Supply Chain Hints at Apple Releasing Augmented Reality Headset No Later Than 2019

[Northgrove]

Given how AR makes the iPhone battery last around 8 seconds, I'm intrigued by how they'll solve the battery life problem.

 

[kmanmx]

This isn't a rumor, its reality. I've been referring to the "Magic" initiative at Apple in posts here for well over a year. Magic has been in the playbook at Apple practically since the iPhone was released, and some of the concepts in it go back a lot farther. AR is a huge chunk of Magic.

I mentioned in a post over a week ago that Tim Cook's Apple was "executing a road map that was laid out for him a bit less than ten years ago. Apple has exactly one more new hardware category coming out after Homepod, plus a software framework that will unify everything, and then that map is done." These AR glasses are the "new hardware category" I referred to. The software, called "rOS" in the article, is going to be the make-it-or-break-it piece of the whole thing, and it forms the basis of Magic. The glasses will be probably be works of art compared to what we will have seen prior to them, but regardless of their quality the software is the missing link that has not popped up at Google, Facebook, Microsoft or anywhere else. Lots of talent at those companies, but so far they have completely missed having an underlying purpose to what they sell in the AR field, other than "grab money, suck up more data on people".

The iPhone, the Watch, AirPods, even the Homepod - all are going to be part of a seamless experience in AR. These glasses are the final bit of hardware needed for it to be a complete solution in not just AR, but also automation, information, social media and many things that the ridiculous "IoT" has been sold as so far. The "rOS" mentioned in the article is something far removed from anything you've thought of, not just in terms of capability but also in usability. Apple has an entirely new interface planned for this. As is typical of the old Apple, it is as simple as simple can be, but incredibly powerful and adaptable to the user.

FWIW, I agree VR just isn't going to happen, no matter how much the tech crowd wants it to. The technology limitations are too hard to solve. The audio can happen with spatial mastering, similar to DTS:X or Atmos, but the visual component is most likely going to require a direct connection. Lets leave the whole "jacking in" thing to Gibson novels and bad mid-90s comic books.
AR is a completely different animal, and properly realized it will make an enormous difference in technology. People are going to be surprised at what the Watch will ultimately do - even the gen 0 Watch - and we'll also see why recent iPhones have gotten more and more horsepower yet they don't seem to do much more. My initial estimate as of last month was that we were two years away from Magic, but with this news leaking now, chop at least six months off my estimate.

BTW: its no coincidence that the most common superlative at Keynotes of late is "Magical".

Good post overall, but high quality AR is technically more complicated than high quality VR for a whole host of reasons, atleast at the display level.

As for people here not believing in AR. You will, soon enough. Like Steve Jobs said, most people don't know what they want until you give it to them.

 

[Sill]

Good post overall, but high quality AR is technically more complicated than high quality VR for a whole host of reasons, atleast at the display level.

Thanks.
I was referring to the immersive nature of VR, which is what people are really talking about when they discuss Virtual Reality. A couple of decades ago, people would have been thrilled with wireframes and solids in a very simple "world". For VR to meet expectations now, it will have to drown out reality and replace it with a substitute that largely dominates the user experience. This will ultimately require virtual touch as well as sight/sound.
Augmented Reality is simply adding layers to what we already perceive. Since those additional layers need only to be minimally intrusive - enough to get past the awareness threshold - the horsepower barrier isn't so high. Something as simple as a HUD for example, is a lot cheaper to run than an immersive environment that replaces what we see normally.

 

[IJ Reilly]

This isn't a rumor, its reality. I've been referring to the "Magic" initiative at Apple in posts here for well over a year. Magic has been in the playbook at Apple practically since the iPhone was released, and some of the concepts in it go back a lot farther. AR is a huge chunk of Magic.

