Apple's Vision Pro: Is it a computer?

[Realityck]

In your opinion is the new Vision Pro actually a computer or is it just another computing appliance similar to how the iPhone, iPad is?

Do the optimized apps have more limits or enhancements when considering is the Vision Pro a computer or a computing appliance?

"Apple is currently marketing this headset as a Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”

The term Spatial Computing actually hails from the 1990's its was applicable to modeling an environment into a 3D representation.

Per Wiki
In the early 1990s, as field of Virtual reality was beginning to be commercialized beyond academic and military labs, a startup called Worldesign in Seattle used the term Spatial Computing to describe the interaction between individual people and 3D spaces, operating more at the human end of the scale than previous GIS examples may have contemplated. The company built a CAVE-like environment it called the Virtual Environment Theater, whose 3D experience was of a virtual flyover of the Giza Plateau, circa 3000 BC. Robert Jacobson, CEO of Worldesign, attributes the origins of the term to experiments at the Human Interface Technology Lab, at the University of Washington, under the direction of Thomas A. Furness III. Jacobson was a co-founder of that lab before spinning off this early VR startup.

The Apple Vision Pro run VisionOS which is derived from iOS but extended like iPadOS

Also see

Here Are All the Apps Pre-Installed on the Apple Vision Pro

The Vision Pro comes with a number of Apple apps that are also available on the iPhone and the iPad. We've seen some of the apps over the past...

www.macrumors.com

Apple's most recent Newsroom post highlighted that “more than 1 million familiar apps across iOS and iPadOS are available on Apple Vision Pro and automatically work with the new input system.”

But separate from basic compatibility, the Vision Pro App Store will feature apps with custom-designed “spatial computing experiences unlike any other platform.” That will allow apps to scale to almost any size and be arranged anywhere.

There has been a lot MacRumors forums comments questioning what advantages some optimized apps offer, versus what non-optimized apps that have been ported from iOS/iPadOS 17.x.

Wiki refers to a computer appliance as a computer system with a combination of hardware, software, or firmware that is specifically designed to provide a particular computing resource. Such devices became known as appliances because of the similarity in role or management to a home appliance, which are generally closed and sealed, and are not serviceable by the user or owner..

 

[4sallypat]

Must be - has the M2 processor in it.

 

[afireintonto]

what's a computer?

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

what's a computer?

Your next computer is not a computer.

 

[Abazigal]

It seems closer to an iPad in terms of functionality compared to a Mac. So whether you consider the Vision Pro a legitimate computer depends on what you use it for. Myself, I have learnt to look beyond such superficial labels.

The Vision Pro, like any other device out there, is going to excel at certain use cases and suck at others. It’s up to the individual to decide what works best for them and adapt accordingly. Whether that makes it a “real computer” or not at the end of the day is a meaningless distinction.

 

[sdynak]

Define what tasks you are seeking under your label and then you might get more help on your concerns. As mentioned this device will be more iOS than MacOS so depends on your needs.

 

[Timo_Existencia]

Of course the AVP is a computer.

 

[jz0309]

Yea, what’s a computer? To me, of the old school, a computer used to be a mainframe and then later the PC became the computer in various form factors.
To me, an iPhone, iPad and watch are computing devices with the main purpose of consumption, or relatively short data input (yea, iPad with BT keyboard can do more I know) and I see the VPro as a similar device, for now. Sure, just like iPad you can add a BT keyboard and type away, but you’re wearing a over 1 lb device on your head, so not really comfortable for day long data entering…

 

[Realityck]

Define what tasks you are seeking under your label and then you might get more help on your concerns. As mentioned this device will be more iOS than MacOS so depends on your needs.

The reason I posed this question as a tread topic was that just how Apple waffled between it is and it isn't, the new Apple Vision Pro is a another example of consumers deciding what it is, and what it isn't compared to other computing devices.

This old 2020 net article shows how much Apple changed their spin for selling iPads as an example.

Apple finally decides the iPad Pro is a computer (and isn't)

In two new ads, Apple slyly refers to promises it made before.

www.zdnet.com

 

[WingingIt]

It depends what you use a computer for. I consider my iPad a computer because I can browse the internet and social media, deal with emails, calendar appointments, manage files, consume content, make video calls, some occasional light gaming. That’s 95%* of what I do with a computer. Therefore my iPad is a computer and my Vision Pro will be too.

If you’re a creative professional maybe, maybe not? I believe some content creators use iPads, but I guess most don’t? Not being one I don’t know.

If you’re using a computer in a work, productivity context then I don’t see why it wouldn’t be ok for that If paired with a Bluetooth keyboard.

*(the other 5% is watching porn 😉)

 

[sdynak]

The reason I posed this question as a tread topic was that just how Apple waffled between it is and it isn't, the new Apple Vision Pro is a another example of consumers deciding what it is, and what it isn't compared to other computing devices.

