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Snap's sequel to Spectacles: Drones?

Snapchat's parent company is reportedly working on a drone, after redefining itself as a camera company last year with the release of Spectacles.

Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
Joan E. Solsman
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Snap may be working on a drone. But definitely not this drone, which is YI Technology's Erida.

Snap/YI Technology

Snapchat turned heads when it redefined itself as Snap and released candy-colored camera glasses. Next, will it be turning eyes upward to watch for unmanned aircraft?

The company has worked on making a drone, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing three unnamed people briefed on the project. Snap didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The report comes as Snap is in the spotlight. The company is expected to kick off public stock trading this week. Initial public offerings typically mark a startup's coming-of-age as a more mature company, and Snap's high-profile IPO has raised eyebrows because its foggy forecasts on the future. After releasing its first hardware last year with Spectacles, Snap has defined itself as camera company, but it frequently describes its outlook as "lumpy."

Drones, which are often used for aerial photography and filming, could funnel overhead Snaps in to a Snapchat user's feed. The Times reported it was unclear when or if Snap's drone would become available to consumers, though, noting Snap often works on experiments.