The end is near. So, you’d better comb your hair and look your best, to totally nail that selfie. With a drone. On Snapchat.
Snapchat’s not doing too well in terms of user growth, but it’s happy enough with the results of its foray into hardware (i.e. Snapchat Spectacles), and is now exploring the idea of building a drone, to take perfect selfies. Because your arms are only that long.
According to The Information, Snap Inc. is talking to Zero Zero Robotics, a Beijing-based maker of selfie drones. If all goes well, it would be Snapchat’s second hardware launch – this time not recording from the users’ point of view, but recording the user himself.
Snap is ready to pay anything between $150 million-$200 million to acquire Zero Zero Robotics, which already launched its device back in October. The Hover Camera drone costs $500 and, according to Techcrunch, it is sold exclusively by Apple both via its online and physical retail stores.
For Snap, this whole hardware pivot makes sense: With a seriously wounded Snapchat, losing largely to Facebook’s Stories, it’s Snap’s chance to lead the race against Facebook. The latter is also reportedly making its own AI video chat device.
Interesting times!
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