Apple Devices Preview App for Windows Includes References to 'Reality OS' and 'xrOS'

[Timster83]

I’ve used an Oculus Quest and have an Oculus Go. The games are fun enough and there are some videos that the VR aspect really adds value to.

With that said, it’s not something that I use every day or even every week. Actual VR isn’t going to be consumer ready for a long time and may never truly catch on at a mass market scale.

But smart glasses (AR)? I’d buy them immediately. I wear glasses anyway - but imagine some really powerful use cases for normal-looking glasses with projection onto the screen.

1. I’m in a foreign city on holiday and see an interesting building. I could get an overlay of info about that building.
2. I’m walking and using maps to navigate to my destination. I could get a visual pointer of the specific street or path I need to follow.
3. While waiting for an Uber, a Prius pulls up. I get a visual notification that confirms it’s mine and the registration number matches.
4. I’m watching tv and see someone I recognise from somewhere, but I’m not sure where. I could get an immediate visual answer which shows me the person’s name along with the movie I watched two weeks ago, and some recommendations on what to watch next.

Normal glasses with technology that enables features like these would be an absolute game changer.

I don’t think we’ll get these from Apple this year, but I bet they’re working on it.

 

[NEPOBABY]

I work with (and grew up surrounded by) persons with disabilities due to having family members involved in a variety of specialized education institutions geared toward the multi-handicapped. I agree we should have affordable healthcare and would prefer to see this as a socialized universal healthcare, but it will take a miracle to make that a reality here in the US, where our society values a person's worth almost solely on their ability to accumulate little green pieces of paper. But there are a LOT of disabilities that can't be fixed medically (or even if they can be, they won't be, unless you are in the 1% or even the .1%, or directly a member of the kleptocracy.)
But let's take three examples:
1) Aging low-light vision issues. This happens to effectively 100% of the human population that gets old enough. A good AR system would allow persons to continue enjoying a quality of life that would be otherwise denied to them (driving, sports, etc.)
2) Dementia. It's a lucky person who doesn't eventually suffer a variety of forms of cognitive decline when they get elderly (and in some cases much sooner). A good AR device could assist these persons in an array of tasks.
3) Dyslexic persons (this is a class of individual I work with a lot). Dyslexia is by no means is an indication of disability (it's only a "disability" due to our rigidly-designed societies and education systems that don't properly take individual differences into account.) In fact, we are slowly coming to understand that Dyslexic (as well as ADD/ADHD persons) may be our most innovative portion of humanity. But it's still a real problem in our society not to be able to read or write well. Imagine, instead of having to point a clunky tablet or phone at the page of a book, or a letter, or whatever, to simply be able to have your 'glasses' read it to you, or highlight words according to your eye-movement, or... or... or...

I'm sure people could find hundreds or thousands of other example cases where AR could be a great boon. Lots of hurdles still to conquer (size, battery life, cost), but I think we'll see some great things. If we can keep the advertisers from spamming them up.

Anyone can write lots of concepts, but putting them in practice is another thing. A concept must solve a problem and offer a solution that is cheaper and and better than previous options. We must also consider many additional factors.

If they have dementia or dyslexia, as you raise, that will also affect their use of the devices. So no problem is solved there. They need a person by their side and affordable care.

As you know disabled people have very limited income. That becomes less as they grow older and their condition worsens. Expensive gadgets like AR glasses will cost thousands and just like an iPhone or a Mac they will become obsolete within 5-6 years. They will become slower with each OS update and the batteries will become worn out. Young ambled bodied people with disposable income already complain about these, so how much more stressful would it be for disabled people with no disposable income?

With this issue in mind, think about how much money a disabled person would have to spend over the course of their whole lifetime on a limited budget. On top of that in some countries healthcare costs are criminal.

So how much money will they be left with for care when they are retired?

The better solution is for them to save money and not buy these things unless a previously unsolved problem becomes solved. Disabled people shouldn’t be encouraged to be trapped at home inside headsets, otherwise in some countries they will normalize this and no longer bother building accessibility for disabled people in public spaces.

edit: I have a stalker going through all my posts and downvoting me because they have some unknown issue

 

[ElectricPotato]

Must be a dormant volcano...