This old 2020 net article shows how much Apple changed their spin for selling iPads as an example.

Apple finally decides the iPad Pro is a computer (and isn't)

In two new ads, Apple slyly refers to promises it made before.

www.zdnet.com

Got it.. was just trying to help if you were truly unsure what purpose it had for you.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Nobody can answer this question accurately yet because they don't have one to judge it in this way. All answers are built atop what any given person THINKS it can do. Some think it is useless. Others think it is "the future." Still others fall somewhere in-between those extremes.

There's also the highly variable definition of the word computer. Randomly ask 10 people that question and you will probably get 10 very different answers. There's a chance that a number of those people might include a line like "A computer runs Windows" which will then cast out Vpro, iPhone, iPad, etc too.

That shared and to indulge, since we know it can run a basic mix of "casual" computing apps: web browser, email, text messaging, some word processor, some spreadsheet, some calculator, some kind of video editing, photo app, music app, movie playing app, etc. I'll formally proclaim it a computer IMO.

Is it a monitor? I could make a case for that too.

Is is a laptop? I could make a case for that.

Is it a TV or movie screen? That seems easy to argue.

Is it an iPod? We know one can open a music app and play music on it, so yes?

Is it a phone? My own iPad Mini with VOIP app and buds make it my phone. If the same Voip app could run on Vpro, the same buds could be used to make it a "phone."

All that offered, I could take the other side and suggest it is NOT any of those things... but something else... a new thing... sufficiently different from a generic term like "computer" or "TV" to be considered something else... that ALSO has the capability to function like a computer or TV.

Is an iPhone a flashlight? a tape measure? an iPod? A map? A camera? A credit card? A video camera? A scanner? A remote control? Etc. Pick a side to support or refute... any side.

 

[spiderman0616]

Your coffee maker is most likely a computer mixed with robotics. Your washer and dryer likely are too.

 

[Chuckeee]

Despite what Apple may claim, today’s iPhones are computers too. I don’t give much credence to Apple’s differentiation between computers and computer appliances.

 

[Realityck]

Appliances with limited FW programming for monitoring their fixed number of tasks and expected variables by specific sensors doesn’t really constitute a computer.

Computer

This definition explains the meaning of Computer and why it matters.

www.techopedia.com

A computer is an electronic device that processes data according to instructions that are provided by computer programs. Computers can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, from basic calculations to complex operations involving artificial intelligence (AI).

A computer has two main parts: hardware and software. The hardware is responsible for executing tasks, and the software provides the hardware with directions for what tasks to perform – and how to perform them.

• Firmware is a special type of software that is embedded in hardware components to control their basic function
• An Operating System (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.

So not a coffee maker or TV.

 

[Timo_Existencia]

Appliances with limited FW programming for monitoring their fixed number of tasks and expected variables by specific sensors doesn’t really constitute a computer.

Computer

This definition explains the meaning of Computer and why it matters.

www.techopedia.com

A computer is an electronic device that processes data according to instructions that are provided by computer programs. Computers can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, from basic calculations to complex operations involving artificial intelligence (AI).

A computer has two main parts: hardware and software. The hardware is responsible for executing tasks, and the software provides the hardware with directions for what tasks to perform – and how to perform them.

• Firmware is a special type of software that is embedded in hardware components to control their basic function
• An Operating System (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.

So not a coffeemaker, TV.

I'm watching a show on Apple TV right now. It seems to fit all of those criteria.

The Apple TV is connected to a ViewSonic Projector. It has firmware. It has an OS, on which I can connect to an app store. I can download various programs that do various tasks. A programer could likely do almost anything on it if they are motivated.

But, I'm curious about your definition. Would the original Mac 128 count as a computer under this definition?

 

[f1vespeed]

I'll bite, because I'm not one to equivocate on my definition of a "computer". I have a very specific definition of a personal computer that encompasses only the PC and the smartphone right now.

1. The PC, because it allows me to do the maximum number of things a personal computer can do and includes a really powerful keyboard and mouse/trackpad interface. No further explanation needed.

2. The smartphone, because it's the the current ideal way to do everything a computer *can* do in a mobile form factor right now, and it's such a powerful and dominant form factor that the developer ecosystem is constantly trying to serve your every personal computing need via the smartphone even BEFORE they consider desktop/laptop use.

Anything other than a PC or a smartphone, I would broadly consider a "device" or a gadget. It doesn't matter to me that it contains all the components of a full "computer" within it and can run apps, a smart fridge is not really a computer. Its capabilities are too narrow and it leaves me feeling hamstrung.

When the iPad first came out, the narrative was something like "This is the future of computing", and Steve Jobs took to likening PCs to trucks and suggesting the iPad paves the way to computers for the rest of us. I never felt like this was apt for the iPad. It's clear to me that the iPhone was the "future of computing" and made PCs look like trucks, the iPad was comparatively a sideshow and just happened to get the PR narrative that rightfully belonged to the iPhone.

