I feel like this is gimmicky, I loved 3d tvs but they didn’t do well, I think apple needs some new ideas
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Future 'iPhone Ultra' Model Could Capture Spatial Photos and Videos for Vision Pro Headset
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I have to say, that iPhone Ultra exterior mockup is looking tasty. I wonder if they will choose to keep the camera lenses a bit apart (kinda like the HTC Evo 3D) or implement a software-side solution to generate depth.
If only I could afford a Vision Pro. Fingers crossed for a lower-tiered Apple headset.
If only I could afford a Vision Pro. Fingers crossed for a lower-tiered Apple headset.
just a gimmick people don't even want... but will pay premium for
I think that this was quite obvious that future “Pro” or ultra versions would capture content to leverage the apple vision. What apple wants is to create an interdependency to entice sales of the vision pro.
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In the Vpro presentation and now in this rumor, BOTH seem to strongly reflect this concept of seeing 3D in a 3DTV-like space/frame out ahead of the Vpro wearer. However, the Vpro owner is going to be accustomed to being able to move their head left & right, up & down and have content or imagery everywhere. That's not 3D as we are all accustomed to it. That's better conceptualized by the word immersive... like you are actually there... not just observing from a single spot and looking in only 1 direction.
To get this metaphorically right now, take a look as far left as you can look from where you are. That view is probably hard left and a bit behind you. Your far left peripheral view is probably fully behind you. Imagine capturing that with this hypothetical camera. Now rotate your head all the way around to the opposite view: hard right. There's no way that camera on one side of a phone is going to also capture that view too. It would require cameras on BOTH sides of the phone to capture both of these views. Now look extreme up as high up and behind as you can arch your neck. How does this camera capture that view. Now down as far as you can look, which- over either hip is likely not just straight down, but down and somewhat behind you too.
Other implementations of immersion seems to use a number of cameras in a ball enclosure, so it can capture the details not just out in front but all around the person shooting the scene. Like this...
Then, later, in Vpro-like goggles, one gets the 3D effect not just out front but all around them: look anywhere and there is something to be seen as it was the day the view was captured. Unless this hypothetical iPhone Ultra has cameras all around, cameras mounted only "on back" as is customary now, could only capture up towards 180˚ out front. Look too far left or right or too far up or down and you reach the end of what could be captured but such cameras.
As a crude example of "immersive" video like this, open this video illustrating the concept...
As the video runs, click on it and drag left, right, up, down or even rotate it all the way around to see what is BEHIND you. As I grasp Vpro, I would think it would be like this. But instead of click and drag, the Vpro wearer just looks in any direction and something is there (sky, track ahead, view to the left, view to the right, view behind- exactly as one could if they were there riding that roller coaster in person).
THIS concept seems very focused on perhaps an ultimate incarnation of 3D TV. But it also seems to strongly imply that the entire view will be what is out in front of the cameras- whether shot on Vpro or with this hypothetical iPhone Ultra. Obviously, either used as camera is NOT shooting imagery to the extreme sides, behind or overhead/down below. When watching these videos, the Vpro wearer will have to watch like watching a television as there wouldn't seem to be much flexility to look very far off center and still see the "there" that was shot that day when the video was captured.
The Vpro (regular) user is going to be accustomed to various apps and even the UI being spread all around the user- not just out front. If this is as it appears, I suspect this will seem odd once people are accustomed to the "all around" experience of Vpro. It seems they will be accustomed to looking around for "more" and this feature doesn't seem to support that.
All that shared, I still think high-resolution 3D done extremely well will be amazing vs. 2D video most of us shoot now. I'm simply pointing out how this particular benefit may seem a bit odd vs. the rest of what Vpro can do... especially as Vpro users get accustomed to immersion in many other features & benefits.
If this plays out as described, I presume the amateur stuff will have limited field of view "immersion" (do NOT look too far away from roughly front & center) while the pro stuff will use dedicated VR cameras for full immersion with video in all directions (look anywhere exactly as if you are there). I'm not seeing a way to realize this pro concept with any iPhone that doesn't have cameras for it on BOTH sides, nor even with Vpro unless it includes cameras around back. Just think of iPhone camera vs. that 360 camera example above, noting how the latter has cameras pointing left, left-front, right-front, right and presumably, back-right and back-left... all curved/bubbled to also capture views above and below.
To get this metaphorically right now, take a look as far left as you can look from where you are. That view is probably hard left and a bit behind you. Your far left peripheral view is probably fully behind you. Imagine capturing that with this hypothetical camera. Now rotate your head all the way around to the opposite view: hard right. There's no way that camera on one side of a phone is going to also capture that view too. It would require cameras on BOTH sides of the phone to capture both of these views. Now look extreme up as high up and behind as you can arch your neck. How does this camera capture that view. Now down as far as you can look, which- over either hip is likely not just straight down, but down and somewhat behind you too.
Other implementations of immersion seems to use a number of cameras in a ball enclosure, so it can capture the details not just out in front but all around the person shooting the scene. Like this...
Then, later, in Vpro-like goggles, one gets the 3D effect not just out front but all around them: look anywhere and there is something to be seen as it was the day the view was captured. Unless this hypothetical iPhone Ultra has cameras all around, cameras mounted only "on back" as is customary now, could only capture up towards 180˚ out front. Look too far left or right or too far up or down and you reach the end of what could be captured but such cameras.
As a crude example of "immersive" video like this, open this video illustrating the concept...
As the video runs, click on it and drag left, right, up, down or even rotate it all the way around to see what is BEHIND you. As I grasp Vpro, I would think it would be like this. But instead of click and drag, the Vpro wearer just looks in any direction and something is there (sky, track ahead, view to the left, view to the right, view behind- exactly as one could if they were there riding that roller coaster in person).
