One Year In, What Does Snap Need to Do to Move the Needle?
More innovation will be the key to Snap’s survival, according to Mashable business reporter Kerry Flynn.
“They need to prove that they’re ahead of the curve,” she told Cheddar Friday, the one-year anniversary of the company’s IPO.
Her comments came on the same day that Cheddar’s Alex Heath broke the news that Snap is working on a [Spectacles “2.0”](https://cheddar.com/videos/exclusive-snap-to-release-new-spectacles-this-year) that could roll out later this year and be followed by a third version in 2019.
The news may be surprising, considering the original Spectacles didn’t quite make a splash the company hoped. Only 150,000 pieces were sold, leaving hundreds of thousands of glasses gathering dust in warehouses and resulting in a $40 million loss.
The second version, Cheddar has learned, will be available in new colors and have some minor updates. The third version will have two cameras to allow for greater depth in videos. It could cost $300, more than double the current option’s price.
But [Flynn doesn’t think these new products will do much to draw in new users](https://mashable.com/2018/03/02/snapchat-spectacles-2/#H8hIBXeKsiqA) or bring back ones that left.
“Maybe for some top creators...maybe like the GoPro audience we’ve seen before. But is that enough to really move the needle for Snapchat? I don’t think so.”
But the one thing Snap has going for it, Flynn says, is holding on its key teenage audience.
“When it comes to the teens and also the 18-24 audience, Snapchat does perform better,” she said. “That audience is so craved for advertisers.” And if the app can continue to hold on to those users, she said, it will stand strong.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/snaps-year-in-review).
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.