Did Tim Cook tell the truth about what Vision Pro can do? (video clip)

[Bodhitree]

I’m often pleasantly surprised how relatively truthful Apple’s marketing team is.

Of course Tim’s job is to occasionally wear a marketing hat. Which is fine, and I’m sure the Vision Pro will turn out to be a perfectly competent general computing device.

Whether you will actually use it as a computer when you have the choice of walking to your Mac and using a keyboard and mouse, that remains to be seen. You have to put it on, keep it charged, and it’s not that light. To use it does involve a little prep time, it’s a little less convenient than waking a Mac with TouchID. That has to pay off.

I think it’s computer functions are just about “keeping you in the loop”, allowing you to stay connected while you use it, but the real uses are stuff we haven’t yet seen.

 

[anselpela]

He probably thinks thats true, when it absolutely isn't.

If it WERE true, this product would have a much larger audience and be a day 1 purchase for most developers. Instead its something else we have to develop for, not with. Boring.

 

[wigby]

Wondering what your opinion is on his statement?

Tim said: "It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

Now, of course he's not talking about some hypothetical future product that they may produce years from now.
He's talking on TV about what their new product, Vision Pro can do.

Again: "It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

So he is publicly stating it can (not it will or it might, or it has the potential to) But it can do everything a MAC can do.
Not can do what an iPad running a limited OS can do, but what a Mac Computer can do.

So he is telling us all, that perhaps by the middle of next year, I won't need to buy an iPhone, I won't need to buy a Mac
I just need to buy a Vision Pro and it will be able to do ANYTHING those product can do....

My personal view:
Could, in theory devs create Vision Pro versions of their iPhone, iPad apps? Sure as I understand it's running a type of iOS Operating System.
Could all Mac developers create Vision Pro versions of their Mac Apps running MacOS ? Perhaps, I'm not sure?

Will the Vision pro do anything a Mac can? I must say a strong NO as I strongly suggest it's only could to be able to run apps which Apple wants it to be able to run, which is not like a Mac computer.

Personally I don't think the CEO of Apple should really have said that as to me I'm expecting that statement is not accurate and will not be true, at least not for this current/forthcoming product.

As far as marketing claims go, Cook gets a pass here. He never said anything about apps or any specific way to do what you want. Technically, Cook is telling the truth because Vision Pro is a computer with an interface so you can potentially do anything with it that you can do with any other computer. Once you start to define "anything" as specific apps or interfaces or duration or specific tasks, then you have to re-evaluate his response with that new criteria in mind.

 

[wigby]

He probably thinks thats true, when it absolutely isn't.

If it WERE true, this product would have a much larger audience and be a day 1 purchase for most developers. Instead its something else we have to develop for, not with. Boring.

Consumers and developers are hesitating because, it's not available yet, its price is high and because it's a spatial computer so consumers and developers are still trying to figure out what that even means. Cook was simply answering a question for the GMA audience. Do you really think he would say the same thing to a developer?

 

[Piggie]

I'm going to say the following 'Tongue in Cheek' as a reply to the few who wish to argue that Tim was fine on saying that, despite it not being able to do what a Mac and iPhone can do.
And your argument is that, it COULD be programmed to do those things, hence what Tim said was perfectly valid.

So, let's take your viewpoint, and I'll put forward the following imaginary scenario and see if you stick my your view

---Made up news to prove a point---

When interviewed about the new Quest 4, Mark stated the following:
"It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

I'll now use your argument in defence of Mark here, and say that Mark was really just saying that it has the potential to do all of those things, once the developers and meta have developed the software to make this a reality.

We know the Quest 4 can't do what an iPhone or Mac can do today, BUT it has the potential to be programmed to in the future.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

I'm going to say the following 'Tongue in Cheek' as a reply to the few who wish to argue that Tim was fine on saying that, despite it not being able to do what a Mac and iPhone can do.
And your argument is that, it COULD be programmed to do those things, hence what Tim said was perfectly valid.

So, let's take your viewpoint, and I'll put forward the following imaginary scenario and see if you stick my your view

---Made up news to prove a point---

When interviewed about the new Quest 4, Mark stated the following:
"It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

I'll now use your argument in defence of Mark here, and say that Mark was really just saying that it has the potential to do all of those things, once the developers and meta have developed the software to make this a reality.

We know the Quest 4 can't do what an iPhone or Mac can do today, BUT it has the potential to be programmed to in the future.

