Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has managed to turn its simple photo sharing and messaging platform into a genuine cultural phenomenon. However, it may have gotten a bit carried away with a quirky piece of hardware announced late last year. Snapchat Spectacles let you take Snapchat pics and video without touching your phone. There was early hype, but the company allegedly mistook a fad for continuing interest.

When Spectacles were launched in late 2016, they were only available in certain locations via special vending machines. According to a report in The Information, Snapchat thought the early rush to get access to the camera glasses would continue. It turns out that nobody cared once everyone could pick up a pair of Spectacles at WalMart.

That has left the company with several hundred thousand glasses in warehouses, either assembled or in pieces. This is not something Snap is talking about publicly, but an anonymous source let it slip to The Information. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel recently said the Spectacles were a big success, but that's what you'd expect him to say, right?

Source: The Information