Apple Headset's Capabilities Said to 'Far Exceed' Those of Rival Devices

[HobeSoundDarryl]

While I have no trouble at all imagining many "killer apps" for something that can show our eyes anything in a realistic way that fools us into actually believing what we are seeing is real (aka virtual reality) the one thing I find very hard to imagine for WWDC is exactly HOW Apple will demo them.

Whether live audience or audience watching on 2D rectangles remotely, what does Apple show to demonstrate VR? Does the live audience all have one to put on? Seems impossible to have a "big reveal" moment if there is one in every seat on arrival. Is there an intermission in this WWDC keynote so Apple staff can pass these out to the live audience during a break? Else, live or remote are trying to visualize VR on a 2D screen. And that requires a leap of imagination... which, even among raging fans here, seems in short supply when it comes to this product.

Best I can imagine is that THIS demo seems better suited for the few and far between Omnimax theaters around the country. Unlike the related-but-flat-2D screen called IMAX, Omnimax is a dome screen- like a planetarium screen. You lay your head back against the back of the seat and there is screen in every bit of your range of vision (and peripheral vision). Here's a peek at a bit of one...

My hometown- Cincinnati- has one of these and I enjoyed going to see just about anything on it. There was definitely something "more" about having ALL of vision filled with "the show" even when watching documentaries about bugs or elephant migration or whales or similar.

As I imagine this product, they will offer essentially the same, full "view." Else the virtual realities we can be shown will be cut off at the edges, "breaking" the illusion of reality.

I can't think of a way for Apple to demonstrate these to a crowd in Cupertino on the big 2D screen on the stage... anymore than one can do searches on YouTube for VR videos like this & this & this & this & this, watch them in 2D now, and actually get what those are able to show WITHIN this kind of product. This "big reveal" seems to beg for an Omnimax theater demonstration, so that Apple could time WHEN the audience gets to see the "view" and much more paint the picture of what the worlds, the UI, etc would look like with Goggles on.

It seems like some won't quite "get it" until AFTER the big show, when they can each try them on for their 5 minutes and see the "full picture" available within the product. But we'll see... or not see... soon enough.

 

[Ethosik]

Oh goody, more AR/VR talk and nothing about high end Macs or fixes to macOS or iOS which is getting buggier by the day. Just focus on existing products Apple. I am starting to lose interest and I have 8 Macs, 3 iPads, two Apple Watches and an iPhone.

 

[klasma]

If you read further in the article, there is discussion about current solutions to the problem. They are rumored to be using these mitigating techniques already with the stacked lenses and eye tracking so it may be a non-issue.

Yeah, from what I’ve been reading, I’m far from convinced. It’s hardly possible to solve the actual underlying problem (the screen being very close to the eyes while having to give the appearance of objects much further away), only to mitigate it to some degree. And that’s only one aspect. Other aspects include:

• We don’t have any good technology to opaquely (i.e. non-additively) superimpose images onto a transparent surface, as would be needed for true AR.
• The technology would have to be capable of going really bright to compete with outdoor daylight.
• Resolution: To display a virtual 4K monitor, you probably need 16K or more, due to quantization effects.
• All of the optics and panels and lens-shifting and eye-tracking cameras etc. would have to be miniaturized to a ridiculous degree to become as compact as normal glasses.
• Weight: Regular glasses weigh around 20-40 grams. (The sunglasses I use only weigh 14 g.) For everyday-use AR glasses, you can’t go much higher than that if you want to have them feel comfortable.
• Battery: All the above, plus CPU/GPU and mobile networking, need to be powered, for a couple of hours, and within the size and weight constraints in the ballpark of regular glasses. Battery technology is not anywhere near that, and improvements have been slow.

For these reasons, I just don’t see every-day seamless AR happening in the next decade or two.

 

[Rogifan]

So Apple is thinking someone will pay $3K to wear a bulky headset (with external battery pack) to do workouts in Fitness+ or make a Facetime call with grandma? 🤣

 

[jimbobb24]

Finally got my PSVR2 and going through the AR setup process was pretty cool even though I've used VR for years. The big question will be what software will be available. When I FaceTime people, it's because I want to see their face, not their avatar. And working out with a face hugging mask on doesn't sound appealing because of the sweat and any motion will move the headset around.

What do you think about it? I got the first but kids have not used enough so not jumping at the second.

