Apple Vision Pro — Mixed Reality and Mixed Emotions
A long journey towards Apple’s Vision
My honest first impression of the Apple Vision Pro was one of disappointment. But at the same time, I feel very positive about what Vision Pro means for the tech industry in general, and for us consumers.
The image of a father recording their children using the headset did send chills down my spine as it highlighted the potential for further disconnection in families. Ironically, the resulting images and experience is meant to bring us closer and reminisce, reliving those special moments later in live.
Or sharing those moments with our loved ones who may be distant. As someone who left family and friends 6,000 miles away in Brazil to live in the UK, I fully appreciate the importance of the digital connection and can’t wait for us to be able to get closer in that aspect.
It was necessary, however, to look beyond the enormous price tag and the potential human disconnect at home to be able to see the positive aspects.
The Human touch being lost
But let’s look at the area that is seemingly causing the most concern. And that is the human connection. Whilst I understand that Apple are probably targeting this initially at people who are by themselves, the marketing material still suggests a use case for families and coworkers.
When I asked my community on YouTube, I was overwhelmed by how many people feel anxious about this product, especially when it comes to the interaction with other people who are not wearing the Vision Pro.
And that is something that I share too.
Apple Marketing is incredibly powerful and I applaud the visionary aspect of the device. I’ve been waiting for something like this from Apple for at least 7 years now.
But I truly believe we are still far away from having technology interactions in a more natural way. It is wishful thinking and perhaps unrealistic of me, but I was expecting a device that is less intrusive, from a design perspective.
Design
I was so disappointed when I first saw the headset’s design. There were so many renders out there that looked more advanced than what Apple has delivered.
I am definitely being unreasonable here because of the amount of technology packed into the headset is nothing short of amazing. But I was honestly expecting a sleeker design.
So this realisation that we are still quite far behind when it comes to wearable technology, took me down to earth very quickly!
One more Thing. Failing to recreate the iPhone moment
I will never forget that feeling I got when I saw the first iPhone. With Vision Pro, it had the potential to give us that moment again, from a design perspective.
But personally I don’t feel as enthusiastic, despite my feeling of overall positiveness towards the advance in technology used in Vision Pro.
The spatial aspect is exciting, and the drive towards a more natural way of interacting with technology is very positive, but I can’t help but think that the design is not very elegant. Especially when comparing it with the iPhone when it came out.
Vision Pro feels like an improvement on current technology but in my view not as groundbreaking as the iPhone.
I do look forward to seeing what the developers will create with the Vision Pro, and looking at the big picture, apple may have spurred others to innovate in their areas.
Eye-tracking isn’t new, but they way Apple implemented seems very natural and close to ‘magical’, according to how some of the lucky few who’ve tested it describe it.
But who is the Vision Pro for?
To me, ultimately the customer is you and me. Right now, because of the price, we have to assume that mostly tech enthusiasts will purchase this at the US$ 3,500 starting price.
But eventually, and hopefully, the prices should come down and I truly believe that Apple is seeing this as a long term journey to get people using these headsets in the same way they use a personal computer today.
But there are so many challenges right now.
Technical challenges
The battery life of two hours and that cable tether attached to our heads seem like something Apple would want to tackle in future.
Apple had so long to work on this and I truly hoped they would have come up with a better solution. I still hope that this is just the beginning and that advances in nano technology and battery performance will make their way into future iterations.
Why I am excited for the future
As a kid, I grew up in the 1980s in Brazil, before personal computers was a ‘thing’ and I feel very privileged to have then, as an adult experienced this incredible transition to where we are today.
And whilst I am a gadget lover, I miss not having to carry something with me. And I am hopeful that it is the beginning of something that will help us eventually see technology in a more natural way, even if we have to wear something, that it would be something that wouldn’t feel so removed from others around us.
There is no easy way.
I do realise that there is no easy way to launch such a product, and creating an entire new category.
I do think Vision Pro will have some early success with the experiences Apple and developers will create, but will face a lot of challenges and setbacks, too, when it comes to privacy and health concerns.
But seeing how invested Apple are in this product, and the advances in technology needed to create it, I can also see Apple quickly coming back with a Vision Pro 2, which will have addressed the problems in this first release.
Gestures experience and Eye Tracking
For instance, I see an amazing opportunity now with the eye tracking technology.
That looks amazing and as Apple said, it might even feel like magic. I really think displays could potentially start implementing that tech, so that our TVs, monitors, and even smartphones and tablets could be using eye tracking in a more natural way. I know this is already possible today, but nothing like what Apple has developed.
Ideally, I’d love to see the eye tracking technology getting prolific as quickly as possible, whether on Apple products or elsewhere.
Do you think it’s a positive overall change in the industry or do you think it’s creepy and you’re actually a bit anxious? I’d love to hear what you think.
