Cheaper Apple Vision Headset Might Require a Tethered iPhone or Mac

[Onelifenofear]

Can someone say d.d.d.d.d.dongle?

Can someone say u.u.u.u.usb?

* Plastic build
* 90Hz display only
* stick with M2. the idea of offloading processing to iPhone is silly. It'll drain batteries very fast. Keep M4/5 for the next Pro model.
* perhaps don't include a battery at all. of course you could buy one if you want as an optional addition but stock config would come with only a usb c cable to plug into the wall or their mac.
* no dual loop headband
* maybe cut down the tracking cameras and microphones. they might be able to get good results with less?
* add a touch id sensor instead of using iris scanning. i don't know exactly how that tech works but i'm sure a touch ID sensor would be cheaper, right?
* Stick with WiFi 6 or only move to 6E instead of 7.
* do a ~1440p resolution display.
* manual lens adjustment
* no front display but obviously keep pass through camera. put an LED or something on the outside for people to know if you can see them or not.
* add support for glasses

Some good ideas... but.

* do a ~1440p resolution display.
Nope... thats an awful idea. Experience would be shocking. The whole point of these is they are retina and you can use them as you would a monitor.

Wifi 6 / 6e / 7 won't really affe the price at production levels.

Iris scanning is using the same eye tracking cameras - so that's needed.

Cameras probably coudl be reduced over time.

 

[darngooddesign]

If it can be tethered to an iPhone, it can be tethered to a Mac.

we now have our next Cinema Display!

The new vpOS2 has a larger, wide-screen MacOS window by offloading that processing to your Mac.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’m ok with that. Honestly, I thought the reason they went with a tethered battery on the AVP was to condition users for the “tethered to your pocket” lifestyle.

What are you ok with?
It already needs a tethered battery

So now it would be a wire going to the iPhone which will need some type of other battery addon itself?
There isn't extra battery to spare on iPhones as it is ... the tech around power usage and batteries is really hitting limits.

 

[darngooddesign]

Do you mean "field of view"?

It's really interesting how Apple is viewed when they launch new products vs other companies. Samsung and folding phones for example. While most understand there aren't many mainstream use cases for the devices, the technology is compromised and the products are expensive, Samsung are praised for being innovative and trying something new. Apple launches the AVP,
there aren't many mainstream use cases for the device, the technology is compromised and the product is expensive, Apple are mocked for creating the product.

Yep. No one hates Apple like Apple fans.

 

[darngooddesign]

I’m ok with that. Honestly, I thought the reason they went with a tethered battery on the AVP was to condition users for the “tethered to your pocket” lifestyle.

I think it’s more a case of the tethered battery means less weight on your head.

 

[Arran]

This is where it’s going anyway. Eventually your iPhone won’t even even have a screen. 📱

View attachment 2391531

I wasn’t sold on AR at first, but after driving a car with a head-up display for a few months I’ve changed my mind.

I just hop in and drive as normal, but now I see a few essential indicators seemingly floating above the road in front of me (speed, speed limit, next turn, cruise control and the odd warning). No glasses needed. It just works. I never take my eyes off the road now and rarely look down at the dash or CarPlay screen.

Less distracting. Much safer.

 

[victorvictoria]

Now there's a reasonable idea. Follow the model of the Apple Watch, and make the iPhone the hub for a VisionPro headset. It makes it less expensive, while simultaneously reducing weight (no small thing) hanging on the user's neck and face. And since most people carry their phones on their person all the time, I don't see any downside. Especially when you walk into a manhole while wearing a VP. Now your watch will know you fell, and your phone will call for help!

 

[rymc02]

just go outside and look around and save the entire cost + tax

Seriously, not trying to be a jerk, but can someone give me legitimate use cases for AR glasses? AR makes a lot of sense for commercial applications such as education, medical, engineering, etc.. You could also include people with disabilities.

But what real world scenario would the average person use these for outside of getting some directions? The watch on your wrist or the phone in your pocket already do 99% of the stuff Meta highlights. Why would I spend $500-1000 on something that is less durable, more prone to scratches and very likely to be left behind somewhere compared to my watch or my phone?