He's dead, Jim.

 

[jaster2]

The first new category of technology where I feel myself aging out of the field. I’m just plain ol’ disinterested in AR/VR.

But I will like seeing how silly people look with tech strapped to their faces. 😛

I completely agree. Zero interest in this.

 

[Agent007]

Zuckerberg’s death knell. I’m often critical of Apple but it looks like they’re doing this the right way - pushing it to developers first allows them to use top-of-the-line hardware instead of cheapening it for instant consumer use (ex. Avatars will actually have legs) Developers will find uses for it while cost simultaneously drops. iPhone was impressive before the app store but the app store took it to another level. I think thats what’s going to happen here.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

xrOS probably stands for eXtended Reality Operating System.

I suspect it will be AR focused, imagine it from the 1995 movie Johnny Nemonic.

I would love me some data gloves. Not sure if I want the Jack-in experience of a headset, or the data/screen space control of Minority Report though.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Reading all this stuff about augmented reality and virtual reality makes me want to go into nature and just embrace real reality. I have no interest in wearing a big bulky thing over my face and being turned into a drone or something.

Of course if they made the glasses like regular glasses that look somewhat normal, I might have a slight interest.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

20+ years ago also had a different generation who was using it hence why it may not have been successful. Cost then and now has also come down while capabilities improved.

Thats like handing over a smartphone or tablet to someone who grew up with typewriters, some generations and people are willing to adapt while some don’t care. I was under the impression that GoogleGlass was too ahead of its time with limited capabilities but expect a revival once Apple is in the arena.

If I could use an IBM Selectric as my keyboard I’d be in keytapping heaven.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

As you know disabled people have very limited income.

[citation needed]

 

[NEPOBABY]

xrOS probably stands for eXtended Reality Operating System.

I suspect it will be AR focused, imagine it from the 1995 movie Johnny Nemonic.

XR was also the branding for the iPhone XR but this time they changed the meaning.

This won’t be a VR headset. It is AR only.

XR is Apple’s take on AR because Apple likes to create its own brands and separate itself from the other companies.

This is a hyper dumb design though. It doesn’t rest over the ears, it goes directly on top of the ear hole, and it will sag unless tightened a lot, which is also a bad idea.

If we try to put that strap over the ears, the strap looks very sharp and will hurt as it digs in to the cartilage at the top of the ear socket.

 

[code-m]

XR was also the branding for the iPhone XR but this time they changed the meaning.

This won’t be a VR headset. It is AR only.

XR is Apple’s take on AR because Apple likes to create its own brands and separate itself from the other companies.

Maybe iPhone XR branding was a method for Apple to test the water with the public. Apple does that a lot it does not mean it has to be directly related to the prior product.

 

[Salmon_Man]

Ready whenever they are.

Haven't been as curious about a pending new Apple product launch since that '07 iPhone. In the lead up to the iPhone debut, I was already saving up for what I knew would be a day-one purchase. And on day one, I was one of those in line at Aspen Grove. I simply could not get out of my Palm Treo (the closest thing to a Mac-friendly smart phone, back then) fast enough. And not that whatever headset they announce will be an insta-buy for me (especially at the rumored $3k price tag - which I still think is more fluff to soften the launch-day $2299 price tag), I am super curious to learn what they have up their sleeve for this category. The forum climate here feels eerily similar to the lead up to that '07 iPhone - a LOT of users struggling with the concept. Not unlike the pre-launch struggle with an Apple phone. And it was interesting how quickly that phone struggle evaporated. not that a headset struggle would evaporate as quickly, but I do think we're in for a device that will make more sense than we thought. I could be wrong.

We. Shall. See.

Couldn't agree more!

I started using Immersed VR for work on my Meta Quest 2 and it has literally changed the way I will work forever! Having a notebook and a headset will be all you need to create the ulimate portable office setup!

Can't wait to see Apple dominate this field!

 

[code-m]

I would love me some data gloves. Not sure if I want the Jack-in experience of a headset, or the data/screen space control of Minority Report though.

