If Snap's Specs are still ridiculously expensive, they're also a lot more comfortable than they used to be

Snap's Specs AR glasses have undergone a significant form-factor overhaul since the company showed an early prototype at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year, with the device now weighing roughly half of what it once did. The glasses have slimmed down to 132 grams, or approximately 4.6 ounces, from around 8 ounces, according to an October demo at a Four Seasons in downtown San Francisco. Snap publicly debuted Specs during an event with CEO Evan Spiegel, and pre-orders of the long-gestating headset are already underway.

Beyond the weight reduction, Specs now comes in two sizes, 47mm and 52mm, intended to accommodate different head sizes so the glasses fit snugly on whoever is wearing them. The device also now features spring hinges, which make it more flexible and comfortable. During a demo of roughly an hour, the glasses did not heat up the way the earlier prototype had, which had also left the wearer's face feeling tingly - a common side effect of smart glasses handling heavy computing under the hood.

The comfort gains stand in contrast to the product's unresolved purpose. Specs can be fun, but it still appears to lack a dedicated function, and it is difficult to see how such expensive headgear, at $2,200 a pair, would prove useful in daily use. When Snap staff were asked whether the device is meant for fun and games or for productivity, the answer was vague. The device tries to be several things at once and ends up feeling a little rudderless.

Snap has managed to integrate a variety of user experiences into one unified device, and there are notable technical achievements, particularly the spatial synching technology that lets two users see the same thing simultaneously. With further development, that capability could be deployed toward interesting use cases. The device can continue to grow and transform as Snap iterates.

For now, the question is whether what Specs offers is compelling enough to persuade people to spend what Snap is asking. It is an interesting product that, like many of its peers, does not necessarily seem to have a clear purpose but could, in time, become many things.

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