Apple's Vision Pro Developer Labs Not Drawing Many Attendees

[gpat]

It certainly seems like no-one has managed to make a breakthrough piece of software, something that is really a must-have, across all of the fragmented markets that are out there.

Apple could manage to do it because they have so much know-how in user experience, marketing, developer support, and sheer investing power, if they really wanted to.
But there's no way in hell this succeeds at $3499.
Every penny over $999 makes adoption exponentially harder.
They have to drive down costs by making an headset that can link to existing M1 and M2 chips in Macs and iPads.

 

[Steve121178]

I have a bad feeling about Vision. I hope it doesn’t flop but I don’t see it being as popular as other Apple devices.

Of course it won't be anywhere as near as popular.

The price point makes this dead on arrival. Yes, it will probably sell very well initially with those who are just curious about the product or prepared to take a gamble & pay the price for a ludicrously priced gen-1 product, but it will never sell in the numbers needed to make it worthwhile for companies to invest a significant amount of money and people into development for potentially very little returns.

From those that have tested it, the weight and bulk makes it uncomfy for anything more than 1-2 hours of use. The tech is amazing especially for a first generation release, but at that price it's not going to succeed.

Apple will need to release a peasant version with stripped back specs for this to sell in the numbers needed to make it worth developing for.

 

[The Game 161]

It seem like a lot of people agree this is bound to be a flop.

Why can't apple management see what millions of random people on the internet see clearly?

People also thought iphone, apple watch, air pods would also be a flop.

people want it to be a flop because of the price. They refuse to see the long terms development of what this is for that's the problem. They are just seeing the vision pro as it stands now and not what apple want it to be in the future.

 

[Col4bin]

Can you imagine walking around wearing that monstrosity? Not ready for prime time. (Needs a smaller, lighter, more efficient, and a much more minimally invasive design. Oh, and cut the price by more than 1/2.)

 

[Steve121178]

People also thought iphone, apple watch, air pods would also be a flop.

people want it to be a flop because of the price. They refuse to see the long terms development of what this is for that's the problem. They are just seeing the vision pro as it stands now and not what apple want it to be in the future.

I don't think people want it to flop - they can just see that in will inevitably will.

The tech behind it is amazing but no one's going to sit there with a ridiculous headset on for any length of time. Unless you're a loner with social issues, then why would you sit there with your family wearing it regardless of whether they can see your eyes or not? It's just stupid.

From a personal point of view I can see it being useful to use with a Mac instead of having multiple displays but I'm sure the fatigue of wearing the bulky headset will soon become annoying. I think watching movies on it will be a reasonable experience that will tire quicker than it will take for the batteries to run out unless you daisy chain yourself to the mains or wear a belt loaded with batteries.

It's just not what people will spend their money on unlike the watch & iPod etc that were priced at the low end and made them a very low risk purchase for anyone that was sceptical of their value and worth.

 

[Steve121178]

Can you imagine walking around wearing that monstrosity? Not ready for prime time. (Needs a smaller, lighter, more efficient, and a much more minimally invasive design. Oh, and cut the price by more than 1/2.)

Anyone walking around London will get it stolen off their face within a few mins anyway, once even the thieves stopped laughing at how silly it looks to be walking around the street like that.

 

[citysnaps]

translation: "I don't know of any other uses, either"

Nope. Within the last two years I've posted at least a dozen or so uses for AR. All of which are in use today.

Perhaps you can think of one or two?

 

[grovian]

I have friends/family. My "real cinema experience" is enjoying it with other people, not just purely the quality of the screen.

I watch movies on a 13" laptop with my girlfriend. I offered to "upgrade" to a laser projector or to get an OLED TV (we don't have a TV). What she said was: "To me the intimacy of watching it with the notebook between us is what matters most".

 

[citysnaps]

It seem like a lot of people agree this is bound to be a flop.

Why can't apple management see what millions of random people on the internet see clearly?

Yep. Just like iPod, iPhone, iPad, Watch, AirPods. Many people feel better after taking a swing at Apple proclaiming new products will flop. Vision Pro is no exception.

 

[Col4bin]

Apple jumped into this market too early? They’re a successful and smart company with incredible market research and analytics. So, they obviously know what they’re doing. Yet, I can’t help but think they could have let this stew on the back burner for a few more years as overall tech improves, use cases become more fully defined, and most importantly, costs reduce. VR as a whole is struggling and other manufacturers are experiencing YOY declines in sales and VR units shipped. So, again, why the rush to push this out now when it’s not ready, and there’s no real competitive threat? For me personally (and seemingly many others), I won’t be shelling out $3,500 for a half-baked beta that will become quickly obsoleted.

