[HN Gopher] Apple Vision Pro: Apple's first spatial computer
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Apple Vision Pro: Apple's first spatial computer
        
       Author : samwillis
       Score  : 1276 points
       Date   : 2023-06-05 19:04 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.apple.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.apple.com)
        
       | fnord77 wrote:
       | I imagine the tone of the comments would be a lot different if
       | this thing were $500
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | namuol wrote:
       | It seems like Apple knows this first generation hardware isn't
       | going to sell much but they're going forward anyway. Should be
       | interesting to see what the next couple generations looks like.
        
       | anonzzzies wrote:
       | I have been trying a lot of these helmets/glasses for work the
       | past years. I didn't expect Apple to go for something that still
       | needs so much work, but more is more. The Quest 2 is my favourite
       | for meetings, some gaming, movie watching etc, but for work, I
       | just use the nreal air. It really did become the replacement for
       | my laptop the past 6 months. There isn't a lot of software for
       | it, but I don't take my laptop anymore for coding. I do see when
       | these things all fall in place, monitors, tvs etc could just fall
       | away. Phones seems not very real now, but it depends on how fast
       | the developments go.
       | 
       | I had expected Apple to wait 5 or so years more with this until
       | it's a market they can really take on; currently this is quite
       | bold imho.
       | 
       | But it's good; huge corps going in means hopefully someone will
       | solve the battery usage of these things; even in this
       | presentation, there was a battery connected. That's why I like
       | the nreal; for all it's faults (mostly; just open source the
       | thing so people can dig in!), it is very light and has the
       | battery life of my phone, which is 15 hours. So I can wear it all
       | days, there is no irritation or fatigue, and when I take it off,
       | it has a lot of time left.
        
         | Oddskar wrote:
         | It takes a lot of time for people to warm up to a new device
         | type. Probably makes sense to get a premium version out to make
         | people yearn for it and build an ecosystem, and then create a
         | more palatable version for mainstream use.
        
       | dottjt wrote:
       | I think a big limitation with VR headsets in general, is that if
       | you have a morning facial routine (moisturiser, sunscreen etc.),
       | it smears all of the headset. In fact, it's probably the primary
       | reason why I stopped using my Quest 2.
       | 
       | It's like, I used to use it religiously, and then the moment I
       | started a facial routine I stopped using it immediately.
        
       | consultSKI wrote:
       | Not happening. Where is my new iPhone like the AR units used in
       | "The Expanse?"
       | 
       | Oh yea, the great SciFy series about the future of outer space is
       | on Amazon Prime.
       | 
       | Tim Cook: Stop by and I will show what you should have released.
       | #justSayin
        
       | Dudester230602 wrote:
       | Congrats Microsoft and Meta! Great work on Holo Quest Vision Pro!
        
       | jsisto wrote:
       | I don't see this taking off until there is a killer app that
       | sells these things
        
       | treesciencebot wrote:
       | Up until to the point they announced the price, apple was doing
       | nice on the street but seems like $3,499 for a brand new platform
       | is a bit too much risk than market was anticipating. Almost 60
       | billion $s went from the market cap (maybe not much for a giant
       | in Apple's scale but still interesting).
        
         | gmm1990 wrote:
         | Could have been that it'll be out next year too
        
         | ojbyrne wrote:
         | I think the price was expected, what was disappointing (at
         | least to me) was "available early next year."
        
         | teaearlgraycold wrote:
         | Honestly I think they'll sell a ton to businesses and wealthy
         | people looking to get into the new tech. The high price should
         | raise the stock value if anything.
        
           | epolanski wrote:
           | That still is not nearly enough to cover all the research,
           | development, legal and manufacturing cost.
        
         | giantrobot wrote:
         | > Almost 60 billion $s went from the market cap (maybe not much
         | for a giant in Apple's scale but still interesting).
         | 
         | This is the same exact thing that happens with every Apple
         | event. I can't think of a time their stock went up _after_ an
         | announcement event.
        
       | samwillis wrote:
       | The promo site is here: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/
        
       | saovq wrote:
       | Apple really just obsoleted Meta's entire product vision, this is
       | scary good.
        
         | masto wrote:
         | Doesn't seem that way to me. I'm generally not opposed to
         | jumping on the latest and greatest toy from Cupertino the
         | second it comes out. And I'm a big fan of VR: I own two
         | headsets now, but I was waiting for this announcement before
         | deciding whether or not to buy a Quest 3.
         | 
         | I've decided to buy a Quest 3.
         | 
         | I could elaborate on why, but to each their own. I just don't
         | see this thing fitting _any_ use case for me. I know people who
         | like to watch videos in VR. I hate it. I 'm aware that
         | accessing your computer screen through "virtual desktops" is a
         | moderately popular application. Can't stand it. I have never
         | used FaceTime, and certainly wouldn't have anybody with another
         | one of these to call.
         | 
         | We live in a world where forum comments have to be either "this
         | is stupid and anyone who likes it is stupid" or "this is the
         | greatest thing ever and anyone who doesn't like it is stupid".
         | I'm not saying either of those things. I'm saying this is _not
         | for me_ , and furthermore, now that I know that, it has
         | unlocked the purchase of a competing product.
         | 
         | I'm sure there are people who do see their use cases in this
         | product, and also can afford it or its non-pro successor. But
         | my take on it is that the real market will continue to be in
         | games, not putting on a helmet so you can virtually type on a
         | computer.
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | Seems outlandish ... a $3500 product can't obsolete a $299 one.
         | It doesn't look like Apple has any intention of attacking the
         | low end here.
         | 
         | I'd almost say that Apple is doing Meta a favour because they
         | are doing a much better job at making the case for devices like
         | the Quest Pro and Quest 3 than Meta seems to be able to do. A
         | lot of people will turn to these when they find they want in on
         | the hype but they can't afford the Apple version.
        
         | impulser_ wrote:
         | I don't think Meta is worried with the price tag of Vision Pro.
         | Meta will be happy to be the Android of AR/VR. The Quest 3 will
         | probably out sell this by over 10x.
        
         | ra7 wrote:
         | On the contrary, they might expand Meta's market by giving
         | "legitimacy" to AR/VR headsets. Not everyone will want to buy a
         | $3500 Apple headset, but might try out a cheaper Meta Quest.
        
           | epolanski wrote:
           | While everyone might benefit from it, as many have from
           | tablets or smart watches, the Meta play to be the first of
           | owning groundbreaking hardware has failed.
        
             | ra7 wrote:
             | Probably. But I don't think many were expecting Meta to
             | dominate this space because it was always obvious that they
             | don't have a multi-device ecosystem like Apple does.
        
             | Juicyy wrote:
             | they have almost 50% marketshare on steam... they did not
             | fail at VR accessibility
             | https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-
             | Softw...
        
             | BizarreByte wrote:
             | Or it could be the public really isn't interested in VR/AR.
             | 
             | I get we're no longer allowed to be critical of the tech
             | now that Apple has directly entered the market, but some
             | tech never takes off despite repeated attempts and I'm
             | convinced this is one such situation.
        
         | qumpis wrote:
         | Can you elaborate on "this"? How is this better than Meta's
         | product line?
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | nah they're not competing for the same customers.
         | 
         | Metas headsets are affordable enough that people buy them for
         | their kids. Apple's headset isn't competing with that.
         | 
         | It's like saying "That bugatti obsoleted all the affordable
         | cars" - not really.
        
           | saovq wrote:
           | I see it more as tackling the core product they're trying to
           | deliver. Meta is trying to deliver "Virtual Reality." Apple
           | is delivering "Augmented Reality." Meta will be able to pivot
           | quite well, but Apple's execution here has disrupted 10 years
           | of vision and development furthered towards creating a
           | virtual reality rather than augmenting it
        
             | LegitShady wrote:
             | meta has consistently been releasing affordable products
             | only. They've been on a mission to drive the price of VR
             | down to widen potential audience, because for them the VR
             | metaworld is the actual platform they want to own and sell.
             | 
             | Apple showed a headset that does what most headsets do, but
             | better, with a lot of nonsense features ("it shows your
             | eyes!") and a stable of mobile ios apps for launch, at a
             | price thats unreachable to most buyers.
             | 
             | People buy quests for their kids, they aren't going to be
             | doing that with apple vision anytime soon.
             | 
             | So its actually not that apple disrupted 10 years of vision
             | at all. Apple's vision is totally different from metas, and
             | meta continues. You have an imaginary view of what meta is
             | trying to accomplish because meta isn't interested in $3500
             | unicorn headsets.
             | 
             | If meta could figure out $100 headsets that gave a decent
             | experience theyd be doing that. This apple vision isn't
             | related to meta's vision at all, and hasn't disrupted it.
             | Meta wants to run the metaworld to control what you see. If
             | they could get there without VR headsets they'd do that
             | first.
        
           | jhatemyjob wrote:
           | EDIT: Please delete this comment
        
             | b800h wrote:
             | But both these and Bugattis are Veblen goods.
        
       | ChrisArchitect wrote:
       | So if I get this thing I don't need to return to the office
       | right? /s
        
       | seatac76 wrote:
       | Lot of potential.Beautifully designed. I can see it selling a
       | million a year. Questioned that before but I can see enough
       | demand for 1M units a year. Could be an iPad level business if
       | they keep miniaturizing it.
        
       | GNOMES wrote:
       | With the M2 chip they should have called it the "eye mac"
        
       | preseinger wrote:
       | Honest question: will this play any subset of existing VR games?
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | evan_ wrote:
         | None of them. The only games they mentioned are essentially iOS
         | games in little floating windows.
         | 
         | Beat Saber is the only VR game most people know and Meta owns
         | that so I think they're just ignoring games until some third
         | party developer comes out with something that catches on. I
         | don't think they expect anyone to pay $3,500 strictly for Apple
         | Arcade.
        
           | preseinger wrote:
           | Oof. Thanks for the reply. Yeah, good luck, Apple.
        
       | nabla9 wrote:
       | how many degrees field of vision?
        
       | mgkimsal wrote:
       | Was sort of expecting a demo of interacting with a real object in
       | your field of vision. And... maybe 'interacting with' isn't the
       | right phrase. But the idea of looking at a table and being able
       | to call up info about the table, or a dog, or a couch, or
       | mountain, or whatever... I suspect that may come later, but was a
       | little surprised to not see it out of the gate.
        
       | GiorgioG wrote:
       | Amazing tech, can't wait for it to get smaller and cheaper in the
       | next few iterations.
        
       | AHOHA wrote:
       | For the facetime part, you are seeing people WITHOUT the VR
       | headset, what will they/you see if all is using it!?
        
       | JustSomeNobody wrote:
       | Nope.
       | 
       | I get it, it's Apple and it's great and all that.
       | 
       | I'm just not going to wear that on my face.
       | 
       | I'm not.
        
       | slushh wrote:
       | The front screen is brilliant. If you commute by train it will be
       | socially acceptable to wear the headset. Apart from frequent
       | flyers, millions of people will by the headset for the illusion
       | of private space.
        
       | mindvirus wrote:
       | Assuming that test is crisp and usable, and it's more of a Mac
       | than an iPad, this looks very promising. If pass through works
       | well, I could see this replacing a laptop for a bunch of use
       | cases.
        
       | samuell wrote:
       | It seems they waited for the Metaverse to tank before unveiling
       | this?
        
       | ttul wrote:
       | It looks as though it can replace a laptop. Unlike the iPad,
       | assuming the display really delivers on text fidelity, it may be
       | a more comfortable working environment than the old paradigm.
       | 
       | If that's the case, the effective cost falls considerably because
       | you don't need the laptop anymore. And get rid of the iPad too.
        
         | nehal3m wrote:
         | Except battery life is 2 hours.
        
           | jasonjamerson wrote:
           | Swap batteries with a click. Granted, I'm sure they'll cost
           | $1,000.
        
             | nehal3m wrote:
             | Yeah, they probably won't be cheap. I wonder if swapping
             | the battery would require turning the device off. Maybe
             | they've put in a small internal battery to facilitate a
             | swap.
        
           | tornato7 wrote:
           | However, unlike a Macbook, you could own a few external
           | batteries and swap between them. You'll probably also see
           | aftermarket batteries for this pretty quickly with even more
           | power.
           | 
           | I'm wondering if they're including a small battery on the
           | headset for ~5mins of juice, just enough to swap batteries or
           | from external power to AC power. It would be frustrating to
           | have to shut down completely every 1.5 hours to recharge or
           | swap packs.
        
         | bobivl wrote:
         | To replace a laptop (for me), I need to be able to type. It
         | does not look easily possible from what I have seen, but missed
         | the first part.
        
           | bergie wrote:
           | They said that you can pair it with Bluetooth mice,
           | keyboards, and game controllers.
        
           | numpad0 wrote:
           | /s, work is not supposed to involve too much hand
           | manipulations, you are suppose to create and add value
           | through fabrication and theft by showing happy faces in as
           | many boy's club meetings as possible
        
           | joshbert wrote:
           | It was part of the keynote how it can integrate with Magic
           | Mouse/Keyboard and presumably other bluetooth accessories
        
       | b_d98 wrote:
       | This seems like incredible hardware from apple, but I'm really
       | hoping for root access to be more prevalent in the mixed-reality
       | space. I really don't want to see another ios and android walled
       | garden with so much creative potential on these devices,
       | especially considering Meta seems to be taking the android
       | position in the space.
        
         | ncr100 wrote:
         | it may serve in the same way the ipad / tablet adoption did -
         | though this is more limited as it's single-user & ipads can be
         | shared easily multi-user
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | robotburrito wrote:
       | I wonder if we will be able to connect this to a PC for use with
       | steam VR. All of the best things in VR happen in the PC realm
       | where you don't have to jump through hoops to get your
       | experiments out to others.
        
       | ok_dad wrote:
       | The only question I have is: can I use this as a SteamVR headset?
       | If not, then Apple will only sell this generation to Apple
       | consumers who can afford this sort of thing. If so, I'll buy one
       | tomorrow, because an OLED ~5k-per-eye VR headset made by Apple
       | would be worth that price, because I know it would work and be
       | supported for a while. Oh, and I just noticed they seem to also
       | support some sort of hand tracking, so knowing Apple that feature
       | alone will be pretty revolutionary, maybe you won't even need
       | controllers to play VR games anymore?
        
       | siva7 wrote:
       | Loneliness Accelerating Device is what i would call that thing.
       | Hope i will be proven wrong.
        
       | jarym wrote:
       | So where does this leave Meta with the billions poured into the
       | metaverse?
        
         | msie wrote:
         | Meta can still create the Metaverse for the device.
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | meta is fine, for now. Apple's $3500 headset isn't something
         | most parents are going to buy their kids, while I know a bunch
         | of people who have bought quest 2s for their kids because
         | they're cheap af.
         | 
         | If apple can lower the price to something reasonable or even
         | twice the quest's price, maybe they can threaten them.
         | 
         | They're not looking at the same customers.
        
       | EatingWithForks wrote:
       | 3.5k? Who would reasonably go outside with that thing-- its
       | asking to be robbed off your body.
        
         | gbear605 wrote:
         | People go work at Starbucks with more expensive laptops.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | pyrophane wrote:
       | I was a bit surprised to see the "virtual monitor/TV" use case
       | featured so heavily here.
       | 
       | A bigger TV/more monitors is neat, but I doesn't feel
       | particularly revolutionary. Also, if that is what you are after,
       | you don't need a $3,500 device.
       | 
       | I imagine that is just where they are at with the device right
       | now, rather than an indication of where they are going.
        
