Personally I don’t see the appeal at all in wearing goggles to see my Mac desktop or watch a movie. Being able to see your surroundings is a key part of working productively. Watching a movie sounds awful too. Movies are a social experience. We sit in a dark theater together with a bunch of strangers and have a shared emotional experience. It’s part of what makes movie watching special.
Reading these comments, it really hit me that the pro-VR crowd is essentially anti-social. They don’t want anyone to bother them. They think being cut off from the world with goggles strapped to their faces will make them more productive. They‘d rather watch a movie without any shared emotional experience with their fellow humans. I don’t think the vast majority of people feel this way. I also think more and more people are waking up to just how isolating and divisive the cell phone has been for society. I don’t see most people embracing VR because it’s fundamentally anti-human.
Example: I just flew cross country. I wanted to get some work done on that long flight. However, my seat was just too cramped for an open MBpro. iPad is not productive enough. So I put on the Ear goggles (headphones) and burned that time only listening to music. No work got done on that long flight.
However, IF it was possible for these to deliver my desktop screen and equivalent computing power appearing to happen as I interact with that screen, there was room on the tray table for a keyboard & trackpad. Instead of headphone, I slip on goggles/glasses and my whole desktop space may seem to be available to me- big screen ultra-wide (not tablet or MB screen), tactile keyboard and track pad. I could have got
much work done.
Think of the people working in interior cubicles all day long. No windows. Just bland beige or white office space. They too may get very little social interaction all day long. What if their work environment could turn bland cubicle walls into corner windows, sunlight, nature outside, etc. Happier work environment? More productivity in such an environment? Whether yes or no, they wouldn't
HAVE to work with goggles on. But maybe some would
prefer the alt environment, even if it is faked.
I would argue these would be no more anti-social than iPhone can be, with people's nose pointed at that little screen vs. what's going on in the world around them. This just gives them much more screen and much better "AirPods" for the times they want to do things like iPhone, iPad and maybe MBpro or Mac'ing... all within
ONE device instead of carrying several... not forced on anyone who prefers to carry & use all that other stuff... just an option for those who might be happier to carry as little as one thing and having eye-fooling access to ALL of that stuff.
I have zero expectations of people going into these on any kind of permanent basis- just like when they want to do things they might do on a laptop or tablet or when watching something on television. Again, airline traveler who "disappears" with eyes closed listening to headphones can feed something to their eyes too. Airline traveler who wants to watch the big game on the in-seat micro-screen might prefer to feel more like they are at the game... or watching it on their bigger screen at home. Multimedia options are GOOD. Those who want it can get it. Those who don't, won't- just like lots of other available tech.
Lastly, there are plenty of opportunities to "attend" events far, far away but can't for any number of reasons. Think of the huge broadway fan that would like to see all of the shows this season in NYC but now lives in Japan or Columbia, etc. Yes, they could fly back & forth, rent hotels, etc AND pay for those tickets to attend all shows... or maybe they attend virtually. Through their eyes & ears they are virtually there among many other people watching in person. They won't necessarily FEEL anti-social... certainly better than not being able to see the shows at all, even if a lessor experience in total.
Yes, I completely agree as technology increasingly draws our attention away from a no-technology world, it does facilitate less social interaction. However, that ship has already sailed. I've seen people nearly walk into traffic because they are too focused on a phone. Texting while driving accidents. Teenagers all sitting together in one room having rich conversations without saying a word. This is simply more of the same. Rejecting this doesn't undo the rest of technology that reduces traditional social interaction. Many of these anti-goggle posts seem like they could as easily apply to much of the rest of technology that generally distracts our eyes & ears from whatever else is going on around us. Put down that d*mn iPhone. Stop focusing on that computer so much. Etc.