 

[MrTemple]

I'm not convinced. If these goggles have a form of ‘transparency mode' they will need at least a camera pair.

You know what is better than a Google Car driving down your street once a year? People walking around the streets capturing a depth map every day using built in stereo cameras.

Did you read the post you quoted?

It will 💯 have a camera (maybe several), but ZERO chance a user can ever take a picture with it.

HUGE difference.

You will NEVER see a photo taken by such glasses. Anywhere. Anytime. Ever.

Because the moment you do, wearing them has to be forbidden in all kinds of places.

 

[MrTemple]

When do we get to the point where we can have mildly chunky (prescription lenses option) glasses which are AR enabled, utilizing the processing power of my Apple Watch/iPhone/iPad...?

A handful of iterations after the first tech demo coming this year.

Like the iPhone.

And the iPad.

And the AppleWatch.

 

[MrTemple]

It's already solved.. there will be a led light indicator whenever the headset's camera is operational, so the surroundings will be aware.
It was the same story with a smartphone camera, and Japan enforced a law that there will be a sound effect when a smartphone photo is taken.
There will be regulations and laws about privacy obviously.

Absolutely not.

Tiny piece of tape and it’s stealth photography again.

One article showing a reporter filming in a change room and they are banned everywhere.

They will NEVER allow photography.

 

[Ethosik]

I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a repeat of the Apple Watch launch. Everyone was saying that it was a stupid product who needs it and that they aren’t planning on getting it and then it released to fairly lukewarm reception, and then it was only after a couple years that everyone wanted one.

Apple Watch is an always on wrist passive device. This is a face mask and very limited battery device that inherently isolates someone. Why are people so on board with more isolation? Get out and socialize with people! Why do you want to advocate for shopping at Virtual Walmart instead of going out with other humans?

 

[MrTemple]

While I have no trouble at all imagining many "killer apps" for something that can show our eyes anything in a realistic way that fools us into actually believing what we are seeing is real (aka virtual reality) the one thing I find very hard to imagine for WWDC is exactly HOW Apple will demo them.

You keep talking about VR. 🤦‍♂️

Apple keeps talking about AR.

Apple has been doing keynote AR demos for YEARS.

It seems how they demo this product goes on the LOOOONG list of things you can’t imagine about it. 🙄

Why do you think they’ve been spending so much time and effort working on ARKit, which is barely a novelty when it requires you holding a device up between your eyes and the world?

Because it’s for THIS product category, where usefulness skyrockets.

 

[MrTemple]

Apple Watch is an always on wrist passive device. This is a face mask and very limited battery device that inherently isolates someone. Why are people so on board with more isolation? Get out and socialize with people! Why do you want to advocate for shopping at Virtual Walmart instead of going out with other humans?

👆 Spot the guy who can only imagine a VR rig like the picture in the rumor article.

Google Glass was not isolating. It was flawed, but it also came out a DECADE ago.

Things have improved a teeny bit since.

‘Apple Glass’ version 1 will be basically a tech demo for devs and early adopters.

But even V1 will showcase this product category, which removes the handheld device between user and the world. It will be LESS isolating than our phones. VR rigs are way more isolating than our phones.

Version 4 will be the HUD that takes off.

 

[East India Company]

I can see a number of business use cases, but Apple dumped on the business market years ago.

I can see a number of gaming use cases, but Apple dumped on the gaming market years ago.

I can see a number of scientific use cases, but Apple dumped on the scientific market years ago.

I think I see a pattern here!

Unfortunately you are entirely correct.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

You keep talking about VR. 🤦‍♂️

Apple keeps talking about AR.

Apple has been doing keynote AR demos for YEARS.

It seems how they demo this product goes on the LOOOONG list of things you can’t imagine about it. 🙄

Why do you think they’ve been spending so much time and effort working on ARKit, which is barely a novelty when it requires you holding a device up between your eyes and the world?

Because it’s for THIS product category, where usefulness skyrockets.

I'm just as excited about AR. In fact my #1 hope for myself is that these can offer virtualized screens of any size for mobile computing, yielding a new kind of "laptop" option: basically bottom half of existing laptop + goggles in the bag.