       | amoss wrote:
       | Two hours of battery life is a joke. They did not mention FoV,
       | which seems to be the biggest limitation on other headsets.
       | 
       | The technology looks nice: foveated rendering, eye tracking
       | controls and geature recognition. The image quality could be
       | amazing and the battery life is still bad enough that it will be
       | v2 or v3 before it is worth looking at.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | alexb_ wrote:
       | >capable of running for two hours on a single charge.
       | 
       | hahahahahahahahahaha
       | 
       | This is absurdly awful. Nobody, absolutely nobody, is going to
       | use this if it can't even survive _two hours_ on a single charge.
        
         | stiltzkin wrote:
         | Saved comment, like the Slashdot user mocking the iPod: "No
         | wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | roughly wrote:
       | The optics will make or break this, but I came in extremely
       | skeptical, but it's clear they've put a lot of thought into the
       | possibilities landscape, the interaction modes, and the human
       | aspects of it. It looks a whole lot more interesting than I was
       | expecting - it's the best shot I've seen at AR so far. It's also
       | clearly the "First" in the line - similar to the first iPhone and
       | iPad, it's expensive and a bit unwieldy, but you can start to see
       | the potential.
        
       | bovermyer wrote:
       | It's really, really expensive. But after watching that video, I
       | might have to get one.
       | 
       | The appeal of having a portable display of arbitrary size but
       | great resolution anywhere I go... that's pretty worthwhile.
        
       | annexrichmond wrote:
       | It's hard to be excited about a device that will supposedly be
       | released early next year yet had no live demos. How do we know
       | that anything they announced will work as expected?
       | 
       | I recall that with the original iPhone and Apple Watch, they even
       | had live demos 6+ months ahead of their release.
        
       | djake wrote:
       | If I want to try developing an app for this, should I just wait
       | for the thing to be generally available and try to buy one? Would
       | Apple ever offer some kind of developer preview device?
        
         | lukko wrote:
         | I think they will probably offer some kind of developer
         | program? Developers apply for early access to a device.
         | 
         | I wonder if it will also be possible to preview Vision apps on
         | Xcode via the simulator... Very interested to see how much
         | access they give to the hardware and sensors via APIs.
        
       | jeppester wrote:
       | VR screens eliminate the eyes' ability to focus naturally. Unless
       | this devices solves that problem, I find it hard to believe it
       | will be comfortable to wear for many hours per day.
       | 
       | And if the device is not comfortable to wear for longer
       | durations, then it doesn't make sense that it's priced as premium
       | work equipment.
        
       | ChildOfChaos wrote:
       | It seems to me that Apple is going for a very different direction
       | than Meta, I see a lot of comments online by people that don't
       | seem to understand this or perhaps didn't see Apple's
       | presentation, they were very clear and careful about how they
       | presented it.
       | 
       | Even when showing gaming, it wasn't VR games, it was a screen
       | playing a traditional game.
       | 
       | It seems to me this is also in the name and the branding, it was
       | heavily rumoured that it would be named Reality Pro, but naming
       | it Vision Pro seems to set what they are aiming for more clearly
       | or at least how they are marketing it, it's about vision and
       | essentially a replacement for screens, not a metaverse or virtual
       | reality.
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | yes, it's a very interesting reset on the marketing for AR/VR.
         | Quite interested to see how it plays out - it looks very boring
         | to VR enthusiasts (really, you're making a big deal that I can
         | look at a photo?!), but Apple is so good at this - they may
         | very well be laser focused on what they really know will sell.
        
       | wiremine wrote:
       | Random thought: I'll be able to see what I look like in 3D... I'm
       | both dreading it, and am also extremely curious. I'm guessing it
       | will be hearing myself on tape. "I _look like that?" ...
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | idk1 wrote:
       | Now I see why they never made a tv! Why make a tv if you can
       | replace it!
        
       | Melatonic wrote:
       | So the hardware looks amazing.......
       | 
       | can we hook it to a PC so I can play some real VR games?!
        
       | herval wrote:
       | Anyone have any idea of what the FOV will be?
        
       | karowana wrote:
       | $3500 is insanity
        
       | lukko wrote:
       | This is the first time I have been excited about XR - it feels
       | right. Seeing it makes me feel like how I saw technology as a
       | kid, sort of like a magic parallel world.
       | 
       | I think a spatial UI will sit much better with people, our brain
       | obviously evolved to manipulate stuff in 3-dimensions. It's very
       | exciting to see where this will go.
        
       | lowbloodsugar wrote:
       | If this can replace the four screens attached to my corporate M2
       | Max by acting as virtual displays for it, then I'm buying one.
        
       | xnx wrote:
       | The product looks really good. Hope someone also starts selling a
       | "dumb" version (no cameras, sensors, speakers, external display,
       | etc.) with the same quality internal display. It would be great
       | to have a large high-quality display that can be used in a
       | reclined position.
        
         | activitypea wrote:
         | How do you sell this without the cameras and sensors?
        
       | jdprgm wrote:
       | No tech specs available on https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-
       | pro/ and no release date "early next year". Both are unusual for
       | apple. I wonder why they didn't hold off to announce it when
       | actually ready.
        
         | jhatemyjob wrote:
         | Kuo says supply chain issues.
        
         | cududa wrote:
         | What do you mean "no tech specs" are "unusual for apple"?
         | That's like their ethos. It has an M2, 2x "over 4k" display
         | panels, and 2 hour battery life. Has Apple ever announced the
         | amount of RAM in an iPhone?
        
         | jdminhbg wrote:
         | > I wonder why they didn't hold off to announce it when
         | actually ready.
         | 
         | Apple has always pre-announced new product categories. No
         | worries about Osborne-ing their own sales, time for developers
         | to build before launch day, etc.
        
       | richardw wrote:
       | First one of these things I've wanted. They're honestly the only
       | company that could pull this off. Meta has been doing some draft
       | devices and Google will follow as hard as they can, but the UX,
       | ecosystem integration and leverage with partners makes this a
       | whole new animal.
        
       | tkanarsky wrote:
       | This really is technology wrapped up in an experience that feels
       | magical. I'm decently familiar with the state of the HMD industry
       | and I reckon they're a solid 5 to 7 years ahead of Meta in terms
       | of processing power and display tech, not to mention all the
       | ancillary details you _have to_ get right to deliver a convincing
       | AR experience like lens adjustment (they demonstrated a crazy 2D
       | motor controlled carriage for centering the screens, no doubt
       | automatically driven by the eye tracker without user
       | intervention)
       | 
       | I guess the only real bummer is the high price -- all those
       | optical components can't be cheap at this scale -- and the short
       | battery life which really can't be solved without either a
       | serious breakthrough in power efficiency (which apple is on the
       | frontier of), battery density (likely same) or sacrificing visual
       | fidelity (not in Apple's ethos). I don't mind the external
       | battery pack, actually; hopefully it results in a well balanced
       | headset.
       | 
       | I wonder if they're going to do in-person demos at the Apple
       | store. I might have to go check it out.
        
       | nikolay wrote:
       | I will never buy something like this and put it on my head.
       | Sorry, Apple is way too late into this gimmick!
        
       | gtirloni wrote:
       | Did he really say this?
       | 
       | """"Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and
       | iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro
       | introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple
       | innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created
       | before"
        
       | jzombie wrote:
       | Curious to hear anyone's experience playing non-VR-optimized
       | games on a VR headset, as I have a lot of those types of games
       | and am working on a WebRTC project that streams those types of
       | games.
        
       | justinator wrote:
       | I'd rather take a vacation for $3500 than buy this.
        
         | enos_feedler wrote:
         | Funny I had the same comparison for $3500. We are 10+ years
         | from a virtual vacation or augmented staycation could deliver
         | similar benefits.
        
           | justinator wrote:
           | We're not 10+ years from traveling a foreign country, meeting
           | people completely different from yourself, becoming enmeshed
           | socialy in their lives, developing relationships with them
           | (if only for a brief time), etc.
           | 
           | Give me a break.
           | 
           | What these will do is safe us from the dystopia we're
           | creating outside our own doors, which isn't solving the
           | problem, just ignoring it.
        
           | Dudester230602 wrote:
           | Vacations in 10+ years... It will be hard for AR to beat an
           | actual beach holiday in Finland to be honest.
        
       | debacle wrote:
       | > Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499
       | 
       | Insane.
        
       | Pxtl wrote:
       | I always figured Apple would target Glass before going into full
       | AR. I mean, the "smartwatch for your face" accessory for your
       | phone seems more up their alley, something lightweight and
       | fashionable that just sends you notifications and turn-by-turn
       | directions and stuff like that.
       | 
       | Going instead for this huge bulky thing is really surprising,
       | since it's so far outside their normal wheelhouse. It seems like
       | the real things it would bring to the table would be gaming and
       | 3D viewing/modeling applications, which were barely considered in
       | the demo.
        
       | pazimzadeh wrote:
       | Seems strange to make a point about myopia being caused by
       | screens being too close to your face minutes before announcing
       | this.
        
       | browningstreet wrote:
       | My two warm takes, as a non-gamer and "never VR" guy who wears
       | glasses and is old enough that I need new prescriptions every
       | year and I don't see trying to keep up with yet more annual
       | prescription lens purchases:
       | 
       | In 5+ years will it be glasses and we can dump the iPhone? That'd
       | be good (I realize it'll surely take longer). I might pay $2K for
       | that but I like taking my glasses off and sitting in front of my
       | big 4K TV without anything on my face. So take that use case away
       | unless I'm on a plane.
       | 
       | Mark Zuckerberg must realize how unserious his efforts have been.
       | He probably can't ever do anything this ambitious, coordinated,
       | and platform integration dependent. Even with his Brewsters
       | Billions.
       | 
       | It's about as refined and impressive and futuristic as I could've
       | expected a v1 product to be, but while I enjoy gawking at it I
       | don't really want to take one home.
       | 
       | No one's going to say, "Where'd you leave the vision pro's?"
       | It'll be goggles or mask or something else. Not well named.
       | Except they won't be shareable (with lenses in), because they'll
       | be too personal, like a hat.
       | 
       | I maxed out the new Mac Pro on the Apple Store site and it came
       | to $10K even. With full memory. That's really blowing my mind.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | gtop3 wrote:
         | > No one's going to say, "Where'd you leave the vision pro's?"
         | It'll be goggles or mask or something else. Not well named.
         | Except they won't be shareable (with lenses in), because
         | they'll be too personal, like a hat.
         | 
         | I could see Vision sticking as a name in colloquial use. Vision
         | Pro is a signal there is room for a lower price headset in the
         | future. No one ever called their iPad an "iPad Pro" in
         | colloquial use. This name is least as good as Quest.
        
           | browningstreet wrote:
           | Fair. Probably. We'll grow into it. Vision feels slightly too
           | generic and off product. Kinda like how they spell it "Apple
           | silicon" and not "Apple Silicon".
        
       | givemeethekeys wrote:
       | I think it was Bill Gates who once said that you're not a
       | platform until the things built using your service are worth more
       | than the service.
       | 
       | This feels like it is going to be a platform.
       | 
       | Before the Vision Pro part of the presentation, it already felt
       | like the best WWDC presentation in years!
       | 
       | For those experiencing sticker shock - think of the real estate
       | you can free up in your bedroom-office.
        
         | patothon wrote:
         | You'll still have all the stuff in your bedroom-office
        
           | givemeethekeys wrote:
           | I'll be selling the monitor, desk and office chair and
           | replacing them with a nice chair with a footrest, and a
           | keyboard attachment.
        
       | peplee wrote:
       | Does this help or hurt someone like Magic Leap?
        
         | m3kw9 wrote:
         | Hurt because if I buy this, I won't buy the other.
        
       | fullshark wrote:
       | I am skeptical but applaud anyone trying to introduce a new
       | computing form factor. All the use cases in the presentation
       | seemed like they could be done already with a computer, and much
       | better.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | curiousgal wrote:
       | Has anyone pitching these products actually worked with a
       | computer all day? I can't imagine the state my eyes would be in
       | after staring through this thing on a workday.
        
       | tobr wrote:
       | They should have called it the Reality Distortion Field.
        
       | nrabulinski wrote:
       | In classic modern Apple fashion they show no professional use-
       | cases for their "pro" product
        
         | nehal3m wrote:
         | Were you watching the same keynote as I was? I saw classic
         | office work (Keynote, FaceTime) as well as 3D representations
         | of manufacturing equipment.
        
           | timbit42 wrote:
           | Where is the killer app?
        
             | nehal3m wrote:
             | That's shifting the goal posts, OP claimed there were no
             | "pro" use cases shown in the keynote and I replied there
             | were.
        
         | codq wrote:
         | Did you miss the massive Final Cut Pro project window in VR, or
         | does that not count?
        
         | Oddskar wrote:
         | Writing emails and compiling documents in Word seems like very
         | "professional use-cases" to me.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | donbongo wrote:
       | The only thing I dread is having my expensive ass monitor and
       | speaker setup made obsolete by this.
        
       | jdlyga wrote:
       | I used up all of my interest in VR with the Oculus Quest. It's
       | cool for a month to watch Netflix on your ceiling on a giant
       | screen, until you get tired of the poor quality video. The same
       | goes with having 5 monitors surrounding you. This is stuff we
       | were all doing pre-covid. So the ideas aren't really new.
       | 
       | The real deciding factor is implementation. Oculus / Meta Quest
       | remains on the cusp of "having potential, but not being there
       | yet" for the past X years. What will this actually be like when
       | you try it yourself? That's to be determined.
        
       | adelarsq wrote:
       | Its safe for people that uses glasses like me? How this works?
        
       | IceHegel wrote:
       | 2024 release date is disappointing. I wonder if they are waiting
       | for 3nm chips?
       | 
       | They didn't announce any tech specs so I guess it's all subject
       | to change.
        
         | turingfeel wrote:
         | They announced all the tech specs. As for the chips, an M2 and
         | a new dedicated chip for sensor processing called R1.
        
       | d_burfoot wrote:
       | Feels like the marketing department at Apple has gone down hill:
       | is "Apple Vision Pro" really the best name they could come up
       | with? How about something like "iView" or "iWorld" or "iSight"?
        
         | codq wrote:
         | iSight was the name they used for their webcam a decade ago,
         | and when was the last time they used the 'iDevice' naming
         | convention? Seems they've been getting away from that for a
         | long time.
        
         | dangus wrote:
         | Okay since you just stepped out of the time machine, I can get
         | you up to speed. A global viral pandemic happened, America
         | elected a Black president, and Taylor Swift replaced Britney
         | Spears as the most popular female pop star. Also, Apple stopped
         | putting "i" before every product name and that whole thing
         | isn't cool anymore.
        
       | mellosouls wrote:
       | There is not one mention in the Apple Press Release of any of the
       | terms associated with the product's market:
       | 
       | virtual
       | 
       | augmented
       | 
       | reality
       | 
       | Etc
       | 
       | It's a _Spatial Computer_ don 't you know.
       | 
       | Very arrogant but clever marketing I guess.
       | 
       | Anyway, as somebody who would normally by default scoff at the
       | Apple tax, I'm pleased to see them taking the tech seriously, it
       | definitely needs to advance to fulfill the non-gaming promise
       | pointed to by Meta/Oculus.
       | 
       | Perhaps the huge price is justified by the significant specs
       | here.
        
