Apple Stops Work on Lighter Vision Pro to Fast-Track AI Smart Glasses

[turbineseaplane]

It sounds like Apple is finally realizing they made a big mistake with the Vision Pro in its current form.

Anyone who was objective about AVP realized it immediately.

Some folks got really over excited about what the actual product was in reality.

One saw that when people circled back and were honest if they had returned it or how much they were actually using after a while.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I feel like the Apple I used to love 20-25 years ago is really gone.

Especially if one dives into the discussions about the abomination that is Tahoe

 

[Donkey Man]

Here, in Germany, the Vision Air would be a better bet, smartglasses are a legal minefield.

You can't use them in public without getting permission from anyone in the prospective image (technically, if they are identifiable and in the foreground, if somebody is 10M away and strolling across where the image would be taken, that is usually allowed), you can't use them in offices (cameras in general are generally not allowed and with smartphones these days, you generally can't photograph workspaces, screens etc.), on some sites I travel to, even smartphones, tablets and laptops with cameras have to be put in a secure-box at the security point and retrieved again when leaving the premises.

Private gatherings as well, you have to get permission, for example, my wife tells everyone when we go to a party that they do not have her permission to post photos of her online, which is legally binding.

Imagine going to a party and telling everyone they are not allowed to take pictures of you or post them like any normal person would - Germany is definitely through. Better yet: you should just stay home and not attend the party at all.

 

[VisceralRealist]

It's interesting for Apple to claim this device will "rely on AI" when they don't seem to have figured out AI yet at all.

"Spatial computing" is nothing. They chose to prioritize it in the form of goggles as "the next iPhone" and now they're apparently already pivoting and relegating the Vision Pro to an enterprise niche. Apple playing "catch up" never seems to go well.

Improved Siri is something I would actually use. Goggles/glasses remain a gimmick to me.

 

[turbineseaplane]

"Spatial computing" is nothing.

Thank you for cutting through the Apple marketing BS with such razor sharp clarity.

👏

Improved Siri is something I would actually use. Goggles/glasses remain a gimmick to me.

Agree totally

 

[citysnaps]

I feel like the Apple I used to love 20-25 years ago is really gone.

1+ Bilion active and repeat Apple customers who purchase Apple products every year and have propelled Apple becoming one of the most successful consumer tech companies in the world would disagree with you.

 

[Camerondonal]

I find it very odd that, after going to such efforts and such enormous expense to develop this technology, with its unique operating system, Apple doesn't seem to care about making it accessible to a larger audience. It's baffling. Even the original projected release date of 2027 demonstrates what a low priority a 'Vision Air' was for Apple. And of course, if the VP is going to remain a very expensive, high end, niche product, even fewer developers will have any incentive to create content and apps for it. So even fewer people will buy it. It's already a white elephant 🤷🏻 I find hard to believe that Apple didn't think about creating a commercial product at all during the initial development process.

 

[cardfan]

here come the negative nancy's to say how Apple has no idea what its doing after they explicitly asked exactly for these products to come out faster. the hypocrisy below will be glaring. Ready yourself for the toxicity here

If no idea what they're doing applies, then its only when it comes to an ancient voice assistant Siri or AI. Let's see this foundation. This AI or next gen Siri Apple can come up with and integrate with what it has first before getting excited about or demanding AR glasses from Apple. Lacking anything worthy AI is hurting Apple across the board.

However the real take away from reading this article is what I said all along. There is no way to make a cheaper Vision Pro that will somehow be more appealing than the 3500 version or be able to shave off a significant amount of cost. If the vision pro is to survive then it must be worthy of its own niche. I haven't seen Apple go all in on it and i own a vision pro. But the ACT of making another one was the only thing giving me any confidence it'll continue to be supported. Let's hope the vision pro 2 is till on course.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I find hard to believe that Apple didn't think about creating a commercial product at all during the initial development process.

They did. It just flopped.
It's a bad idea from the start and apparently nobody inside Apple had the pull to tell Tim "we shouldn't do this".

 

[shinkansenwarrior]

THIS is what Tim needs for the next gen glasses. Joe 90 brain pattern transfer glasses.
Gerry Anderson had this down in the 1960s but it seems Tim hasn't caught on yet.

 

[whatnot]

why 'AI smart glasses' and not 'AI casual glasses'? and what would you even need them for? sounds like every creep's wet dream come true.

 

[maxoakland]

This is so typical of Apple these days. Don’t refine a product, just let it languish while you chase a shiny new thing no one will care about. The vision pro was probably a bad idea but making it lighter would definitely be an improvement and they could build on what they already have

Btw the Mac Pro is still on M2

 

[maxoakland]

I love my Vision Pro but AR glasses with two displays running a version of VisionOS are much more likely to be a bigger hit with consumers than goggles that make you look like a dork when wearing them outside of your home ever will be.

