this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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I still don't see it. I watched a lot of review vids just because it was interesting but I don't see a single thing that the Vision Pro can do that can't be done better with other devices.
The tech and computation required for those avatar things is amazing . It might get much better soon. But even if it does, will it be better than simple FaceTime type video conferences?
It's not clear to me how apple even imagines people using the thing.
VR has been around in modern form for more than a decade and the only truly novel and useful application is some types of gameplay.
Apple claims that the future is AR but the only novel and useful application is feeding you more ads. This is a massive benefit for them, but not a reason for anyone to buy this thing and subject themselves to it.
There are a few other legitimate applications. Architects can offer people a 1st person view of a designed building. There are already companies that let people do VR walkthrough of homes they're considering buying rather than in person open houses (I think this started in the pandemic).
These things have value but they're niche applications that can be done with any VR headset.
With this headset’s personalized design, it would probably be uncomfortable for a lot of people to wear one that wasn’t made for them. I’m sure Apple never considered what a shame it would be for each person to have to buy their own…
Either way, other headsets would likely be better for these retail style use cases.
If you watch the original iPhone release video, Steve Jobs talks about combining a phone, iPod, and Internet connected device together into one thing. The crowd cheered at the first two items, but had no real idea why the third item was such a big deal.
I imagine that Apple is experimenting in the space where VR and AR can be mobile. I don't think they fully understand what a good mobile AR experience should be, but the iPod didn't launch with an app store.
Except this device is hardly mobile and it's clearly made to be used stationary.
The device can be used mobile and I've seen several reviewers using the device while walking around in a public setting. It looks dumb, but you can do it.
I also think Apple is being conservative in what gets shown while walking because Apple doesn't want its customers to walk in traffic. However, I expect that to change as Apple gets a better handle on walking distractions.
In their demo video, they show someone working in the kitchen and my visceral reaction was "oh hell no". I just can't see any real world, regular use for this thing still. I am happy to be proven wrong though.
I'm not sure, I took that to mean a competitor to Palm, which was pretty popular among a niche segment of the population. Although data plans via 3G kinda sucked back then and most Palm users I knew were constantly trying to connect to wifi.