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Apple Highlights Developer Reactions to Vision Pro Labs: 'Audible Gasp'
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If you forget about oculus. And think about Apple Vision as what apple calls it. Namely a spatial computing platform. It is a M2 platform computer with special cameras and sensors for 180VR filming and hopefully editing.
I have had the oculus 2, recently I have used a painting application, and it feels quite damn strong even with the oculus 2‘s relatively weak cpu.
If I can buy a Apple Vision Pro and do actual art with it, if the app store shows up and there are strong apps for sculpting and 3d animation etc. With the added fidelity and power, I bet it will rock for art.. Seeing your work on a barn sized canvas is actually kind of awesome.
3500$ for a computer isn’t that much. AND it comes with amazing screens… 2x 4k screens…
I have had the oculus 2, recently I have used a painting application, and it feels quite damn strong even with the oculus 2‘s relatively weak cpu.
If I can buy a Apple Vision Pro and do actual art with it, if the app store shows up and there are strong apps for sculpting and 3d animation etc. With the added fidelity and power, I bet it will rock for art.. Seeing your work on a barn sized canvas is actually kind of awesome.
3500$ for a computer isn’t that much. AND it comes with amazing screens… 2x 4k screens…
At that price I’d expect it to run MacOS. But it runs a variant of iOS, and that limits its potential quite a bit.
MacOS is not a spatial operating system. All Apples OS’s have the same UNIX internal guts anyway.
Apple isn’t touting this as an iPad/iPhone iOS device, they say it is a «spatial computer» Semantics? I think not. I think this is a genuine bid for the future of computing.
1. A darpa developed lens technology is due out in 2026, Metalenz is the company. The tech is smooth and will for certain be huge and allow for thin AR glasses. Nanolenses about a human hair width…
2. 2D ui paradigms have been played out. IF there was a way to make 2d screens work better, it would likely have been explored by now. What I mean by this, is that foldable iPhones etc are not going to make the devices better, sterescopical displays are a different ballgame, and they hint of a different way to use computers.
It’s been what? near 40 years since MacOS came out in 1984.
Using your eyes as a pointer is about as fast as humans can interface with a computer without a neural connection to the brain.
For sure not a non-problematic interface, since you will give away so much raw unconscious bias that it will be possible to algorithmically gauge your unconscious bias on everything. Closest access to your brain there could ever be, besides wires into your brain..
But, you say: “If I have nothing to hide, it doesn’t matter” …We all know that its not about that, its about steering your attention towards a product or a trend or what have you is the biggest grossing thing these corporations are interested in pushing.
Google is fast at work copying Apple Vision together with samsung.. But samsung and google are having issues because of they do not trust eachother sharing ip..
Apple Vision Pro is already successful, it has saved AR/VR from dying on the vine.
Using your eyes as a pointer is about as fast as humans can interface with a computer without a neural connection to the brain.
For sure not a non-problematic interface, since you will give away so much raw unconscious bias that it will be possible to algorithmically gauge your unconscious bias on everything. Closest access to your brain there could ever be, besides wires into your brain..
But, you say: “If I have nothing to hide, it doesn’t matter” …We all know that its not about that, its about steering your attention towards a product or a trend or what have you is the biggest grossing thing these corporations are interested in pushing.
Google is fast at work copying Apple Vision together with samsung.. But samsung and google are having issues because of they do not trust eachother sharing ip..
Apple Vision Pro is already successful, it has saved AR/VR from dying on the vine.
Apple has worked hard to address the privacy issue of eye tracking and does not give the apps access to that information. This may limit some apps, such as games, where it might be useful to use eye tracking within the game. We’ll see if they need to make provisions to allow some level of access to eye tracking within some contexts.
I don’t have much hope that Samsung and Google will do much to restrict access to eye tracking from apps on their system.
Clearly as shown in the video above everyone gasping at the price is far from alone. Cool you were the single person clapping though.
Your statement isn’t wrong, as certainly there’s a bunch of new and bespoke technology in the VP. Having said that, Apple long ago leaned in on the consumer side of things and further from ‘Pro’ - so yeah, the pricing is way out of line for most ‘consumer’ devices, the pricing is reducing their addressable market size significantly, and with that, I’m not sure how much ‘must have’ development will happen after the initial wow factor tapers off (fewer possible paying customers).