I do think both have a place and I concur with others who say it’s a trillion dollar company so you can’t sell me that they can’t do both at the same time.

People who don’t wear glasses don’t want to wear glasses. People who *wear* glasses don’t even want to wear glasses

People also don’t want someone around them using a device that’s recording them at all times

 

[Camerondonal]

They did. It just flopped.
It's a bad idea from the start and apparently nobody inside Apple had the pull to tell Tim "we shouldn't do this".

You mean the idea of creating a more commercial product flopped?

 

[whatnot]

like any normal person would

so what's your definition of 'normal'? does it involve documenting and plastering your every encounter online without asking anyone's permission for either?

 

[Nehalem]

I’m interested in replacing my phone in my hand, with something insanely magical through glasses.

I’m forever uninterested in facial Tupperware.

I’d rather hoped Apple understood this was likely the majority of humanity.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’m forever uninterested in facial Tupperware.

This gave me a great chuckle.
😂

Totally agree with you.

 

[kiranmk2]

Vision Pro is just an accessory. Nice-to-have accessory. And should have price appropriate for accessory. That is what I actually expected. There were many cases of 3D technologies failures (TVs, etc). Yet Tim Cook decided to launch it at ridiculous price just to have one product associated with his CEO shift. Vision Pro is and will be a flop which consumed huge amount of R&D resources. That’s the fact that will be associated with him.

At least the Vision Pros will sell a few hundred thousand units - maybe even a million cumulatively by 2027. The Apple Car truly consumed the R&D resoures and flopped so badly it never even launched!

1+ Bilion active and repeat Apple customers who purchase Apple products every year and have propelled Apple becoming one of the most successful consumer tech companies in the world would disagree with you.

People tend to think of Apple as some magnificant company that is somehow executing better than most companies out there. I think it's just a wasteful, incompetent and disfunctional as many other companies out there, but it has a loyal fanbase and draws heavily on it's brand, network and switching moats to keep people buying their bread and butter products every few years.

Apple was the most valuable company in the world (and is still valed >$3T), but they couldn't get an electric car to market. Xiaomi (another CE company) has managed to do just this in China, where it is very popular. Apple couldn't get AR glasses to market, instead falling back onto a (very good, but expensive) VR headset. Meta (a company not really known for it's hardware prowess) has managed to get a 1st gen smart glasses with display out within months of it's proof-of-concept AR demonstration. It would not surprise me at all, if Meta (or someone else) manages to get out a proper pair of AR glasses for $1500 or less, just as Apple releases their 1st gen product with no display (probably for $5-600).

 

[turbineseaplane]

People tend to think of Apple as some magnificant company that is somehow executing better than most companies out there. I think it's just a wasteful, incompetent and disfunctional as many other companies out there, but it has a loyal fanbase and draws heavily on it's brand, network and switching moats to keep people buying their bread and butter products every few years.

This has absolutely become the case over time under Tim Cook.

One has to take a longer, objective, view of it all, but once analyzed that way, it's pretty clear.

 

[hvfsl]

I would personally love something like this if done right. Will be great to use when cycling, with route finding so don’t have to keep glancing down at my bike computer if going somewhere new. Plus there are many other sports/out door activities this would be useful for as well, like sailing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I would personally love something like this if done right. Will be great to use when cycling, with route finding so don’t have to keep glancing down at my bike computer if going somewhere new. Plus there are many other sports/out door activities this would be useful for as well, like sailing.

Similar to you, I would have a strong use case for running.

Apple really should approach this in terms of getting an MVP out there in a hyper focused niche (fitness would be a good one) and go from there.

We would like fitness it sounds like, but an equally strong case could be made for an amazing Mac/iPhone display ala the Bigscreen Beyond .. both for work and content consumption.

AVP wasn't really "focused" in any way at all... and they chose to follow a bad form factor choice that they should've known would be polarizing and of extremely limited appeal, just based upon what others have already done in this space.

Don't go at this with a jack of all trades, master of none, approach.

 

[Plutonius]

It seems like Apple is flailing around lately.

 

[whatnot]

Will be great to use when cycling, with route finding so don’t have to keep glancing down at my bike computer if going somewhere new.

I'd sit this one out and just wait for the self-pushing iBike - 'Siri, lesgooo!'

 

[citysnaps]

Apple was the most valuable company in the world (and is still valed >$3T), but they couldn't get an electric car to market.

They could have. But a surprise 100% import tariff imposed in early 2024 on cars manufactured in China made that impractical. And caused Apple to shut down the project.

In the end Apple's 1+ Billion active and repeat customers are the final arbiters of Apple's success. Not forum pundits who feel they know better than Apple when it comes to delivering products their customers love to buy.

 

[whatnot]

Apple's 1+ Billion active and repeat customers

say what?