I mentioned in a post over a week ago that Tim Cook's Apple was "executing a road map that was laid out for him a bit less than ten years ago. Apple has exactly one more new hardware category coming out after Homepod, plus a software framework that will unify everything, and then that map is done." These AR glasses are the "new hardware category" I referred to. The software, called "rOS" in the article, is going to be the make-it-or-break-it piece of the whole thing, and it forms the basis of Magic. The glasses will be probably be works of art compared to what we will have seen prior to them, but regardless of their quality the software is the missing link that has not popped up at Google, Facebook, Microsoft or anywhere else. Lots of talent at those companies, but so far they have completely missed having an underlying purpose to what they sell in the AR field, other than "grab money, suck up more data on people".

The iPhone, the Watch, AirPods, even the Homepod - all are going to be part of a seamless experience in AR. These glasses are the final bit of hardware needed for it to be a complete solution in not just AR, but also automation, information, social media and many things that the ridiculous "IoT" has been sold as so far. The "rOS" mentioned in the article is something far removed from anything you've thought of, not just in terms of capability but also in usability. Apple has an entirely new interface planned for this. As is typical of the old Apple, it is as simple as simple can be, but incredibly powerful and adaptable to the user.

FWIW, I agree VR just isn't going to happen, no matter how much the tech crowd wants it to. The technology limitations are too hard to solve. The audio can happen with spatial mastering, similar to DTS:X or Atmos, but the visual component is most likely going to require a direct connection. Lets leave the whole "jacking in" thing to Gibson novels and bad mid-90s comic books.
AR is a completely different animal, and properly realized it will make an enormous difference in technology. People are going to be surprised at what the Watch will ultimately do - even the gen 0 Watch - and we'll also see why recent iPhones have gotten more and more horsepower yet they don't seem to do much more. My initial estimate as of last month was that we were two years away from Magic, but with this news leaking now, chop at least six months off my estimate.

BTW: its no coincidence that the most common superlative at Keynotes of late is "Magical".

With all due respect, you can't know what I've thought of. Not sure how any of what you said changes the fact that VR is still a product without any definite mission, so selling a freestanding product for the purpose of providing a VR experience to a general audience is problematical. AR is a lot more accessible because it can piggyback on existing hardware that has another defined set of purposes. Pretty clearly Apple is going this route towards VR and I'd be hugely surprised if Apple released a VR product without an ability to leverage a sold base of software. In short, they need the killer app.

BTW, the term "magical" was heavily used by Steve Jobs to describe just about everything. Tim Cook loves to describe everything as fanatic, incredible and amazing. So are those the names of new Apple product, too?

 

[Sill]

With all due respect, you can't know what I've thought of.

I had to reread my post several times before I knew what you were talking about. Rebutting my choice of using a crowd generalization is an odd way to begin your post.

Not sure how any of what you said changes the fact that VR is still a product without any definite mission, so selling a freestanding product for the purpose of providing a VR experience to a general audience is problematical. AR is a lot more accessible because it can piggyback on existing hardware that has another defined set of purposes. Pretty clearly Apple is going this route towards VR and I'd be hugely surprised if Apple released a VR product without an ability to leverage a sold base of software. In short, they need the killer app.

Nothing about this product relates to VR. Apple is producing these glasses for AR use, not VR. The killer app is the framework I mentioned, the basis of Magic.

BTW, the term "magical" was heavily used by Steve Jobs to describe just about everything. Tim Cook loves to describe everything as fanatical, incredible and amazing. So are those the names of new Apple product, too?

No, this is the name of the project, not the product. Just as Apple called the original PPC Macs "Powersurge" but they ended up being called "PowerMac". The name of this is going to change several times prior to release. I think MR could have fun coming up with appropriate names for the products prior to release.

 

[mistasopz]

I don’t think I could ever see myself wearing something like this.

Even if it was a gunny sack that you put over your head with eye-holes, if you put an apple logo on it and charge $2000+, I could totally see most apple fans buying it.

 

[Sill]

Even if it was a gunny sack that you put over your head with eye-holes, if you put an apple logo on it and charge $2000+, I could totally see most apple fans buying it.

It would have to be a thinner, lighter aluminium gunny sack.

With no headphone jack.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I had to reread my post several times before I knew what you were talking about. Rebutting my choice of using a crowd generalization is an odd way to begin your post.