         | kjreact wrote:
         | Why should Apple use existing technology words to describe
         | their new product? They are trying to create a "new" product
         | category and come up with their own vernacular for this
         | segment.
         | 
         | I can just see the patent trolls salivating over this new
         | opportunity. At least now Apple can use each of these lawsuits
         | to promote their product with their own terminology (ads via
         | news articles, Apple Marketing 101).
        
       | jFriedensreich wrote:
       | this thing is so feature complete the only thing left i was kind
       | of hoping to see is innovative use of the apple watch as HID. For
       | example using the taptic engine as feedback provider and the
       | apple watch sensors for improved microgestures similar to what
       | google Project Soli was researching. i am very sure this will
       | come in a future version if this prevails.
        
       | ambyra wrote:
       | The oculus 3 will be most people's choice for games. This will
       | cover "the rest"? Oof.
        
       | uejfiweun wrote:
       | It looks sweet. I want one, for sure. But I have to say, it's a
       | little concerning that they haven't publicly stated the FOV. FOV
       | is an absolutely CRUCIAL issue in modern XR, and I have a feeling
       | if Apple had actually solved it, they would be bragging about it
       | just like how they're bragging about "23 million pixels" or
       | whatever.
        
       | gregmfoster wrote:
       | I wonder if folks can trade in dev kits for the first version
       | when it's released next year. That was the case for me with the
       | Apple TV dev kit.
        
       | jedberg wrote:
       | This device will revolutionize movie making. Given that this is
       | cheaper than most 3D rigs used today, 3D movies just became way
       | easier to make. With the ability to record 3D videos and then
       | play them back, you can expect a whole new breed of consumer made
       | 3D videos to hit the market.
       | 
       | Also, no one else is saying it, but this will revolutionize the
       | pornography industry, for all the reasons above. It'll be super
       | easy for OF creators to make custom 3D videos for big bucks for
       | example.
        
       | donohoe wrote:
       | Honestly, I just want a headset that's so slimline I don't look
       | like a weirdo on an airplane, and to achieve that all I want is
       | for it to be able to play movies in the 3d cinema experience.
       | Doesn't need to be optimized for games or interactivity. I get
       | that I'm likely minority but my VR needs are very simple.
        
       | kumarvvr wrote:
       | Looks incredible. The cinema experience itself feels amazing.
       | 
       | Wonder what the long term effects of using this will be?
       | 
       | Apple does not mention how usage metrics, or testing for harmful
       | effects on vision, etc.
        
       | shrimpx wrote:
       | I could see this being revolutionary for in-computer music
       | production, because currently that space is heavily modal and
       | arcane to use with a mouse and tons of deeply buried UIs.
       | 
       | Imagine organizing digital instruments spatially in your office
       | and composing music with a spatial feel similar to using a
       | hardware setup. Then you can flip between various setups. For
       | example you might bring up the mixing environment when you're
       | ready to mix, which fills your office with a mixing board, amps,
       | compressors and whatnot instead of synths and drum machines.
       | 
       | Could make digital modular synthesis a lot of fun, too, as you
       | could move digital wires around in physical space.
        
         | rockmeamedee wrote:
         | Like a non-toy version of this:
         | https://artsandculture.google.com/story/ar-synth/7AUBadCIL5T...
        
         | codq wrote:
         | I feel like announcing/releasing Logic Pro X for iPad just
         | prior to the Apple Vision announcement was not a coincidence.
        
       | awesomelvin wrote:
       | [dead]
        
       | wankerrific wrote:
       | What's up with Apple touting this headset for remote work while
       | they were one of the first to force people back to office.
       | 
       | And now Facebook/meta too.
       | 
       | Marketing hypocrisy.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | throwaway4good wrote:
       | Looks amazing and wild full of possibilities but the price tag
       | and perhaps the clunkiness of the device (size and external
       | battery) indicates that the technology is not quite there for
       | mass adoption.
        
       | contemporary343 wrote:
       | The micro-OLED displays alone explain a lot of the price point..
       | along with apple silicon, really hard to see how Meta can compete
       | at the high end.
        
       | anonymouse008 wrote:
       | This is the first inverse of Apple. It's the first device that
       | doesn't live with you on the journey... everything from "the
       | throw it out the window macintosh," iPod, iPhone, Air, iPad...
       | you name it, was about going with you where you went.
       | 
       | It's striking... This is a shift of epic proportions.
        
         | peddling-brink wrote:
         | What are you talking about you strap it to your face.
        
       | drno123 wrote:
       | If it can run stable diffusion in real time, and "augment" people
       | walking around you to appear naked, it will be a hit
        
       | denimnerd42 wrote:
       | RSI inducing machine. No way I could wear that more than 20m.
        
       | gervwyk wrote:
       | I'm due for a new mac, going to wait it out and give this VR
       | thing a proper try. Remember those first cell phones.. we've just
       | past the "dude why would you carry a brick in your pocket"
       | situation.
        
       | nappy wrote:
       | > "starting at $3,499"
       | 
       | I wonder what the model that you actually want to buy will cost
       | and what average sales price will be.
       | 
       | From the looks of it, I wouldn't be surprised if they sell a
       | "pro" headband like Meta does for the Quest that has a battery
       | pack that does better than the 2 hours of charge with the brick.
        
       | TheAceOfHearts wrote:
       | Just commenting to leave my footprint for when people look back
       | on the discussion a few years from now.
       | 
       | The high price seems like it'll be a barrier to adoption, which
       | will limit the amount of developers willing to invest time in
       | developing for a closed platform.
       | 
       | It'll probably take off in the furry / kink scene. The real
       | killer app will have something to do with sex or porn, and Apple
       | will try to kill it off or refuse to acknowledge it.
       | 
       | On release day some couple will record a first-person POV sex
       | video and upload it to a major porn site. If the spatial video
       | recording experience is really good it might take off in the porn
       | space.
        
         | activitypea wrote:
         | You thought about leaving a comment for people 10 years from
         | now, and decided to open with "this will be big for furries"?
        
           | TheAceOfHearts wrote:
           | Furries have a lot of money and are often technologically
           | proficient. It probably won't take long after release before
           | it's possible to transpose an avatar or fursona over someone,
           | a mix of VR Chat and IRL.
        
       | 0xr0kk3r wrote:
       | Eager to see how it works with +6.00 glasses. That's been a
       | problem with headsets for me.
        
         | mjamesaustin wrote:
         | They're offering magnetic clip-in prescription lenses to use
         | with the headset. I assume the experience will be pretty good,
         | though obviously it comes with an added price...
        
       | bullen wrote:
       | This is pretty bad for VR.
       | 
       | It will most likely flop because it has no reliable input.
       | 
       | So far FrankenQuest 2/3 is on top:
       | http://move.rupy.se/file/FrankenQuest.png
       | 
       | Let's see what Valve can do...
        
       | luis_cho wrote:
       | All the other people that are attending the facetime call should
       | also be using the glasses and why not an apple headphone. That
       | way instead of talking to my brother I could talk to a Daft Punk
       | member.
       | 
       | We could change the name of the app to robottime.
        
       | nunez wrote:
       | Is anyone else terrified that this is the beginning of the end of
       | "outside"?
       | 
       | Like, I can see people wearing these full-time, everywhere, to
       | "enhance" life at first with the ultimate goal of these
       | _replacing_ life (i.e. why go outside, where you have to spend
       | money and deal with people, when you can just wear these and be
       | in a world that you control without leaving your couch?)
       | 
       | Or am I just becoming a curmudgeon? If I am, I didn't expect it
       | to happen at 35!
        
         | ncr100 wrote:
         | No - may I still reply to your question?
         | 
         | I think MORE efficient indoor-tech, that allows you to get your
         | stuff done MORE QUICKLY so you can go outside, is a goal we all
         | should seek, as technologists.
         | 
         | Not forcing users outside in order to get their work done . .
         | (not that is what you were saying).
        
       | fnordsensei wrote:
       | It's highly custom, and clearly engineered not to compromise on
       | the vision they have for it.
       | 
       | Early adopters will foot the bill for the R&D required to create
       | the non-"Pro" version of this, hence the price. But there's
       | always going to be a Pro version of this, that pushes what "no
       | compromise" looks like, as there is for the rest of their
       | products.
        
       | dougb5 wrote:
       | Did they intend to make their 50+ demographic nostalgic for
       | "Apple-Vision", the BASIC demo program that shipped with the
       | Apple II? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqPe7pE_5uQ,
       | https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Apple-Vision). Boy, that takes me
       | back.
        
       | ryanianian wrote:
       | New hardware advancements often prompt us to anticipate
       | corresponding strides in accessibility research.
       | 
       | > Navigate visionOS simply by looking at apps, buttons, and text
       | fields. App icons and buttons subtly come to life when you look
       | at them.
       | 
       | I will defer to experts for a more in-depth discussion on
       | accessibility, but this feature does raise a concern for me.
       | 
       | I have a condition that causes my eyes to rapidly move back and
       | forth. My visual processing compensates. I see like normal, but
       | my eyes do not stay still for long even when looking in one spot.
       | 
       | Initially, I assumed that this condition would prove problematic
       | for VR use, but I've found that I can see quite clearly inside
       | current VR headsets, although I've never tried anything that has
       | eye-tracking. The prism component of my prescription does reduce
       | the area of optimal focus. In addition, certain degenerative and
       | congenital conditions cause individuals to rely very heavily on
       | peripheral vision if central vision is impaired.
       | 
       | If visionOS can tailor its visuals to the user's specific visual
       | abilities, it could provide a profoundly useful tool for these
       | users.
        
       | evan_ wrote:
       | Seems obvious there will eventually be a Vision Air that cuts
       | some of the premium fit & finish and drops the price. They
       | wouldn't have launched it with the "Pro" moniker unless they were
       | planning to drop it later.
        
       | mmastrac wrote:
       | Ski goggles, mixed reality, less storage than a Nomad. I don't
       | see what this brings to the table over other VR systems.
        
       | MatekCopatek wrote:
       | Interesting, I thought they would come out with some kind of
       | radical new use case that would change how VR is percieved.
       | 
       | But it seems like they decided the main barrier to wider adoption
       | is hardware quality.
        
       | dandongus wrote:
       | For those of us who can't be bothered to watch through the whole
       | announcement to find where they say it, what's the refresh rate
       | of this thing?
        
         | denysvitali wrote:
         | I think they mentioned 12ms (~ 83fps?), but don't quote me on
         | that.
        
       | heynk wrote:
       | Incredible.
       | 
       | The biggest downside is that it looks like you can only use a
       | single display from your Mac. If I could run 3+ screens from my
       | mac, this would become a no-brainer.
        
         | evgen wrote:
         | I am expecting a lot of apps to be able to cast a window
         | directly to visionOS devices by the time this thing actually
         | launches or possibly a way to split out spaces into their own
         | screens by the time this launches.
        
         | rl1987 wrote:
         | But you will be able to to have 3+ screens in your field of
         | vision _without_ needing a Mac...
        
       | ftio wrote:
       | The current price of this first-gen product will make it a niche,
       | early-adopter kind of thing -- just like the original iPhone --
       | but the Vision Pro is going to absolutely slay over the next five
       | years. Which isn't to say that this won't sell out.
       | 
       | It's going to get a lot smaller, lighter, more comfortable, and
       | more capable (with better battery life) and be years ahead of the
       | next best competitor.
       | 
       | They're also setting this up as the "Pro" version, which means a
       | lower-priced model is already planned, maybe in two years.
       | 
       | In ten years, these'll be regular ole glasses, maybe even a
       | contact lens.
       | 
       | Amazing launch.
        
       | moultano wrote:
       | No tether. Worse tracking than an index. Lame.
        
       | lopkeny12ko wrote:
       | $3500??? What a complete joke
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | ripvanwinkle wrote:
       | IMO what makes Apple different and more likely to succeed than
       | Meta is that they are pursuing more concrete scenarios like
       | viewing content in a more immersive environment or spinning up a
       | large viewing surface where you may have none .
       | 
       | Meta's problem is this focus around social interactions which
       | just isn't taking hold apart from a niche audience of
       | enthusiasts. Having tried the Quest Pro, if Meta pursued the
       | remote office collaboration scenario more vigorously which is
       | really quite promising and multiple desktop monitor replacement
       | they would do a lot better
       | 
       | The obvious drawback with the Apple device is price and it's
       | going to have challenges with traction. The enterprise would be a
       | good place to start but that doesn't seem to be Apple's forte
        
         | joewadcan wrote:
         | Exactly ! The social stuff requires a network effect...
         | hilarious that the makers of Facebook bet their chips on the
         | same bet as their existing products. Apple knows it doesn't
         | need groups of people to use this together, just enough early
         | adopters to help pay for (and more importantly help guide) the
         | user research and material advancement.
        
         | wombat-man wrote:
         | I think the big differentiators are:
         | 
         | 1. The avatar and face scanning for video chat 2. Screen
         | quality, pixels shouldn't be viewable.
         | 
         | Meta could copy both with time but the 2nd just requires more
         | expensive hardware. I never liked the meta avatars and it looks
         | like the apple ones could work with any chat app?
        
       | jdlyga wrote:
       | It's a much better version of the Oculus Quest, basically. The
       | reason why AirPods took off is because they were immediately,
       | 100% useful in your day to day life. The same with Apple Watch
       | (notifications, fitness). What is the day 1, must have use for
       | this?
        
       | shp0ngle wrote:
       | I will say this is not for me, but the presentation makes it look
       | like it makes more _sense_ than anything Meta has produced so
       | far.
       | 
       | I don't want it, but I understand why someone might. I don't care
       | about metaverse or gaming, but they made it look actually useful.
        
       | rtsao wrote:
       | The demonstrated software doesn't look too compelling (mostly
       | floating 2D app windows), but I could see this becoming the
       | ultimate learning/training tool. Interactive, step-by-step
       | guides/instruction on how to do literally anything would be
       | incredibly useful (play an instrument, vehicle maintenance,
       | cooking, etc.)
       | 
       | If the hardware is sufficiently good, eventually the software
       | will come, which is probably why this initially targeting the pro
       | market. I'm skeptical the current frameworks make it easy enough
       | to build quality AR apps, but hopefully the difficulty will go
       | down eventually (maybe with the help of AI).
        
       | firefoxkekw wrote:
       | If this device delivers 80% of what they showed, this is insane.
       | 
       | Like with iOS, the devs that adopted early where able to make a
       | lot of profit, 3.5k looks way too cheap for what they showed.
       | 
       | Legit makes me want to work for apple.
        
       | FredPret wrote:
       | I have a sweet setup - huge screens, stand-up desk, mouse and
       | keyboard at home.
       | 
       | But when I go on holiday / a long trip / a weekend away, I have
       | to hunch over my laptop.
       | 
       | Now I can pack this thing and have 15 massive monitors. Heck, I
       | can set up a little bridge-of-the-enterprise situation where I
       | know where to turn my head to get the status of system x. This
       | could really change how I work once it's all ironed out.
        
       | johndhi wrote:
       | You know why phones are so addictive and VR isn't? Phones make us
       | feel like we have control over how and when we use them. We can
       | just set them down.
       | 
       | With something you strap to your head that illusion of you
       | controlling it goes away. We don't want to strap something to our
       | head because it means admitting we want our life ruled by
       | technology.
        
