Part of that strategy has been how Snapchat has dealt with the media around this launch. Which is to say, it mostly hasn't. Usually the release of a high-profile gadget is accompanied by a wave of reviews. But that didn't happen this time. The publications that have posted impressions of Spectacles are those that managed to get the glasses the same way as anybody else (read: by waiting in line or possibly buying a pair for an exorbitant sum on eBay).

It's clear from both Spiegel's earlier comments and the way the Spectacles launch has gone thus far that Snapchat doesn't want these glasses being thought of as a traditional tech product. They're a pair of sunglasses that also let you shoot short videos; they don't try to do much. That's a smart strategy: It helps lower expectations as Snapchat ventures into the minefield that is face-mounted wearables. Having a bunch of tech blogs tear apart Spectacles and whine about their flaws would suck all the excitement out of the room before the glasses were widely available.

Instead, Snapchat fans are controlling the narrative, and judging from the excitement around the product, it's working. At some point, the game of "find the Bot" will get old and the hype will die down ... and then Snapchat can drop Bots in New York or San Francisco and stoke the flames all over again.

I'm not sure how long the surprise-vending-machine strategy can go on. Eventually, would-be buyers are going to be turned off by not being able to get in on the fun. And there's always the potential for chaos in these lines as more and more people swarm the Bots when they are revealed. But as long as Snapchat's fans are enjoying the game, there's no reason to stop: The US is a big country, and there's a ton of territory left for the Bot to explore.