Nothing about this product relates to VR. Apple is producing these glasses for AR use, not VR. The killer app is the framework I mentioned, the basis of Magic.



No, this is the name of the project, not the product. Just as Apple called the original PPC Macs "Powersurge" but they ended up being called "PowerMac". The name of this is going to change several times prior to release. I think MR could have fun coming up with appropriate names for the products prior to release.

Maybe you should not used such an odd choice of words. I did read your entire post with some care. Hope that wasn't a problem.

In any event, no matter what you call these supposed glasses (AR or VR), a killer app is the missing link and frameworks are not killer apps. What the compelling use for AR or VR eyepieces might be has yet to be determined. In fact, I haven't even seen any reasonable speculation (so to speak) as to what it might be.

 

[artfossil]

I totally agree, and I've read that book too. It basically lays out the argument(s) for why AR, or MR (mixed reality), are THE technologies of the future and they can be utilized in virtually every industry. Clearly this can be used in medicine and medical education. But what about education in general? Imagine being able to put on a pair of glasses and instead of taking video courses through Lynda.com or Udemy.com, you can be virtually transported to a lecture hall in another country. Or to a laboratory, or a museum, or an archeological dig...? How about instead of making Skype or FaceTime calls with people, being able to have a conference call in "Mixed Reality" where everyone appears to be in the same room, sitting at the same conference table, talking to each other? Yes, they probably need more computing horsepower, faster internet speeds, etc. But this is more than just a gimmick...this is would be plain old COOL!

Finally, the movie "Ready Player One" is coming out in March, 2018. While the book has been extremely popular among the sci-fi nerd crowd (myself and my friends included), most people I know in the mainstream have never heard of it. But once this new Spielberg movie is released, the potential of VR/AR/MR will become part of our pop culture. While many people have a vague idea of what this technology is (they've seen the displays at Microsoft Stores, they have kids who play Pokemon Go, etc.), they don't REALLY understand the true potential. For those of you who haven't read "Ready Player One," I highly suggest you do so. It's the first book of dystopic science fiction I've read in YEARS that really made me see some general possibilities for our future reality. I think the technology for something similar to The Oasis could exist in the future, and it's not hard to see how it could be revolutionary for how we live our lives. The first step is to move the smart phone technology over to glasses/goggles.

As a reader of Ready Player One (Audible version narrated by Will Wheaton! Wonderful!)—and as someone who thinks about education and researches how to teach creative thinking—but mostly just as a dreamer who wants to keep pushing toward a more integrated and intimate relationship with technology, I cannot wait to see what Apple does with AR!

 

[Sill]

Maybe you should not used such an odd choice of words. I did read your entire post with some care. Hope that wasn't a problem.

No, I've been hoping you would use more care in your reading for quite some time now. And responses as well.

In any event, no matter what you call these supposed glasses (AR or VR), a killer app is the missing link and frameworks are not killer apps. What the compelling use for AR or VR eyepieces might be has yet to be determined. In fact, I haven't even seen any reasonable speculation (so to speak) as to what it might be.

In this case, the framework is the killer app. A unification of devices, each provided or augmenting valuable services, joined by a unique interface. Those devices - Watch, iPhone, Homepod, AirPods - are all useful on their own, but joined together with the new interface and these AR glasses, they're going cause a shift in how people use all this stuff. I realize the term "paradigm shift" was burned out back in the 90s, but its going to happen.

 

[IJ Reilly]

No, I've been hoping you would use more care in your reading for quite some time now. And responses as well.



In this case, the framework is the killer app. A unification of devices, each provided or augmenting valuable services, joined by a unique interface. Those devices - Watch, iPhone, Homepod, AirPods - are all useful on their own, but joined together with the new interface and these AR glasses, they're going cause a shift in how people use all this stuff. I realize the term "paradigm shift" was burned out back in the 90s, but its going to happen.

Bye bye.

 

[Sill]

Bye bye.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

IF they can pull off lightweight design with ability to mirror amount of information that Apple Watch can display, I’ll totally buy it. May not be for the masses now but in a generation people will use it widely.