I would really love to hear everyone's ideas on what the average person would use AR on a daily basis for?

 

[Mr_Ed]

I wasn’t sold on AR at first, but after driving a car with a head-up display for a few months I’ve changed my mind.

I just hop in and drive as normal, but now I see a few essential indicators seemingly floating above the road in front of me (speed, speed limit, next turn, cruise control and the odd warning). No glasses needed. It just works. I never take my eyes off the road now and rarely look down at the dash or CarPlay screen.

Less distracting. Much safer.

I agree with your assessment of the usefulness of the automotive HUD, but that’s not really “AR”. It’s just an additional display that happens to look “see through”, but what is displayed does not typically have any relationship to whatever else you see through it in the real world. AFAIK, even cars that have IR detection of animals/humans usually display that in the instrument cluster display, not the HUD, and no attempt is made to show you the target in your own FOV.

I think the fact that you don’t have to put anything on and “it just works”, as you said, is key. AVP and similar devices have a tall mountain to climb in that regard.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Seriously, not trying to be a jerk, but can someone give me legitimate use cases for AR glasses? AR makes a lot of sense for commercial applications such as education, medical, engineering, etc.. You could also include people with disabilities.

I think people have just seen stuff in movies/TV and think "it would be cool"

In reality it has a lot of issues and drawbacks

 

[Infinity Vortex]

The Vision Pro is a monitor. That's it. It is, at-best, a monitor with built-in media consumption capabilities, like a TV, but without native apps from the most popular streaming services like Netflix or Amazon.

If you're tethering it to a mac or a phone, then you can just use the screen on the phone or mac. Even an iPad as a second monitor using Sidecar is still a cheaper, lightweight, more portable option, and one that can actually be used as a stand-alone device.

The problem with Vision Pro isn't the price. It's a product with no real use-case.

I'm surprised Apple haven't just created a Samsung Galaxy VR style headset where you just drop a super-spec iPhone Pro Max into it.

View attachment 2391501

Would be quite funny if that’s the cheaper AVP.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Seriously, not trying to be a jerk, but can someone give me legitimate use cases for AR glasses? AR makes a lot of sense for commercial applications such as education, medical, engineering, etc.. You could also include people with disabilities.

But what real world scenario would the average person use these for outside of getting some directions? The watch on your wrist or the phone in your pocket already do 99% of the stuff Meta highlights. Why would I spend $500-1000 on something that is less durable, more prone to scratches and very likely to be left behind somewhere compared to my watch or my phone?

I would really love to hear everyone's ideas on what the average person would use AR on a daily basis for?

Some of us have been asking this question all along.
Forget the money.
“Show me the use case!”

No one here has yet stepped up with anything beyond media consumption or “I want a floating monitor.” Apparently, even Apple is having a hard time communicating compelling use cases for the masses.

 

[GrayFlannel]

So then to take advantage of this amazing productivity device a company will need to buy redundant Apple devices. This confirms it is definitely not merely a toy.

 

[CarpalMac]

"We created a new way to connect your iPhone to Vision Non-Pro and we call it Magic Link."

I mean, you joke, but someone in Apple Towers Marketing Dept. definitely has this on a post-it note somewhere......

 

[MrCrowbar]

For most people, this is fine. Just clip your phone to the tethered battery and you're good, or just plug it all into your Mac and continue working but with a giant display and a clutter-free desk.

 

[kc9hzn]

Why is this guy promoted? Most of his predictions do not come true and he has a track record of deleting his bad predictions. Dude is a scam.

The thing is, the rumor mill’s been going on about a cheaper model for at least six months or a year before the headset reveal last year. So it’s no big whoop to suggest that Apple’s been working on a cheaper priced model even before the launch. And I also doubt that Apple’s completely given up on the pro segment, even if they’ve mostly pivoted to a price reduced model.