AR/VR Headsets Continue Decline as VR Sets Plummet -- THE Journal

The first quarter of 2023 saw further declines in the AR/VR headset space, following a steep decline the previous year.

thejournal.com

 

[Col4bin]

For anyone serious about developing for this technology, price is not a hurdle. Heck, in 1984 the first Macintosh was $2,495.

Mass personal computing as a whole was fairly new to market at that time whereas today, apps are ubiquitous. Developers may be reluctant to risk their time, effort and cost to develop for an unproven platform with unknown ROI. Only consumer acceptance and positive unit sales will help spur this on in time. Perhaps Apple could sweeten the deal by providing unique financial incentives to developers to help broaden appeal and willingness to jump in.

Cost of Developing an Apple Vision Pro App — What to Know

Determining the cost of Apple Vision app development depends on many variables. Let's break down what to makes up the price.

www.nomtek.com

 

[Col4bin]

The killer app for me is ANY size screen in a smallish mobile package. And that was demoed in the WWDC presentation.

Anybody want an even bigger MB? An even bigger iMac? An even bigger iPad? An even bigger iPhone? Conceptually, ALL of them could be "in there." I doubt Apple will ever make even a 20" MB (will we ever see the 17" again?)... but this can deliver the illusion of one MINUS the weight and unwieldiness. Ever wish your biggest screen desktop experience could be anywhere you happen to be? Perhaps this can replicate it... on the plane, on the train, in the Uber ride, at the hotel, etc. Am I the ONLY road warrior who often wishes the big screen Mac back at home/office could be there- wherever "there" happens to be this week- when on the road? Here's a very tangible way to get that- the ONLY practical way.

All tech players are working on ways to deliver bigger screens while clinging to mobility. That objective is yielding attempts at FOLDS, at ROLLS, etc. Perhaps Vpro is an Apple cut at the same? And instead of delivering a rigidly fixed-size screen when unfolded or unrolled, this ONE device can deliver ANY size screen... as small as a phone screen and as big as IMAX: no creases, no scaling weight with size, etc.

If using it as a laptop (BIG) screen works as good as it appeared in the demo, Vpro may be my next "laptop" (screen). Why be limited to "up to" 16" anymore, when a MB could be 20", 30", 40", 50", ultra-wide, 2 screen, 4 screen? And deliver any of that without the weight of aluminum, glass and overall heft.

And that's just ONE "killer" app IMO. With a little imagination about a device that can effectively show our eyes ANYTHING paired with devices that can play ANY sound to our ears, there is a LOT of killer apps to be created and delivered. "Think different!"

Yes, but you still actually need to wear this thing. That’s a hurdle hard to overcome.

 

[Isamilis]

Vision Pro was super impressive to see at WWDC, but I gotta admit, I've lost all interest since then. I'm rooting for it, but I have no plans or desires to purchase it anytime soon. It kinda says a lot that I've been way more excited for the iPhone 15 Pro, which is rumored to only provide iterative updates over the iPhone 14 Pro, than I am for Vision Pro.

I was lost of interest after knowing the price tag.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Yes, but you still actually need to wear this thing. That’s a hurdle hard to overcome.

I envision it in a bag… just like a laptop: pull it out when I want to do some computing, put it away when done. Instead of pull something out, set it on our lap, open it and get to work, it’s pull it out, slip it over our eyes and get to work. Instead of finish work, close the clamshell, put it back in laptop bag, it's finish work, slip it off my head and put it back in bag.

Welder slips their helmet over their face to do their job... but then OFF when their work is done. Skier/diver slips on their face gear to do the task and off when not doing the task. Cyclist wears their helmet while riding and then off when not riding. Sunglasses slip down to cover eyes when needed and then off when not needed. Fireman slips on the helmet to battle the fire but then it's off again when not doing their work. This should not be different.

I think too many of us seem to only be able to visualize this as permanently on our faces… that it must be on at all times. First, it apparently doesn’t have the battery life for that even if someone wanted to live in them. And second, even iPhone gets put away at times (and regularly)… so this seems likely to be in bag at least as much as a laptop is in bag now…which, even for hard workers, is likely MOST of every day.

In my own imagined use of it as potential laptop replacement, that’s exactly how I imagine it: in bag as much as laptops are now… out and in use much like one uses a laptop now… not 24/7/365 “We are the Borg” wear.

“Think different”

 

[The Game 161]

I don't think people want it to flop - they can just see that in will inevitably will.

The tech behind it is amazing but no one's going to sit there with a ridiculous headset on for any length of time. Unless you're a loner with social issues, then why would you sit there with your family wearing it regardless of whether they can see your eyes or not? It's just stupid.

From a personal point of view I can see it being useful to use with a Mac instead of having multiple displays but I'm sure the fatigue of wearing the bulky headset will soon become annoying. I think watching movies on it will be a reasonable experience that will tire quicker than it will take for the batteries to run out unless you daisy chain yourself to the mains or wear a belt loaded with batteries.

