Apple Surveys Devs With Vision Pro About Digital 'Persona'

[MacRumors]

While the Apple Vision Pro headset is not launching until early 2024, some developers have access to the device in order to develop visionOS apps. Through Feedback Assistant, Apple is collecting opinions on the Vision Pro "Persona" that is created for each person for use with FaceTime.

The Persona is a digital representation of the user, with Apple using the headset's cameras to recreate the face and hands. While the FaceTime call is ongoing, the Persona is able to make the same facial expressions and hand movements as the user, so that FaceTime calls feel more like a person-to-person interaction.

There is likely some degree of uncanny valley with this experience, so it is no surprise that it is a feature that Apple is working to refine. Apple is asking developers a number of questions about the Persona experience.

• How do you feel about your Persona?
• To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance?
• To what extent do you feel your Persona responds to your facial expressions?
• What do you like most about your Persona?
• What do you like least about your Persona?
• What do you like/not like about this Persona?

Respondents are given multiple choice answers for most of the questions, with the last one being an open feedback form. For the "How do you feel about your Persona?" question, for example, responses include "Very Happy - I'm excited to use it," "Happy - I would be okay using it," "Unhappy - I would be hesitant to use it," and "Very Unhappy - I would never use it."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1702364571053248573

Apple does not plan to release the Vision Pro headset until early 2024, so it still has several months of software refining and hardware tweaking to do before the device needs to be mass produced in order to sell.

The headset will be priced at $3,500 when it launches, and it will first be available in the United States before expanding to other countries.

Article Link: Apple Surveys Devs With Vision Pro About Digital 'Persona'

 

[jonnysods]

Will be so creepy to see a generated version of my face. Hopefully it makes it a little nicer looking than the one I have now.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

It seems to me that until we gain the technologies to project holographic versions of ourselves into distant meetings/greetings, this has to be towards next best thing. All those FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/etc face-to-face conversations people have every day are all limited to that 2D flat screen experience... where you very much are reminded that you are not there and they are not with you. This moderates that feeling towards creating a face-to-face environment that will certainly feel like you are there and they are here with you.

I look forward to trying it out and hope it works at least as good as implied in the WWDC demo... if not even better.

 

[jole]

Interesting to see if/how/when Apple will enable those digital personas to work as camera feed outside FaceTime. Most of my video conferences are over Google Meet, some over Zoom and FaceTime: would be sad if I would need to hop out of AR for most of the meetings.

 

[darngooddesign]

I will be surprised if there aren’t VR versions of Memojis.

 

[jole]

There will never be a bad hair day for a morning meeting. One can just hop out of bed, without even putting clothes on for the first meeting of the day due to the avatar always looking perfect.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Will be so creepy to see a generated version of my face. Hopefully it makes it a little nicer looking than the one I have now.

I'm sure there will be an elaborate cottage industry of filter algorithms designed to present the very best possible look of each person regardless of how they actually look at the moment: virtual makeup if you will. You could be sitting there unshaven, bed head, in PJs. The person at the other end sees you perfectly polished, pristine and dressed to kill.

I can imagine "thinning" algorithm options too to hide some fat, virtual botox to remove some wrinkles, etc.

Think dating app where when you go meet the person, you realize that the photos they posted had had a good run through Photoshop. I imagine the video version of photoshop improvement filters being popular apps for this product.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Interesting to see if/how/when Apple will enable those digital personas to work as camera feed outside FaceTime. Most of my video conferences are over Google Meet, some over Zoom and FaceTime: would be sad if I would need to hop out of AR for most of the meetings.

My guess is it will go the other way. The App makers will need to evolve their app for Vpro support and this one being one thing to incorporate. Whether Apple will allow access to such APIs is a whole other question. 🤞

 

[bradman83]

The Uncanny Valley is a real thing, and teams of digital artists spending hours doing 3D work have an enormously hard time making true-to-life CGI people that don't freak us out. I'm curious to see how Apple pulls this off in real-time practice.

 

[macguru212]

I'd like customizable Personas, preferably clown-themed: Pennywise for calling the kids, Bozo for business associates, and Weary Willie for close friends.

 

[applepotato666]

The Uncanny Valley is a real thing, and teams of digital artists spending hours doing 3D work have an enormously hard time making true-to-life CGI people that don't freak us out. I'm curious to see how Apple pulls this off in real-time practice.

I don’t think there’s a way to avoid the Uncanny Valley when rendering a true to life human with all the details. It’s always going to have a certain element of that but they can make it better with time. The demo they showed at the Vision event was just scary especially the eye thing on the front.