Of course, it will kickstart some AR/VR additional competition where prices will come down over time.
I think Apple's choice to go with a variant of iOS lays out where they are heading. I know they like to say that Mac and iOS will stay separate but apps are increasingly just going to be the same across all platforms with slight modifications to the UI to make them fit touch, pointer or spacial input methods. I do feel in a few years macOS will just be another variant of iOS optimised for pointer input with a desktop.
Since when has this forum ever had a reception to a new product that turned out to be accurate in the long run?
Eh, the forum isn’t a single opinion.
Personally I’m 1 out of 2 on ‘the big ones’ anyways - I saw pretty much zero point in the iPad, but predicted the iPhone a few years before it was out. Now typing this on an iPad Pro (like 2018/19 or something, definitely didn’t ’need’ one and only finally moved from Android table to an iPad Air 2 then finally the IPP I’m typing on).
The VP is priced at minimum above most macbook pros and every other device. It would need to be an effective replacement for one of the higher priced devices, or come up with some true can’t-do-without use cases at it’s current pricing to come close to ‘many people have one’ levels approaching either iphone, ipad, macs, or even watch adoption. 2 of the 4 (phone, mac) can be pretty well justified internally or externally (gotta have a phone and gotta have a computer), some use iPad in lieu of a ‘full’ computer, and watches are relatively inexpensive enough to jump into one. The VP doesn’t really fit into any of those and I haven’t seen any ‘killer use cases’ as of yet, although as someone working in tech for decades, I’d sure love to play with one (but not buy one at those prices.
Oh, and if by ‘long run,’ you mean around the ’VP3 Air’ when it’s sub-$1K with Samsung and others having their own offerings, sure, quite possible. But not at the current price point IMO.
It certainly used to. Yes you’ve always had negative posts or predictions but I distinctly remember a lot of hype around the Watch which was Apples last new product entry. By contrast the Vision Pro just seems to have been largely forgotten.
You forget the initial ridicule surrounding the AirPods, the blowback around the lack of a round Apple Watch, the pessimism around the iphone X’s $999 price tag, the insane hype surrounding the galaxy fold (which turned out to not be commensurate with how it’s currently faring in the market), the insistence that Apple needed to acquire Netflix or Disney+ (note how far the latter has fallen, or the general state of video streaming in general), as well as the apparent concern trolling over lengthening upgrade cycles (which Apple has done well to transition).
There’s also the epic fortnite lawsuit (which has pretty much been ruled in Apple’s favour), the upcoming DMA ruling by the EU (I am still fairly confident Apple will be able to blunt the impact caused by sideloading), and numerous “gates” which turned out to be the proverbial tempest in a teacup that quickly blew over.
Colour me sceptical, but I really can’t recall the last time anyone here actively rooted for Apple. Like social media, it feels like we are constantly flitting from one controversy or “flop” to the next, and I really don’t understand why it’s always been so trendy to hate on Apple.
Like if you want to hate on anything, then at least hate right.
I think this is part of the problem.
The tech is of course cool - some of us have been waiting several decades for 'worthwhile VR' which is getting there but still kinda not-ubiquitous yet, including Meta and Sony offerings even 'just for gaming.' It still feels kind of like 'for $100 more, this Samsung comes with 3d-glasses' - high on promise, not-so-much in reality.
As far as I've seen, Apple hasn't yet come up with working killer apps for the VP.
Someone elsewhere said some costs are much more palatable for businesses than for e.g. someone wanting to pick up a MacBook Air for college, or just typical consumers in general, which is true, but - Apple has not been terrible good at the 'enterprise' side of Apple/Macos/etc. and device management. It's gotten better over time, but not sure if they can pull it off on the logistics/ops or the software side, which would need to come in via partnership or a pretty motivated software company to do something in the medical or similar space.
Willing to see what 'killer apps' come out of it, but even 4K a few inches from your eyes isn't all that much in a world of true high-resolution images. It's possible it develops into a consumer level 'must have' in the future, like some have mentioned, replacing a laptop or at least multiple displays, or some domain-specific killer apps arise in professional fields. I doubt 'VP V1' will be the one I decide to jump on, but definitely interested to see where it goes.
