio will cut off sometimes suddenly when it decides to switch pairing partners as another paired device appears in range.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by NKCSS on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @02:21AM (#15015968)
I have a Sony bluetooth headset and it's amazing. It was around €65, lasts 40 hours of use (so charge once a week- every 2-3 weeks depending on usage), pairs with 3 devices and does it very well. I often move to another floor while having them on (construction work) or go out to the shed while the iPhone is in the bedroom on a charger, and it still works 10 meters in the yard. Best thing I've ever purchased, so there are good Bluetooth solutions.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by NKCSS on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @03:18AM (#15016167)
If the device it was connected to last is available, it will reconnect to that.

To connect to a different one, hold the button longer and press connect on the other device.

I use it on my iPhone, Android tablet and Windows 10 PC

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by acchow on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @02:30AM (#15015998)
what do you mean by "pairs with 3 devices and does it very well"

So I have an iPad, macbook, and iPhone in my room all turned on at the same time. All with bluetooth on. All have been paired with the speaker.

I now turn on the bluetooth speaker.

How does it decide which device to connect to? Amazingly, it is always the wrong one. Every single time.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by zild3d on Monday August 14, 2017 @08:02PM (#15014183)
airpods aren't transmitting video, not a fair comparison at all.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by atomical on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:45PM (#15013272)
I'm very impressed with Garmin's bluetooth implementation on the Forerunner series.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by acangiano on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:59PM (#15013387)
Yes. My Garmin Fenix 3 HR isn't perfect but it consistently connects via Bluetooth faster than any other device I own. It has an "indistinguishable from magic" feel to it.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by atomical on Monday August 14, 2017 @06:50PM (#15013727)
I have a Forerunner 235. I didn't buy the watch for notifications or anything like that, but it's really cool to get a Slack notification when you are halfway across the house.

The GPS also connects to satellites in a fraction of the time my Suunto watch did. It sucks when you're standing in the parking lot waiting to establish signal before your run.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by mcbain on Monday August 14, 2017 @07:50PM (#15014106)
Edge 820 here. The Bluetooth connection to my iPhone just works every time. I'd basically given up on BT as a useful thing years ago, but now I never have to think about it, and only have to plug the device in to charge after a few rides.

Mini review: the GPS is also super quick to acquire compared to my (now bricked) 800 - but the touchscreen is awful.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by rodgerd on Monday August 14, 2017 @09:52PM (#15014707)
I'd echo that experience - my time with a Fitbit lead me to assume it was normal for notifications to show up long after they arrived on the phone. It's clearly just something that only some manufacturers can get right.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by rokhayakebe on Monday August 14, 2017 @11:27PM (#15015159)
Mouse? Keyboard? Earbuds?
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by pavlov on Monday August 14, 2017 @05:10PM (#15012943)
I think your issue 1 is actually this way by design. Spectacles are meant for recording without worrying too much about how the content is coming out. The idea is to let you concentrate on living the moment rather than how to frame it. That's how I interpreted it, anyway.

The upload takes place in the background, so usually it would be completed by the time you're done with whatever activity and go into the app.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by slackoverflower on Monday August 14, 2017 @03:45PM (#15012121)
I don't think your the target audience. Snapchat UX is amazing and an entire generation uses for all communication purposes. Facebook of OUR time.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by Rjevski on Monday August 14, 2017 @07:57PM (#15014150)
I disagree - there is no "target audience" for shit UX. Their "target audience" uses Snap despite its awful UX, not because of it. Those users wouldn't suddenly run away if the UX did actually improve.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by Gaelan on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @02:42AM (#15016039)
Perhaps I'm just used to it, but I find SC's UI/UX to be quite nice to use. I would be disappointed if Snapchat's UI changed to be more like Instagram's; IG's UI may be more discoverable, but it just doesn't feel as smooth.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by Rjevski on Tuesday August 15, 2017 @07:19PM (#15023627)
I liked the UI of early Snapchat (2013) when there was only a recent Snaps list and a camera view and you could swipe between them. It all went downhill from there, but the biggest blow for me was the stupid thing that you have to pull down when in the camera view to get access to your contacts. I wish the "designer" that had this stupid idea would be sentenced to several years of reading all text in nothing but Comic Sans.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by brazzledazzle on Monday August 14, 2017 @03:50PM (#15012176)
The UX might be good but I've heard nothing but complaints about the app quality from teenagers and that's on iOS. They are starting to straddle snap and Instagram.
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by eat_veggies on Monday August 14, 2017 @06:06PM (#15013450)
Teenager here chiming in, Snapchat is great but kind of slow on my (Android) phone -- It takes like 5 seconds for it to even load who has new stories, and I used to be able to swipe up to show my stats and snap code but now it's a bunch of related/nearby content ("top stories") I don't care about. Ads between stories are kind of annoying but I understand they need to monetize somehow.

It's great for sharing photos and quick texts but no one uses snap maps, the sponsored content is cringe, and I have yet to see spectacles in real life because unsurprisingly, we don't have the money to buy $100+ camera glasses.

I should also add that a lot of my friends do use Instagram stories, but a lot of the time it's just a picture with the text "AMOS: {sc_username}" (AMOS means "add me on Snapchat") so take from that what you will.

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by wonder_bread on Monday August 14, 2017 @07:01PM (#15013805)
Same thing I've noticed, and even beyond that people still seem to feel the need to put a final layer of effort into their insta stories relative to Snap stories, I'd say Snap still has a definite role
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by ramy_d on Monday August 14, 2017 @04:33PM (#15012595)
It's been pretty great on android for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by astrange on Monday August 14, 2017 @09:06PM (#15014506)
What I mostly notice about Snapchat is the ads on the right side are obnoxiously sexual or celebrity driven. Not so amazing experience there, it's like the checkout aisle at Safeway.

(ever noticed that magazine where the cover is always "how to lose 30 pounds in a day" and then a chocolate cake?)

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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by vm on Monday August 14, 2017 @04:37PM (#15012627)
I meant the upload time for Spectacles, not sure if we're talking about the same thing? The UX for the Snap app is great. I was the most active Snap user I knew up until recently (hence why I have Spectacles)
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Re:Snap sold fewer than 42K Spectacles, down 35% in Q2 by 27182818284 on Monday August 14, 2017 @07:33PM (#15013998)
> Facebook of OUR TIME

Facebook and Snap are 7 years apart, calm down.

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