I do fear that the Vision Pro will sit alongside the iPad as a device that's initially marketed to be "the future of computing" but never really serves the purpose of a "computer" FOR ME.

That doesn't mean it's not freaking exquisite and awesome. Like the iPad I will probably buy it and enjoy it for what it's good at, but I will consider it more a luxury gadget than a "computer".

 

[WingingIt]

I'll bite, because I'm not one to equivocate on my definition of a "computer". I have a very specific definition of a personal computer that encompasses only the PC and the smartphone right now.

1. The PC, because it allows me to do the maximum number of things a personal computer can do and includes a really powerful keyboard and mouse/trackpad interface. No further explanation needed.

2. The smartphone, because it's the the current ideal way to do everything a computer *can* do in a mobile form factor right now, and it's such a powerful and dominant form factor that the developer ecosystem is constantly trying to serve your every personal computing need via the smartphone even BEFORE they consider desktop/laptop use.

Anything other than a PC or a smartphone, I would broadly consider a "device" or a gadget. It doesn't matter to me that it contains all the components of a full "computer" within it and can run apps, a smart fridge is not really a computer. Its capabilities are too narrow and it leaves me feeling hamstrung.

When the iPad first came out, the narrative was something like "This is the future of computing", and Steve Jobs took to likening PCs to trucks and suggesting the iPad paves the way to computers for the rest of us. I never felt like this was apt for the iPad. It's clear to me that the iPhone was the "future of computing" and made PCs look like trucks, the iPad was comparatively a sideshow and just happened to get the PR narrative that rightfully belonged to the iPhone.

I do fear that the Vision Pro will sit alongside the iPad as a device that's initially marketed to be "the future of computing" but never really serves the purpose of a "computer" FOR ME.

That doesn't mean it's not freaking exquisite and awesome. Like the iPad I will probably buy it and enjoy it for what it's good at, but I will consider it more a luxury gadget than a "computer".

Could an iPad (with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse) replace your PC? Unless there’s very specific professional apps you use then I bet it could. Sure, in some ways it would do the job worse. But in other ways, maybe it would do the job better.

If it did, the iPad would take place number 1 in your list and Steve Jobs would have been right.

Maybe for you personally the iPad isn’t good enough to do that yet, but for others it has. I got rid of my Mac and switched to an iPad as my main ‘PC’ a while ago.

Same could happen with Vision Pro. It runs all the iPad apps and can do all the main things an iPad can, only with a much bigger screen. So who knows. I’m expecting the Vision Pro to take over from my iPad as my ‘PC’ anyway.

 

[Chuckeee]

A computer is an electronic device that processes data according to instructions that are provided by computer programs. Computers can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, from basic calculations to complex operations involving artificial intelligence (AI).

A computer has two main parts: hardware and software. The hardware is responsible for executing tasks, and the software provides the hardware with directions for what tasks to perform – and how to perform them.

• Firmware is a special type of software that is embedded in hardware components to control their basic function
• An Operating System (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.

So not a coffee maker or TV.

According to this definition, my smart TV is a computer.

 

[MacAndMic]

Seems to be more of a consumption device at this point, like a TV. On steroids albeit. I hope one day I can eliminate the 3 monitors on my desk and truly use goggles in my work producing environment.

 

[NT1440]

According to this definition, my smart TV is a computer.

Well it is 🤷‍♂️

 

[alfonsog]

It can probably replace my MacBook Air I use traveling or my iPad I pretty much only use for sheet music. Can it replace my Apple TV/70" tv with an Atmos surround setup? I use that for media consumption, I watch mostly alone so will it be a better experience? I don't think it can replace my M1 Ultra but it could be a virtual monitor for it but will it be better to use than my studio display and 32" monitor.. I do large music scores, how will it handle that... or will it matter if I'm running the music program on my Mac. I don't know yet but I'll find out next month. I just sold a business so I have a little extra money to drop on something that might be a toy. Would be cool to see if it works playing a piano or violin with the music floating in front of me...

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Seems to be more of a consumption device at this point, like a TV. On steroids albeit. I hope one day I can eliminate the 3 monitors on my desk and truly use goggles in my work producing environment.

Why would you hope that? You already own the monitors and they apparently work just fine for you for spreading out apps around you to help you do whatever you are doing with your computing. And they offer select benefits you'll never get in a pair of VR <goggles/glasses/etc>: like easy collaboration with others sitting with you and looking at things on those screens.

However, suppose you need to leave wherever they are located for a business trip. They are probably too cumbersome, too heavy, too much of a hassle to take with you. You will almost certainly not be able to use those 3 monitors on the plane. You might be worried about them breaking in any part of the shipping... or getting lost via checked baggage.

