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The Apple Vision Pro: Cupertino’s Post-iPhone Era is Yet to Come

Published: Jun 15, 2023, 3:51 PM

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

The Apple Vision Pro: Cupertino’s Post-iPhone Era is Yet to Come

WWDC 2023 has come and gone and the Apple Vision Pro has been revealed in all its glory. While I am somewhat doubtful that the latter managed to recreate ‘the iPhone moment’ and usher in the post-iPhone Apple era, only time will tell just how impactful the Cupertino company’s first spatial computer will be.

For the time being I can summarize my approach to the device as follows: high hopes, but low expectations. In this article I will explain my cautious optimism for the Apple Vision Pro, the reasons behind it, and why I cannot help but fear for the worst.

Now would be the time to note that I have not had the privilege of testing the Apple Vision Pro for myself, so everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. With that out of the way, let us start with the positives.

The Apple Vision Pro: No Ordinary Headset

Every time Apple launches a new product, the company manages to put its own twist on the device, which, for better or worse, sets it apart from the competition. In other words, Apple products always seek to have some sort of unique identity.

The Apple Vision Pro is no different in that regard, and there are a number of ways the headset manages to distinguish itself from its competition. Needless to say, such selling points will be necessary in light of the eye-watering price tag of the Vision Pro.

The Input Method

In my view, some of the most groundbreaking moments in tech history begin when the way users interact with technology fundamentally changes. Can you imagine an iPhone with a QWERTY keyboard? Well, neither can I.

Drawing on this parallel, I have always failed to understand the point of using controllers in a virtual reality environment. If the goal is to facilitate total user immersion, should not that extend to the way we interact with the virtual environment itself?

This is what fascinated me most about the Apple Vision Pro. By enabling users to use their own bodies as an input device, Apple is trying to change the rules of the game, in very much the same manner touchscreen technology did when keyboards used to be the norm.

Naturally, the success of this approach depends on how adequate the execution is. On paper, tracking eye and hand movements seems like the most intuitive way to use a VR headset. However, whether it is the most efficient one remains to be seen.

If the hardware lives up to what we see in the demos, the Vision Pro may well be the first of many headsets to use such an input method. If anything, Apple is the master of execution, so I doubt it will implement a feature it cannot refine to perfection… if given the time, that is.

The Target Audience

The second reason why I have high hopes for the Apple Vision Pro is the fact that the Cupertino company has the sort of clout needed to push users and developers alike to engage more with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology.

In a sense, it does not matter whether the Apple Vision Pro is truly the beginning of a new era in mobile technology. The fact that Apple is launching a headset is in itself a big deal - even if the Vision Pro flops dramatically, it will still make waves and persuade people to experiment with AR and VR.

Furthermore, the tech giant’s efforts go beyond the hardware side of the equation - Apple has created a new operating system and is trying to push developers to engage with it and make content for it. By extension, even if the Apple Vision Pro fails to push AR and VR into the mainstream, the content that developers produce will still be conducive to the overall success of the technology.

Furthermore, Apple is not one to give up without a fight and even though the Cupertino company is already anticipating low demand for its first-generation device, odds are there will be a non-Pro successor to the Vision Pro. Consequently, a good chunk of Apple’s vast resources will go towards AR and VR for at least a couple of years. As someone who wants to see the technology succeed, this is something I am particularly excited about. Nevertheless, every silver lining has a cloud.

The Apple Vision Pro: $3499 for What Exactly?

Apple tried to justify the shocking (for lack of a better word) price tag of the Apple Vision Pro by stating that even if users purchased ‘a state-of-the-art TV, surround sound system, powerful computer with multiple high-definition displays, high-end camera and more’, they would still not come close to what the Vision Pro delivers.

Which is what exactly? As exceptional as the hardware appears to be, I simply cannot see who is going to buy this at launch. Especially, when it costs $3499. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the only people that should seriously be considering purchasing an Apple Vision Pro are developers and tech reviewers.

Granted, the Cupertino company is attempting to market its ‘spatial computer’ to professionals. However, it has failed to explain how the headset will enhance their productivity in a meaningful way. Are there any use cases which make the Apple Vision Pro superior to an ordinary non-spatial computer like the MacBook Pro?

The truth is that, for now, the answer to that question is ‘no’. It is up to developers and Apple to find a reason why companies and professionals should spend $3499, when a MacBook can be bought for under $1000.

This brings me to my last point: the Apple Vision Pro cannot follow in the footsteps of the iPhone, because, in its first generation, it is not a consumer-oriented device per se. In this current state, the Vision Pro is a cutting-edge piece of technology which will be appreciated by many, but bought by a handful. The lack of immediate commercial success might not necessarily be a bad thing, but Apple did not become a trillion-dollar company by prioritizing innovation over profits.