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Vision Pro: Apple seems to think we all want to live inside the computer

By Victor Hristov

Published: Jun 06, 2023, 12:56 PM

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This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Vision Pro: Apple seems to think we all want to live inside the computer

After years of preparation, Apple has finally revealed its vision for the future of computing and… it is strapping a TV to your head.

Apple calls this concept “spatial computing”, a new and a quite sterile term that avoids saying words like “VR” and “Metaverse” which according to Apple marketing guru Greg Joswiak convey a sense of isolation from reality. And if there is one thing Apple has learned from others' mistakes is that such overly techy products might seem too nerdy, alien and scary to average users.

In fact, I would argue that the first half of the Vision Pro presentation, was about Apple trying to convince users that this headset is not nearly as alien and anti-social as all those other (and much cheaper ones) that we already have. But then the second half of the presentation? Well, it was about just how stunning it was to use this on your own with no one else around!

Talk about an unresolvable conflict!

Now, aside from the thrill of watching the announcement of a FREAKING SCI-FI SUPER-GADGET, it was equally fascinating for me to watch just how much effort Apple put into trying to humanize and normalize something which... in its very essence cuts out the world around you (including your kids) in an exchange for a giant screen!

It’s not just the words that Apple carefully avoided to say while presenting this new product, it's the very intentional design. You have a physical dial that you can use to go full-on virtual reality to a completely “transparent” mode where you can see your surroundings.

Literally the first feature the company showed about the Vision Pro is how the screen inside it can show a motion picture of something that looks like your eyes (it’s not, the front of the headset is not transparent, but it uses a digital model of your face and camera tracking to simulate what looks like your eyes). Apple seems so aware of how downright weird its "next big thing" can look that it really, really did its best to show it has a human side.

Yet still, none of the Apple executives appearing on stage - who let me remind you probably spend a good part of the last few years dedicating their lives to developing this product - actually dared to wear the Vision Pro headset. Strange, isn't it?

Cutting edge tech meets The Meaning of Life

So despite the effort to humanize it, Apple’s presentation still felt oddly dystopian: most models wearing the headset seemed to live in a lonely, post-apocalyptic Covid kind of world. The models were exclusively young to middle aged people, living in a computer-centric utopia. Well, at least in that context, the Vision Pro did seem relevant!

Not once we saw someone wearing the Apple headset outside the comfort of their home.

I haven’t tried the headset yet, but those who have all agree that it’s on the heavy side and not really meant to be used while actively walking. Of course, you don't have to sit to wear it, and Apple did show a model pacing around the room and the office with the gadget. However, it does not seem like Apple really intends this to be used outside.

If the success of smartphones was largely due to how portable they are compared to much bigger traditional desktop computers, the Apple Vision Pro definitely does not sound like the first thing you would pack on a trip. Or at all.

And this is exactly where my problem with this immersive vision of computing is. At this point of immersion, the cutting edge technology meets its biggest enemy: the meaning of life itself! It’s all summarized brilliantly in this poll by fellow Apple Vision Pro doubter Stephen Hall:

What is the problem you have in life?
— Stephen Hall (@stephenjhall) June 6, 2023

What problem does it solve once again?

Let me make one thing clear: the big question and doubt I have around the Apple Vision Pro is not about the technology.

Just like everyone, I was blown away with the interface and capabilities of this new gizmo. A user interface you navigate by just looking? CRAZY! A computer you control with just your fingers as you sit or stay without even having to place them in front of the screen? FREAKING INSANE.

This is Minority Report on steroids and absolutely surpassed my wildest expectations. And just like everyone else, I cannot wait to try this out.

BUT!

Really, think about it, what is THE PROBLEM you have in your life? Touching grass or computer goggles?

I would actually expand that dilemma in a few more words:

“Touching grass with real people” or “wearing computer goggles alone in your room with virtual avatars”?

What's your vote?

Apple Vision Pro: best enjoyed alone

So we circle back to the big problem with strapping a TV to your head: is THAT the bright future for humanity we all want to see?

In the eloquent words of another fellow future technology denier @WhiteBoardFin, “If you are excited about strapping a TV to your head, you are missing the plot of being a human being.”

And the TV analogy might actually be a mild one: after all, most of us have a lot of fun watching the big games on TV with friends, but can you imagine a group of friends all wearing these goggles? I for once really cannot stretch my imagination that far.

Even with the fake eyes that Apple so willingly promotes, do you imagine the absurdity of two goggles-wearing people talking to each other in the same room? Thankfully, Apple did not go as far as suggesting that use case.

But the company certainly did not succeed in shaking off an image of an oddly isolated person being the main user of its new gadget. It all culminated in an extremely dystopian scene in Apple's promotional video, showing a wife having a fun time with the two kids and a disconnected dad wearing the futuristic computer goggles in front of them.

Hey, I might just be getting old and not getting it too!

But trust me when I say I won't be lining up to get this on day one

Of course, it’s possible that I’m just getting older and I don’t get it.

I know a few people super stoked about this new technology (but I doubt any of them would actually pay the price Apple is asking).

I also realize that this - as futuristic as it looks today - is also just a necessary interim step towards some super light computer goggles that will come in a decade or two that will look and feel just like regular glasses. With no fake eyes. With no “light seal”. With no battery to always carry in your pocket.

And hopefully, with an AR or "spatial computing" experience that will just appear there for seconds when you need it, and disappear and don’t bother us the rest 99% of the time when we actually want to “human”.

Maybe that’s the direction where Apple ultimately wants to go one day.

But until then, I’m certainly not strapping a TV to my head, and sure not lining up to spend $3,500 dollars to buy the Apple Vision Pro. I would line up to try it out though, if that’s free.

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.