If so, the need to see hands on keyboard likely comes into play and I can easily imagine the AR cameras showing my own hands on the "bottom half of a MB superimposed below the virtual computing screen that I'm using as if I'm at my main desktop with a 40" ultra-wide when I'm actually- say- crammed in an airplane seat where there is not even enough room to fully open existing laptops.

I don't see that as some big leap that will be difficult to do with this product. In fact, that seems towards the easiest of possibilities. I recall Macs circa about 2005 or so able to make iChats look like we were sitting inside of an aquarium or riding a roller coaster etc as we video chatted. We've come a LONG, LONG way since those simple tricks.

I think VR is easier to "discuss" pre-release than AR but I agree with your posts that AR brings a TON of benefits with these too.

 

[Tagbert]

iPhone was having all of your music in your pocket, on your iPhone.
iPad was having a good sized screen to watch content. YouTube etc. right when YouTube really exploded.

The iPod gave you all your music in your pocket. Music was certainly an important feature for the iPhone. The iPad also brought enhanced web browsing, photos, books, and games not just one hit feature.

The iPhone had multiple features that could be considered "killer apps", web browsing, camera, messaging but there wasn't really a single "killer app". That idea comes from an earlier time when the markets were smaller and you could target just a single use case. By the time of the iPhone and many devices since then, those devices must address multiple features to satisfy a wider range of user's needs.

When the Watch came out there wasn't really a single "killer app". It offered a broad range of functionality. Some of those things continue to be important now in the appeal of the Watch and other features have faded out of prominence. Apple needed to get the Watch into the hands of developers and users to see which features really sparked long term interest and which were just good for demos. the Watch needed testing in the wild to really explore its potential. I suspect that the arc of the headset will be more similar to the Watch than it will be to the iPhone, but we will see.

 

[ubername]

I’ve just bought some nreal airs ($400) and I’m convinced that AR is the future and I want this device to be awesome but if these rumours are true I really think this product is going to flop. I fully expect this apple headset to be a more integrated experience than the nreal airs but I don’t see how that experience is going to add an extra $2600 worth of value.

 

[Ghost31]

Apple Watch is an always on wrist passive device. This is a face mask and very limited battery device that inherently isolates someone. Why are people so on board with more isolation? Get out and socialize with people! Why do you want to advocate for shopping at Virtual Walmart instead of going out with other humans?

If I could come home and not even need a big screen tv. I just put on some glasses and I have a movie theater in front of my eyes, that’s very compelling. Or having a dual monitor mac set up virtually. Or virtual classrooms where you can take apart a virtual car and look at each individual part and it’s function.

The aerospace industry has used products like Microsoft HoloLens for years. We really gonna act like this is gonna be a totally useless device? We really gonna act like augmented reality has no place when we’ve seen its application in sci-fi movies our entire lives? Star treks holodeck screens and minority report. Have a little vision

Acting like products are a failure before even seeing them never ages well. Steve balmer and just about everybody else laughed at the idea of Apple making a phone

 

[vegetassj4]

That’s great but still not worth $3000 USD in my opinion. I will only buy it and not return it if Tim Cook does the demonstration himself. 🤫🥽

He already did

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/kuo-apple-mixed-reality-headset-may-not-appear-at-wwdc-as-mass-production-pushed-back-yet-again.2385328/post-32066463

 

[goonie4life9]

“Today, we’re thrilled to introduce a break-through product that provides a best-in-class experience using the the platform our customers know and love. Apple’s new reality headset is the most advanced headset ever shipped and is at least five years ahead of rival products. The headset uses Apple’s most advanced, custom silicon, leaving users with the most responsive, immersive experience and incredible battery life. RealityOS is built on the most advanced mobile operating system, with amazing built-in technologies, like Metal, and incredible user features that allow for seamless integration across all of Apple’s products. The headset is also designed with meticulous attention to detail and using premium materials that only Apple can bring to scale. The headset takes immersive experiences to the next level and Apple is thrilled to see the amazing things customers will do!”

 

[Wildkraut]

Reminds me of Tim Cook

 

[MrTemple]

I'm just as excited about AR. In fact my #1 hope for myself is that these can offer virtualized screens of any size for mobile computing, yielding a new kind of "laptop" option: basically bottom half of existing laptop + goggles in the bag.

If so, the need to see hands on keyboard likely comes into play and I can easily imagine the AR cameras showing my own hands on the "bottom half of a MB superimposed below the virtual computing screen that I'm using as if I'm at my main desktop with a 40" ultra-wide when I'm actually- say- crammed in an airplane seat where there is not even enough room to fully open existing laptops.