My big question would be battery life and aesthetics. I don’t see how you could make sleek glasses that still look good and can last a day

 

[Allen_Wentz]

This makes no sense whatsoever.

The only way I see AR being viable at the moment, other than through a phone camera+screen, is for engineering/visualization/medical needs. And this industrial market is one apple never has nor ever will go after.

Wrong. Apple is absolutely going after those markets. Just look at Apple's CareKit, HomeKit, ResearchKit, etc. I specifically see AR as being viable in construction and building design very quickly. All building design has been CAD for years, and lately existing buildings are being laser-plotted prior to tenant improvements; AR is a logical quick jump to make.

[doublepost=1510715281][/doublepost]

Not buying this rumor. An Apple VR product seems highly unlikely in the near term. AR appears to be the stalking horse for VR, but Apple will probably want to see how AR evolves before making a major commitment to VR. For now, VR is a solution looking for a problem, and good luck explaining to the average consumer why they'd want to buy it. Google has struggled with this explanation from the start, and struggles with it still. Not the path Apple will take.

Wrong. AR is AR, not a stalking horse for VR. Folks who fail to grasp the total difference from VR will fail to grasp the opportunity that AR presents.

Note that AR glasses are not worn around all the time like some VR glasshole might, but instead would be put on for a specific activity. Imagine a physician with an ultrasound device that synchs to a patient; or a contractor looking at an empty space with the columns and beams shown in one color, planned plumbing and hvac in different colors; or a parking garage renovation with different alternative parking space layouts and traffic patterns; etc.

The difference is AR is for tools for professionals rather than games for geeks. But maybe games too, I do not know, not my expertise.

 

[PBRsg]

Aargh, Google Glass 2!
[doublepost=1510718806][/doublepost]

Battery: 20 mins

10 minutes as soon as Apple "improves' it by making it thinner.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Reality Operation System...

...hmm.

... I might invent this time machine after all. And my wife will look beautiful. I maybe will put the children through puberty a little faster too...
...interesting possibilities!

Lmao! Man don’t let your wife hear you say that! Hilarious nonetheless

JARVIS heads up display. Yes please. I'm ready for this tech to start showing up in force.

Yes! Kill Siri and replace her with Jarvis!

 

[nwcs]

Ah, the usual intersection of technological idealism and fantasy playing out again. The technology itself is rather neutral but how people will use it/abuse it is interesting. Typically it starts with high minded idealism and fantasy before eventually becoming a tool used by some, hated by others, ignored by many. As with many of the technological adoptions of the last 30+ years I bet it will only really “happen” when the “adult” industry can make the technology work and be “desirable” for the masses.

A few posts to prove my point covering almost a decade. If “adult” entertainment couldn’t make 3D TV a hit then nothing could make that work. Same will be true for this, regardless of your thoughts on the subject matter.

https://www.thrillist.com/vice/how-...ways-porn-influenced-tech-supercompressor-com

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-porn-drives-innovation-in-tech-2013-7

https://www.theatlantic.com/technol...rn-leads-people-to-upgrade-their-tech/486032/

http://www.enterprisefeatures.com/ten-indispensable-technologies-built-by-the-pornography-industry/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/23/porn.technology/index.html

 

[DoctorTech]

I totally agree, and I've read that book too. It basically lays out the argument(s) for why AR, or MR (mixed reality), are THE technologies of the future and they can be utilized in virtually every industry. Clearly this can be used in medicine and medical education. But what about education in general? Imagine being able to put on a pair of glasses and instead of taking video courses through Lynda.com or Udemy.com, you can be virtually transported to a lecture hall in another country. Or to a laboratory, or a museum, or an archeological dig...? How about instead of making Skype or FaceTime calls with people, being able to have a conference call in "Mixed Reality" where everyone appears to be in the same room, sitting at the same conference table, talking to each other? Yes, they probably need more computing horsepower, faster internet speeds, etc. But this is more than just a gimmick...this is would be plain old COOL!