       | divan wrote:
       | Can anyone help to orient in the current VR/AR/XR programming
       | landscape in a light of this announcement?
       | 
       | My goal is just to learn programming in VR/AR for myself.
       | Assuming this is gonna be a leading XR platform in the coming
       | years, does it make sense to focus exclusively on learning
       | ARKit/RealityKit? Or there are some "true cross-platform XR"
       | stacks are being actively developed?
       | 
       | I vaguely remember some initiatives from Kronos group, but have
       | no idea how this landscape currently looks like. Would really
       | appreciate some elif5 brief into current state of XR programming.
        
         | 0xDEF wrote:
         | Everything serious in VR/AR is being done using either Unity or
         | Unreal Engine.
        
         | turbo_fart wrote:
         | No controllers mean that people will get bored of this very
         | quick. It's already tiring using a headset even if you can just
         | let your arms flop. Also very out of date strap design that has
         | the device resting on your face instead of using a builders hat
         | type of harness system. Massively disappointing
        
       | wg0 wrote:
       | Seems like another collector's item. Something later to be looked
       | at "Why X didn't take off?" sort of.
        
       | fossuser wrote:
       | I can at least cash in a called shot for this one:
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27583456
       | 
       | Fun to see the incredulity in replies two years ago for what
       | seems like was inevitably leading to this.
       | 
       | Still really curious what it'll be like to use in person.
        
       | retrocryptid wrote:
       | [flagged]
        
       | jumploops wrote:
       | As a child I used to read books with just one eye open. This
       | device will be revolutionary for me, but not because of the
       | immersion.
       | 
       | My excitement is tied to the two high resolution displays,
       | entirely independent for each eye. I asked Brendan Iribe about
       | this for Oculus back in Fall of 2014 and he told me they were two
       | generations away.
       | 
       | As a programmer, I'm staring at a screen all day long, and the
       | effect has not been great. Having both eyes focused 1-2 ft in
       | front of me has caused strain on my eyes, headaches, and
       | seemingly permanent loss of far-sighted vision (my prescription
       | gets worse every year).
       | 
       | It's not proven yet, but hopefully the estimated 20ft focal
       | length can help alleviate my eyes for my day-to-day work!
        
       | dcchambers wrote:
       | Incredibly impressive technology with a price that is simply
       | unreachable to almost everyone.
       | 
       | Maybe if Apple can bring the price down in a few years we'll see
       | widespread adoption, but until then I don't see how this is
       | anything but a toy for the wealthy. Maybe it will have some
       | commercial/industry adoption.
        
       | jansan wrote:
       | I already hate those people who think they must walk around in
       | the streets wearing these AR masks.
        
       | sleepybrett wrote:
       | I pickture Mark Zuckerberg, in the fetal position in a running
       | shower wailing "I'm not crying, you're crying."
        
       | b_d98 wrote:
       | I really
        
       | wb14123 wrote:
       | I don't see lots of AR/VR techs in the intro: there is no
       | interaction with real world, there is no 3D object other than
       | virtual screen and virtual controls. It seems to be just a
       | traditional portable computer with bigger screens. I can see the
       | potential of it. But at the current stage, it's hard to justify
       | the price.
        
       | zwieback wrote:
       | I still wonder what the TAM for these kinds of headsets is, even
       | if they are Apple quality. Nausea and dork factor might limit to
       | a fairly small clientele.
        
       | UI_at_80x24 wrote:
       | While I don't think this has yet shown 'the killer app' that will
       | make everybody want VR; I do think that this has a killer feature
       | that will revolutionize the segment.
       | 
       | Facial expression matching on your avatar.
       | 
       | The ability to make an avatar of yourself is kinda cool, but
       | match the eye-tracking and other internal cameras you now have a
       | way to have your avatar facial expression match your real-life
       | expression. And THAT is what flattens the uncanny valley.
       | 
       | Regardless of a 2D 'Teams/Zoom' meeting or a special 3D Facetime,
       | you will (A) always be looking directly at the camera, and (B)
       | your facial expressions will convey all the hidden subtext that
       | missing in communication done via voice-only.
       | 
       | This is a WIN over having a webcam pointed at your (messy) room
       | too.
       | 
       | I am not an Apple fan. I do hope that this can inspire the spark
       | that gives us the VR killer app.
        
       | drumhead wrote:
       | Vision Pro implies a non-pro version could be possible. Cheaper
       | and less funcionality. Either way its an interesting new product
       | and knowing apple they wont ditch it after a couple of years. At
       | this price its just going to be the pro users and richer people
       | that buy it, but hopefully its going to spawn competitors from
       | Samsung and the Chinese companies, at a much lower price but with
       | less functionality.
        
       | preseinger wrote:
       | Honest question: can I play Elite Dangerous or No Man's Sky on
       | this thing?
        
       | pipeline_peak wrote:
       | This won' be successful
       | 
       | No one wants a serious product strapped to their face hours on
       | ends, idc if it's $1200.
       | 
       | VR is a 1980s pipe dream that will be as "revolutionary" as the
       | wiimote was (which we all thought would be)
       | 
       | Steve Jobs would think this is stupid and you all know it.
       | 
       | Sorry to come off as pessimistic, would rather tell it like it is
       | than pretend this thing taking off.
        
       | billychuck21st wrote:
       | This is the "pro" verison, maybe eventually Apple will sell non-
       | pro version that can connect with the pro one, but at a much
       | lower price, then you can create experience for the whole
       | familiar, if the set of 4 can cost <$6000, then it will be the
       | same as a 8K tv + sound bar + a couple of work monitors.
        
       | Uptrenda wrote:
       | I'm really surprised that Apple chose to work on this. Think
       | about the track record of companies of similar products (in no
       | particular order):
       | 
       | - Google Glass -- tried and failed
       | 
       | - Facebook's 'meta' -- slashed development
       | 
       | - Metas space glasses -- now defunct, idk if they even even
       | shipped
       | 
       | - Magic leap -- did they end up shipping?
       | 
       | - Microsoft surface -- looks like it was rolled out to
       | 'enterprise' but does anyone actually use it?
       | 
       | - Numerous headsets on the market causing nausea, eye strain,
       | head aches, and social ridicule (lmao)
       | 
       | Many big companies tried to do this but didn't really get past
       | the gimmick stage. So yeah, it seems like a massive risk that
       | Apple took or is taking to do this. Hopefully they've done enough
       | to push the concept past these usability hurdles. I mean: as a
       | tech guy this would be awesome if it delivers.
        
       | iamthepieman wrote:
       | I just can't imagine buying one of these for every person in my
       | household so we can watch TV together or game together. My kids
       | have friends over and they take turns playing on the switch. Even
       | the kids who aren't playing get involved because they can see the
       | screen and shout encouragement/advice/heckle.
       | 
       | Even if they come down in price by an order of magnitude, that's
       | still too pricey to buy one for everyone in my house and an extra
       | or two for a friend.
       | 
       | Totally see the value for certain specific business and industry
       | uses though. My company has a product that help keep line and
       | construction workers keep utility information up to date in real
       | time by scanning poles, cabinets, transformers etc and
       | identifying them along with positional information. This could be
       | amazing for something like that and the price tag will just be a
       | business expense.
        
       | emoII wrote:
       | "The kids are playing, better record a spacial moment" was one of
       | the most dystopic things I've seen in a long time. Same with the
       | ad at the end, with the father wearing it around his kids. I feel
       | like the interface demands strapping something this futuristic
       | over your head is just... wrong. Perhaps a few years of refining
       | the tech can lead to something that feels more natural
        
         | w-m wrote:
         | They'll just slap two cameras spaced an eye distance apart on
         | the back of the next iPhone Pro and bam, you can record your
         | kids with your socially acceptable handheld device. Still won't
         | need to play with them though.
        
           | meghan_rain wrote:
           | 100% confident this will happen, would bet my life on it
        
         | TehCorwiz wrote:
         | Are you old enough to remember the big VHS video recorders? The
         | shoulder mounted ones? This is minuscule and unobtrusive
         | comparatively. Nothing dystopian about it.
        
         | abracadaniel wrote:
         | I hope we'll see Neal Stephenson's term Gargoyle come into use
         | as wearable computing becomes more common
        
           | corysama wrote:
           | Stephenson's joke with the Gargoyles is that the Protagonist
           | looked down on them throughout the story, but eventually
           | became one.
        
         | speby wrote:
         | You mean like how crowds of people at live music events ALL
         | have their stupid smartphones up recording the same damn
         | recording which they should be paying attention to and
         | absorbing the experience and living in the moment?
         | 
         | Forget what people _should_ do, look at what people _actually_
         | do.
        
           | valcron1000 wrote:
           | > Forget what people should do, look at what people actually
           | do
           | 
           | I'm going to borrow that one mate.
        
         | sample2 wrote:
         | I think the issue for me was how "real life" and "digital life"
         | are basically on equal footing when looking through this
         | device. So your kids are now competing with whatever youtube
         | video you are watching and it's harder to look away from the
         | digital distraction. The same is true today when you are
         | watching a video on your phone, but it's way easier to get
         | someone to look away from their phone when it's not life-size,
         | constantly in view, and always on
        
         | asdff wrote:
         | The ads I see on billboards for apple have been getting very
         | dystopian over the years. One was just a humongous iPhone being
         | held in hand, completely blocking the actors face, with the
         | wrist cocked at this very uncomfortably looking angle such that
         | the apple watch face was perfectly squared to the phone. It
         | felt like something out of _Black Mirror_ , like if I moved the
         | phone there would be no face or some sick grin. A far cry from
         | the cute dancing earpod silhouettes.
        
         | nipponese wrote:
         | The alternative is me sitting at my desk, with my back to the
         | kids, while I tell them to stop bumping into my chair.
         | 
         | Which one seems more engaged with their kid?
        
           | nazgulsenpai wrote:
           | Neither?
        
         | jayd16 wrote:
         | Home movies are dystopian to you?
        
         | sekai wrote:
         | "Don't blow the candles yet! I need to grab my VISION PRO"
        
           | Longhanks wrote:
           | To be fair, that is already the case with "I need to grab my
           | phone", which is equally _wrong_ , imho. But a lot of people
           | don't see it that way.
        
             | rcarr wrote:
             | Really, what we need is a little 360 spatial drone that
             | records important events like birthdays and what not and
             | then you can relive them on a device like the Vision Pro.
             | That's the best of both worlds and I think that's where
             | things will head eventually. I think Google or Amazon or
             | someone has made a security camera drone that flies around
             | your house so it can't be far off.
        
             | spaceman_2020 wrote:
             | On the contrary, it would be wrong for a parent to _not_
             | pause a special moment to take a picture.
             | 
             | Sure, memories are great, but I have scant memories of my
             | early years. Whatever memories I do have are tied to the
             | rare few pictures my family took. I cherish them because
             | they're a little time travel capsule.
             | 
             | When my child is 35, I'd much rather give him high quality
             | images of his 4th birthday instead of asking him to rely on
             | the memorization capabilities of his still-forming brain.
        
             | cloverich wrote:
             | This is where there's a notable disparity in this new
             | product. "I need to grab my phone" behavior isn't any
             | different than what people did with cameras for decades
             | before that. The thing that changed is the technology
             | became much more available, pervasive, and convenient. The
             | use cases were immediately apparent and unlike this device,
             | nobody was scratching their head around how they might
             | actually use it in practice.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | redeux wrote:
             | Would it be equally wrong if they said "camera" instead?
        
           | no_butterscotch wrote:
           | This is the new version of parents holding phones up in front
           | of their faces to record moments.
           | 
           | Now generations of kids will grow up staring at their
           | parents' eyes through a VISION PRO instead of seeing the back
           | of a phone in front of their face. Progress?
        
             | quickthrower2 wrote:
             | The trick with a phone is recording while holding at chest
             | level and keeping it still pointing at the subject while
             | you still enjoy the moment.
        
             | EForEndeavour wrote:
             | Which was the new version of parents fiddling with bulky
             | camcorders as they squint through the eyepiece to record
             | moments.
        
           | stingrae wrote:
           | It's the equivalent of people going around and taking photos
           | with an iPad.
        
             | PascLeRasc wrote:
             | Can't wait to see these at high school graduations
        
         | crazygringo wrote:
         | I'm sure people said the same things when cameras were
         | invented. "The kids are playing, better grab my camera! -- what
         | a dystopic thing to say!"
         | 
         | This thing is no bulkier or harder to use than the film cameras
         | I grew up with. They covered the photographer's face too.
        
         | thewebcount wrote:
         | It was the same thing in the 80s with camcorders. There was a
         | stereotype of the crazy neighbor who followed his kids around
         | with his camcorder recording every second of their lives. Then
         | it was smart phones. Now it's this. People want to take photos
         | and videos of stuff and it's more important to them than
         | looking dorky for a few minutes. I don't like it very much,
         | either, but I understand it, and it's pretty much human nature.
        
         | drewbeck wrote:
         | Very weird, but I can definitely see this becoming something
         | you can capture on your phone eventually (and view on your
         | VisionThing). If these take off then I'll bet money that
         | capturing things for AR/VR on your phone will be a priority for
         | Apple
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | shippintoboston wrote:
         | Agreed for some reason I had a really repulsive reaction to
         | seeing that as well. Feels like this is the next step in people
         | turning more inward. A screen strapped to our face at all
         | times.
        
           | wtetzner wrote:
           | If they can get it into a pair of glasses, it might help a
           | lot. Yes, the screen will be there all the time, but people
           | won't be staring down at their phones all the time either.
        
             | ElongatedMusket wrote:
             | Oh good, they'll be staring directly at/through me from
             | across the room instead. Can't wait!
        
         | tantalor wrote:
         | Minority Report (2002)
         | 
         | https://youtu.be/arTIRgdEb1g?t=80
        
         | dmazin wrote:
         | i think the angle they are going for is that it's exactly as
         | isolating (airplane, the experience you MOST want to get away
         | from), or un-isolating (being with kids, the experience you
         | LEAST want to get away from), as you want. and it flubbed
        
         | cromka wrote:
         | To me the dystopian moment was when they revealed that an AI-
         | generated rendition of one's face will be presented during
         | video conversations. We were worried already about the
         | photographs taken with phones no longer being real, this brings
         | the issue to a whole new level.
        
         | quickthrower2 wrote:
         | The neural implant episode of Black Mirror has a much better
         | UX. You can help the mass and micro surveillance effort without
         | the uncomfortable headset and be present with the kids.
        
         | adamrezich wrote:
         | we just finished conditioning everyone to cover the bottom half
         | of their face--suggesting now that one keep the _top_ half of
         | their face covered, around the home, around their _children_ ,
         | is nothing short of horrifying, both in terms of brazen anti-
         | human dystopia, but more importantly, in terms of childhood
         | development. if this, or something like it, takes off in the
         | "iPhone" way that many here predict, future generations are
         | going to be so completely fucked from the perspective of
         | anything resembling traditional social development--which, of
         | course, the iPhone, by way of the iPad, has already fucked up
         | pretty significantly!
        
           | sandoze wrote:
           | I've read a lot of comments but yours is by far the winner. I
           | bet you're a blast at Thanksgiving dinners and family
           | gatherings.
        
