A recent report revealed that Snap Inc., the company behind the Snapchat messaging app and the Spectacles, has also been working on a drone.
Snap is working toward becoming a modern-day camera company, and so a drone that could take overhead pictures and videos would expand its photography capabilities.
A new report, however, claims that not only is Snap working on a drone, but it is also working on a 360 camera.
Snap Explores 360 Cameras
According to a report by TechCrunch, Snap has explored 360 cameras as a possible product to be released in the future.
In addition, three sources who are familiar with the matter claimed that the company has even tapped a camera developer to assist it in the project. The resource person, who is an expert in 360 cameras and stereoscopic cameras, proposed different possible hardware options to Snap.
Similar to its venture into drones, there is no certainty that Snap will be releasing a 360 camera product, as the project is still in its early phases. It is easy to say why the company is thinking of selling such hardware, though.
A Snap 360 camera would provide users with a new kind of content, such as how the Spectacles has opened up the possibilities for circular videos taken in a first-person view. In addition, a 360 camera would add a new direct revenue stream for the company.
Through 360 cameras, users would be able to capture pictures and videos that viewers can access to take a look around from a vantage point by swiping at their screens. If 360 cameras could become more accessible to content creators, perhaps the quality of 360-degree content will increase, and Snap is hoping that such content will bring even more users to its platform.
Should Snap Pursue A Drone Or A 360 Camera?
If Snap would continue with its project to develop and start selling its own drone, the company will enter an industry with heavy competition. DJI, the Chinese company that is viewed as the industry leader with its wide range of drones and different camera options, would prove to be a formidable rival to any drone that Snap would launch. If the company does indeed release a drone, it would have to be different from other products in the market while staying true to Snap's image of being trendy.
Selling 360 cameras, on the other hand, could prove to be a better option for Snap, as while products such as the Samsung Gear 360 and the Ricoh Theta are available in the United States, none of these devices have succeeded in the mainstream market.
The Future Of Snap Inc.
For a strategy focused on camera hardware to create value for Snap, whether in the form of a drone or a 360 camera, it will have to be profitable, lead to an increase in the usage of the company's services, or be different from others that are in the market. This is probably one of the reasons why Snap decided to allow Spectacles users to post their recordings on any social media platform, as tying the device to Snapchat might shun away customers who do not have Snapchat accounts.
According to TechCrunch, Snapchat is seemingly filling in the holes of what smartphone cameras are not able to do with the hardware that they are planning. Smartphone cameras are not able to take hands-free, first-person videos, which is why the Spectacles were created. Whether Snap thinks that 360-degree content is an important space to get into, however, remains to be seen.