 

[ackmondual]

Will be so creepy to see a generated version of my face. Hopefully it makes it a little nicer looking than the one I have now.

This thing seems costly, but then again, so is using Photoshop. If you have access to Photoshop anyways, you still need to have the expertise to make changes so you look better.

 

[till]

I remember Jason Snell really disliked the digital persona when he tried out Vision Pro, it was the only negative part of his demo experience. There was a lot of speculation that Apple might cut this feature, or at least make it optional with a Memoji alternative.

This survey suggests Apple is rightly worried about the feature, they know it at least needs major improvements. That's a relief.

 

[Born Again]

these are going to bomb so hard

oh you thought meta was stupid going all in with VR...

 

[Chuckeee]

Oh please please please let there be a clipie

 

[nfl46]

I can't wait to see how advance Vision Pro is in 5 to 10 years.

 

[NEPOBABY]

Persona was the name of a terrible social network in Black Mirror season 5.

It was so bad that the Jack Dorseyesque CEO had to go to meditation retreats to pretend it didn't exist.

 

[lazyrighteye]

There will never be a bad hair day for a morning meeting. One can just hop out of bed, without even putting clothes on for the first meeting of the day due to the avatar always looking perfect.

As long as all of the attendees are in FaceTime. 😜
99% of my business video calls are over anything but FaceTime.
100% of my family video calls are over FaceTime.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I never have my camera on for video calls. It’s distracting to see yourself and to see others distracted by you and themselves. The audio is typically bad, and the environment can be a distraction as well (even the fake backgrounds). I will use my Persona for video calls with my Vision Pro — there will be uniformity in framing and the audio will be excellent. Looking forward to it!

 

[tomtad]

I remember Jason Snell really disliked the digital persona when he tried out Vision Pro, it was the only negative part of his demo experience. There was a lot of speculation that Apple might cut this feature, or at least make it optional with a Memoji alternative.

This survey suggests Apple is rightly worried about the feature, they know it at least needs major improvements. That's a relief.

Enjoy going to a work meeting as a Memoji

Anyway what's even the point on this feature, even with a realistic looking Persona. Isn't the whole point to be able to see the other persons face rather than a digital recreation of it? You might as well just phone someone, or you know take off the headset and use a webcam.

 

[jonnysods]

This thing seems costly, but then again, so is using Photoshop. If you have access to Photoshop anyways, you still need to have the expertise to make changes so you look better.

I'm a cheapskate - I use Affinity Photo!

 

[sw1tcher]

I should make/sell skins for these digital personas so that each time they appear, they're not always wearing the same outfit. 🤣

Offer a rotating assortment of outfits (tops). Oh, and on a subscription basis.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Enjoy going to a work meeting as a Memoji

Anyway what's even the point on this feature, even with a realistic looking Persona. Isn't the whole point to be able to see the other persons face rather than a digital recreation of it? You might as well just phone someone, or you know take off the headset and use a webcam.

What's the point of meeting people vs. just calling them? What's the point of business meetings vs. only conf. calls? What do attendees gain by gathering in-person and seeing each other that they don't pick up over audio-only interactions?

Somewhere in good, objective answers to those questions, you may find an answer.

And I suspect meetings that use Vpro will offer to mix in flat screen webcam attendees with those who seem actually there in 3D... like meetings where most of the team are in the conf room together but one or two are on a screen on the wall. As is always the case in those, those in person will feel more connected to each other. Those phoning/video screening in will feel more like outsiders because they are not there.

 

[Pakaku]

Enjoy going to a work meeting as a Memoji

Anyway what's even the point on this feature, even with a realistic looking Persona. Isn't the whole point to be able to see the other persons face rather than a digital recreation of it? You might as well just phone someone, or you know take off the headset and use a webcam.

But how do you see someone’s face when they’re enclosed inside a headset. An avatar is pretty much necessary for a headset if you still want to put an image to someone, whether it’s a static image (like our forum icons), or a virtual 3d avatar

Apple’s memoji stuff is pretty vile, though, and I’d much prefer something more stylized than whatever Apple’s version is trying to be. Something like Nintendo’s Miis would be way more appealing IMO, especially if I can have some actual fun with face-customization without it looking “realistic cute” to the point of making me want to vomit (or even let us use something completely custom, like VRChat or, again, like our forum icons)

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I don't want the Personas. I want to be an anime style avatar when in a video call, not a 3D uncanny representation of myself.

Quoting UploadVR in their VR Download episode of the Personas: "Why would I use these creepy 3D avatars in virtual reality when I can use an avatar of Scooby Doo? I don't want to be myself I want to be Scooby Doo."