The Impact of the Apple Vision Pro

Why pay attention to Apple’s Vision Pro in a world where AI is all the hype in consumer electronics? We have already spent numerous hours in the Vision Pro.

When watching North by Northwest which is a Technicolor film, we noticed that the color was the most vibrant than ever before experienced and appeared to have a wonderful texture. The headset is definitely addictive because the visuals are so good and it opens up new use cases. It is definitely more wonderful to watch a movie in the Vision Pro than a TV. 

The winner here is the rich visualization experience overall. Sports will never be the same. MLB, NBA and PGA apps are amazing, with the MLB app being the most sophisticated. Facetime with Personas is infinitely better than regular Zoom. People seem really comfortable using it due to a much better audio experience than people have in their homes, along with new 3D avatars that give you the feel that your partners are sitting across the table from you. Communications will definitely benefit–both on the enterprise and personal level. The camera also is surprisingly good; it shows you what’ possible with high-resolution technology. For consumers of content and creators, the Vision Pro is a boon, convincing you that whatever you have placed in front of you is physically real. And lastly, the Zeiss inserts for vision correction do work really well. 

There are some noticeable issues. The keyboard pecking with latency is an annoyance. You have to look at keys and cannot look right away to see if the right keys have been input. Zoom app has issues and is not working right currently. App store is not intuitive. Apps are not in alphabetical order. Search is missing. The App store—when downloading an app, the download button kept spinning without a download happening. The power cord needed to be pulled off to hard restart and then it was able to download.

Other issues–putting this on separates people both indoors and outdoors. Wearing it outside when active could cause injury. Wearing it outside can make you look like a dork. And you’re giving a lot of information to Apple–privacy will ultimately be an issue.

We do see that the Vision Pro brings a new set of user experience capabilities to AI that are impossible on phones. For instance, the device knows where you are looking, so any AI that needs to know user intent will be far more robust on the Vision Pro than on any other device. That’s before we start talking about the other user interface capabilities where the Vision Pro can change any part of the real world to something else.

It launches us into a new experiential age where you will be able to travel the world, go to a concert or a classroom, or navigate other realities, among many other things, digitally. 

Yes, this first device is expensive, probably doesn’t have the quantity or quality of experiences that consumers will demand, and will have other early adopter pain, but that all is missing the point of this, which is that this represents a new Apple: one that starts the move from 2D to a new 3D kind of computing that Apple is calling “Spatial Computing.” Funny, that’s the term we used in our book The Infinite Retina three years ago.

Comparative Analysis with the iPhone's Launch

The iPhone's introduction in 2007 was a watershed moment, redefining what a phone could be. Similarly, the Apple Vision Pro is poised to redefine the realms of spatial computing technology. The iPhone's impact was not instantaneous; it unfolded as the ecosystem and apps developed. The Vision Pro, too, may not immediately dethrone established technologies like TVs and laptops, but it heralds a significant shift.

The iPhone consolidated multiple devices into one — it was a phone, a web browser, and an iPod. The Vision Pro similarly aims to amalgamate multiple functionalities, potentially replacing certain aspects of TVs and laptops by offering immersive viewing and interactive experiences that surpass the capabilities of these traditional devices.

Yet, it's important to note that the Vision Pro is not positioned as an iPhone replacement. It's a different beast — bulkier and with a battery life that cannot yet match the all-day utility of a smartphone. But it's not meant to. Where the iPhone was a convergence device, the Vision Pro is a divergence device, expanding what's possible in personal computing and entertainment.

The use of 3D visuals will become pervasive. This is not so obvious currently. What could be done with 3D visualization? The biggest winners will be the retail, healthcare and pharmaceutical, real estate and construction, and entertainment industries. For retail, being able to see and manipulate products in 3D will help in a big way to sell those products. Amazon, Walmart and others have been preparing for this for many years, creating 3D images of their products preparing for the opportunity the Vision Pro provides. With healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, it is easy to see the benefits having to do with medical DICOM and chemical imaging. Real estate and construction will be able to easily portray physical entities in a much more realistic way. With entertainment, the 3D benefit is already being seen in Apple TV+ with 3D movies and other titles available and the promise of what Disney+ will be offering. The entertainment industry is set to become a harbinger for the use of 3D visualization in the future.I 

Vision Pro and Glasses: Diverse Aims

Apple's Vision Pro and Glasses coming later are projected to serve different market segments and needs. The Vision Pro is likely to cater to a high-end professional and enthusiast market, offering powerful spatial computing capabilities for complex tasks and deep immersion. In contrast, the Glasses might target everyday use with a focus on convenience, portability, and augmenting reality in more subtle ways.

Market Reception Predictions

Consumer reception of the Vision Pro may initially be mixed, with early adopters and tech enthusiasts leading the charge. Its success in the consumer market will likely depend on the development of a compelling content ecosystem that can showcase its capabilities. The industry response might be more immediate, leveraging the technology for design, prototyping, and marketing. 

There's also the price consideration. Like the iPhone at its launch, the Vision Pro may come with a premium price tag that could be a barrier to widespread adoption. Over time, as the technology matures and costs decrease, the Vision Pro could become more accessible, much as smartphones have.

The Apple Vision Pro is not just another product; it's a vision of the future. While it may not replace the iPhone, TV, or laptop in the immediate term, it has the potential to surpass them in specific applications, offering experiences that were previously impossible. Drawing parallels with the iPhone's launch, it is evident that the Vision Pro's true impact will unfold over years, as the device, its ecosystem, and its applications evolve. The Vision Pro stands as a testament to Apple's commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology, fundamentally altering how we interact with the digital world.

Cultural and Social Influence 

Reimagining Daily Life

The integration of the Apple Vision Pro into daily life has the potential to alter our routines and experiences profoundly. Imagine starting your day with a glance at your calendar and emails through a virtual display while sipping coffee. Educational experiences could be revolutionized as students engage with historical events unfolding before their eyes, or medical students performing virtual surgeries. Shopping could transform into a virtual fitting room where clothes are tried on digitally. The Vision Pro could turn mundane activities into interactive and enriching experiences.

But Apple will bring you experiences that are far more profound. Ones that make you healthier. Ones that more deeply engage you that any other device can. 

You can experience lots of this on other devices. We used a Varjo device that had a high-resolution screen. The demo, where they took us into a virtual airplane cockpit, was stunning and, even, emotional to experience. Everything was so sharp. Same in the Vision Pro.

Unlike on the Meta Quest 3, which does do compelling mixed reality, is that in Apple’s recreation of reality it is just way better in all ways. More reality, even. Which is weird to say. When you experience it, though, your mind buys into that what you are experiencing is real.

So, now, think through all sorts of shopping experiences. The founder of Syncreality scanned Scoble’s home and then ran a fashion show in it where the models were walking on his real floor. When you experience this kind of experience, which can be multi party, both locally and over the Internet, you will be blown away just like those people who come out of the Las Vegas Sphere are blown away. 

 Let’s calm down and sink into the couch. 

First, it is part of an ecosystem. In many homes we study there’s a 1K screen, or more, in front of the family. Yes, we said 1K on purpose. Many people, even in “rich” Silicon Valley still have 1K screens. Some of the richest have 12Ks, but most don’t. In many homes there are more than 10 devices with Apple’s Ultra Wideband wireless radio chip inside, which range from headphones to TV to watch to iPad to phones, and now, Vision Pro. 

The dominant mode will be as an accessory to the TV system. In many homes the TV has to be turned off as a spouse or children go to bed. The audio systems are often too disruptive to sleep patterns. In many homes it’s called “headphone time.” In other words, time to turn off the audio and put on some headphones.

This will be a great time to put on the Vision Pro in the evening. First of all, that’s probably when it’ll be charged back up since you were using it earlier in the day. But second, the screen inside the Vision Pro is better than most people’s TV’s, even if they have a newer 4K or 8K one. Billionaire Lynda Weinman has a 12K system that’s pretty sweet, we hear. Maybe, her’s beats the experience of being in a Vision Pro but most other systems the Vision Pro will beat on both audio and visual.

But, you can also use your Vision Pro outside, even in the bright sunlight and at a beach, unlike a laptop. It gives people the opportunity to go outside and work wherever you want.

Now, yes, there are many people who are crazy about audio gear. Apple TV is there for you with the best Dolby Atmos support we’ve heard, but the Vision Pro is about to take the Apple AirPods Pro generation two headphones to a new level. When you get the Vision Pro it switches the headphones over to using the new Ultra Wideband wireless network which brings a much higher resolution of music. 

So, you’ll see a lot of users listening to their music again because they are hearing things in it that they hadn’t heard before.

That builds trust. Trust that this is a really bleeding edge system that can compete with the top-of-the-line Sonos or the system in a new Cybertruck. 

Once you build that trust you’ll soon be asking your assistant, a new Siri that knows what you are looking at, gesturing toward, saying, moving toward or away from (or really any direction), amongst other things. 

Social Interaction Evolution 

There is something called SharePlay where a maximum of five people could view a shared visual, whether it be 2D or 3D, including panoramas. This can only increase social interaction overall — obviously being a great asset for the workplace as well.

In addition to this, playing spatial computing games with friends is another way that social interaction benefits from the Apple Vision Pro.

The Apple Vision Pro, through its spatial computing capabilities, is poised to revolutionize the way we think about social interaction in gaming. By creating shared digital spaces that feel as real and interactive as the physical world, it fosters a new type of social connection that transcends traditional gaming boundaries. As the technology matures, we can expect to see an explosion of creativity in game design, further enhancing our ability to connect, play, and share experiences with others, regardless of physical distance.

Just Three Things

According to Scoble and Cronin, the top three relevant happenings last week

Apple’s Vision Pro Virtual Reality Headset Launches in the U.S.

All Apple store locations and the Apple online stores in the U.S. are now offering the Apple Vision Pro (AVP) for sale. There is inventory in most store locations for people who walk in to buy the AVP on the spot. It is thought that over 200,000 headsets have already been purchased since the presale opened on January 19th. We believe the number is closer to 300,000 headsets. CNBC

Sam Altman Seeks $7 Trillion to Reshape Business of Chips and AI

As originally reported in the Wall Street Journal, Sam Altman is looking to raise $7 trillion to globally expand the chip-making capacity to greatly aid the needs of AI. Altman has already had meetings with the U.A.E. government and SoftBank. Although exact negotiations are unknown, we feel that this is a viable and important step towards addressing the very large needs that exponentially growing AI implementations have.

Wall Street Now

Google Rebrands Bard AI Service as Gemini and What It Means

Google is now offering a free Android mobile version of Gemini (formerly Bard AI), as well as a web version. Google now has a paid $20-per-month subscription option called Gemini Advanced, pitting it against OpenAI’s paid GPT-4 subscription, and Microsoft's Copilot. It is still not clear who will be the “winner” here, though OpenAI currently has the appearance of it. CBS News