It's just not what people will spend their money on unlike the watch & iPod etc that were priced at the low end and made them a very low risk purchase for anyone that was sceptical of their value and worth.

That’s the thing people are missing the long terms benefits and what this will lead to. Eventually this tech is what will go a long way to replacing phones in the end. Vision pro is just the start of the future of tech. I don’t think this headset is meant to be bought for most people at gen 1 when it costs 3500. A cheaper model for 1500? Sure people will have interest and buy it maybe. It will take a while before this becomes normal.

Social wise I don’t see this as any different to when families are at home sitting on their phone or tablets and often with headphones on watching youtube/films while others are watching TV. It will be similar just more obvious. This type of usage is very common and normal with the younger generation these days.

That said no people won’t be spending money on this unless people are massive apple fans but it’s the long terms development is what makes this interesting and why the tech and whats behind it will not flop. This is just the start of making this a do it all device for people in the future. I don't think anybody should judge it on being a flop based on gen 1 sales.

 

[Ethosik]

Yep. Just like iPod, iPhone, iPad, Watch, AirPods. Many people feel better after taking a swing at Apple proclaiming new products will flop. Vision Pro is no exception.

Nobody thought iPod, iPhone, iPad, Watch or AirPods would be a flop. It is not even comparable to this. Cell phones are not a niche market. Listening to music on the go is not a niche market. Watches are not a niche market, and headphones are not a niche market.

Every single one of those markets my parents and grand parents were in by the time the Apple product launched. Everyone had flip phones. A lot of people had Sony Walkmans and listed to CDs with headphones during long trips, or put CDs in their car to listen to music. A lot of people were already wearing FitBit, I had one too, or a standard watch. And nearly everyone had at least one pair of headphones, wireless headphones were exploding in popularity.

Only gamers know and have used VR. It is a niche market, and Apple isn't very strong in the Gaming market, so it is a niche market in a niche market.

I do not see how people can compare this with any other Apple products.

 

[Ethosik]

That’s the thing people are missing the long terms benefits and what this will lead to. Eventually this tech is what will go a long way to replacing phones in the end. Vision pro is just the start of the future of tech. I don’t think this headset is meant to be bought for most people at gen 1 when it costs 3500. A cheaper model for 1500? Sure people will have interest and buy it maybe. It will take a while before this becomes normal.

Social wise I don’t see this as any different to when families are at home sitting on their phone or tablets and often with headphones on watching youtube/films while others are watching TV. It will be similar just more obvious. This type of usage is very common and normal with the younger generation these days.

That said no people won’t be spending money on this unless people are massive apple fans but it’s the long terms development is what makes this interesting and why the tech and whats behind it will not flop. This is just the start of making this a do it all device for people in the future. I don't think anybody should judge it on being a flop based on gen 1 sales.

It will never become normal. Just like your example. You don't see a difference of glancing at your phone for 5 seconds for a text message during a dinner with family vs putting on a headset? It is a lot more involved than just 5 second glance at your phone. And when you are out at restaurants you can do the same thing. I have gotten urgent business calls during dates, how goofy would it be if I put on a giant headset just to answer a business call?

What world are we looking to have here? Ready Player One? Where people just want to interact in a virtual world? It will just lead to isolation, major rise in obesity which is already a major problem, and if you got the message of that movie it will have disastrous effects.

 

[Ethosik]

Yes, but you still actually need to wear this thing. That’s a hurdle hard to overcome.

Yep. Until it becomes like Tony Stark's glasses in Infinity War, this will never take off. This is not even close to comparing to taking your laptop to a coffee shop.

 

[Steve121178]

That’s the thing people are missing the long terms benefits and what this will lead to. Eventually this tech is what will go a long way to replacing phones in the end. Vision pro is just the start of the future of tech. I don’t think this headset is meant to be bought for most people at gen 1 when it costs 3500. A cheaper model for 1500? Sure people will have interest and buy it maybe. It will take a while before this becomes normal.

Social wise I don’t see this as any different to when families are at home sitting on their phone or tablets and often with headphones on watching youtube/films while others are watching TV. It will be similar just more obvious. This type of usage is very common and normal with the younger generation these days.

That said no people won’t be spending money on this unless people are massive apple fans but it’s the long terms development is what makes this interesting and why the tech and whats behind it will not flop. This is just the start of making this a do it all device for people in the future. I don't think anybody should judge it on being a flop based on gen 1 sales.

I personally don't think any headset is the answer or the future of tech.

Every head wearable has flopped & failed. Even 3D glasses were rejected by the masses as people don't want to wear things on their face/head. At all.

There's absolutely no doubt that the Apple Vision Pro's tech is impressive, but it still looks primitive and ridiculous. It's a stigma that will forever put people off buying it. I'm not convinced a cheaper version is even the answer as its still wearable tech that people don't want.

