Why Doesn’t Apple call the Vision Pro what it is, a “hobby”?

[XboxEvolved]

To kind of borrow a thought from Robert X Cringely, why doesn’t Apple just say that like Apple TV started out, that it is a hobby that they aren’t really quite sure about? It’s pretty obvious that Apple doesn’t want to bet the company on it nor even really talk about it when they can help it.

From the start, something felt off about it. Instead of anyone important at Apple proudly showing it off, it was shown off by a bunch of “red shirts” that we’ve never seen before. I think personally Apple admitting it’s a “hobby”/they are going to just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks, may have gotten them a lot more interest. Outside of hardcore Apple circles you see virtually zero interest in it, and you don’t really see competitors rushing to beat it to market with similar products like in the past with stuff like the AirPods, watch, iPhones, etc. Any thoughts on this?

 

[chabig]

In my opinion, Apple is as committed to this as they were the iPad and Apple Watch. It’s not surprising that the general public shows no interest—those people simply don’t pay attention to Apple’s future product plans. As we get closer to release, Apple will make sure we hear more about the Vision Pro. But even then, the target market will be small due to the starting price. As the market matures and prices come down, more people will jump on board.

 

[davvid97]

It is not a hobby, it is completely new segment that many people not yet explored. There is a huge interest in people that are already using VR, and not much from the people that do not know it, they are not showing it off yet because it is something that should be really experienced and tried on to be understood.

 

[JPack]

Just because it doesn’t roll in billions of revenue during the first year doesn’t mean it’s a “hobby.” Tim Cook doesn’t have in his office a Mac Pro or walk around wearing AirPods Max. Does that mean those are hobby products?

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Definitely not a hobby — they have invested many years into this platform because they see it as revolutionary, much like the original Mac introduced in 1984. I believe spacial computing will initially be looked at like personal computing was back in the 80s.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Just because it doesn’t roll in billions of revenue during the first year doesn’t mean it’s a “hobby.” Tim Cook doesn’t have in his office a Mac Pro or walk around wearing AirPods Max. Does that mean those are hobby products?

I think you misunderstand what I am saying. The AppleTV was famously called a hobby by Jobs originally because, much like with the Vision Pro, they had no clear vision of what it was meant for or what to do with it exactly initially.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Definitely not a hobby — they have invested many years into this platform because they see it as revolutionary, much like the original Mac introduced in 1984. I believe spacial computing will initially be looked at like personal computing was back in the 80s.

Yeah Apple is not betting on it like that at all I guarantee it. They aren’t even betting on it as hard as they did Apple Watch. Like I said, they had “red shirts” show it off. Not any of the big 4 that typically show off new products and software, that’s basically a nice way of signaling that they aren’t even sure about it.

 

[Basic75]

that it is a hobby that they aren’t really quite sure about?

Because shareholders demand ever more value. If the "next big thing" doesn't come about naturally they'll try and force it.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Because shareholders demand ever more value. If the "next big thing" doesn't come about naturally they'll try and force it.

Naw I’m pretty sure shareholders understand this is Apple catering to a niche and not trying to make the next big thing and I think they understand this will only ever be a niche product.

 

[Flowstates]

Naw I’m pretty sure shareholders understand this is Apple catering to a niche and not trying to make the next big thing and I think they understand this will only ever be a niche product.

Even individual sane investors may wish other to believe this being the next big thing to attract more capital and drive up price. Markets are and have always been inherently irrational.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Even individual sane investors may wish other to believe this being the next big thing to attract more capital and drive up price. Markets are and have always been inherently irrational.

Um no? Markets are not “inherently irrational” and when something like PSVR2 has sold poorly, or Meta’s products (along with their market value decreasing) and much of Meta’s growth was bet on similar products any “sane investor” can take a look at those and still feel safe investing in Apple because Apple intentionally has downplayed Vision Pro from the start, as like I said, they likely view it as a hobby project, just don’t like to use the fun terminology that Jobs would have used.

 

[Flowstates]

Um no? Markets are not “inherently irrational” and when something like PSVR2 has sold poorly, or Meta’s products (along with their market value decreasing) and much of Meta’s growth was bet on similar products any “sane investor” can take a look at those and still feel safe investing in Apple because Apple intentionally has downplayed Vision Pro from the start, as like I said, they likely view it as a hobby project, just don’t like to use the fun terminology that Jobs would have used.

You may have misconstrued my meaning by virtue of me using "sane" potentially implying a value-judgement whilst I only wanted to underline the difference between individual ("rational" as in reasoning) agents and the broader market. See the difference between individual psychology and crowd psychology.

But I do agree with the general sentiment of Apple being the one tech titan that could do AR/VR justice, being that they work with (at least for the time being) very different economic incentives than the other players (namely Meta/Google) and have much broader appeal than Sony/Valve/HTC.

