Fortunately some like to learn by experiencing the bleeding edge of tech and keep tech moving forward.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Fundamental Misunderstanding what AVP is
- Thread starter Foss
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wow. I fully disagree. And the AVP [topic of this thread] hardly qualifies as "penny-pinching, fifedoms etc taking precedence over things like innovation."
Certainly that is a question for Google and Samsung fanboi, but not for us here. IMO Google and Samsung probably did as much harm as good by mis-defining what you call "this category."
Like many critics, your comment saying that "both Google and Samsung had VR" by its very verbiage defines what Apple is doing in terms of Google and Samsung failures, which is way wrong-headed thinking.
Folks need to open their minds to what is happening at Apple in 2024 rather than focusing on past failures by Google, Samsung or Apple. Use of the term spatial computing (yes, it is just a term but a good one) is a good start to start looking forward instead of backward ("VR").
2 Words:
Spatial. Computing.
Everybody’s talking about what is the killer app, it’s the wrong question and idea entirely.
It’s the complete function of the device and it’s OS, that’s the killer app.
Spatial. Computing.
Everybody’s talking about what is the killer app, it’s the wrong question and idea entirely.
It’s the complete function of the device and it’s OS, that’s the killer app.
So many of these comments sound like a stereotypical Apple fanboy from an Onion video or something.
It’s like… the future of computing, bro!
It’s like… the future of computing, bro!
You could have done the exact same thing with a Quest 3 and saved yourself three thousand dollars.
No, the exact same thing cannot be done on Quest 3.
How is spatial computing different to VR? Why is it beneficial to have messages floating in a panel near my head rather than living on a screen in my pocket or on my wrist? I get that it's cool to play around with and I'm sure when I get the chance I'll also have fun resizing windows and placing them in weird spots around the house. I just don't see the long term appeal in wearing a headset to do all the same things I can already do with the devices I have.
Admittedly, I've never been excited about any VR headset outside of a couple of games, so maybe the whole headset thing just isn't for me, but I don't see what's so different about Apple's VR headset that it would be it's own category of device. It's just a fancier, more expensive version of the thing we've had for like a decade now.
"Spatial Computing" has to be the douchiest tech term yet. Every time I read it, I just roll my eyes and marvel at how totally uncool it sounds. The thought of countless windows littering one's environment sounds like an ADD nightmare to me. I think only a very small percentage of people are attracted to this use case. The vast majority of people are happy with a single screen, be it their phone, laptop or desktop.
Like you, I see no real advantage to sticking windows around the house and having to wear a bulky headset in order to see them. Cue the "productivity" parrots who will no doubt disagree, but I think they are totally wrong and most likely people who are very disorganized in the first place. The OP's use case with the video, the cat, messages, and browser windows all open at the same time is an ADHD/ADD hellscape, not a recipe for increased productivity.
Other than the novelty of it, I completely fail to understand why it would somehow be more efficient or appealing to work this way.
I guess to "mix it up"?
It's hardly some clear cut "better" way to do things
Exactly. It's a gimmick. It sounds good and looks appealing in marketing videos, but what's the real advantage? I'm sure it's cool to see a huge browser window or word processor document floating in the room, but how does that make one more productive? So I turn my head and see a different window... cool... but how is that significantly different from swiping between app windows using my trackpad?
Being confined to a "small" screen is actually an advantage. It forces one to be more organized and work more efficiently. Turning one's entire field of view into a huge/endless screen will not increase productivity or efficiency. It will, however, make people even more distracted and disorganized.
Yep!
It's exactly why many writers go for very focused setups - less distraction - some even still use typewriters or really old laptops (so they don't work with too many distracting newer technologies/apps)
Only for those that are exclusively invested in the Apple ecosystem. Looking at either desktop market share or worldwide mobile market share, that is a minority.
As someone who is not exclusively invested in Apple’s ecosystem, the fact that the AVP is limited to Apple’s ecosystem is actually a drawback. This is in contrast to, say, Microsoft or Google (neither of which I’m a particular fan of), which do invest in interoperability with other ecosystems, including Apple’s.
Last edited:
I know I’m way less efficient using a touch interface vs a keyboard/mouse combo so I can only imagine how bad it would be going to a "stare and pinch" interface.
You don't understand AlumaMac - this is spatial computing -- WAY more efficient
Joking aside, some of this feels like talking to folks who are into crypto
To add to this, I'm more invested in Apple's ecosystem now than I've ever been. I have a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone, and an Apple watch. I have Beats Fit Pro earbuds. I use some of Apple's services. I use AirPlay on my TV. In fact, most of my family use Apple devices almost exclusively. I still don't see the benefit. I don't see any part of my life where this is offering functionality I can't get out of my existing devices, and the few things where I think it could be slightly useful (mainly just showing recipes while I cook) are things that Apple expressly advises you not you use it for, nor could I see myself wearing a chunky headset for 45 mins while I'm making dinner.