It's a niche product for a niche audience. Perhaps senior figures in the California tech community will one day realise 99% of us are not Tesla driving tech muppets with endless amounts of money and will go back to basics and give us another iPod/Watch moment - innovative useful tech at consumer friendly prices that everyone will want. The Apple Watch proved that if you price it right, even your granny will want one.

 

[The Game 161]

It will never become normal. Just like your example. You don't see a difference of glancing at your phone for 5 seconds for a text message during a dinner with family vs putting on a headset? It is a lot more involved than just 5 second glance at your phone. And when you are out at restaurants you can do the same thing. I have gotten urgent business calls during dates, how goofy would it be if I put on a giant headset just to answer a business call?

What world are we looking to have here? Ready Player One? Where people just want to interact in a virtual world? It will just lead to isolation, major rise in obesity which is already a major problem, and if you got the message of that movie it will have disastrous effects.

hat’s the point, I’m not talking about a 5 sec example. The younger generation use devices for hours on end not just a spare 5 mins. Who said this would be a use case when at a restaurant? You don’t use your ipad or mac at a restaurant. It will be same use case when you want to spend time on your ipad or mac. Hell this could be used for work easily certainly if you work at home or use spreadsheets and use this with your mac. The world is people stuck with their tech devices and spending hours on end on these devices wether it’s a phone, tablet, mac or gaming PC.

The vision pro isn’t replacing your phone yet anyway and it never will. Glasses with this level of tech certainly can and will in the end and this headset is where it will all start.

 

[timber]

It will never become normal. Just like your example. You don't see a difference of glancing at your phone for 5 seconds for a text message during a dinner with family vs putting on a headset? It is a lot more involved than just 5 second glance at your phone. And when you are out at restaurants you can do the same thing. I have gotten urgent business calls during dates, how goofy would it be if I put on a giant headset just to answer a business call?

What world are we looking to have here? Ready Player One? Where people just want to interact in a virtual world? It will just lead to isolation, major rise in obesity which is already a major problem, and if you got the message of that movie it will have disastrous effects.

That is why I believe Apple needs to somehow manage to get some short term very enticing experiences.
Outside of some real sci-fi hardware improvement using that helmet is either very uncomfortable or dystopian.

 

[The Game 161]

I personally don't think any headset is the answer or the future of tech.

Every head wearable has flopped & failed. Even 3D glasses were rejected by the masses as people don't want to wear things on their face/head. At all.

There's absolutely no doubt that the Apple Vision Pro's tech is impressive, but it still looks primitive and ridiculous. It's a stigma that will forever put people off buying it. I'm not convinced a cheaper version is even the answer as its still wearable tech that people don't want.

It's a niche product for a niche audience. Perhaps senior figures in the California tech community will one day realise 99% of us are not Tesla driving tech muppets with endless amounts of money and will go back to basics and give us another iPod/Watch moment - innovative useful tech at consumer friendly prices that everyone will want. The Apple Watch proved that if you price it right, even your granny will want one.

The headset in this tech is the start of the future though that's the story here. The headset will be an add on device to what you already have and a device. Headset wise no it won't replace anything. Just like foldables won't replace slab phones. It will however will replace the phone once it's developed into glasses

 

[Col4bin]

I envision it in a bag… just like a laptop: pull it out when I want to do some computing, put it away when done. Instead of pull something out, set it on our lap, open it and get to work, it’s pull it out, slip it over our eyes and get to work.

I think too many of us seem to only be able to visualize this as permanently on our faces… that it must be on at all times. First, it apparently doesn’t have the battery life for that even if someone wanted to live in them. And second, even iPhone gets put away at times (and regularly)… so this seems likely to be in bag at least as much as a laptop is in bag now…which, even for hard workers, is likely MOST of every day.

In my own imagined use of it as potential laptop replacement, that’s exactly how I imagine it: in bag as much as laptops are now… out and in use much like one uses a laptop now… not 24/7/365 “We are the Borg” wear.

“Think different”

Good points. I’m stuck on wearability and overall cost. Need to determine if it’s something that I need in my life and look forward to seeing it more fully developed in the future.

 

[Steve121178]

The headset in this tech is the start of the future though that's the story here. The headset will be an add on device to what you already have and a device. Headset wise no it won't replace anything. Just like foldables won't replace slab phones. It will however will replace the phone once it's developed into glasses

People won't want to wear glasses either. If you already wear glasses are you then expected to pay extra for the prescription lenses you need like you are expected to do with the Vision Pro? Apple is out of its mind if they think people are going to pony up for this stuff.

 

[cipnrkorvo]

Unpopular opinion, but I’m super hyped for this. 10x more than iPhone 15.