The gloves will be an accessory, Apple likes the accessory income 😝

 

[NEPOBABY]

Maybe iPhone XR branding was a method for Apple to test the water with the public. Apple does that a lot it does not mean it has to be directly related to the prior product.

X meant 10 at the time, but maybe they originally meant to promote the augmented reality apps of the phone.

Windows NT 4 was called Cairo in the beta. The Greek letters are XP. Microsoft later used it again for Windows XP but then changed the meaning to eXPerience.

 

[code-m]

X meant 10 at the time, but maybe they originally meant to promote the augmented reality apps of the phone.

Windows NT 4 was called Cairo in the beta. The Greek letters are XP. Microsoft later used it again for Windows XP but then changed the meaning to eXPerience.

Many companies regardless of the tech industry likes to drop clues, hints, etc. The video game companies have been doing this for decades with cheat codes to reveal bonuses etc.

 

[Blackstick]

I don't see anyone who isn't an insufferable Youtube influencer wearing these in public, ever.

 

[d-klumpp]

"RealityOS" is much better. Upgrade public beta Reality 1.0 to 1.2...

The excitement is volcanic.

The only problem with "RealityOS" is that, in real use, you know it will be shortened to "ROS" or "rOS," both pronounced the same. The problem, you ask? Well, there are many scientists around the world that work on reactive oxygen species, "ROS!"

 

[anthogag]

The only problem with "RealityOS" is that, in real use, you know it will be shortened to "ROS" or "rOS," both pronounced the same. The problem, you ask? Well, there are many scientists around the world that work on reactive oxygen species, "ROS!"

No, I think people would say "Reality" not "ROS". Scientists might prefer ROS.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

XR was also the branding for the iPhone XR but this time they changed the meaning.

This won’t be a VR headset. It is AR only.

XR is Apple’s take on AR because Apple likes to create its own brands and separate itself from the other companies.

This is a hyper dumb design though. It doesn’t rest over the ears, it goes directly on top of the ear hole, and it will sag unless tightened a lot, which is also a bad idea.

If we try to put that strap over the ears, the strap looks very sharp and will hurt as it digs in to the cartilage at the top of the ear socket.


View attachment 2140959

That's not the product.

 

[mazz0]

I don’t understand why anyone believes they’ll call it XROS - that’s such an ungainly name. How are you even supposed to pronounce it? Ecks-arr-oh!-ess? I don’t believe Apple would do that.

 

[Crow_Servo]

Very tired of all the negativity thrown at this rumored product.

Just wanted to chime in to say I’m one of the ones very interested/curious about Apple’s version of this technology.

Say what you will about VR/AR at this moment, but you’d have to be pretty cynical to not expect Apple to put an interesting spin on this one.

Does that mean it will blow people’s minds? No, I doubt that. But will it raise an eyebrow or give people a few reasons to consider it? Yes, that’s what Apple does.

Watch their upcoming presentation with an open mind and I bet you’ll see more potential then.

 

[FlyingTexan]

but can it porn?

 

[richinaus]

Very tired of all the negativity thrown at this rumored product.

Just wanted to chime in to say I’m one of the ones very interested/curious about Apple’s version of this technology.

Say what you will about VR/AR at this moment, but you’d have to be pretty cynical to not expect Apple to put an interesting spin on this one.

Does that mean it will blow people’s minds? No, I doubt that. But will it raise an eyebrow or give people a few reasons to consider it? Yes, that’s what Apple does.

Watch their upcoming presentation with an open mind and I bet you’ll see more potential then.

I find it sad how peoples minds aren't blown by AR now.

For me it is magic and I work with it and VR / realtime viz everyday.

yes, people will say whatever to another headset, but if that headset isnt developed and the next ones iterated down to a glasses type product in 10 years say, we will never get there.

This is a 1st gen product of something that can be truly amazing if allowed to develop rather than be constantly be put down by people. Like seriously do people expect technological miracles?

 

[farmboy]

I imagine this is an intentional leak. They know all their stuff will be scrutinized.

Umm, sure, for the three people who would find it.

 

[jjudson]

Mark Zuckerberg: "You know Tim, this Oculus thing was a very bad investment and a big mistake."

Tim Cook: "Hold my Chardonnay."