             | adamrezich wrote:
             | face-detection is fundamentally important to interpersonal
             | interaction in the baseline human experience (are you aware
             | of the phenomenon of pareidolia?)--fuck with it at your own
             | peril, both for children learning how to read expressions
             | by observing adults, but also, for adults interacting with
             | virtual "AI" simulacra, instead of real human faces!
             | ignoring these basic observations is naive as hell,
             | regardless of Thanksgiving dinner conversation palatability
             | (always a high watermark for intellectual discourse)!
             | 
             | thankfully, I don't see any reason to believe this will
             | take off "iPhone-style".
        
           | the_overseer wrote:
           | Wrong, wrong and wrong again. This looks absolutely great I
           | hope they make a kid size version so everyone can wear one.
           | Anytime a grandpa complains that 'kids these days are fucked'
           | they are demonstrated time and time again that they were
           | wrong. Thousands of years ago people said the same things and
           | they never came true. Have you not learned your lesson yet?
           | 
           | In a few years we will laugh at people not wearing these
           | things just like today you are a weirdo if you do not have a
           | smartphone in your pocket. Kids will be just fine. It's the
           | grandpas screaming at the clouds who will not be fine and
           | excluded even more.
           | 
           | The train is leaving the station. You either board it or
           | remain in the darkness and cold. Forward, forward always
           | forward. Anybody against progress will be trampled under our
           | feet.
        
             | adamrezich wrote:
             | can't tell if this is satire or not, but assuming it's not,
             | have you seen young children with their rubber-bumpered
             | iPads these days? parents let them take them out in public
             | just to shut them up, and they're always on the damn
             | things, learning to tap and swipe to consume mindless
             | content from well before their brains have fully formed.
             | this is where personal computers have gone: from being
             | useful devices that can be used (and programmed!) to
             | produce _or_ consume content, to being no-brain-required
             | content pumps that you can use to turn your brain off and
             | fill it full of inane drivel.
             | 
             | but I'm at least half-certain your post is satire, so...
        
               | the_overseer wrote:
               | I have. Those kids will grow up just fine. It's all in
               | your head. Those kids will grow up to invent/innovate on
               | levels you can't even imagine today. Like it has always
               | been. Might as well just stop complaining about the
               | "weird new generation" just because that "back in my day"
               | it was better. It wasn't. It's just rose tinted glasses.
        
               | adamrezich wrote:
               | how is this possible, when all of the devices the "kids
               | these days" are using are entirely geared toward content
               | _consumption_ , with the only "content" "creation" they
               | permit is that of the most vapid and useless pointing-a-
               | camera-at-my-face variety? The Youth do not know how to
               | use computers to create new good things, they only know
               | how to consume what is already out there. the only
               | creation they aspire to do is that of insipid Content,
               | built atop the foundations of others' platforms, for
               | others to mindlessly consume.
               | 
               | in decades past, one would be forgiven for supposing
               | that, once devices that could ostensibly be considered to
               | be Personal Computers became pocket-sized and nearly
               | universally ubiquitous, complete with access to a global
               | network of information, that we would've reached the
               | culmination of the technological _empowerment_ that the
               | personal computer revolution promised--but instead, we
               | got TikTok, and kids who aspire to be Famous On TikTok.
               | that 's what all of this marvelous technology has
               | wrought: brain-numbing _slop_ piped right into your
               | retinas, in exquisitely high definition, practically from
               | birth, judging by the age at which I 've seen kids on
               | tablets in public alone!
        
               | the_overseer wrote:
               | It is absolutely possible and it's exactly what will
               | happen. Back in my day parents and grandpas were
               | horrified with these things called video games which
               | sucked the lives out of their kids. And how repetitive
               | and mind numbing it all was and how humanity was doomed.
               | Guess what? Didn't happen. It didn't happen back then it
               | won't happen now. Chillax and go watch a few tik tok
               | videos. Not everything there is garbage. You just need to
               | give it time in order to see the value.
        
               | Chamix wrote:
               | Agriculture > Manufacturing -> Service -> Content based
               | economy, turns out youth have the head start, as always.
        
               | sixstringtheory wrote:
               | It also seems like more and more people are unable to
               | start their own life until later, living with parents
               | longer, starting work later, etc. I assume there's a
               | correlation.
               | 
               | The people I know that are addicted to video games into
               | their twenties and thirties certainly fit the bill.
               | They're going nowhere fast.
        
       | hyperthesis wrote:
       | Shadows help ground images (e.g. characters in games seem to
       | float without contact shadows). Seems simple, but requires a 3D
       | model of the room to work properly. LiDAR
       | 
       | Lag between reality and virtual would be noticable side-by-side,
       | no matter how much the "R1" chip reduces lag (12ms)... Ah! they
       | might do the Guitar Hero trick, and delay the reality feed by the
       | same amount, so they are exactly syncronized... see-through AR
       | (like google glasses) can't delay reality.
       | 
       | The outward display of reverse faux-transparency is a nice touch,
       | displaying a fuzzy image of the wearer's eye on the front.
       | (Though not sure what to make of the back-side of the displayed
       | image - could a user ever see it?)
       | 
       | I think this is the first major Apple developmemt without Jobs'
       | involvement?
        
         | ncr100 wrote:
         | "lag" of 12ms is good enough - less than one frame of 60fps.
         | it's 1 frame of 83 per second. should be good enough.
        
       | nforgerit wrote:
       | Finally I got a clue to how the next Ted Lasso season is going to
       | look like: He's going to coach remotely having everyone happily
       | wearing a VP.
       | 
       | Joke aside: It's mind-boggling how Apple uses product placement
       | to hammer pictures in our heads and get us to consider not
       | looking like a jerk anymore when wearing AirPods just because
       | some "icons" are wearing them.
        
       | MrJagil wrote:
       | just a point on my comment yesterday on Metas trailer[0]. I
       | wrote:
       | 
       | > I think [Meta] missed the mark with that trailer. They promote
       | it like it's a skateboard: cool tricks, fast paced, hip and
       | happy. I don't think that's why you want a VR headset at all,
       | it's actually the opposite: immersion, sinking into a another
       | world, it's concious dreaming. The D&D pitch could be perfect.
       | I'd love to play a VR/AR d&d game. But in the video, the first
       | thing he does is take off the headset and smile? It makes no
       | sense. He should be totally enraptured, not happy to take it off.
       | 
       | Compare this to Apples trailer. The guy sits down, with the
       | headset _on_ and a bowl of popcorn, enlarges the screen, ready to
       | delve in. Sitting in an airplane, but just have it all meld away.
       | A guy playing ball with his kid, _while_ wearing the headset.
       | 
       | I can't afford it at all but Apple made me want the product just
       | for a bit.
       | 
       | [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36152725
        
         | mk_stjames wrote:
         | Your comment about the Meta commercial is exactly what I was
         | thinking after watching it yesterday. The last shot is the guy
         | taking the headset off and smiling. And the first thing I
         | thought was: "Is he happy to be getting it off his head?
         | Because it looks like he's fucking relieved it's over."
         | 
         | I love the idea of VR but the fast paced, cool games world is
         | NOT for me. I dislike most modern 3d gaming in general. I'm
         | much more interested in either passive viewing experiences,
         | desktop computing augmentation, and creative applications.
         | TiltBrush is still the most amazing thing I think I've come
         | across in VR. TiltBrush in an AR envrionment, surrounded by
         | multiple displays of other conent, work apps, dragging and
         | dropping my 3D work into 2D powerpoint, etc...
         | 
         | There is so much more potential than the hyperactive-chic-
         | gaming metaverse world that the Quest and Meta is pushing.
        
       | m3kw9 wrote:
       | Apple just started the AR/VR era, thank you very much. Every
       | other company will use this as the new benchmark for VR/AR, every
       | other device feels like prototypes compared to this.
        
       | billychuck21st wrote:
       | This is the "pro" verison, maybe eventually Apple will sell less
       | powerful non-pro version that can connect with the pro one, but
       | at a much lower price, then you can create experience for the
       | whole familiar, if the set of 4 can cost <$6000, then it will be
       | the same as a 8K tv + sound bar + a couple of work monitors.
        
       | nemo44x wrote:
       | If the price is a concern to you then this product isn't for you.
       | Watch the video and look at the spaces the people were in. Every
       | single one of them was in a high end space that has been
       | maintained by maids (no clutter, sparkling clean) and
       | professionally painted and styled and their spaces were large.
       | 
       | At least initially, this is for the high end market. For people
       | that want an object others can't really obtain yet. For those
       | that want to be the first.
        
       | Andrew_nenakhov wrote:
       | Long ago in the Avatar (2009) movie there was a scene when a guy
       | was walking with a tablet-like device displaying some info, then
       | grabbed that info with some kind of hand gesture and threw that
       | info on a wall-mounted screen.
       | 
       | This AR demo was the first thing I ever saw that did something
       | comparable by taking the app off mac and opening it in VR. Now, I
       | don't really want an AR glasses, but I absolutely want to grab
       | things from my smartphone and display it on any nearby screen,
       | and not in (clunky) Chromecast / Airplay way, but seamlessly.
        
         | ncr100 wrote:
         | Wearing a personal sensor-net without it being also a VR
         | headset might be nice - to control fixed screens around the
         | room.
        
       | jspaetzel wrote:
       | Wait for consumer reviews?
        
       | hgl wrote:
       | This seems to be another iPhone moment, but I wonder what's its
       | killer feature? iPhone had the killer feature of phone calls, so
       | everyone has a reason to buy one, I can't come up with any for
       | AR.
       | 
       | Don't get me wrong, I'm actually incredibly excited about AR, I
       | just can't imagine how it becomes mainstream. It can of course be
       | mainstream if it's just like glasses and has all day battery, but
       | it still seems pretty far away.
        
       | strictnein wrote:
       | I really wonder how much that "creepy eyes" tech adds to the
       | cost. It would be great if they had a model without that, because
       | for my use case its completely unnecessary and probably adds
       | ~$500 to the price tag, plus additional weight and battery usage.
        
         | drewbeck wrote:
         | This made me think that they may have put everything into v1 so
         | they can really learn what is necessary for a successful
         | experience - ie v2 may come with a cheaper version without the
         | external display because they discover that the display isn't
         | necessary for the experiences that prove most successful on the
         | platform.
        
       | vvilliamperez wrote:
       | Apple is taking small but important steps here. Notice how most
       | of the content is 2d rendered onto a plane in 3d space.
       | 
       | Meta and previously Magicleap perhaps bit off more processing
       | than they could chew with 3d models in a 3d world mesh.
        
       | contemporary343 wrote:
       | Those micro-OLED displays alone will drive the cost that high.
       | Still kinda shocked to see them at this scale and in a product!
        
       | dboreham wrote:
       | Zuckerberg was right then.
        
       | bgribble wrote:
       | The Simula One (https://simulavr.com) has been targeting similar
       | productivity use cases for a while. I've been following it from a
       | distance; I have to wear reading glasses for computer work now,
       | and I would love to be able to focus on a virtual screen 2 meters
       | or so away for coding etc. Whether I could stand wearing the
       | headset all day is another question.
       | 
       | The Simula folks think that there's a lower limit of about 30
       | pixels per degree for something to be useful as a low-eye-fatigue
       | virtual desktop. Their device meets that threshold but really
       | nothing else currently on the market does. I haven't seen PPD
       | info for the Apple device yet but I am interested to see where it
       | falls.
       | 
       | The Simula is at a pretty similar price point ($2700 for the
       | preorder, but it's not shipping yet and has a way to go before
       | it's a reality).
        
       | JakaJancar wrote:
       | $3500 is perceived as expensive, but a MacBook Pro can easily
       | exceed that.
       | 
       | Both have an M2, and while a MacBook has a display, more RAM,
       | larger SSD, ... it's still a bunch of standard-ish components,
       | while Vision Pro has a ton of really innovative never-seen-before
       | hardware.
        
       | ripvanwinkle wrote:
       | IMO what makes Apple different and more likely to succeed than
       | Meta is that they are pursuing more concrete scenarios like
       | viewing content in a more immersive environment or spinning up a
       | large viewing surface where you may have none .
       | 
       | Meta's problem is this focus around social interactions which
       | just isn't taking hold apart from a niche audience of
       | enthusiasts. Having tried the Quest Pro, if Meta pursued the
       | remote office collaboration scenario more vigorously which is
       | really quite promising and multiple desktop monitor replacement
       | they would do a lot better
       | 
       | The obvious drawback with the Apple device is price and it's
       | going to have challenges with traction. The enterprise would be a
       | good place to start but that doesn't seem to be Apple's forte
        
         | dangus wrote:
         | No matter what they try, Meta can't really implement a vision
         | of an enterprise collaboration OS because they don't make a
         | widely adopted desktop OS.
         | 
         | More generally, the whole "productivity computer" market will
         | also have to convince thrifty companies that they should spend
         | thousands of dollars per employee on a headset for remote work
         | when they already spent thousands per employee on a laptop that
         | has a webcam.
         | 
         | Nobody's going to be able to demonstrate ROI on these devices
         | for making employees more productive. Buying your employees two
         | or three $150 monitors has the same effect.
         | 
         | This is why Apple's strategy of marketing directly to the
         | consumer can work. It forced companies to support the iPhone on
         | corporate networks, because everyone wanted an iPhone. It
         | didn't matter that all these companies were Microsoft shops
         | with Blackberry phones.
         | 
         | Apple's still not going to get far with this thing until they
         | can bring the price down to three digits.
        
       | d3nj4l wrote:
       | The weird price fixation and doomerism here is weird. People said
       | the AirPods were overpriced; half my uni has one. People said the
       | AirPods Max were overpriced, and I see it all the time in co-work
       | spaces and libraries. People said the M1 Pros were overpriced;
       | they're literally everywhere, used by almost all of the
       | professionals I know. People said the Pro Display XDR is
       | excessively overpriced; more than a few _consumers_ I know bought
       | it. $3500 is high but considering it is a phone, laptop and
       | massive display bundled into I 'm pretty sure there's a more than
       | sustainable market for it.
       | 
       | That aside, I'm curious whether it will be more like the mac or
       | more like the iPhone. Will we be able to "sideload", i.e. install
       | things without papa apple's approval? Can we use a web engine
       | that's not WebKit? Things like that will make the difference for
       | me, not the price.
        
         | matsemann wrote:
         | The AirPods you see all the time is because wearing them is a
         | fashion statement. You're "hip" or "rich" or whatever you want
         | it to signal. Airpods are advertising themselves by people
         | wearing them and influencing others to buy them. That's what
         | driving the sales.
         | 
         | No one will be wearing this in public. And if anything, the
         | person in the office using this first will look dorky. So I
         | can't see it having the same appeal/free advertising.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | elijaht wrote:
           | I don't know about that. My AirPods just work in a way that
           | no other wireless headphones do with my iPhone. Using them is
           | delightful. I still rock a Gen 1 pair which would no longer
           | be "cool"
        
           | pdabbadabba wrote:
           | > The AirPods you see all the time is because wearing them is
           | a fashion statement. You're "hip" or "rich" or whatever you
           | want it to signal. That's what driving the sales.
           | 
           | Exactly the opposite is true among the people I know. People
           | feel like dorks wearing AirPods in public, but often find
           | themselves doing it anyway because they're convenient. (I
           | know this, because it still comes up in conversation all the
           | time.)
           | 
           | Not sure this tells us anything much about the Vision Pro,
           | though--except, perhaps, that some people will happily use
           | the product even if it looks dorky, if the user experience is
           | on point.
        
