Apple’s Vision Pro is a technological marvel.
But it is not the future.
Hear me out.
Yes, it is excellent. It has a 3D camera that can capture spatial photos and videos in 3D, and let you relive those moments with immersive Spatial Audio. You can also view your existing library of photos and videos at a remarkable scale.
It has a powerful M2 and R1 chip combination that handles regular software and Mixed Reality (XR) processing. The M2 chip is based on the same architecture as the M1 chip that powers the latest Macs, while the R1 chip is a custom-designed chip for spatial computing.
Additionally, it features a mind-blowing micro-OLED display system that features 23 million pixels; putting the Vision Pro on is like having a portable 4K display in front of each eye. You can create an enormous private workspace or entertainment centre in front of you, with no physical dimensions to worry about
But all that’s not enough to make it the future of computing.
Here’s my opinion about the Vision Pro.
Let me give you a bit of history first. I’m a huge fan of AR and VR. I own an HTC Vive, a Samsung Gear VR and an Oculus Quest 2. All of which I purchased as soon as they launched because I always wanted to experience the latest and bleeding edge in tech. But after a few days, the novelty wears off. I don’t find myself using them actively anymore and just have more fun seeing people react when they use them for the first time.
It’s not the same experience I had when I first got the computer and never wanted to get up from behind it…
It’s not the same experience I had when I first got a smartphone and spent my whole day staring at the screen, tinkering with features and settings.
After a few moments, I would take off the headset and go back to my “default settings” behind my PC or on my phone.
Reason 1, exhaustion. Either from my eyes or from wearing the headset or from moving around a lot.
Reason 2, boredom. I know it’s weird to say this… but it’s lonely in the headset. lol. The experience is just you. It’s not a shared experience and as human as we are, we like to share experiences. That’s why you’ll go to a place with friends/family, that’s why you’ll watch movies with friends or family, that’s why you’ll listen to music with friends or family. None of which you can do with a VR headset.
What Vision Pro did was to improve all the tech specs for VR headsets around the world.
What Apple failed to do was to improve the human experience of VR headsets.
How do we make it less exhaustive?
How do we make it easy to share the experience?
Making it possible to see your surroundings is great, but many headsets can already do that.
Making it possible for others to see your eyes is great but that can be awkward.
The reason I say it’s not the future is simple.
People don’t want to go through another step to interact with or consume content.
Google Glass, launched 10 years ago was smaller, did similar, and could be worn anywhere, looked almost normal to wear about, but adoption wasn’t even close, it cost $1500.
Google also announced AR glasses that can live translate text.
Snapchat made sunglasses with cameras to share photos and videos from a first-person point of view, I’m yet to see anyone wearing one.
Facebook partnered with RayBans to create their version of said sunglasses.
But none of these has become mainstream because even people who wear glasses will tell you they get exhausted having to keep them on. How they press against your temples, how they hang on your nose and how they pinch behind your ears.
For this same reason, 3D TVs did not become a huge success and died. The fact that people have to take an extra step out of their “natural” process is the reason why a lot of tech adoption is low.
And these were all glasses, lighter than a computer with cameras and sensors, strapped to your head.
How natural is that?
Speaking of natural, Apple said they’ve created this device to be used as naturally as possible, with your eyes, gestures and with your voice.
The eye-tracking stuff is AMAZING, to say the least, but once again…
I have had Tobii Eye-tracking on my last 3 computers. My mouse moves where I move my eye, but do I use it? No.
Also, will it accommodate people with conditions like strabismus/amblyopia (cross-eye/lazy eye), where one (or both) of the eyes are not set straight?
Can you even imagine wearing it and walking around your home let alone your office?
Then there’s the battery life… 2 hours.
We complain enough about our smartphones not being able to last through most of the day, how much so 2 hours?
How long is Avatar again?
Then there’s the elephant in the room: the price, which stood colossally, casting a shadow of extravagance and towering over the specification, the usability, and any notion of affordability.