I don't see that as some big leap that will be difficult to do with this product. In fact, that seems towards the easiest of possibilities. I recall Macs circa about 2005 or so able to make iChats look like we were sitting inside of an aquarium or riding a roller coaster etc as we video chatted. We've come a LONG, LONG way since those simple tricks.

I think VR is easier to "discuss" pre-release than AR but I agree with your posts that AR brings a TON of benefits with these too.

I like your examples, but I think those 95% VR + 5% Real World are going to be the exception, rather than the rule.

I think the unique and incredibly useful experience will be incorporating seamlessly the connected world into the real world (truly begun to be realized in v4 of this product).

Think like one poster above who has trouble recalling names wanting name tags superimposed over people they’ve met before.

A ‘every wall is a whiteboard’ mode. Where you can toggle your notes for on/off for that wall/rock/rug/tree, page between them as you desire. Share them with your friends, who weeks apart can reply to you on your shared note/doodle at the pizza joint table.

A travel mode showing you points of interest, food places, where to find a bathroom, where to rent a bike, etc.

A ‘measure everything’ mode, showing you dimensions of whatever we you focus on. Will save an object and overlay it in the back of your car, to see if it fits.

An ‘identify plants’ mode that will pop a cute little garden tag over any plant you select. Complete with care instructions (specific to the time of year, location, type of soil, etc).

Of course a hiking mode that will drop a nice little wooden trail sign (or maybe a tiny gnome if you want) pointing you in the direction you want to go. Look back and maybe you’ve selected your path to be shown with little chunks of bread.

Your grandpa looks at the back of the tv, and it shows which cables need to go where.

A sky-tracker mode that adds a tiny label to stars/planets/satellites of interest. Shows the path of the ISS shortly before it appears, etc.

A sports mode where you’re watching your kid play ball and you can see the score, fastest pitch, hit distance, etc.

Again these aren’t anything close to what most (you too) are imagining with a VR world with some reality in it. Those ARE going to be great. But limited use.

I can think of 100 useful ways to just add a tiny bit of the connected world into reality.

But I can’t imagine, none of us can, what the world is gonna look like in 10 years. We haven’t experienced having the connected world embedded into reality.

And once we do, we’re going to start collaborating our imaginations to build upon ideas, combine uses that we can’t even think of yet.

AR will be PERVASIVE. Downright invasive into our world. Leaving your house without your glasses will be worse than it is today without your phone. This is not an entirely good thing!

 

[Corefile]

No killer app for the iPhone. Or iPad. Or Apple Watch.

FACT: They don’t need a killer app.

iPhone is a communication device which is the killer app. Apple Watch has health apps which are the killer app. iPad is an always on consumption device which does away with the need for a laptop for numerous short duration tasks. This VR headset is a gamble without such.

 

[Corefile]

What was the killer app of the first iPhone? the Blackberry did the same things..
What is the killer app of an iPad? the PC/Mac can do all of it and more.

It's - a - new - computer - platform.

The original iPhone was a communication device that solved a simple problem: all other cellphones were complete garbage. I've pointed out the iPad killer app elsewhere in this thread.

 

[jz0309]

Apple Watch is an always on wrist passive device. This is a face mask and very limited battery device that inherently isolates someone. Why are people so on board with more isolation? Get out and socialize with people! Why do you want to advocate for shopping at Virtual Walmart instead of going out with other humans?

you mean actually talk to other people? yea, I agree with you but the whole new social media world is changing everything around us, not necessarily for the better ...
I can see lots of use cases for this type of technology in the biz world, eg training, remote trouble shooting etc etc, but certainly not "virtual" meetings, that's just nonsense. and for consumers, gaming, porn, but FaceTiming family/friends?

Apple needs to have more than 1 killer app to convince consumers to add yet another computing device to their household ...

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

He already did

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/kuo-apple-mixed-reality-headset-may-not-appear-at-wwdc-as-mass-production-pushed-back-yet-again.2385328/post-32066463

No he didn’t 😂 that’s some bootleg AR/VR glasses. Are they are thorough? Can you even see anything 🤣

 

[Wildkraut]

The more they split, they further they spread.

Like a team with no leader, lost and misled.