           | pdabbadabba wrote:
           | > The AirPods you see all the time is because wearing them is
           | a fashion statement. You're "hip" or "rich" or whatever you
           | want it to signal. That's what driving the sales.
           | 
           | Exactly the opposite is true among the people I know, FWIW.
           | People feel like dorks wearing AirPods in public, but often
           | find themselves doing it anyway because they're convenient.
           | (I know this, because it still comes up in conversation all
           | the time.)
        
           | jbverschoor wrote:
           | Ok.. please you probably can "build such a system yourself
           | quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it
           | locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the
           | mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account
           | could be accessed through built-in software."
        
             | matsemann wrote:
             | How is the old dropbox dismissal relevant for my comment..?
             | 
             | What I'm saying is that airpods are advertising themselves
             | by people wearing them and influencing others to buy them.
             | This headset will not have that effect.
        
               | jbverschoor wrote:
               | Well, not the same, but people like to bash anything
               | Apple. The Apple naysayers. usually they are heavy
               | windows/linux users (there's not much else)
               | 
               | I bought the AirPods because I wanted exactly that. Sadly
               | the batteries died in 1.5 years, so I'm boycotting the
               | AirPods for now.
               | 
               | Nobody I know bought AirPods because they look cool or
               | because they want to show off they're rich. AirPods are
               | very affordable.. they just work really really well. Why
               | is that so hard to believe?
               | 
               | And yes, people are more aware of items which are
               | visible.. but that's a different story.
               | 
               | WRT the vision pro, sure you won't walk around outside
               | with them, but if they work as advertised, they don't
               | have to.
               | 
               | The M1 air didn't sell a gazillion times because of its
               | looks. In fact, you couldn't tell it from the older
               | models, so that point simply is not valid.
               | 
               | People talk, people ask opinions, if the majority of the
               | opinion from experience is positive yes it will result in
               | more sales.
        
           | uw_rob wrote:
           | Do you own a pair of AirPods? My Gen2 AirPod Pros are what I
           | consider to be the best purchase I have made in the last 10
           | years. The small package and ANC is fantastic. Before
           | purchasing AirPods I would walk around with ATH M50X (Great
           | headphones; not fashionable) and these have replaced that.
        
         | jocaal wrote:
         | i'm leaning more to the iphone side, theres not a chance apple
         | is gonna allow webxr and have developers distribute products
         | without apples cut.
        
         | atkailash wrote:
         | Given you can use your mac's screen on it, it's almost moot
         | depending on the app or latency involved. But knowing Apple
         | it'll probably be more iPhone since they've even been pushing
         | App Store on Macs more too
        
         | mikenew wrote:
         | I'm wondering that too, but from the presentation it looked a
         | lot more "iPhone" than "mac". The only thing they demo'd that
         | looked like a real desktop was an actual mac being mirrored in
         | the display. Everything else seemed like an app you had to
         | install through a new app store.
        
           | LegitShady wrote:
           | in the "technology" section of the presentation where they
           | talk about the operating system, the graphic explicitly shows
           | ios not mac.
        
             | asimpletune wrote:
             | I think this is where the unification of Mac/iPhone/iPad
             | has all been leading.
        
         | Tiktaalik wrote:
         | There's overpriced and then there's the next level above that
         | of simply being unimaginably unaffordable.
         | 
         | With the former well, its something for enthusiasts and
         | something for regular people to save up for.
         | 
         | With the latter it's dismissed as something for another class
         | of people and out of sight and mind.
         | 
         | Apple may have ventured into the latter category here.
         | 
         | Not a great space to be if you want to build a platform and
         | lure developers to build on it. Developers want to have a big
         | market.
        
         | lopkeny12ko wrote:
         | There's a ton of hidden bias in this assessment. Have you
         | considered that you either live in a wealthy area or are
         | surrounded by people who are more prone to seeing having
         | iDevices as a status symbol? Because
         | 
         | > People said the AirPods Max were overpriced, and I see it all
         | the time in co-work spaces and libraries.
         | 
         | Is absolutely not true in my experience.
         | 
         | > People said the M1 Pros were overpriced; they're literally
         | everywhere, used by almost all of the professionals I know.
         | 
         | And how many of those laptops are corporate assets that were
         | provided by their employer? How many of those professionals
         | _actually_ use Macs anywhere outside of work?
        
           | m3kw9 wrote:
           | AirPods are not a status product for most, the quality and
           | the way it works is why it's selling like hot cakes. It does
           | show people you know about quality stuff by wearing one. The
           | AirPod Max I would agree it is in the show off territory
        
           | ethanbond wrote:
           | What's the hidden bias? It's a premium/borderline luxury
           | brand and GP is saying "yes people do pay for premium/luxury
           | goods."
           | 
           | Another great proof point is their annual revenue approaching
           | $400B, selling devices that apparently no one can afford.
        
             | michaelt wrote:
             | The measure "I see it all the time" depends on both where
             | you're looking, and whether you're paying attention.
             | 
             | 1% of people have a PhD - but if you work at a university,
             | you'll see people with a PhD all the time.
        
               | d3nj4l wrote:
               | Yes, but that also means that a statement like "nobody
               | gets a PhD" is absolutely untrue.
        
           | stocknoob wrote:
           | Apple makes money by not targeting products to people without
           | money. I'd say it's worked out pretty well for them.
        
           | sebzim4500 wrote:
           | >There's a ton of hidden bias in this assessment. Have you
           | considered that you either live in a wealthy area or are
           | surrounded by people who are more prone to seeing having
           | iDevices as a status symbol?
           | 
           | Obviously those people are going to be the ones buying this
           | product, like all Apple products.
        
         | TigeriusKirk wrote:
         | It's neither a phone nor a laptop. It can provide some of their
         | functionality in limited situations, but it's considerably less
         | flexible or portable than either.
        
         | justin66 wrote:
         | > People said the AirPods were overpriced; half my uni has one.
         | People said the AirPods Max were overpriced, and I see it all
         | the time in co-work spaces and libraries. People said the M1
         | Pros were overpriced; they're literally everywhere, used by
         | almost all of the professionals I know. People said the Pro
         | Display XDR is excessively overpriced; more than a few
         | consumers I know bought it.
         | 
         | The salient difference between those devices and this one is:
         | none of those require software developers to do anything
         | special to support them.
         | 
         | Granted, Apple had some success in the past telling developers
         | considering a Mac port of their software "these are not the
         | droids you are looking for."
        
           | pathartl wrote:
           | There's a huge difference between the lifetime of a pair of
           | headphones and a VR/AR headset (or at least there should be).
           | Bluetooth will be around for a while. This the second
           | generation Vision Pro is going to absolutely kill the first
           | generation... so why even bother getting the first if it's at
           | such a high price?
        
           | shhsshs wrote:
           | In theory this does not require software developers (other
           | than Apple's) to do anything special to support it either.
           | visionOS has windows and kb/mouse support which means there
           | is potentially no barrier to entry.
           | 
           | I'm guessing "full-screen" or similar deep integrations with
           | visionOS will require some custom code. But it seems like
           | most sites + apps could potentially "just work".
        
         | alaskamiller wrote:
         | Emphasis on progressive web apps in macOS is a good hint with
         | the first wave of apps this will have. Similar to how iPhone
         | first didn't allow for third party apps, this will take the
         | first year to sort out all the HCI before allowing for app
         | store uploads.
         | 
         | This is very much nReal but polished, and those goggles are dim
         | and not as immersive as this. Magic Leap went with the wrong
         | direction it turned out.
        
         | ztrww wrote:
         | > Will we be able to "sideload", i.e. install things without
         | papa apple's approval?
         | 
         | I'm sure we all know the answer to this.
         | 
         | > web engine that's not WebKit?
         | 
         | rofl
         | 
         | The AirPods, Pro Display XDR, even the iPhone were just
         | improved and streamlined improvements of a established products
         | with clear use cases. This is something completely different..
         | At this point this is just an expensive gimmick. That might
         | change when people figure what they can do with it or it might
         | not.
         | 
         | > it is a phone, laptop and massive display bundled
         | 
         | And the iPad is a general purpose computer..
        
         | whimsicalism wrote:
         | You live in a wealthy area, I rarely see Airpods Max in San
         | Francisco.
        
         | hyperbovine wrote:
         | But there were already tons of people using earbuds,
         | headphones, laptops, and monitors. They brought a high-end
         | product to an already mature market. Whereas here, they are
         | introducing a very expensive device into a segment, VR goggles,
         | that has flopped over and over again with consumers everywhere.
         | Apple might be able to pull off their magic, who knows, but
         | it's way more dubious than with the other things you mentioned.
        
         | paxys wrote:
         | AirPods are popular, sure, but I have quite literally never
         | seen AirPods Max in the wild. People in the market for premium
         | noise cancelling headsets are all buying Sony or Bose.
         | 
         | And it isn't just about price. There are plenty of AR/VR
         | headsets out there that have the same feature set and are far
         | cheaper, and they still haven't found product market fit. The
         | problem isn't that they need more polish.
         | 
         | With Meta winding down its reality investments Vision Pro is
         | pretty much the last shot this entire sector has. If this
         | device fails then we have no choice but to accept that VR/AR is
         | at best a niche hobby, not the world-changing technology that
         | we so desperately want it to be.
        
           | throw74775 wrote:
           | > There are plenty of AR/VR headsets out there that have the
           | same feature set and are far cheaper
           | 
           | Can you list some of these far cheaper products that have the
           | same feature set?
        
           | bagels wrote:
           | Where did you get the idea that Meta is "winding down its
           | reality investments"?
        
             | woah wrote:
             | Lol what if they had to change their name again. Maybe
             | something about having to come to terms with their revenue
             | and expenses... face their books... Facebook?
        
           | drewbeck wrote:
           | Definitely going to be anecdotal here - around my
           | neighborhood (brooklyn NY) I'm floored by how many Airpod
           | Max's I see. It's by far the most common over-head wireless
           | earphones I see.
        
         | zamadatix wrote:
         | I think this is more in the "Pro Display XDR" overpriced
         | territory of "it costs more than many can afford to buy on a
         | whim" instead of "it costs more than it should" of things like
         | AirPods. Where the Pro Display XDR gets away with that is, at
         | the end of the day, it's just a display for content the same as
         | any other. Where the Vision Pro will need to do some fighting
         | is traditional content is a much harder sell for a AR/VR
         | device. I think Apple is trying their best to tackle that
         | software problem head on trying to improve integrations and
         | offer day 1 native options, which is what they always aim for,
         | but it's still clearly going to have some penetration
         | difficulty due to price and small target audience at first. Of
         | course, Vision "Pro" suggests maybe they have a non-pro plan
         | for that in the works already, in which case it would help the
         | ecosystem sustain even more.
        
           | spaceman_2020 wrote:
           | Someone in my coworking space bought a Pro Display XDR. He's
           | a movie maker who is shopping around a documentary to some
           | major OTT players in my country. He said his work pretty much
           | demands a really good screen and Pro Display XDR is the best
           | he can buy as an independent filmmaker - his previous
           | employer, a large studio, had screens that were _slightly_
           | better but cost $20k+
        
           | mountainofdeath wrote:
           | I agree that it isn't in the "everyone and their grandmother
           | will have it" pricing territory. It will definitely sell well
           | at least within a niche but won't have the deep penetration
           | other products have.
           | 
           | If you recall, for many years, an iPhone was a luxury status
           | symbol; the equivalent of a mid-range hand bag or a low-end
           | luxury automobile. Expensive, but still within the reach of
           | the an average person with at least some disposable income.
           | It's why everyone seems to have an iPhone and EarPods.
           | 
           | The pro display, like many VR headsets before it, is really a
           | niche product that will be limited to a standard deviation of
           | what I would call "enthusiasts" or "power users".
           | 
           | (1). Even pre-iPhone, having an iPod, especially a premium
           | one, was a status symbol. (2). Non-iPhone devices are
           | generally scoffed at in many circles, green text message
           | bubbles being associated with budget Android devices and not
           | the expensive Android flagships.
        
             | zamadatix wrote:
             | n.b. "Pro Display" is a monitor, "Vision Pro" is the VR/AR
             | headset.
        
           | 908B64B197 wrote:
           | Pro Display XDR is also in a market segment where it's the
           | last step before getting a calibrated display that's 10x the
           | price. When looking at the specs it's actually a great
           | display at a good price point.
           | 
           | > Of course, Vision "Pro" suggests maybe they have a non-pro
           | plan for that in the works already, in which case it would
           | help the ecosystem sustain even more.
           | 
           | Like every other platform products, the V1's audience is...
           | developers. Once there are a few killer apps, Apple will
           | commoditize and unleash a much cheaper version.
        
           | GeekyBear wrote:
           | > I think this is more in the "Pro Display XDR" overpriced
           | territory
           | 
           | It's the same price as Microsoft's Hololens 2, but the tech
           | looks much more impressive, and Microsoft seems to have laid
           | off most of the Hololens development team.
        
           | 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
           | Apple also provides a credit card with no interest on Apple
           | products. They could "hide" the price as cellphone providers
           | hide the price, by rolling it into a monthly payment.
        
         | practice9 wrote:
         | > phone, laptop and massive display
         | 
         | Including 3d video recording, which is under-appreciated in
         | many of the threads. Two GoPro Hero cameras + rig would cost
         | minimum $500, and you might have to edit photos and videos in
         | post. And Apple does this automagically for you.
        
           | stirlo wrote:
           | I'm not taking my $3500 headset with a massive screen on the
           | exterior anywhere near where I'd be taking a GoPro.
        
         | tqi wrote:
         | Did people really say that the original Airpods were
         | overpriced?[1] IIRC back in 2016 BT earbuds (that weren't
         | connected by a band) were mostly pretty shitty, which I think
         | was the root of most people's skepticism, not the price?
         | 
         | [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12446094
        
         | francisduvivier wrote:
         | Since the space/weight for batteries is limited, I bet it will
         | be more like iphone, so only WebKit and tight control to
         | optimize battery usage.
        
         | joking wrote:
         | there's no doubt that with is onw appstore and os is more like
         | the iphone and you will not be able to install anything that
         | Apple has not approved, neither buy anything without Apple
         | taking its cut
        
           | orangecat wrote:
           | Yes, and that's really obnoxious. But the ability to use it
           | as a display for your Mac (and presumably PC via VNC or
           | similar) should mitigate that to some extent.
        
         | acchow wrote:
         | It also captures a new kind of content: spatial video. Upper
         | middle class families with toddlers are going to want this. To
         | relive the children's childhood forever.
        
         | lm28469 wrote:
         | The weird thing to me is that people forget every failed Apple
         | product and live in a bubble in which every new Apple toy is a
         | hit.
         | 
         | They had as many fails as success, we just forgot about them
         | entierly
        
           | ign0ramus wrote:
           | I realize that they have had many failures in their long
           | history but it seems like they have been on a roll since the
           | iPod release 22 years ago. Do you know of any product flop
           | from Apple in the last two decades? I'm genuinely curious.
        
             | pathartl wrote:
             | - AirPower. That was straight-up cancelled. - The larger
             | HomePod was pretty crap. - Butterfly switch failures -
             | Apple Maps was garbage upon first release - Ping was 13
             | years ago, but it was one of those things that everyone
             | knew was doomed to fail - The trashcan Mac Pro was not
             | really made for professionals. I don't remember many
             | selling.
        
               | ign0ramus wrote:
               | Thanks for replying! I hadn't heard of half of the items
               | on this list which I think kind of proves GP's point.
        
