Image: Snap
First launched in April, pocket-sized selfie drone Pixy will not be getting new models. But the current one is still available to buy.
Less than four months after its launch, the Pixy drone camera developed by Snapchat parent company Snap is being shelved amid the economic downturn, according to The Wall Street Journal.
CEO Evan Spiegel reportedly told staff in a recent meeting that the pocket-sized free flying device will no longer be developed as part of a broader move to reprioritise the company’s resources.
It comes after Snap posted its weakest-ever quarter in terms of sales growth last month. The company is also reportedly eyeing layoffs.
The ad market has been challenging for tech companies such as Snap in the current economic environment. Platforms had also been impacted by Apple’s changes to its privacy settings on iOS devices, which allow users to prevent apps from collecting their data for targeted advertising.
Pixy was launched in late April as Snap’s attempt to focus more on the hardware side of its business.
The drone can fit in the palm of your hand and, with the tap of a button, can float, orbit or follow you as you walk or run. When your photo or video session is over, Pixy gently lands back on the palm of your hand.
With no controller required to manage it, unlike most other consumer drones, Pixy was designed to be a companion to Snapchat. All content captured by Pixy is saved in the user’s app and can be accessed later to edit.
Snap will continue to sell the current model of the Pixy, according to The Wall Street Journal, but the company will not be developing any new models of the device. The current version is still available on the Pixy website.
The social media platform is seeing gains in other areas of its business, however.
Earlier this week, Snap revealed that Snapchat+ reached the milestone of 1m subscribers. This is a paid version of Snapchat that offers exclusive perks, which include letting users try out new experimental and pre-release features before everyone else.
First launched in late June in a small number of markets, the service is now available in 25 countries including Ireland and the UK.
A desktop version of Snapchat was released last month, initially made available in Australia and New Zealand and for Snapchat+ subscribers in the US, UK and Canada.
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