I am just saying that there tends to be 'selective prosecution'... we generally give a pass on generalities when it comes to those in marketting. If you want to go after any bit of hyperbole or generality where it turns out the generality is only 95% correct and not 100% correct... then you will have to throw everyone who wears a marketting cap (including the vast majority CEOs) into prison so to speak (which I said I was fine with but it would get very expensive to house all those people). When I hear someone talk in generalities like that - and pretty well any marketting type... I glaze over and don't listen to that... I have my requirements and wishlist which I will measure the device against... and you are basically protected by being able to return the device back to Apple no questions asked in the first 2 weeks. If 'Mark' said that I would make fun of him, but then I would not take him seriously and treat him exactly the same way I treat the comment from Tim Cook... it was general marketting speak, which is best to be ignored. I have my own thoughts about what the device do that I could use it for and that is what I want satisfied... that is what I will measure the device against. And the device being a phone... is not high on my list (especially having a 5G antenna glued to my temple). It is not even really meant for taking out of the house... but then I don't even use my iPhone as a phone, it is a small portable computer to me... and an external modem when need be.

 

[Piggie]

Has Apple actually said if you need any other Apple product when buying the Vision Pro?
Say I don't have a Mac or an iPhone, but I like what I am seeing from Developers near the time of release.
And I want to make the Vision Pro my sole Apple computing device.
Has that been decided yet?

Re. Tim's statement. I understand why a few people are giving him a pass on what he said.
However, as the CEO of Apple, talking about a brand new product and what it can do.
And speaking to a reporter on a News Channel, and knowing as the CEO every single word you say and reaction you give about a brand new product is going to be studied closely.
You should be dam sure you don't say anything misleading, Tim above all others should know this, and if some other company leader came out with similar things, they would be equally held to account.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Has Apple actually said if you need any other Apple product when buying the Vision Pro?
Say I don't have a Mac or an iPhone, but I like what I am seeing from Developers near the time of release.
And I want to make the Vision Pro my sole Apple computing device.
Has that been decided yet?

Re. Tim's statement. I understand why a few people are giving him a pass on what he said.
However, as the CEO of Apple, talking about a brand new product and what it can do.
And speaking to a reporter on a News Channel, and knowing as the CEO every single word you say and reaction you give about a brand new product is going to be studied closely.
You should be dam sure you don't say anything misleading, Tim above all others should know this, and if some other company leader came out with similar things, they would be equally held to account.

The device was introduced to get ahead of leaks when it eventually is re-announced then released. It is not being manufactured currently and the software has not been finished - in fact there is a lot of work still needed on the software side. Things can change from what is expected now.

I give a pass to Tim on what he said because you have heard the same hyperbole from every CEO out there that I have watched in the tech industry. And NO, no other CEO or marketting person has been held to a standard that you express...

I also give Tim a pass because I know what he is talking about, I really doubt he was telling you -- you don't need to buy an iPhone... now you can buy Vision Pro instead. When you buy it, do you expect to use it as a Phone? Are you going to walk around in public wearing it? Are you going to sling it over your shoulder in a case and put it on when you get a call? Or are you buying it to load other 3rd party apps on it like you do with any other computing device?

As far as investing, are you basing your investing on puff pieces on news - or are you doing proper due diligence and research and reading reports filed with the SEC etc. Are you deciding your purchasing decisions on some puff piece on TV, not actually trying it, placing it in a drawer until it cannot be returned for a full refund.... then actually see if it does what you need it to do after that? Do you buy any product where they say - this product is the answer to all your needs and will do everything for you?

 

[ThomasJL]

​

Did Tim Cook tell the truth about what Vision Pro can do? (video clip)​

Even if Tim Cook didn't tell the truth about what the Vision Pro can do, that doesn't mean that he was intentionally lying. To intentionally lie about a product, one has to know about the functionality of the product. Cook doesn't know about the functionality of most Apple products because he doesn't spend much time using them. That's precisely why during Apple events, he doesn't demo the products and talk about their functionality. Steve Jobs was the opposite in that Jobs demoed products and talked about their functionality. Cook is only concerned about money. He has an MBA degree, which is probably why he is so mediocre and doesn't care about products. He only cares about products in the sense of how much money they can make.

 

[Kuckuckstein]

You don't want 5G modems right on your head... having it pair with your iPhone and use that for calling is better... and I believe it will do that out of the box.

Probably not (modem close to head) but neither do I want all day two screens close to my eyes.

 

[goonie4life9]

At this point, Tim Cook knows what he said is simply untrue. Whether he realized that when he said it is a different story. That said, it's pretty sad that we even have this discussion. We should expect people to be honest, particularly when they are leaders of major companies.