Finally, the movie "Ready Player One" is coming out in March, 2018. While the book has been extremely popular among the sci-fi nerd crowd (myself and my friends included), most people I know in the mainstream have never heard of it. But once this new Spielberg movie is released, the potential of VR/AR/MR will become part of our pop culture. While many people have a vague idea of what this technology is (they've seen the displays at Microsoft Stores, they have kids who play Pokemon Go, etc.), they don't REALLY understand the true potential. For those of you who haven't read "Ready Player One," I highly suggest you do so. It's the first book of dystopic science fiction I've read in YEARS that really made me see some general possibilities for our future reality. I think the technology for something similar to The Oasis could exist in the future, and it's not hard to see how it could be revolutionary for how we live our lives. The first step is to move the smart phone technology over to glasses/goggles.

I had not heard of that book but I will get it to read on my trip to New Zealand later this month (I am heading over to speak at the Asia-Pacific Innovation Conference). By any chance are you a member of ASEE? Your comments about using AR/MR for education are closely related to some education research I am working on for publication.

 

[DrMotownMac]

I had not heard of that book but I will get it to read on my trip to New Zealand later this month (I am heading over to speak at the Asia-Pacific Innovation Conference). By any chance are you a member of ASEE? Your comments about using AR/MR for education are closely related to some education research I am working on for publication.

Hi DoctorTech, thanks for the comments. I'm glad to hear you're interested in the book...as you can tell by reviews at Amazon.com (and elsewhere), it's generally considered to be an excellent story!

Meanwhile, I'm not a member of ASEE...in fact, I didn't even know what it was until I googled it! While I do have a background in engineering (BSE in Aerospace Engineering in 1990 and MS in Biomedical Engineering in 1996, both from the University of Michigan), I ended up making the mistake of going to medical school and I now practice general internal medicine. But I love and miss my days in engineering, and I'm really "encouraging" my 10-year-old daughter to consider a career in engineering, computer science, math or one of the physical sciences. Medicine has rapidly turned into a profession of paperwork and silly administrative tasks. If I had to do it over again, I study computer engineering or computer science, or possibly get into robotics. I enjoy taking care of patients, but I enjoy reading and studying about engineering, if that makes any sense.

 

[Capeto]

I can’t wait for the Reality Operating System upgrade that fixes the bug I have with my low bank account.

 

[DoctorTech]

Hi DoctorTech, thanks for the comments. I'm glad to hear you're interested in the book...as you can tell by reviews at Amazon.com (and elsewhere), it's generally considered to be an excellent story!

Meanwhile, I'm not a member of ASEE...in fact, I didn't even know what it was until I googled it! While I do have a background in engineering (BSE in Aerospace Engineering in 1990 and MS in Biomedical Engineering in 1996, both from the University of Michigan), I ended up making the mistake of going to medical school and I now practice general internal medicine. But I love and miss my days in engineering, and I'm really "encouraging" my 10-year-old daughter to consider a career in engineering, computer science, math or one of the physical sciences. Medicine has rapidly turned into a profession of paperwork and silly administrative tasks. If I had to do it over again, I study computer engineering or computer science, or possibly get into robotics. I enjoy taking care of patients, but I enjoy reading and studying about engineering, if that makes any sense.

That makes complete sense. I earned my B.S. in Electrical Engineering back in the 80s and went to work in the automotive then medical device industries. In the early 2000s I kept working full time as a quality manager in medical devices while going back to grad school for 7 years to earn my M.S. & PhD in Technology Leadership & Innovation. I then resigned from my corporate job and started my own consulting business and I have done a lot of work for hospitals and law enforcement - applying industrial engineering principles to make their systems and processes more efficient and less susceptible to human error. I am fascinated with the potential for using AR/MR in a variety of applications including education, quality control, and reducing human error.

 

[DrMotownMac]

That makes complete sense. I earned my B.S. in Electrical Engineering back in the 80s and went to work in the automotive then medical device industries. In the early 2000s I kept working full time as a quality manager in medical devices while going back to grad school for 7 years to earn my M.S. & PhD in Technology Leadership & Innovation. I then resigned from my corporate job and started my own consulting business and I have done a lot of work for hospitals and law enforcement - applying industrial engineering principles to make their systems and processes more efficient and less susceptible to human error. I am fascinated with the potential for using AR/MR in a variety of applications including education, quality control, and reducing human error.