Their implementing 3D capture is in my opinion quite the winning strategy, let the pople build their own content library and then upsell them 2-3 years down the road on a device that will allow them to enjoy the content, hidden killer app in my opinion.

The Vision Pro is for the time being, nothing more than a very interesting technical demo aimed at enthusiasts and professionals with deep pockets and deductible spending which does provide quite the "halo" effect, one stone ...

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Yeah Apple is not betting on it like that at all I guarantee it. They aren’t even betting on it as hard as they did Apple Watch. Like I said, they had “red shirts” show it off. Not any of the big 4 that typically show off new products and software, that’s basically a nice way of signaling that they aren’t even sure about it.

What do you mean by “red shirts”? Mike Rockwell introduced the product at WWDC.

 

[JPack]

I think you misunderstand what I am saying. The AppleTV was famously called a hobby by Jobs originally because, much like with the Vision Pro, they had no clear vision of what it was meant for or what to do with it exactly initially.

I think the vision is clear with a Vision Pro. It is intended to entirely replace iPhone as a mobile computing device. You see that in every photo and video shown. The wearer doesn’t have an iPhone in sight. The front display is supposed to make that as natural as possible.

Can Apple do that with current technology and get user acceptance? That’s another question.

Personally, I don’t think the technology is there yet. Battery life and bulk is one. Lack of cellular is another. Social acceptance is still far off. It’s not a “hobby.” At this point, it’s about execution.

 

[XboxEvolved]

What do you mean by “red shirts”? Mike Rockwell introduced the product at WWDC.

I’m sorry, Mike who?

 

[XboxEvolved]

I think the vision is clear with a Vision Pro. It is intended to entirely replace iPhone as a mobile computing device. You see that in every photo and video shown. The wearer doesn’t have an iPhone in sight. The front display is supposed to make that as natural as possible.

Can Apple do that with current technology and get user acceptance? That’s another question.

Personally, I don’t think the technology is there yet. Battery life and bulk is one. Lack of cellular is another. Social acceptance is still far off. It’s not a “hobby.” At this point, it’s about execution.

You basically said it was a side project in your explanation without admitting its a side project but cool?

 

[JPack]

You basically said it was a side project in your explanation without admitting its a side project but cool?

I did? It seems your definition of side project is anything where Apple doesn't bet on the farm on and the product isn't an immediate hit on day one.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I’m sorry, Mike who?

Sounds like you have a comprehension problem.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Naw I’m pretty sure shareholders understand this is Apple catering to a niche and not trying to make the next big thing and I think they understand this will only ever be a niche product.

It’s gonna be a hundreds of billions/yr industry. Not a niche, not a hobby.

 

[senttoschool]

A side project is like Apple Fitness+.

This is a new platform intended to be as big as the iPhone in the future.

 

[XboxEvolved]

I did? It seems your definition of side project is anything where Apple doesn't bet on the farm on and the product isn't an immediate hit on day one.

Yes you are correct.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Sounds like you have a comprehension problem.

You gave a name to one of the red shirts. Which one was he? Do you not understand my analogy? Would you like me to explain it throughly so you comprehend better?

Besides that if Apple actually truly was all-hands-on-deck backing this product, why didn’t Tim Cook come out proudly wearing or using it? Like oh I dunno like he did when they unveiled the watch? Why not Craig Federighi?

Why is Apple so scared to show pictures and video of people using it that isn’t a highly over produced and creepy infomercial? To my knowledge the only actual video of someone using it outside of those videos is from Good Morning America, controlled by a close collaborator of Apple (Disney) and even in the video they strangely have the source of the whole video as Apple in the corner.

 

[XboxEvolved]

It’s gonna be a hundreds of billions/yr industry. Not a niche, not a hobby.

It may make some money in the future, but it won’t make so much that they put it in it’s own separate category. By all accounts Apple’s wearable industry does very well, with the Apple Watch for example being the best selling smart watch out there and even that they bunch together into wearables, and they will with this as well I guarantee it.

 

[XboxEvolved]

A side project is like Apple Fitness+.

This is a new platform intended to be as big as the iPhone in the future.

Show me where Apple even hints at all, even once, that that is their end goal with this project.

And Apple Fitness+ I wouldn’t call a side project even, just part of their services package.

 

[senttoschool]

Show me where Apple even hints at all, even once, that that is their end goal with this project.

And Apple Fitness+ I wouldn’t call a side project even, just part of their services package.

"Apple Vision Pro is the result of decades of experience designing high‑performance, mobile, and wearable devices — culminating in the most ambitious product Apple has ever created. Apple Vision Pro integrates incredibly advanced technology into an elegant, compact form, resulting in an amazing experience every time you put it on."

Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro is Apple’s first spatial computer. It seamlessly blends digital content with your physical space using revolutionary technology.

www.apple.com

Hints are everywhere.

Can you tell me if Apple describes Fitness+ or Arcade+ or Apple TV box as the most ambitious product it has ever created?