 

[macfacts]

Say I don't have a Mac or an iPhone, but I like what I am seeing from Developers near the time of release.
And I want to make the Vision Pro my sole Apple computing device.
Has that been decided yet

Why would Tim want to cannibalize mac and iPhone sales?

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Who’s going to strap that to their face?

I get the price point, make it seem like a status symbol, but it still looks ridiculous and uncomfortable and can’t be good for your eyesight (for those who need vision beyond their cubical)

 

[ralpa]

when the next generations of VP has cellular connection and all day battery life, yes i think it can replace iPhone

 

[Rainshadow]

Yeah it can do everything your Mac can do when you share your Mac's screen to it.

Exactly. This may seem like cheating, but it’s true. Makes his statement entirely reasonable. That statement doesn’t even make me hesitate. Using this device, you can do anything on it that your Mac does.

if you really want to get crazy with it, your phone can fit in your pocket. These cannot. Therefore, technically what he is saying is not true. also, if it doesn’t have a Sim card, it can’t make phone calls. However, you can make phone calls with apps and Wi-Fi.

It’s not that you can do every task in the exact same way. Nobody would buy a device that did the exact same thing the devices they already have does. They have to do it in a different way or far better.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

When Steve Jobs announce the original iPhone, he said “iPhone runs OS X.”
And when explaining why they used OS X, he mentioned things like multitasking, great networking, and the right apps.
The iPhone did not ship with any multitasking, it was limited to basic edge and 802.11B/G networking with a 30 pinconnector, and the “right apps” he was talking about were the 16 built-in functions… and nothing more.
Yes, I know what he said is technically true, but everyone knows that he specifically said that it ran OS X for the crowd reaction.
I see this Vision Pro comment as basically the same thing.

 

[heretiq]

Wondering what your opinion is on his statement?

Tim said: "It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

Now, of course he's not talking about some hypothetical future product that they may produce years from now.
He's talking on TV about what their new product, Vision Pro can do.

Again: "It can do anything your Mac or iPhone can do and more"

So he is publicly stating it can (not it will or it might, or it has the potential to) But it can do everything a MAC can do.
Not can do what an iPad running a limited OS can do, but what a Mac Computer can do.

So he is telling us all, that perhaps by the middle of next year, I won't need to buy an iPhone, I won't need to buy a Mac
I just need to buy a Vision Pro and it will be able to do ANYTHING those product can do....

My personal view:
Could, in theory devs create Vision Pro versions of their iPhone, iPad apps? Sure as I understand it's running a type of iOS Operating System.
Could all Mac developers create Vision Pro versions of their Mac Apps running MacOS ? Perhaps, I'm not sure?

Will the Vision pro do anything a Mac can? I must say a strong NO as I strongly suggest it's only could to be able to run apps which Apple wants it to be able to run, which is not like a Mac computer.

Personally I don't think the CEO of Apple should really have said that as to me I'm expecting that statement is not accurate and will not be true, at least not for this current/forthcoming product.

I think you’re overthinking this. VisionPro is an Apple Silicon computer with a spatial interface (vs touch interface or monitor/keyboard/mouse). Of course it can do everything a Mac or iPhone can do (for apps built for or converted to the spatial OS).

I’m puzzled. Tim Cook is an Engineer. Tim Cook oversees Apple’s research, product design, and manufacturing roadmaps. Tim Cook knows what he’s talking about. If he says Vision Pro can do everything your Mac and iPhone can do, that’s because that is the product he is building.

What is behind this impulse to pounce on Tim Cook looking for something to disagree with? 🤔

 

[goonie4life9]

When Steve Jobs announce the original iPhone, he said “iPhone runs OS X.”
And when explaining why they used OS X, he mentioned things like multitasking, great networking, and the right apps.
The iPhone did not ship with any multitasking, it was limited to basic edge and 802.11B/G networking with a 30 pinconnector, and the “right apps” he was talking about were the 16 built-in functions… and nothing more.
Yes, I know what he said is technically true, but everyone knows that he specifically said that it ran OS X for the crowd reaction.
I see this Vision Pro comment as basically the same thing.

The difference is Cook was talking about the underlying OS whereas Cook is talking about user interaction. iPhone OS ran OS X just as Macs ran OS X. The difference was above the kernel (Darwin), which meant there were two "forks" of OS X - Mac OS X and iPhone OS.

There is nothing wrong with different devices having different features, uses, etc. Cook knows that and still claimed the Vision Pro was the same as a Mac, which just isn't so.

