You have nose!Sure it’s a brilliant render, but are we all expected to remove our noses to
Use these? Surely, these won’t fit snugly against your face without some kind moulding for the bridge of your nose… ?
Why? For starters, I suspect this has little to do with gaming and everything to do with how we will interface with tech in the near future. Approve or not, AR/VR are the next wave. An inevitable wave that can't be stopped. And there is no turning back. Apple knows this, has seen this, has planned for this and will profit insanely from this. As WIRED posits, they metaverse is "made for companies, not people."Why would apple make this? They have never been into niche products (unless you count the HomePod) and usually the niche for this kind of product is for gamers. A niche within a niche. When have apple ever cared about serious gaming?
The AR glasses make way more sense and has a much broader appeal. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pair of goggles personally
I get where you’re coming from, but what is it for? It’s obviously not something you’re supposed to wear out and about so what is it for if it’s not gaming?Why? For starters, I suspect this has little to do with gaming and everything to do with how we will interface with tech in the near future. Approve or not, AR/VR are the next wave. An inevitable wave that can't be stopped. And there is no turning back. Apple knows this, has seen this, has planned for this and will profit insanely from this. As WIRED posits, they metaverse is "made for companies, not people."
Your perspective is perfectly understandable and not unlike the sentiment that dominates the lead up to literally every single new product/category pre-launch from Apple. It can be difficult to understand a new use case because most use case considerations are informed by past definitions of "use case." But Apple doesn't live or think or work in past definitions. That's not their role. It's not their bread and butter. With staggering success, Apple drops a new device that then becomes the de facto standard that is mimicked for the next decade in every industry from tech to auto to kitchen appliances. It's easy to credit Ive's worthy hardware design with Apple success. And while his incredible contribution is certainly a factor (one which has served great inspiration in my own thinking and working), it served more a Trojan Horse for what has always mattered most at Apple: software. For it has been software that has set the expectation for what it means to interface with tech for a massive user base. And Steve knew winning the expectation game, would mean winning the - at that time - Mac/PC war. From toddlers to octogenarians, it has been Apple's software that has so demystified tech: taken what was once intimidating and made it as common as the every day hammer. While there are earlier examples, for me, the iPhone (and iOS) was the shining example of this. Before its launch, every exec was rocking a Blackberry. But not long after the iPhone launch, every exec started to prefer the ease of use of their personal iPhones. Not wanting to carry two phones, they began requesting them as their corp-issue phone. Seemingly overnight, they wanted that same transparent ease-of-use on their corp-issue computer. This forced IT departments to begin supporting both PC and Mac. Today, there has never been more Macs in the corporate sector. All of this was set in motion by deeply understanding the value of winning the earliest part of the consumer journey: expectation. Fast forward, and some thought it ridiculous for a "computer company" to delve into auto infotainment systems. And now you can't buy a new car that doesn't come bundled with CarPlay. Now something as wild as an Apple-branded vehicle begins to make sense. Through this lens, VR goggles seem a laughable no-brainer. And I fully expect we'll all be clamoring for them, in time. Add in Aple's massive, market-shifting, user base and you have a recipe for adoption, transformation, evolution - all of which is known, planned for and reflected in the market.
I could be wrong. Have been many times. But history has been on Apple's side, in this regard, for three decades. I'm interested to see how it all plays out. Been a wild ride thus far. I see no reason that doesn't continue. ?
Yeah, who rendered these things, Voldemort?Sure it’s a brilliant render, but are we all expected to remove our noses to use these? Surely, these won’t fit snugly against your face without some kind of moulding for the bridge of your nose… ?
Yes, all the way up to the 3rd millennium BC when they started writing things down on clay tablets.Remember when people used their own imaginations?
You know MP3 players were niche before the iPod? And smartphones were a niche business tool before the iPhone. Tablets were niche before the iPad. Smartwatches were niche before the Apple Watch. So in a way, Apple has always been into niche products. They simply un-niche them.Why would apple make this? They have never been into niche products (unless you count the HomePod) and usually the niche for this kind of product is for gamers. A niche within a niche. When have apple ever cared about serious gaming?
The AR glasses make way more sense and has a much broader appeal. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pair of goggles personally
Eventually it'll be for virtually everything you do with a computer. Including surfing the web, documents, audio/video editing, having virtual meetings, watching content.... Except all of it will be done on a limitless 3D display in perpetual space around you, rather than stuck on a relatively small rectangular display.I get where you’re coming from, but what is it for? It’s obviously not something you’re supposed to wear out and about so what is it for if it’s not gaming?
These are not best looks at anything since no knows anything about these products. These are guesses and they are all equally guesses and no one is going to wear that thing outside their house.
I get where you’re coming from, but what is it for? It’s obviously not something you’re supposed to wear out and about so what is it for if it’s not gaming?
And not very imaginative guesses at that. The render reminds me of Rex Specs.
No, these will not yet be something for which to wear to Whole Foods. But that is coming. These are intended for use in a controlled (read: safe) environment. I think these are much more about introducing/training us how to interface with tech in a completely new (to post) way. Like the mouse or touch or Pencil - gestures in VR will be another way we will interface with tech. Amongst other things, will these goggles be capable of gaming? Of course. But gaming is not, nor ever has been, Apple's intent.I get where you’re coming from, but what is it for? It’s obviously not something you’re supposed to wear out and about so what is it for if it’s not gaming?
When this device is unveiled, I believe that we'll find that Apple has departed from the standard concept that people have of VR headsets. They're not appealing to most people which is why they've never gone mainstream. Apple isn't going to take existing/old concepts of VR and add their spin. That's not how Apple works. That thinking is what lead people to believe that Apple's phone would look like this:
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A couple of problems and misconceptions:
1. This may come as a surprise to hardcore VR gamers, but full immersion isn't only unnecessary but it's one of the "features" in current VR headsets that detracts the average person from VR: full blackout from the world isn't desirable, definitely not in work settings, and not necessary to enjoy entertainment. We sit in dark rooms watching TV or in movie theatres and feel fully immersed in a good movie, while still being aware of our surroundings. Apple's goal with this device is to get to AR; they're not going to start with blocking people out from the world.
2. Front loaded weight distribution is a problem. The centre of gravity of all VR headsets in front of the user causes discomfort for long term use. Apple Glasses – both the VR kind and the future AR evolution – will have weight distributed into the stems on the sides, with very little of the device in front of the user.
Apple's VR device will look a lot closer in form to the final AR glasses that this device will iterate into over a few generations. While it won't be lightweight or inconspicuous enough to wear all day and have transparent lenses with image projection fully developed, this device will have an overall aesthetic of glasses that you can easily throw up on your face, use and still interact with the world around you.
Apple's goal is to get to AR glasses you can wear out in the world (and beyond that, contact lenses) so they're not going to start with an outdated concept of a VR headset that has never been able to reach adoption outside a niche user base. This will be something entirely new and people are going to be blown away in a "why didn't anybody else think of this?" way. It'll be so forehead smacking obvious in retrospect.