The New Reality Is Here: Don’t Look Back

Finally Apple presented the Vision Pro Headset that can blow your mind and make you forget about all the devices you ever cared about.

Hey there! My name is Alex, and I’m the CEO and founder of AREYES Studio, and indubitably first lucky owners of Vision Pro Headset when it is out for sale in 2024. After Apple presented mixed reality glasses, only the lazy ones didn’t ask me what is real and what is not and what we should expect in the near future. Some real geeks dreamed about this day happening, and those who watched The Black Mirror too often now see conspiracy theories in new technologies. So, I’ve decided to share my opinion about how this device will affect our reality and why we should applaud Apple for being a pioneer.

Let’s start with a bit of nostalgic memories. In 2007 when the very first presentation of the iPhone 1 took place, most people already used smartphones. And if you can think critically, you could realize that at that moment, Steve Jobs and his crew literally reinvented a smartphone and our user experience altogether. They watched how humanity used it before, reinterpreted its needs, and taught people how to use the new device. Actually, Apple approaches most of its technologies with this philosophy: they do not improve but reinvent. Sounds like not that complicated: just feel people’s needs and give them what they want, but yet other companies have nothing to do but copy after Apple.

What actually happened a few days ago? Apple literally reinvented mixed reality. But it’s not like other companies never tried to be a player in this race. Meta, Pico, Varjo, and HTC have been trying hard for years, and the only device that was slightly close to Vision Pro was the Oculus Quest headset by Facebook. Other experiments were made using weak technologies and awkward marketing campaigns to sell it to everyone. Meanwhile, Apple remained silent day by day, exploring the real need of people and not only trying to entertain them.

At a certain point, it became clear that if we have the opportunity to display everything on glasses, then we no longer need other devices, we no longer need anything. This concept was discussed in movies from our childhood: if everything is right before our eyes, we don’t need anything else, and Apple knew it. Stuff that amazed us in the ’90s (hello, flying skate!) is not that far away from reality. While other companies were going all out to wow the crowd and make loads of money, Apple took it slow and steady, focusing on changing our lives and giving us the next-level interface. Strategy is everything, right?

If you oversaw the presentation carefully, you noticed that the positioning of these glasses is an addition to the usual things. Vision Pro plans to replace all our displays, and people will walk around the house wearing these glasses in the future. They have a precise positioning: this is a device for constant use. Important: Tim Cook notes that Apple presents a spatial computer, not an AR or VR headset. Not only fun but routine. The company sees the Vision Pro Headset as a constant-use device containing everything we need to make our lives easier. The headset displays 4K screens for each eye, along with a total of 12 cameras and 5 sensors. The Vision Pro, which looks like a pair of trendy ski goggles, also features the phenomenal performance of Apple’s M2, the processing capabilities of which make the glasses a separate computer, and a new dual-chip called the R1 that works with data at incredible speed. For example, my team and I currently work on a MacBook with an M1 processor, which is fully sufficient for 3D work, full HD video processing, and many other rendering tasks. Imagine what you can do on the M2.

A logical question arises: why did Apple guess to do this, and other companies are still just entertaining us? Here’s the deal: Apple had a major advantage over other companies because of its superior technology, impressive computing capabilities, and strong ecosystem. They carefully integrated all the features of phones, tablets, and laptops into a revolutionary new shell. Why? Because they can afford it. Meta, for example, doesn’t have its own chip, and its technologies are poor compared to Apple. And even if Meta would love to be on equal footing with Apple, it will cost it hundreds of times more.

So, while others are trying to impress the audience with any entertainment and squeeze the maximum out of its basic processors and batteries, Apple comes from the other side and shows that you have a full-fledged and powerful device that can replace all the screens you currently use. While others are still struggling to bring realistic avatars, Apple has gone full-on sci-fi by scanning your face and recreating your expressions perfectly. Just saying.

Alright, listen up, friends! If you’re not into all that IT stuff, here’s the scoop. Get ready to start saving $3,499 because the era of AR glasses is upon us. In the near future, a whole new ecosystem and iOS will emerge, and you better believe you’ll need to adapt, rethink, and fully dive into them if you don’t wanna be left behind. If there is a good processor like the M2, you can feel the workstation power in one pair of glasses you hold. First, Vision Pro will appear in people’s offices and later in their homes. Remember back in the day when mobile phones seemed like something out of a fairy tale? But later, the devices became cheaper (forget about $3,499) and more necessary in daily routine, and now the only people who don’t have a smartphone are children when their parents punish them.

A few days ago, we saw a presentation about versions of the glasses that are not yet aimed at the end consumer. The first owners in 2024 will be Apple’s developers and premium audience. And it is logical that the 3rd or 4th generation of these devices will be much cheaper and will inevitably fit into the lives of each of us. So, we expect Apple Vision’s appearance, not just Apple Vision Pro, by analogy with MacBook.

My personal opinion (and most of the experts share it with me) is that step-by-step Vision Pro will replace our usual devices because they are more functional, simpler, more beautiful, and faster. And the washout process of the old device has already begun.

Now to tech enthusiasts! It’s time to roll with the changes, my friends. We’re looking at gradually phasing out old devices and the apps that go hand-in-hand with them. It’s kind of ironic because Apple will devalue itself. But hold on tight because the highly anticipated AR glasses will hit the market in 2024. And guess what? Apple is opening up product testing centers worldwide this summer exclusively for developers. They’re calling them Apple Vision Pro Developer Labs, so if you’re a developer, make sure you’re in line.

In the long run, get ready for a brand-new ecosystem to come into play. It means we’ll need to create some seriously impressive apps that can smash through virtual and visual barriers. The goal? To enhance our quality of life and make reality even more mind-blowing than our beloved ’90s movies. Boundless possibilities and big money await us in the next 3–4 years. So, gear up!