With the arrival of Instagram Stories last month, many suspected the new image-messaging feature would see the end of its app rival, Snapchat.
But, of course, Snapchat had a secret up its sleeve, prepped and ready to rival its new competitor.
And that secret is finally out.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the messaging app has renamed itself Snap Inc. and announced its first gadget – sunglasses equipped with a built-in camera.
The accessory – called Spectacles – will go on sale this autumn for approximately £100 and come in a range of colours, including black, teal and coral.
'Right, and why would I wear some geeky sunglasses?' you ask.
Well, these sunglasses will make your everyday Snapchat dream a reality, with a 115-degree-angle camera lens which record videos as if they were visuals taken from memory.
Yes, it's very Minority Report, isn't it?
According to the publication, the battery on the device will last around a day (much longer than our pesky iPhones, then) and will record up to 30 seconds of video at at time.
Forget having to click to save and upload Snapchat Stories – the glasses document your life for you.
However, unlike the unpopularity of the Google Glass given its staggering price tag (£1,157) and concerns regarding privacy, Spectacles will be sold at a far lower price point and feature a light on the front to indicate to people when the glasses are recording.
Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc (and model Miranda Kerr's fiancé) explained the inspiration behind the new hardware:
'It was our first vacation, and we went to [Californian state park] Big Sur for a day or two. We were walking through the woods, stepping over logs, looking up at the beautiful trees,' he told the WSJ before a photoshoot with fashion photographer Karl Lagerfeld.
'And when I got the footage back and watched it, I could see my own memory, through my own eyes - it was unbelievable.
'It's one thing to see images of an experience you had, but it's another thing to have an experience of the experience. It was the closest I'd ever come to feeling like I was there again,' he added.
Watch out Instagram Stories, Snapchat is back.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
