Readers of a certain generation will be all too aware of Snapchat. The app is pretty simple. You take pictures or short videos, enhance them with special effects and send them to your friends. The caveat? The images and videos you send can only be viewed once and for the amount of time that you specify. After those few seconds have elapsed the moment is gone, erased from the virtual world for good. There’s plenty of fun to have with this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it social media platform.
Snap, the media company behind Snapchat, has, according to the New York Times, been working on a drone. While it might seem strange for a social media platform to take the leap into the world of drones, Snapchat has actually been making a conscious pivot toward being a camera company. As well as rebranding to ‘Snap’, last year the company released a pair of Spectacles that record short video clips and link to the users Snapchat app.
So what happens when drone technology meets the instant gratification, low attention span world of social media?
We’re not sure. Other social media giants – most notably Facebook – have partnered with social media platforms for live streaming of video content. Reports that Snap has been working on a drone suggests that it might be thinking of doing the same. As a platform purely dedicated to visual media, perhaps it’s not too big a jump after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaxB-3adRg
Coincidentally, the rumour about Snap’s drone comes just hours before the company goes public on the New York Stock Exchange today. We’ll leave our readers to be the judges of the timing of that ‘leak’. But, in a video aimed at potential investors, Snap CEO Evan Speigel did hint at further camera-related products.
“We’re at the beginning of what cameras can do. We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way that people live and communicate,” Snap said in its public offering prospectus. Our products empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.”
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
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It will be interesting to see if this comes to fruition. I can see where it makes sense for SnapChat to get into the drone business with their expertise in related areas.