Wow, are you ever in the right business! Obviously (judging by the responses in this thread alone), not everyone agrees about the potential of AR/MR. But I can't even imagine how this will not be the "fourth transformation," as they say. It seems to me the two areas in technology and engineering which are positioned for the most growth and change are robotics and AR/MR. Everything they say in that book about how these glasses will essentially replace smart phones seems to be true. And I would sign up in a heartbeat!!

Meanwhile, given your background and interests, I really believe you will LOVE "Ready Player One." I mean, it's still fiction and I'm sure reality will not quite be how they depict it in the story. But it certainly forces you to imagine a reality where most of the world's population lives, learns, socializes and works in a virtual or mixed reality. The processors just need to be MUCH smaller and more powerful, and the networks need to be able to handle a LOT more bandwidth at much higher speeds for it to work. I'd be curious to know what you think after you read it.

Oh, and one more thing. The Audible version of the book is read by Will Wheaton (the guy who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation). While he was kind of annoying back in his Star Trek days, he's developed a GREAT speaking voice as an adult, and he does an outstanding job narrating this book. So, if you like audio books at all, this one is great!

 

[DeepIn2U]

Ah, the usual intersection of technological idealism and fantasy playing out again. The technology itself is rather neutral but how people will use it/abuse it is interesting. Typically it starts with high minded idealism and fantasy before eventually becoming a tool used by some, hated by others, ignored by many. As with many of the technological adoptions of the last 30+ years I bet it will only really “happen” when the “adult” industry can make the technology work and be “desirable” for the masses.

A few posts to prove my point covering almost a decade. If “adult” entertainment couldn’t make 3D TV a hit then nothing could make that work. Same will be true for this, regardless of your thoughts on the subject matter.

https://www.thrillist.com/vice/how-...ways-porn-influenced-tech-supercompressor-com

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-porn-drives-innovation-in-tech-2013-7

https://www.theatlantic.com/technol...rn-leads-people-to-upgrade-their-tech/486032/

http://www.enterprisefeatures.com/ten-indispensable-technologies-built-by-the-pornography-industry/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/23/porn.technology/index.html

An interesting view with history. To be fair I’ve yet to comb through your links yet I’m sure they backup your views/hypotheses.

I’ll rebuttal that with studies of the Sony Aibo (OG) which found children in senior Kindergarten and grade one not only became friends with the Aibo but even would try to help it standing up after it fell Aibo is programmed to stand up on its on quite quickly. This is the original Aibo so it’s very difficult for me to find such an article - yet I do recall reading about it probably in Popular Science/Mechanics magazine.

An interesting study with young children, a stuffed dog and Aibo:
http://www.vsdesign.org/publications/pdf/kahn_aibo_preschool_2006.pdf

With each generation, children are becoming more interested in technology as their ability to assimilate knowledge and intelligence grows. More so now with internet at full accessibility and populated with kids of a billion petabytes of data vs my generation (8yrs old when Macintosh 1st debuted).

I’d agree with your hypothesis if we look in the past with respect to adults but I think with the internet a major change and view of technolgy and how we’re more accepting of it in our lives changes so much.

I expect by the time I die the following will be feasible if not readily available:

Body/face creams catered to genetics.
Some operations are non-invasive via sub-dermal lasers (heart, possibly even brain surgery for minor tumors or for epilepsy correction).
Military altering fetus genetics for stronger, faster soldiers with significantly higher bone density, stronger tendons, skin that heals at 5x that of a normal person - not too unlike what is now laughable in the Halo franchise story lines for Spartan soldiers. Don’t laugh: for the past 10yrs you can change he colour of your child’s eyes before birth!

Robots to assist the elderly walk about household chores, major household repairs, etc. Old age homes would be a thing of the past.