Were you able to try to do any actual work, or was this recorded? Thoughts?
Perspective seems weird to me - from the screenshots along, seems like a 'rotating wheel' to select apps, but why not retain the 'swipe through apps' but keep it like a normal 3 display setup would be an not have the skewed angles on the apps on the left and right (Excel and Teams)?
Sure, but it's not just a hardware issue - all of the bespoke niche purposes require potentially significant software-side investment as well. Hell, most VR games out there are closer still to 'demoware' than e.g. AA or AAA titles and are cashing in on 'because VR.'
There could be a future where both bespoke custom domain apps and broader consumers both have valid reasons to potentially own a set, but without the software investment there's neither. I doubt Apple will be e.g. doing medical or architectural software themselves, or for other special niches/use cases, and have yet to see the mass market 'killer apps' for the VP at this point.
I think we're basically in agreement. Hardware is just one piece of the puzzle. For Vision Pro to sell well and become a new platform, there need to be broad consumer use cases and the appropriate software. There will no doubt be a lot of custom enterprise Vision Pro apps developed, but none of these will move major units. Furthermore, certain use cases, like medical, will likely require Apple to receive FDA clearance for the device, which is highly unlikely.
I also have not seen any mass market "killer apps" for VR/AR. The bulky hardware remains a major obstacle in my opinion. I also don't think most people want to wear goggles unless they have to. I wear goggles when I ski because the alternative is worse. I enjoy skiing enough to wear goggles. What will people want/enjoy enough to wear Vision Pro for extended periods of time? We have yet to see that use case emerge, other than the obvious entertainment-related ones.
For now Vision Pro's killer apps are the big virtual screens and immersive entertainment experience. Is that enough? I doubt it.
So, walled garden for the Mac too?
Merging interface elements isn’t the same as making MacOS into an iOS variant.
Hate right?
Hate isn’t the issue. The issue is that this product appears to make very little sense as an iPhone successor. It’s goggles. Basically an iPhone helmet. Where’s the demand for that?
True, but the writing is on the wall. Technologies like Catalyst and SwiftUI point the way.
My first reaction is that the Vision Pro will democratise memories and immersion. If I were to put my money on one killer feature, it would be the ability to record spatial video using said device, and then rewatch it some time in the future and have the experience of being brought back to that exact same time and location, as though you were present there yourself. Think vital memories of loved ones, your child's first birthday, the last memory of your parent before passing away, that sort of thing.
Right now, I imagine the equipment needed to even record this sort of thing is both unwieldy and inaccessible to the common folk, much less do it properly. Now, anyone with a $4k headset will be able to just put it on and record his surroundings without having to do anything extra on his end, or even physically hold up a smartphone. Is it expensive relatively to a smartphone or even a decent digital camera? Perhaps? But what price the ability to relive your most precious moments?
I feel that's the one thing Apple nabs better than many other tech companies out there. The ability to appeal to one's emotions, and not just bundle tech for tech's sake. They don't term themselves as being at the intersection of arts and technology for nothing.
I presume this is in early stage of demo, details are sparse. I do know that windows in Vision are in 'fixed' position as opposed to Meta Quest 'wobbly' like.
Is it?!
Mine was even if you manage to convince people to wear this huge thing on their face good luck convincing them to pay three and a half grand for the privilege.
I'm not saying there's no merit here, but all of which Google Glass did back when it was a thing. But with VP as designed, it's focused more inward than outward. Plus as goggles, well, if your most 'memorable moments' were to attempt to involve anyone else versus solo activities, it might get awkward.
I certainly could see a more 'Glass-like' thing being marketed as you call out - positioned more at recording and playing memories, like a goPro without the fisheye lens and in high fidelity, but I don't think that's the VP's 'consumer killer app' in it's current incarnation and price.
And i doubt they will.
MacOS and iOS do not ship with any killer apps for the platform either, this is what giving hardware to developers will achieve. We’re very early days yet.
They can’t develop the next killer app without hardware to test it on.
The real killer app i feel will be a high end apple 3d camera to go with this.