Apple Shelves Vision Headset Revamp to Prioritize Meta-Like AI Glasses
bloomberg.com
bloomberg.com
When I initially bought the Quest 3, it felt unnatural, bulky, and had a poor resolution. I regretted the purchase after a few minutes. But then I started downloading apps, mainly social apps like "Big Screen", where random people can create/join rooms. I started joining these rooms with my 480p avatar with low expectations. But to my surprise, each room was unique, with crypto talks, atheist/religious debates. I accidentally even stumbled on a rap battle room, where people were passing around a mic and free styling. All of a sudden, it felt like the Metaverse. The social interaction overshadowed the corky avatar and somehow convinced my brain that I was talking to a real human being and not an avatar.
I got invited to demo the Vision Pro prior to its release. They had already announced it at WWDC at this point. Given the price tag and the fact that it is Apple, I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was even more amazed. The cinema was phenomenal. After a few updates, my avatar or persona, like Apple likes to call it, looked just like me. But the plateau came too fast. Everything I tried on demoed the first day was everything it had to offer, just with different content. I still use the Vision Pro 2/3 times a week to watch movies or shows, and it is still a mind-blowing experience, but nothing that would make me rush to put the Vision Pro on.
I wish Apple would follow Meta’s footprint and bring more social apps to the Vision Pro. I don't want to be on FaceTime with people I know and watch an Apple TV show. I want to join rooms with randoms arguing about why Bitcoin will be in the future.
But ya, apple should be more Dev friendly overall.
What worked on the iPhone and to a lesser extent the iPad, will absolutely not work on the head. It’s a head mounted TV because that’s all Apple allows it to be. They’re killing their own future to protect App Store sales.
But when Vision Pro came, no developer wanted to give in very quickly. Netflix and YouTube sat out, and so did Spotify. And why not? They learned their lesson with App Store - you give an inch to Apple, and they'll bully you for years.
The same thing is playing out with Apple CarPlay Ultra. Ford (and other manufacturers) dont want Apple to barge in and bully their territory.
If only Apple were a little less selfish, they could have had this one
After the original release, I wanted to expand my app by adding more animals and plants. However, when I searched for my app in the App Store, it kept defaulting to iPhone/iPad apps. I don't have proof to support this, but it felt like it was done intentionally by Apple, and many developers were facing the same issue and started complaining, which eventually led Apple to decide to have the native store be the default search.
I have been shadow banned by EA before for selling an item at the auction below the average price, and this reminded me of that. I lost all interest in making apps for the Vision Pro or helping grow the ecosystem if Apple was going to be this greedy.
If you close your eyes on cozying up to authoritarian regimes. Apple operates in China at Beijing's pleasure. Much of it is behind the scenes because that's how Chinese like to do. Compare that to US, where everything is a show. Look no further than the gold plated plaque that Apple gave to Trump. That was shameful.
Apple conserves privacy in the US by exporting privacy violations to China.
Kind of like relocating your polluting industrial processes overseas.
However Tim Cook kisses up to Trump in public is corollary to how he kisses ass in private. If Chinese iCloud servers had backdoored HSMs installed without anyone throwing a hissy-fit, imagine what kind of control the US Government has had for the past decade...
Meta is a voyeur, trying to figure out when you take a shit so they can put ads for toilet paper in front of your face.
It’s really a matter of taste.
People were convinced that Apple was playing 4D chess with Liquid Glass and how that's going to prep the normies to the new world of VR.
Now that Vision is a certified dud (killedbyapple?) I wonder what'll happen to those thought leaders who were breathlessly trying to make sense of a UX upgrade
The new Ray Ban AR glasses retail at a Meta subsidized $800 - has Apple ever released subsidized hardware?
I remember when the Vision Pro’s BoM got leaked prior to announcement and people calculated out the pre-bulk discount cost at around $2500 (iirc). I saw crazy posts predicting it would get subsidized down to $2k, some saying they’d eat R&D and price it at hw cost, and a few realists claiming $2750-3000 was a more realistic target. It launched at $3500.
If history is any guide, it won’t matter if Apple Glass 1.0 is a generation and a half above whatever Meta is selling if they keep going with the 5x price differential.
I really don't see the value in sunglasses that I can talk to, I want augmented reality or a HUD.
Subsequently, I've tried a pair of Xreal One. I really like the concept, especially for what I used it for, which was as a secondary monitor when hooked to my MBP. Probably a niche use-case for sure, but if Apple can pull it off with a better resolution, it's something I would seriously consider purchasing.
But the demo also really convinced me that there is no damn way I'm going to want that ridiculously heavy and bulky hardware on my head for more than a few minutes. It's impressive, but pretty expensive, and completely impractical. It makes a great demo, but it's a miserably uncooked product - very well though out in some ways, but missing big targets like weight and comfort by a mile. Maybe in a few more years...
Now, the problem is that nobody likes smartglasses/"AI glasses"
Since then, just about every glasses-based project has fallen flat, and Snap's "spectacles" are possibly the most laughable tech product ever released.
I don't think that Apple can overcome the aversion people feel when they interact with somebody wearing AR glasses with video recorders. It's going to look and feel like all the rest -- like something done in poor taste.
I think it’s a safe bet Apple has had prototypes of foldable iPhones and iPads for years in its labs.
That they don’t have a product must be because they haven’t found the screens good enough yet.
Or is Meta's and everyone else's ideas so bad that nobody should do anything?
Please clarify exactly what you're complaining about.
It would be nice if they did something slightly less predictable. Of course then they’d have to start taking risks again…