             | stirlo wrote:
             | Sales flops:
             | 
             | iPod HiFi iPhone 5C HomePod
             | 
             | And engineering failures:
             | 
             | Trashcan Mac Pro Airpower
             | 
             | There's not many but there are a few.
             | 
             | I don't see this as one of them. The only thing thats an
             | issue is the price. The tech looks streets ahead of
             | everyone else. With time the price will come down and the
             | features will grow like all Apple products.
        
           | canadianfella wrote:
           | [dead]
        
           | xu_ituairo wrote:
           | Have there really been many failed Apple products since
           | Steve's return? As many failures as wins?
           | 
           | There were failures during Apple's 80s/90s struggles but not
           | many come to mind in recent decades.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | captainbland wrote:
         | Probably be a little wary on just doing a casual visual
         | inspection. There's a wide range of airpod knockoffs at this
         | point which are much cheaper but look almost identical at least
         | at first glance.
        
         | Oddskar wrote:
         | > People said the M1 Pros were overpriced
         | 
         | Yeah but most _people_ aren 't paying for those: their
         | employers are.
         | 
         | I don't think many employers are going to buy such an expensive
         | tool.
        
           | ajkjk wrote:
           | What? Millions of people have personal laptops that are M1+
           | Macbooks. For people who can afford it and aren't Linux
           | people, why would you buy anything else?
           | 
           | (well some people have issues with buying things from Apple
           | and I don't blame them but Microsoft is busy making Windows
           | as unappealing as possible so Apple wins for me)
        
             | sportslife wrote:
             | I can't get over how badly MacOS works with external
             | monitors; I have a fiddly 5ish minute Mac boot cycle
             | process somedays because there it just refuses to output
             | anything.
        
               | KerrAvon wrote:
               | FWIW, that's really not the usual macOS experience with
               | external monitors, and you should try doing standard
               | connectivity troubleshooting like replacing the cable,
               | etc.
               | 
               | I've been using multiple monitors (more than 1
               | simultaneously) with Macs forever; the experience has
               | gotten smoother with the Apple Silicon Macs, but it
               | worked OK on Intel, and PowerPC before that, and the old
               | classic Macs before that.
        
               | dilyevsky wrote:
               | Something is wrong with your monitor or your mac port or
               | hopefully the cable. My m1 pro and air work perfectly
               | with lg 5k display
        
             | zebnyc wrote:
             | The pace of renewal / refurbishment for work related and
             | personal may not have the same frequency for most folks.
             | Work laptops updated every 3 years approximately (at least
             | in tech). Personal use may be 5-12 years. I bought a
             | Macbook Pro in 2012 for myself. The next personal purchase
             | I made was 2022 when I bought the mac mini. For everything
             | else I used the computer which was given to me at work.
        
               | swores wrote:
               | Depends very much on the person and the company, I've
               | known many people in similar situations as you, but also
               | many people (in business, rarely roles like developers)
               | stuck on old, slow work laptops - even managers in
               | companies like Dell - while having shiny new personal
               | devices they'd bought themselves (and would, if their
               | company allowed them, use those for work where possible -
               | ofc companies like Dell that's a no-go, but many smaller
               | companies are happy when their employees work on their
               | own more expensive and more productive computer).
        
             | Oddskar wrote:
             | Do you really need me to spell it out for you?
             | * Can't afford it       * Don't like MacOS       * Don't
             | like the hardware       * Want a repairable device       *
             | Want a upgradeable device
             | 
             | Etc, etc. Plenty of reasons.
        
               | the_mar wrote:
               | Who doesn't like macos? Like it is objectively better
               | than windows, and is able to actually work decently
               | without set up pain (like linux)
               | 
               | Who doesn't like the hardware? Now that the butterfly
               | keyboard and dongles are gone, what is there to hate?
               | 
               | What is unrepairable about macbooks? It's not an iphone,
               | i ve replaced hard drives, fans and other components on a
               | macbook countless times.
               | 
               | Who really wants an upgradable laptop? I'd give you
               | desktop perhaps, but with laptops i struggle to see the
               | usecase
               | 
               | The things you don't actually mention, that certain
               | software doesn't run on mac (ironically used by mechies
               | and industrial designers).
        
               | mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
               | I don't like Macos. Windows without games and Linux
               | without deep customisation, variety of choice, and
               | visibility. It's not bad, just useless to me. It only
               | runs well on very specific, overpriced, unrepairable
               | hardware too. Lame.
               | 
               | The hardware is okay, but overrated, there are far
               | sturdier laptops, especially for protecting the display.
               | 
               | The only macbook I ever had had soldered on RAM. Even the
               | PS4 has a replaceable HDD. Being able to replace the
               | storage is not impressive, it's table stakes. I want a
               | laptop for which every sub-board is replacable(without
               | soldering or a heat gun) so I can repair it indefinitely.
               | Apple also have more expensive parts. This counts as less
               | repairability to me.
               | 
               | I want an upgradable laptop because I like laptops. And I
               | like fast laptops even more. Upgrading the laptop instead
               | of replacing it means less money spent on parts I don't
               | need to replace, meaning I can either save money or spend
               | more on performance.
        
               | dboreham wrote:
               | Raising my hand because I detest macos.
        
               | [deleted]
        
               | sureglymop wrote:
               | Consider that there are also many people who won't even
               | consider that. I'm saying having that opinion or knowing
               | those differences about operating system and devices is
               | already a specific somewhat invested subset of people.
               | Many people literally only know windows and office and
               | haven't even used a Mac.
        
               | matsemann wrote:
               | I hate MacOS. I've used it as my daily OS for over three
               | years, and never "grew to like it" (as everyone said,
               | "just give it time"). I feel like a kid when using it,
               | everything is hidden away to look fancy instead of
               | usable.
               | 
               | The hardware is okay, I guess. I envy the M1 chips. But I
               | don't like the keyboard layout (even after 3 years it
               | feels off..), or how they've for years not have included
               | necessary ports so it's a dongle-show. I also don't like
               | the value per dollar of their hardware. If my employer
               | pays it's fine, but I wouldn't pay the Apple tax myself.
               | 
               | I'm not here to start a flame war. Just to point out that
               | you speak as if your preferences are a global truth, but
               | plenty disagree.
        
               | the_overseer wrote:
               | And yet somehow Apple is one of the most profitable
               | companies in the world. You wouldn't know that by
               | visiting HN where everybody says that they can't "grow to
               | like macos" etc etc. Obviously you are in the minority.
               | People buy macbooks in droves.
        
               | mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote:
               | >Obviously you are in the minority
               | 
               | Non-Apple laptop users are in the minority? You sure
               | about that?
        
               | ztrww wrote:
               | > Who doesn't like macos?
               | 
               | It's buggy AF and Apple is dumbing down the UX/UI every
               | year and customization options are almost non existent.
               | 
               | Also compared to Windows multi-display support is thrash,
               | no window snapping (?!) and Windows seems to be generally
               | more stable.
        
               | sensanaty wrote:
               | Mac/MacOS is piping hot garbage, I have one through work
               | and I only ever use it as a 4th screen (aka Slack and
               | Email machine) to the left of my actual work setup, since
               | the thing shits itself whenever you try working with more
               | than a single extra screen connected.
               | 
               | When forced to use it due to being in office or whatever
               | I just ssh into my home setup & control it through
               | Parsec, every time I have to actually use the thing I get
               | the urge to toss it out of a window
        
               | mft_ wrote:
               | A laptop that can't be upgraded likely also can't be
               | fixed by the user. I'd like a realistically user-fixable
               | laptop - especially as I (unfortunately) bought a 2017 MB
               | Pro which has had a screen failure, a prematurely dying
               | battery, and the well-known butterfly keyboard issues.
        
               | Oddskar wrote:
               | I like Apple. I'm find this new release quite cool. But
               | you fanboys are a bit much. Sigh.. guess I'm going to do
               | this.
               | 
               | > Who doesn't like macos? Like it is objectively better
               | than windows, and is able to actually work decently
               | without set up pain (like linux)
               | 
               | Not really objectively better any more, no. With WSL2
               | developing on Windows is actually pretty darn great. It's
               | the best of both worlds: first party support of most
               | applications and devices that I care about, and a really
               | good OS for development.
               | 
               | > Who doesn't like the hardware?
               | 
               | Overall Macbooks are almost unbeatable with e.g. the
               | screens or sound for instance. But I still find the port
               | selection to be baffling. It's been many, many years
               | since the release of USB-C and I _still_ need USB-A
               | ports.
               | 
               | I also really do not like the sharp edges on the new
               | Macbooks. They're visually appealing, sure. But if I'm on
               | a train and they're cutting into my wrists it's not
               | great.
               | 
               | > What is unrepairable about macbooks? It's not an
               | iphone, i ve replaced hard drives, fans and other
               | components on a macbook countless times.
               | 
               | Aha, please try "replacing your hard drive" in your new
               | Macbook.
               | 
               | Also the attitude and track record of Apples behavior
               | towards repair shops is abysmal.
               | 
               | > Who really wants an upgradable laptop? I'd give you
               | desktop perhaps, but with laptops i struggle to see the
               | usecase
               | 
               | You just said you have "replaced hard drives, fans and
               | other components on a macbook countless times" so I
               | struggle a bit with this one.
               | 
               | In general it's a good idea to make devices last longer.
               | Y'know, with the planet being almost being on fire since
               | we're over-consuming? No?
        
               | tesin wrote:
               | Yeah, I loathe it. I use Linux (of all stripes), Windows,
               | android etc. So it's not brand loyalty. The UX is trash.
        
       | celeritascelery wrote:
       | I found it a little funny that they had a doctor on explaining
       | about their new feature to keep the screen farther from your face
       | to reduce eye strain and myopia, then proceed to release a device
       | where is the screen is right in front of your eyes.
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | this represent a persistent and common misunderstanding of how
         | VR optics works. VR is good for your eyes because the focal
         | point is actually quite far away. Hence why you still need
         | corrective lenses to use it if you are short sighted. It's a
         | lot better than staring at a close up screen.
        
       | trafficante wrote:
       | Who else noticed that none of the presenters were actually
       | wearing the device they were unveiling?
       | 
       | Best case scenario is they didn't want to monkey around awkwardly
       | with fit and adjustment. But even in that case, wasn't the whole
       | thing pre-recorded anyways?
       | 
       | My hunch (combined with the 2024 release date) is that this thing
       | isn't fully baked yet.
        
       | marricks wrote:
       | Meta has a social network, but they don't really have an
       | electronic ecosystem connecting them. Mac has a social network
       | (anyone with an iPhone arguable) and an operating system. This
       | might give them the edge needed in integration to do well.
       | 
       | Additionally, apple fan boys will pay a few grand for a high end
       | device. So the whole "glasshole" issue from Google will be less
       | of a thing. It's easier to see where they are coming from here is
       | what I'm saying.
       | 
       | I think the nay sayers sure have reasonable nays to say, but I
       | can see how it'll be popular to Apple's core "creative pro with
       | pro level pocket change." Growing beyond that is definitely
       | anyones guess and needs a "VisionLite"
        
       | jakobdabo wrote:
       | I think wearing such a massive thing on your head is a dead end.
       | It may become a niche product for professionals (as the price and
       | "Pro" in the name suggest), but it's not practical for everyday
       | casual use.
       | 
       | Is it still out of the reach from the current state of art in
       | technology for a thin client, not much heaver than sunglasses -
       | just the visual component and some simple circuit to receive the
       | signal from an iPhone?
        
       | magpi3 wrote:
       | This may be an age thing (it is probably an age thing), but the
       | picture of a smiling woman with a VR headset on completely
       | detached from reality looks dystopian as hell to me. And it is
       | being advertised as something I would actually want.
        
       | tabulatouch wrote:
       | I love the "spatial" term, it was in the air..
       | 
       | https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/s-arcade-first-spatial-au...
       | 
       | My bet, or wishful thinking, is that lower-fi spatial augmented
       | experiences can be more fun and engaging when "shared" with our
       | senses. Maybe also cheaper :D
        
       | anonymousiam wrote:
       | The facetime video shows the faces of the people she's online
       | with, but they will not be able to see her face while she's
       | wearing the "spacial computer", unless it generates a fake avatar
       | for them.
        
       | jusonchan81 wrote:
       | I use Meta Quest 2 on an average around an hour a day - workouts,
       | Netflix, Youtube etc. I am really excited but Vision Pro, but
       | $3500 is a bit too high for me.
       | 
       | I am now eagerly waiting for what Meta Quest 3 has in store for
       | us. I'll just upgrade to that for now and will wait for Vision
       | Pro cost to come down.
        
         | collenjones wrote:
         | Yep. I'm planning the same thing.
        
       | koromak wrote:
       | If the virtual screens feel as good as my 4K external monitors,
       | then I'm in 100%.
       | 
       | Theres a good chance they won't though.
        
       | Demmme wrote:
       | Porn.
       | 
       | Perfect for porn.
       | 
       | Honestly could be a deal breaker for porn.
       | 
       | Just no clue if I will ever shelf out 3.5k for porn.
       | 
       | But it's perfect for porn.
       | 
       | Otherwise holy shit if this is taking of in any relevant capacity
       | I will eat a broom.
       | 
       | And it looks even weirder than I thought.
       | 
       | It looks like a really interesting piece of technology while also
       | looking tremendously weird.
       | 
       | It's like a gold dagger pearcing to my dream of ever having a
       | cool at/vr future ever.
        
       | mikece wrote:
       | "Reliving the memories closest to your heart -- that you
       | apparently recorded with this thing over your face."
       | 
       | Seriously though: if this takes off I can see specially designed
       | video capture devices/cameras for recording events like weddings
       | (and other significant life events) meant for consumption on an
       | Apple Vision Pro (and captured in higher quality than the cameras
       | and lenses in the Apple Vision Pro).
        
         | abracadaniel wrote:
         | I fully expect iPhone pros to start having the 3d camera in the
         | next gen or 2
        
       | qbasic_forever wrote:
       | If apple really believed this were a revolutionary product they
       | would have done the entire keynote with every presenter wearing
       | and using the device. The fact they didn't is a major tell...
       | 
       | This thing has sunk cost fallacy written all over it and I'll be
       | shocked if it even makes it to a version 2 of the device. They
       | likely had so much time and talent engaged in the creation of it
       | over the last few years that they feared it would be more of a
       | demoralizing and attrition inducing event to kill it before
       | launch vs. quietly abandon it afterwards.
       | 
       | I'm just starring slackjawed at their press photos of people
       | using it and thinking if that's the absolute best they can make
       | this thing look it is completely DOA with normal people.
       | Nevermind all the usability issues that are sure to exist with
       | strapping goggles to your face and head for hours at a time.
        
         | homarp wrote:
         | https://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/apple-releases-i...
        
           | qbasic_forever wrote:
           | If you recall Steve Jobs was actually wearing and using the
           | iPod when he announced it.
           | 
           | This AR device is so shoddy and weird looking I'm certain
           | Jobs would have binned the whole project the first time he
           | saw it in prototype.
        
             | homarp wrote:
             | kind of... he had it in his pocket:
             | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0SVBCJqLs
             | 
             | but Steve is a showman and Tim is coordinator.
        
         | it_citizen wrote:
         | They announced a product that is a year away and dedicated
         | almost an hour to it, stretching the entire conference to two
         | hours.
         | 
         | They are definitely not burying it.
        