I'm very interested to see the hand and eye tracking come to other devices, but I don't think there's ever going to be a use that justifies the awkward VR headset form-factor.
That is like saying the Apple Watch is at a disadvantage because it only works with the iPhone. Maybe so, but it’s also this integration which allows the watch to work as well as it does. When you consider that there are well over a billion active iPhone users, that ultimately translates into a ton of Apple Watches sold, even though iPhones are still the minority in the smartphone market.
You either have a product that works great for a small select group of users (because of its vertical integration), or you have a product that works okay for a larger pool of users. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Meanwhile, another android wear OEM just threw in the towel.
Wear OS’s most consistent OEM quits: Fossil stops making smartwatches
Despite years of loyalty, Google dropped Fossil like a rock once Samsung came back.
arstechnica.com
In a sense, it’s reminiscent of the starfish story. Sometimes, you gotta focus on who you can save / serve first, rather than obsessing over those that you can’t.
The Tale of the Starfish — The Starfish Foundation
www.thestarfishchange.org
So the Vision Pro’s tight integration can be both its strength and its weakness. It will make more sense for someone entrenched in the Apple ecosystem (who will in turn continue to be entrenched), which is what allows Apple to charge a premium for this group
of users. They are really paying for a great user experience and the promise of years and years of support.
Let Microsoft or Facebook or any other company sell a cheaper headset at lower margins and we will see who made the right bet moving forward. I am not saying users don’t deserve cheaper products, but financial sustainability is important too, and I really don’t get this obsession with profitless market share where Apple is concerned.
Just the thought of someone wearing this thing while cooking, especially if others are around (kids, spouse, etc)
I'm just literally shaking my head and thinking... "what are we even doin' here"?
You can have both, by using open protocols or by creating new open protocols when the existing ones aren’t sufficient. But Apple likes creating proprietary protocols (like AirPlay and whatever they use for Sidecar), and even when they use standard protocols, like to restrict them for proprietary use (like with NFC, where the EU is currently forcing Apple to open it up). Another example: Anyone can write a Dropbox client for any system. But it’s not possible to write a client for accessing iCloud files. Similar for AirDrop, and a multitude of other features that could easily be made interoperable if only Apple wanted to.
There are little technical reason for Apple to do things this way. But it’s profitable and keeps up their moat and locks users into their ecosystem. As a user, I do not want that.
This is one of those use cases that sounds good but is actually a terrible idea in my opinion. Your eyes, your attention in general, can't be focused on two things at once. Are you chopping the onion? Or watching the person chopping the onion? On the one hand, using Vision Pro might not be a lot different than having an iPad on the counter. Turn one's head and there's the video. But being able to put the video anywhere and (potentially) having many other things going on at the same time, notifications popping up, etc. will create less focus in my opinion. Having an iPad on the counter keeps one's real world activity grounded. I glance up, look at the iPad screen for a moment, and then back to what's in front of me. I'm not in the machine. The machine is a separate thing and I'm grounded in my real world activity.
Last edited:
Neither -- I'm reading Messages that are pinned to the wall next to me and listening to music and enjoying the zen mountain view and trying to ignore my kid talking and the TV playing and the notifications popping up and my head starting to hurt from the weight and the timer going off...
Oh crap... something is burning.. what is that?
OUCH! I cut myself...
(rips headset off)
I mean, I wouldn't be trying to read a recipe while chopping stuff, but if I've got meat juices on my hands or I'm in the middle of doing stuff, it would be neat to not have to wash my hands before interacting with my device. Not $3500+ cool though. I currently just leave my iPad propped up on the windowsill above my kitchen counter while I cook and it's about 95% of the way to having a recipe floating in virtual space in my kitchen.
What if I threw in the floating timers package….for free! Can I get you into an AVP today??
Could you toss in some floormats for my kitchen?
I clicked post accidentally before I completed my thought. I edited it with a few additional thoughts. I was thinking more of watching cooking videos than reading a recipe.
I think the iPad is actually a better solution. I use it all the time in the kitchen. The advantage, in my opinion, boils down to the fact that the iPad does not immerse me. I stay grounded in my activity, in the real world, and the iPad is a tool. I'm not in the machine. Once you fuse the real and digital worlds, the number of distractions will mushroom exponentially. That's really the problem. If you're extremely disciplined in how you set up your AVP kitchen environment, I think using AVP to cook might be slightly better than an iPad for the reasons you mention. But 99% of people aren't going to do that. They're going to have a video next to the cutting board, timers floating all around, a Messages window next to the stove, etc.