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Even if it had GSM, so I’m going to walk down a back alley in NYC with this strapped to my face if I need to make a phone call? Seems a bad idea

As much as I loved johnny mnemonic, most I’d pay for this would be like $200 and I’d probably hardly ever use it

 

[heretiq]

Re. Tim's statement. I understand why a few people are giving him a pass on what he said.
However, as the CEO of Apple, talking about a brand new product and what it can do.
And speaking to a reporter on a News Channel, and knowing as the CEO every single word you say and reaction you give about a brand new product is going to be studied closely.
You should be dam sure you don't say anything misleading, Tim above all others should know this, and if some other company leader came out with similar things, they would be equally held to account.

What do you know about VisionPro design objectives or Apple’s product roadmap, that empowers you to critique Tim Cook’s comments or lecture him on what he should or should not say about the product that he is building?

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

What do you know about VisionPro design objectives or Apple’s product roadmap, that empowers you to critique Tim Cook’s comments or lecture him on what he should or should not say about the product that he is building?

He’s a potential customer and a current APL product user, that’s plenty of empowerment

Cook is not building these products for himself, he’s building them to take to market

If potential customers don’t have a good response to his sales pitch that’s something APL should value and take to heart

You can’t cash your “road map” or “objectives” at the bank, if customers don’t give you their hard earned cash, your map and plan wasn’t that hot

 

[goonie4life9]

He’s a potential customer and a current APL product user, that’s plenty of empowerment

Cook is not building these products for himself, he’s building them to take to market

If potential customers don’t have a good response to his sales pitch that’s something APL should value and take to heart

You can’t cash your “road map” or “objectives” at the bank, if customers don’t give you their hard earned cash, your map and plan wasn’t that hot

You nailed it! By this flawed logic, Cook could have said, "The Vision OS will literally brew you coffee to drink," and we'd be wrong for questioning how that was possible. It's not unreasonable to expect honesty.

 

[heretiq]

He’s a potential customer and a current APL product user, that’s plenty of empowerment

Cook is not building these products for himself, he’s building them to take to market

If potential customers don’t have a good response to his sales pitch that’s something APL should value and take to heart

You can’t cash your “road map” or “objectives” at the bank, if customers don’t give you their hard earned cash, your map and plan wasn’t that hot

Knowledge is what empowers useful critique of any subject. OP’s comment was not supported by knowledge of the product. It also offered no product feedback or any authoritative evidence for implying that Tim Cook lied about VisionPro — a product for which OP has a small fraction of the information that Tim Cook has. Despite this lack of knowledge OP still felt empowered to critique Tim Cook’s statements and disparage his character by insinuating that he lied. Most people would consider that bad form.

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Knowledge is what empowers useful you critique of any subject. OP’s comment was not supported by knowledge of the product. It also offered no product feedback or any authoritative evidence for implying that Tim Cook lied about VisionPro — a product for which OP has a small fraction of the information that Tim Cook has. Despite this lack of knowledge OP still felt empowered to critique Tim Cook’s statements and disparage his character by insinuating that he lied. Most people would consider that bad form.

So the company failed to educate potential customers on their product

He’s a potential customer, not a potential employee or intern, his knowledge is irrelevant, as someone who would be giving them money he’s reacting to the companies PR, his reaction was he wasn’t impressed, a good company would care more about the opinion of someone like him, who reflects more of the market, than the 1% who are some some company insider or huge fan boy.

The company needs to SELL the product to mainstream, mainstream doesn’t care and isn’t expected to educate themselves on a companies product

It’s a product

 

[heretiq]

So the company failed to educate potential customers on their product

He’s a potential customer, not a potential employee or intern, his knowledge is irrelevant, as someone who would be giving them money he’s reacting to the companies PR, his reaction was he wasn’t impressed, a good company would care more about the opinion of someone like him, who reflects more of the market, than the 1% who are some some company insider or huge fan boy.

The company needs to SELL the product to mainstream, mainstream doesn’t care and isn’t expected to educate themselves on a companies product

It’s a product

So, Tim Cook saying that VisionPro can do anything the Mac or iPhone does is somehow a failure to communicate? How is that? It is a simple statement that is understandable by most. That is the definition of clear communication. Whether you choose to believe that statement is another matter, and we are all entitled to choose and hold our own beliefs.

However, to imply that Tim Cook lied when he made that statement is something different. To lie is to state something you know to be a falsehood. Such accusations are a challenge to a person's integrity and should not be made lightly or without supporting evidence. To insinuate that Tim Cook lied, the OP should have evidence about VisionPro that supports that insinuation. The OP provided no such evidence. That insinuation is on the slippery slope to slander and should be a concern for everyone who wants MR to remain a forum for civil discourse.