 

[Abazigal]

My big question would be battery life and aesthetics. I don’t see how you could make sleek glasses that still look good and can last a day

It’s Apple. Like the Apple Watch, it’s going to be something people don’t mind being seen outside in. Plus their expertise in power efficiency, miniaturisation and wireless connectivity is going to pay off dividends here. Use iPhone to build up interest in AR. And because Apple owns the best customers, there will be no shortage of people ready to buy them.

Only problem is that this is going to be a frustrating long two years of naysaying from the disbelievers and the critics. You know they are going to be dead wrong, but there really isn’t anything you can do to refute their lies until the product is actually released and in the hands of users.

But whatever. Haters are going to hate.

 

[DoctorTech]

An interesting view with history. To be fair I’ve yet to comb through your links yet I’m sure they backup your views/hypotheses.

I’ll rebuttal that with studies of the Sony Aibo (OG) which found children in senior Kindergarten and grade one not only became friends with the Aibo but even would try to help it standing up after it fell Aibo is programmed to stand up on its on quite quickly. This is the original Aibo so it’s very difficult for me to find such an article - yet I do recall reading about it probably in Popular Science/Mechanics magazine.

An interesting study with young children, a stuffed dog and Aibo:
http://www.vsdesign.org/publications/pdf/kahn_aibo_preschool_2006.pdf

With each generation, children are becoming more interested in technology as their ability to assimilate knowledge and intelligence grows. More so now with internet at full accessibility and populated with kids of a billion petabytes of data vs my generation (8yrs old when Macintosh 1st debuted).

I’d agree with your hypothesis if we look in the past with respect to adults but I think with the internet a major change and view of technolgy and how we’re more accepting of it in our lives changes so much.

I expect by the time I die the following will be feasible if not readily available:

Body/face creams catered to genetics.
Some operations are non-invasive via sub-dermal lasers (heart, possibly even brain surgery for minor tumors or for epilepsy correction).
Military altering fetus genetics for stronger, faster soldiers with significantly higher bone density, stronger tendons, skin that heals at 5x that of a normal person - not too unlike what is now laughable in the Halo franchise story lines for Spartan soldiers. Don’t laugh: for the past 10yrs you can change he colour of your child’s eyes before birth!

Robots to assist the elderly walk about household chores, major household repairs, etc. Old age homes would be a thing of the past.

I am not familiar with the Sony Aibo but I agree with the main points of your post. Regarding your predictions about what will be possible in the near future, some of those items will likely be here within the next 10 years. The book "A Crack in Creation" is about the quantum leap that has taken place in gene editing. The book was just released in June of this year and I was shocked to read about what has already been accomplished and what the leading experts predict will be possible within the next 5-10 years.

https://www.amazon.com/Crack-Creati...510825938&sr=8-1&keywords=a+crack+in+creation
[doublepost=1510826445][/doublepost]

Wow, are you ever in the right business! Obviously (judging by the responses in this thread alone), not everyone agrees about the potential of AR/MR. But I can't even imagine how this will not be the "fourth transformation," as they say. It seems to me the two areas in technology and engineering which are positioned for the most growth and change are robotics and AR/MR. Everything they say in that book about how these glasses will essentially replace smart phones seems to be true. And I would sign up in a heartbeat!!

Meanwhile, given your background and interests, I really believe you will LOVE "Ready Player One." I mean, it's still fiction and I'm sure reality will not quite be how they depict it in the story. But it certainly forces you to imagine a reality where most of the world's population lives, learns, socializes and works in a virtual or mixed reality. The processors just need to be MUCH smaller and more powerful, and the networks need to be able to handle a LOT more bandwidth at much higher speeds for it to work. I'd be curious to know what you think after you read it.

Oh, and one more thing. The Audible version of the book is read by Will Wheaton (the guy who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation). While he was kind of annoying back in his Star Trek days, he's developed a GREAT speaking voice as an adult, and he does an outstanding job narrating this book. So, if you like audio books at all, this one is great!

I love Audible and I bought the book yesterday. I have only gotten through the first chapter so far but I am loving it already. I agree completely about Will Wheaton. I remember how annoying Wesley Crusher was but I blame that more on the writers than the actor He really does have a great voice for narrating a book like this.