THIS concept seems very focused on perhaps an ultimate incarnation of 3D TV. But it also seems to strongly imply that the entire view will be what is out in front of the cameras- whether shot on Vpro or with this hypothetical iPhone Ultra. Obviously, either used as camera is NOT shooting imagery to the extreme sides, behind or overhead/down below. When watching these videos, the Vpro wearer will have to watch like watching a television as there wouldn't seem to be much flexility to look very far off center and still see the "there" that was shot that day when the video was captured.
The Vpro (regular) user is going to be accustomed to various apps and even the UI being spread all around the user- not just out front. If this is as it appears, I suspect this will seem odd once people are accustomed to the "all around" experience of Vpro. It seems they will be accustomed to looking around for "more" and this feature doesn't seem to support that.
All that shared, I still think high-resolution 3D done extremely well will be amazing vs. 2D video most of us shoot now. I'm simply pointing out how this particular benefit may seem a bit odd vs. the rest of what Vpro can do... especially as Vpro users get accustomed to immersion in many other features & benefits.
If this plays out as described, I presume the amateur stuff will have limited field of view "immersion" (do NOT look too far away from roughly front & center) while the pro stuff will use dedicated VR cameras for full immersion with video in all directions (look anywhere exactly as if you are there). I'm not seeing a way to realize this pro concept with any iPhone that doesn't have cameras for it on BOTH sides, nor even with Vpro unless it includes cameras around back. Just think of iPhone camera vs. that 360 camera example above, noting how the latter has cameras pointing left, left-front, right-front, right and presumably, back-right and back-left... all curved/bubbled to also capture views above and below.
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Interesting. This could make up for the short battery life to a certain extent.
I also wonder if Apple will sell a “Max” version of the battery. Just judging by the photos, but it actually doesn’t look that big.
Stop spreading lies. The standard 14 Pro Max is only 1200 in 128GB and rougly 1400eu in 256GB. Nobody forces you to purchase the 1TB option....
eh, 3D TVs didn’t do too well because the 3D experience wasn’t all too immersive—Atmos wasn’t a thing back then & a mixed-reality headset is a much more proper vector for that kind of content (especially with the resolution of each of the displays on VP). when people wrote about their first impressions of Vision Pro, they were blown away by how realistic spatial photos/videos felt. none of us know what that experience is like quite yet (so who knows, maybe it will end up being a gimmick) but it seems promising.
You'll need a suitcase to carry your new iPhone ultra in. It's necessarily big to get the distance between cameras and mics to capture 3D with any precision. And quite a few dollars to buy it as well.
And not for me, that's for sure, as I'm not going to buy it or a Vision Pro.
And not for me, that's for sure, as I'm not going to buy it or a Vision Pro.
IOW, whoever is feeding these rumors does not know the first thing about photography.
I don’t think they’ll call it Ultra as they don’t like to mix Watch nomenclature with anything else (see Edition, Sport, Series etc) but I can’t certainly see it happening.
iPhone sales are reaching a plateau and the way forward for Apple will be to have more high end iPhones they can take bigger cut from.
iPhone sales are reaching a plateau and the way forward for Apple will be to have more high end iPhones they can take bigger cut from.
Miss the days when Jobs was running the show and there was only one new iPhone model a year to rule them all.
Show me where I did spread lies. You can still see the prices. And yes I think ultra for 1500$ (under 1400 Eu) is cheap and I bet it will be much more.
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This seems possible with repositioned cameras, though I’d wager without the R1 (or similar processor) that the time to process a video would be significant and likely done asynchronously.
It seems like it would also require duplicating one of the existing cameras (eg having two wide cameras) since it would need to be a stereo image. That seems like an expensive addition for creating content that’s only enjoyable on Vision Pro.
Apple would likely want an in camera preview experience so the user could verify they got the shot. I imagine this would be similar to the VisionOS simulator in that a user could pan, tilt, rotate within the captured 3D video (or perhaps just Live Photo.) They’d similarly likely want to add editing capabilities to the Photos app so that any platform could manipulate them, similar to how an iPhone 12 Pro can edit Cinematic video even though it can’t record it.
It seems like it would also require duplicating one of the existing cameras (eg having two wide cameras) since it would need to be a stereo image. That seems like an expensive addition for creating content that’s only enjoyable on Vision Pro.
Apple would likely want an in camera preview experience so the user could verify they got the shot. I imagine this would be similar to the VisionOS simulator in that a user could pan, tilt, rotate within the captured 3D video (or perhaps just Live Photo.) They’d similarly likely want to add editing capabilities to the Photos app so that any platform could manipulate them, similar to how an iPhone 12 Pro can edit Cinematic video even though it can’t record it.
iPhone 15 Ultra will be the best phone Apple has ever made.
More likely would simply be continued differentiation among iPhone models IMO. Folks who do not want larger camera systems could buy lower end. Note that this has for many decades always been the case with standalone cameras.
With lower end you get also older SOC and therefore less years of support etc…
Today that is accurate. But a wider iPhone model lineup could expand to include latest SoC on an upper-middle range of iPhones that lack the best image capture, AVP-related features and AVP-required mass storage. If AVP plays out like I expect it to long term, such a widening of the iPhone lineup makes sense.
Apple sells so many tens of millions of new iPhones each year that IMO broadening of the lineup is inevitable. The only question is how Apple chooses to implement such broadening. Apple can choose to define model grouping in all kinds of different ways, not just around cameras or around AVP.
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Interesting. I use the iP14 Pro camera all day long for myriad purposes.
Thanks for that comment and for the very enlightening video.
As to "not seeing a way to realize this pro concept with any iPhone that doesn't have cameras for it on BOTH sides" I could see it being done as a static image only by moving the iPhone, similar to the way pano is done now; but not video.