But what if a comparable spread of apps is highly useful to you when you are AWAY from those monitors? You can't replicate the 3 monitors in even a 16" MB screen. Yes, you could pack a 16" MB and maybe 10 iPads to then set up so that you have access to main Mac stuff on the MB and then individual apps positioned around the MB screen on those iPads. But that's one heavy carry-on bag and you will have logistical challenges in getting all that to hold in space right where you want it all.

This is an obvious use case for Vpro... to somewhat replicate any Apple users favored productivity setup when on the go, away from the ideal desktop you've already assembled. While it may not be able to perfectly replicate whatever you do on the 3 monitors, it will have a much better shot at something similar than attempting to work it on a single MB 16" monitor.

And its the same for the many (I already have a) big TV arguments. One can't bring their ideal home theater with them onto the plane, to the hotel, in the cab, etc. As soon as a person departs the location where their big tv and big audio is anchored, they can't see 1 pixel on their TV or hear 1 decibel of their surround sound setup. So then they are on that plane or in that cab or in the hotel where they can make do with an iPhone or iPad or MB screen and AirPods or headphones for sound. Or a Vpro can let them summon a screen BIGGER than their TV on that plane, in that cab, in that hotel, etc.

In thread after thread it seems that too many of us can only envision some kind of either-or... either I have monitors or multiple screens and a big TV or several TVs OR I only use Vpro. And when we set it up like that, we then identify the problems that comes with replacing devices that offer many benefits impossible to replicate in a mostly solo-user device with a different set of many benefits.

If one chooses to buy a Vpro, the stuff that Vpro can somewhat to fully replicate won't cease to function or disappear. And there will be many cases where it makes much more sense to use that stuff instead of Vpro. But then there's those other scenarios where Vpro becomes best tool for the job/situation. And one can use it then. There's no either-or here... it's an AND device or maybe an OR device in a given situation... but leave out the EITHER. Most if not ALL Vpro buyers will already own the EITHER stuff... and can keep right on using it when it is best for the situation.

Simple Example: I own a desktop and a laptop computer. When I have access to the anchored location of the desktop, it's pretty much the one and only computer to be used. The laptop could sit somewhere for many weeks without being touched. Thus, I have ZERO need/use for a laptop. So why did I pay Apple's hefty pricing for one anyway?

As soon as I must travel, the desktop can't do a thing for me. The laptop becomes the "next best thing" for that scenario... as crucial to me in that scenario as the desktop is when not traveling. And through that traveling lens, I have absolutely ZERO need/use for a desktop. So why do I own a desktop sitting far from where I am that I can't use at all in such circumstances? A desktop is completely useless to me... UNTIL the travel is over and I can again get back to the most favored tool for the job when NOT on the go.

And if we think about how much video & imagery we consume on a tiny phone screen vs. waiting until we can get to our big, best screens at home/office, we can likely grasp how nice it would be to be able to summon a much bigger screen or screens in at least some of those situations. Reach into the bag and pull out this other product that can deliver a gigantic screen wherever you happen to be... bigger-to-much bigger than any screen you have back at home/office. That's a potential spot (of which there are many for any given person) where Vpro becomes best option...vs. the puny alternative screens in our pocket or laptop bag.

 

[spiderman0616]

According to this definition, my smart TV is a computer.

Yeah, but every time Apple introduces a new pillar of products, we have to gather our crack armchair legal team here and litigate whether or not it's a computer.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It’s a computer.
Like I said in the other thread, computer does not necessarily just mean “includes Finder.app and Terminal.app.

Given that it’s basically the same internal components as a MacBook Air, if you installed macOS on it… that doesn’t make it more of a computer. It’s still a computer, just with a different operating system on it.

A computer is an electronic device that processes data according to instructions that are provided by computer programs. Computers can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, from basic calculations to complex operations involving artificial intelligence (AI).

A computer has two main parts: hardware and software. The hardware is responsible for executing tasks, and the software provides the hardware with directions for what tasks to perform – and how to perform them.

• Firmware is a special type of software that is embedded in hardware components to control their basic function
• An Operating System (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs.

So not a coffee maker or TV.

That’s not what the definition said.
Your TV is hardware, and it has to run software.
Even if it’s the most basic software ever that just lets you select inputs and change channels, that is still software. That is still a computer.
And these days we’ve got coffee pots that will connect to the Internet and let you control them through your phone, those are also computers. They’ve got software that lets you control them, and obviously they are hardware.

As for Apple, almost everything they sell (with obvious exceptions) is a form of computer.
The Mac? Obviously a computer.
The iPhone? A mobile computer.
The iPad? A mobile computer.
The Apple TV? A computer.
The HomePod? Also a computer.
Even the iPods were technically computers, extremely limited computers, but computers nonetheless.