As for specifics about a cheaper Vision device (say, a Vision Air), I doubt tethered is the way Apple will go. Movement around space seems to be a big part of Apple’s concept of “Spatial Computing”, especially as an alternative to just the XR (Extended Reality, ie AR+VR) concept. I could see maybe using two A17 Pro chips or something similar. Maybe also remove the front facing Persona screen, leaving that for a Pro feature (instead, some sort of status LED, green for passthrough mode, red for immersive mode, blue for immersive mode when you’re bleeding in). Removing it (and maybe Personas in general) would also allow you to remove, or reduce the number of, the internal facial cameras. Maybe some reduced hand detection resolution, and you’re probably talking a more reasonable price (especially if Apple decides to forego some of its usual profit margins in the name of developing more of a user base for a generation or two). Doing so will also reduce the size and weight, justifying the Vision Air moniker.

 

[GrayFlannel]

The problem with Vision Pro isn't the price. It's a product with no real use-case.

I disagree. The problem is the price because it has nearly no use beyond being a toy.

 

[brofkand]

See but that’s my concern right there is that this product was first viewed as something that was gonna usher in a new era of computing, but it might just fizzle out until we get something truly advanced and groundbreaking 10 to 20 years from now. I got to try it out and I liked it a lot but even I wouldn’t pay $4000 for it. And if only solution is to come out with a cheaper product, that’s extremely water down in a couple years That’s not a good sign. They should be fixing the complaints that people have for the product right now not watering it down and making it worse, just to come out with a cheaper product. Like the field of you was a complaint with the Vision Pro but they’re gonna make the field of you even worse with the cheaper version? Great so we get full on binoculars.

If some time traveler from 20 years from now told me that the Apple Vision Pro remains niche and it never really gained any traction. I wouldn’t be shocked.

Amazing how quickly the copium took effect with this product. We went from "This is the best VR headset ever, and is going to change the world" to "this might be something in 20 years" before the thing even launched in the UK.

LOL

 

[Nuno Lopes]

I personally think it may be too soon for that.

I prefer to wait for a more comfortable option, smaller and lighter with no loss of features and immersion.

The killer app for me would be to used as a portable ultrawide macOS display. That paired with the other stuff would almost justify the priced tag. Meaning, it should be comfortable to use much headphones are … headdisplays … for at least 6 hours a day? Maybe as comfortable as a heavier cap?

 

[MrENGLISH]

I think it’s more a case of the tethered battery means less weight on your head.

Could be the ultimate reason they went in that direction.

But adding the battery to the back of the head strap would have helped counter balance the weight of the front unit which would have made the AVP more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time.

By going the tethered route, they are conditioning users to get used to having the headset connected to something in their pocket. Which makes more sense if they were thinking of making a cheaper device that utilizes your iPhone for processing and graphics. They could either use the battery of the iPhone or incorporate a built-in battery into the cheaper AV headset.

Wouldn’t be surprised if they do eventually put a battery on the back strap of both and then make a selling point of the AVP2 that it is untethered compared to its predecessor and the cheaper AV.

 

[JapanApple]

Oh, my, I like the idea!

 

[Blackstick]

End of 2026 at the earliest.

I mean, my 2nd grader might also go to medical school some day, since we're talking at the earliest.

Don't rush or anything as this segment implodes.

 

[ChrisA]

These things actually work. There is a pair of lenses inside the box that allow your eyes to focus on the screen. The screen displays a stereo pair of images. The cost is under $10.

I tried this just to see how good the 3D effect is. It can be good but of course, the field of view is small and the resolution is 1/2 whatever the phone has.

 

[darngooddesign]

These things actually work. There is a pair of lenses inside the box that allow your eyes to focus on the screen. The screen displays a stereo pair of images. The cost is under $10.

I tried this just to see how good the 3D effect is. It can be good but of course, the field of view is small and the resolution is 1/2 whatever the phone has.

Tenth anniversary of Google Cardbvoard.

Google Cardboard – Google VR

Turn your smartphone into a virtual reality viewer that’s simple, fun, and affordable.

arvr.google.com

 

[Blackstick]

Bro thinks he's an engineer.

"If I asked the people what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse."