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Comment by graypegg | Hacker News Reader

Really? On flights? That struck me as a… weird use case I could never be confident enough to do. Strapping something to your face, noise cancelling headphones in, you’ve become basically unapproachable for anyone around you. Is someone that needs to get past you going to awkwardly tap you on the shoulder and you either creepily turn over to them with your projected eyes staring back, or watch in awkward silence as you disentangle the headset + AirPod max combo. I hope you don’t get the aisle seat!

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This is no different to how many people behave on long haul flights anyway. Face mask on, eye mask on, ear plugs in. Isolated from everybody else as much as they can be, trying to sleep, and they manage it in isle seats.

Also, I remember TotalBiscuit talking about using an Oculus headset to watch films on a plane and it being a better experience than the screen in front for him (I don't quite remember why). So it's not a new concept and this device just makes it less cumbersome, I guess.

> I don't quite remember why

Many such system (that I've used anyway) play very low resolution movies, on bad screens, using the laggiest Android tablets you can imagine. And you have all the other things in your eyesight distracting you.

Not to mention that they pause constantly for in-flight announcements about duty free shopping, donating unused international currency, tray tables, dimming cabin lights, etc. That alone makes it worth bringing your own content on tablet or phone with your own headphones. If a host approaches about a meal choice, you'd see them through the headset. If there was an emergency, someone would tap you on the shoulder.

Being unapproachable on flights is a decidedly good thing IMO. Also, so many people already use noise cancelling headphones and/or sleep masks, how is this any different?

The audio isn't noise cancelling. The speakers are on the strap right by your ears so you'll still hear everything else around you. If anything my concern on flights would be that someone next to me can hear my audio, not that I can't hear them. (but maybe you can also use AirPods)

You can also adjust your "immersion level". As in, have the screen floating in front of you and still see the space around you, or have reality totally blanked out. Seems like at a low immersion level you'd have no problem turning to address someone trying to get your attention. The worst part might be how ridiculous you look talking to and addressing someone normally while wearing these. (though perhaps like the AirPods, the perception of it being a goofy look will fade with time)

They showed AirPods working with the headset on a flight during the presentation at one point.

That’s what I was referring to, the ecosystem pairing seems pretty tight so I could imagine that will be a common combo.

Ah that totally makes sense and seems like it's Apple's way of tacitly acknowledging that people around you can hear the built-in speakers. With the immersion level turned down it seems like the noise cancelling AirPods will be a bigger hurdle to someone getting your attention than the headset itself. (putting aside the silliness you'll feel talking to someone while casually wearing it)

They also announced new feature to airpods something liked auto adaptive immersion that they detect what to noise cancel and what not dynamically depending on changing environment. On video they showed someone when someone start talking to you they will reduce immersion and the same when you start talking.

Similarly when when showed up close to you while you are in fill apple vision pro VR impression mode they will reduce it see this person slightly blended with your VR world

The immersion level is big, to be fair. Definitely good to be able to let the real world bleed in a bit.

The presentation showed AirPods in the flight scene. Presumably noise canceling on for a flight.

"The worst part might be how ridiculous you look talking to and addressing someone normally while wearing these."

Getting to avoid the typical in-flight entertainment would be worth that price, IMO.

Using a laptop on a flight is very uncomfortable for me. Just being able to push the keyboard to the back of the tray table and push the screen out into the row in front of me would be worth a lot to me.

Not $3500, but a lot.

I'm introverted so it's actually a nightmare when people want to have conversations with me the whole flight. I do intercontinental flights (10-15 hour) every 2-3 weeks. I'm either sleep, have my headphones on, or both.

I don't think it would feel too much worse than waking someone on the aisle up.

> you’ve become basically unapproachable

I don't want people talking to me on planes.

Hey, it’ll work! Just not a product for me.

> you’ve become basically unapproachable for anyone around you

Oh! you're not the captive audience of a strangers unwanted small talk then? That's been an undesirable part of traveling solo for a lot of people. The shoulder tap will still work fine if you need to get past somebody to stand up.

So I guess yeah small talk is normally bad and uninteresting, but essentially putting a blind fold on? People are that selective about who they’ll even consider socializing with?

To be fair I’m not regularly on planes/trains so maybe I’m just not annoyed enough by it.

Not everyone wants to "socialise" with random people.

I have a set amount of hours I can be social every day, I prefer to use those towards the people I care about. Not someone who's bored on a flight and wants to chat.

> but essentially putting a blind fold on?

Literal blindfolds are standard travel gadgets though

I've done this with the NReal Airs on flights. Absolutely amazing.

How is it different to someone sleeping?

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