         | the_mar wrote:
         | No? That would make a very shitty demo since you are looking at
         | it on a 2D screen.
        
           | qbasic_forever wrote:
           | No I mean every apple leader on stage would have been wearing
           | this device as they presented their part of the program (even
           | parts unrelated to the headset).
        
             | m3kw9 wrote:
             | This is not the reason people will or will not buy this.
             | Contrary to it, they'd be called idiots for wearing it for
             | nothing, as they are the ones seeing it inside
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | londons_explore wrote:
       | Sometimes new and soon to be very popular things have a seriously
       | negative response here in HN initially.
       | 
       | Think of Snapchat. I'm sure everyone in tech would have said
       | 'nah, there is no market for a messaging app where all messages
       | disappear after 15 seconds'.
       | 
       | And yet only a year or so later it was sending more photos than
       | any other platform.
       | 
       | Apples product might be the same.
        
         | graypegg wrote:
         | That's the usual refrain isn't it? You can apply "remember how
         | everyone said X wasn't useful?" to almost anything.
         | 
         | Honestly I think this will be pretty middle of the road. Apple
         | Watch started off with a general market, and pivoted to
         | health/fitness.
         | 
         | I could totally see them readjusting as time goes on into
         | whatever people start using it for. But it'll be a niche. I
         | think the "it's for everyone" marketing from today is a way to
         | gauge who really is their target market, not the market itself.
        
       | gnicholas wrote:
       | It would be amazing if the downward-facing cameras could be used
       | for 'typing' on a phantom keyboard. It would be weird to do so
       | without tactile feedback, but it would make it possible to be
       | productive anywhere, without having to bring a keyboard along.
       | I'm sure that someone will come up with some sort of alternate
       | text input method, given that Siri is not great at speech-to-
       | text, and speaking out loud is terrible for privacy.
        
       | ripvanwinkle wrote:
       | IMO what makes Apple different and more likely to succeed than
       | Meta is that they are pursuing more concrete scenarios like
       | viewing content in a more immersive environment or spinning up a
       | large viewing surface where you may have none .
       | 
       | Meta's problem is this focus around social interactions which
       | just isn't taking hold apart from a niche audience of
       | enthusiasts. Having tried the Quest Pro, if Meta pursued the
       | remote office collaboration scenario more vigorously which is
       | really quite promising and multiple desktop monitor replacement
       | they would do a lot better
       | 
       | The obvious drawback with the Apple device is price and it's
       | going to have challenges with traction. The enterprise would be a
       | good place to start but that doesn't seem to be Apple's forte
        
         | oezi wrote:
         | I think you are absolutely right. The Vision Pro presentation
         | was the first time that I could consider watching a movie or
         | sports in VR. Making that screen really big but also embedding
         | you into an environment focused on the show was great to see.
         | Dimming the room or giving it a Star Wars theme is very nice.
         | 
         | It shows that they really considered what you can do with the
         | device more than all the others.
        
         | cjohnson318 wrote:
         | Yeah, I haven't bought/used any AR/VR devices before, but I'm
         | excited about a device that will offer seamless interaction
         | with the rest of my Apple devices.
         | 
         | > pursuing more concrete scenarios like viewing content in a
         | more immersive environment
         | 
         | 100%. I'm not into playing video games or watching TV, so their
         | focus on real world things really appealed to me.
         | 
         | It's a huuuge price tag, but I'm psyched.
        
           | RandallBrown wrote:
           | This was maybe my biggest complaint about the Quest 2. I
           | would get a text message or notification on my phone. I could
           | feel it vibrate in my pocket or on my wrist, but I couldn't
           | actually see it unless I took the headset off.
        
         | 76SlashDolphin wrote:
         | On the other hand, Meta are very very good at acquiring key
         | companies for their ambitions. My Quest 2 is a Beat Saber
         | machine and everything else that comes with it is icing on the
         | cake.
        
         | cwkoss wrote:
         | Meta just isn't very good at building software that users want.
         | They've been optimizing for advertisers and stockholders
         | instead for the past decade.
         | 
         | Really a shame that Oculus got acquired by them.
        
       | mupuff1234 wrote:
       | Doesn't even come with a controller, which I assume will
       | eventually come out and will cost 100$+
        
       | cdme wrote:
       | This whole product category feels like a solution in search of a
       | problem.
        
       | stuff4ben wrote:
       | This really blows whatever it was that Zuck and Meta were doing
       | out of the water and into outer space! This is light-years more
       | game-changing than the metaverse and old VR. Only drawback is the
       | price, but I'm sure a non-pro will be released at a cheaper price
       | point.
        
         | chrbr wrote:
         | I was thinking the same thing. I know the price points are
         | _way_ different between what Apple 's putting forward and what
         | Meta was shipping, but Apple's vision and tech here blows
         | Meta's out of the water. Meta seemed to be approaching the
         | problem with an iterative approach, where the payoff in vision
         | was down the road, and wanted consumers to share the journey to
         | get there - whereas Apple jumped all the way to the end.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | mciancia wrote:
       | Interesting, in terms of resolution:
       | 
       | PS VR2: 2000 x 2040, so ~4Mpix per eye
       | 
       | Quest pro: 1800 x 1920 pixels per eye, so ~3.5Mpx per eye
       | 
       | Vision pro: "The custom micro-OLED display system features 23
       | million pixels" So 11.5Mpix per eye, assuming similar aspect
       | ratio (1:1) resolution ~3400x3400
       | 
       | Probably there is more then resolution to this, but still, seems
       | impressive
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | blitztime wrote:
       | Incredible the amount of new tech that goes into this device.
       | Still seems pretty niche and I'm skeptical about how good the
       | controls will be.
        
       | illuminati1911 wrote:
       | The price is so insane and outrageous that this will be pretty
       | much 101% failure.
       | 
       | It's essentially iOS app browser inside Oculus Quest like glasses
       | + Disney garbage content. Hard to see even value for 1000 USD
       | price tag.
        
         | wongarsu wrote:
         | A Valve Index will run you $1000, for less resolution and no
         | onboard computing. Lenovo has $1700 AR glasses. Both of these
         | seem like much better comparison points than a budget product
         | like the Oculus Quest.
        
         | adamwk wrote:
         | I always consider V1 Apple products like kickstarters funded by
         | Apple whales
        
           | travisgriggs wrote:
           | I think this is very point on. This is not the sweet spot on
           | the supply demand curve that maximizes the units sold * price
           | per unit. But at this point in time, that's not actually what
           | Apple would want/need with this new "innovation". They need a
           | limited set of people who are zealous enough to jump in at
           | that price, and help refine the product. Apple gets feedback
           | and a publicity that will be biased positively. "Let's drop
           | 3500+ and then pan this thing" will not fit the majority of
           | reviewers. But "I spent discretionary money that you
           | didn't/don't have and I want you to know it, and I'm
           | certainly going to paint it as a wise first mover type
           | experience" is more likely. People who pay more for seats at
           | a game, always make a bigger deal about how awesome the game
           | was.
        
       | frou_dh wrote:
       | Even once this is released, it's going to take a while for the OS
       | and applications to find their groove. So rich people will
       | essentially be paying to beta test this.
       | 
       | Probably going to be unequivocally awesome 3 years from now
       | though.
        
       | rumori wrote:
       | I feel this is the point where they have to heavily rely on the
       | developers and possibly give out devices to developers to
       | experiment like they did with the Apple TV. It's a huge risk for
       | an indie dev to buy and bet on, it will be really interesting to
       | see how they approach this.
        
       | sylens wrote:
       | This headset is without a doubt an order of magnitude above
       | things like the Meta Quest Pro, but even with that increase in
       | power, UI, hardware, etc - I'm not sure they have really figured
       | out the "why" for it quite yet.
       | 
       | The biggest tell is the fact that the battery pack is going to
       | give you only two hours of use. Part of the appeal of a headset
       | being AR instead of VR is that I can use it while out and about
       | to add context and value to what I am seeing. The battery is a
       | major limitation that will keep its use squarely at home or in
       | the office, where it essentially is just another monitor (or set
       | of monitors).
        
         | codq wrote:
         | Perhaps, but my sense is you can hot swap the battery while
         | using the device, instantly getting back to 100% charge.
         | Inelegant, but solves the battery problem.
        
       | marricks wrote:
       | So many technologies Apple has launched in the past 5 years
       | seemed nifty & weird but were all being built to lead up to this:
       | 
       | - Spatial Audio - Is any one a huge fan of this? It doesn't
       | matter a ton outside of AR but matters greatly within it
       | 
       | - Side Car - mirroring to a local apple device. It's useful as a
       | second monitor but... mirroring your iPad or MacBook into VR and
       | typing on it. Super useful.
       | 
       | - FaceID - is it really better than using your finger to unlock?
       | I think it is now but it wasn't initially... This face scanning
       | tech is an entry point into the whole "face as an avatar"
       | integration into their ecosystem. Also keeping a secure local
       | image of your face on device.
       | 
       | - Separating a subject from scene used live in iPhone "portrait"
       | view and in photos to clip out w/ neural engine - sure that's
       | fun, but in AR this is a lot more useful for presenter view they
       | showed.
       | 
       | That's off the top of my head. This totally could fail but piece
       | by piece Apple has been building and trying out the tech for this
       | in their ecosystem. If it fails, it won't be because of a buggy
       | ecosystem.
       | 
       | Actually, I still find side car buggy so it definitely could/will
       | be buggy, but, it is a broad integration and feature set they've
       | been working towards for a while.
        
         | kylehotchkiss wrote:
         | I can't wait for more 3D photography - I bet an iPhone in the
         | near future is going to support stereocameras somehow so that
         | even pictures you take off the headset will be 3d. And I bet
         | they're going to have more ways to view them without the
         | headset.
        
         | okwubodu wrote:
         | I made a similar comment almost a year ago and it seems like
         | it's panning out nicely:
         | 
         | > "Apple has been testing overengineered features that are
         | suspiciously well suited for AR in broad daylight for a few
         | years now. If they can't pull it off, I don't think anyone
         | can."
         | 
         | They've reached a stage where outpacing the field is just a
         | matter of reaching into their grab bag of miscellaneous
         | technologies.
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | I've never heard such breathless praise of nonsense before.
         | every vr headset has had spatial audio. mirroring a desktop to
         | vr has been doable on vive or oculus for years and years.
         | faceid literally has nothing to do with this vr headset. etc
         | etc.
        
         | mft_ wrote:
         | Maybe add the 3D scanner on the back of the Pro iPhones (and
         | some iPads?) to your list? It's cool, but I never understood
         | why they bothered, especially as they barely supported it with
         | their own software.
        
         | crazygringo wrote:
         | > _Spatial Audio - Is any one a huge fan of this?_
         | 
         | Gigantic fan. Listening to music or movies/TV on headphones
         | without it seems almost painful now -- I sound like I'm
         | exaggerating but I'm not.
         | 
         | Once you get used to audio always sounding like it's coming
         | from outside of your head, going back to non-spatial audio that
         | seems like it's emanating from inside of your head is jarring
         | and positively claustrophobic.
         | 
         | And nobody's as surprised as me to find myself typing something
         | like that. I always imagined it would just be a gimmick, but at
         | least on the AirPods it's anything but. And it wasn't until the
         | "Spatialize Stereo" toggle appeared recently that it worked
         | with _everthing_ , like regular tracks on Spotify.
        
           | shepherdjerred wrote:
           | I switched from Spotify just for spatial audio
        
       | lagrange77 wrote:
       | Are there any further infos on the R1 chip? I guess it will be
       | some kind of DSP, maybe along with some machine learning
       | accelerator HW.
        
       | illuminati1911 wrote:
       | 3499. Could this finally be the turning point and beginning of
       | collapse of Apple?
        
         | threeseed wrote:
         | Apple won't have the supply chain to make this a consumer
         | product for years.
         | 
         | So it makes no sense to price it at $399.
        
           | replygirl wrote:
           | It's just disappointing when we know they can easily afford
           | to go Fairchild and hit $2k to help commoditize it a little
        
         | stephc_int13 wrote:
         | I don't think this is a revolution but it might be a good
         | enough improvement over existing/previous XR devices.
         | 
         | It certainly seems better than Microsoft Hololens. Basically
         | the same idea but with higher end hardware and more refined.
         | 
         | This does not look like to be a turning point either way, it is
         | priced out of mass market adoption, but it will be an
         | interesting toy for many.
        
         | whartung wrote:
         | Into an ecosystem where people buy a $1000 watch, $1000 phone,
         | $200 earphones, and a $2000 computer.
         | 
         | There is absolutely a market for this, the demo experiences are
         | extraordinary.
         | 
         | I have no idea what the Meta experience is like, but even in
         | ignorance, it's not like what this thing is doing.
         | 
         | They were correct in saying this is something only Apple can
         | do.
         | 
         | There are a lot of isolated technophiles with money to burn to
         | put into something like this. The idea of lifting your mac into
         | space with nothing but a keyboard and mouse in front of you
         | alone is enough for many to pop for this. Talk about bringing
         | your office into the local Starbucks, this moves it to the next
         | level.
        
         | fsloth wrote:
         | A high end VR/XR display like Varjo does feel like a new ux
         | paradigm _if_ the device has low latency and high resolution
         | and good software. Given how long Apple has been at this I
         | would bet they've come up with something that is of expected
         | quality.
         | 
         | Some of the stuff on display felt gimmicky, but I would imagine
         | as bare minimum there are lot of people who are happy to have a
         | private huge 4k screen they can move anywhere.
        
         | bsaul wrote:
         | for purely professional usage, it's still fine. But it'll
         | remain quite niche.
        
         | throwaway4good wrote:
         | We didn't get the car but we got the price tag.
        
         | smoldesu wrote:
         | No. But it's an outrageous price for a redundant product that
         | most people will not purchase. I don't see any meaningful
         | market leverage for Apple here relative to Meta - if the
         | selling point for this is "experiences, plus iPhone apps" then
         | everyone with an iPhone will get a Quest or similar and save a
         | few thousand bucks.
        
         | just-ok wrote:
         | I suppose if you think of it as a high-end MacBook Pro +
         | display, it's an easier pill to swallow.
        
           | bunga-bunga wrote:
           | I'll believe it when I see Xcode running on the thing. Plus I
           | would not want to be seen around wearing that thing.
        
           | ChildOfChaos wrote:
           | It might be, but you still need the MacBook Pro if you want
           | to use this as a Mac. So this is just the display, that can
           | access some iPad apps.
           | 
           | Although I still think it's pretty awesome, need to give it a
           | few years and see the price come down and a few versions
           | later, this tech will be very interesting in the 5-10 year
           | time space, what a crazy time that is going to be with AI and
           | all this stuff.
        
           | illuminati1911 wrote:
           | Of course if we lie to ourselves. It's just an iOS app
           | browser inside Oculus Quest like product + Disney content.
        
       | datatrashfire wrote:
       | Too expensive. It's giant and obtrusive. This will be a niche
       | product for the Apple die hards. It will not reach mainstream
       | acceptance.
        
       | arnaudsm wrote:
       | Imagine if you could plug this to your desktop dock and use it
       | like a Mac Mini. It would be the ultimate multimodal workstation,
       | and justify its price easily.
        
       | nblgbg wrote:
       | The one unintended effect is that the apps may charge extra for
       | supporting this! For example, Disney+ or the NBA may charge extra
       | $$ for supporting this device!
       | 
       | Also, everyone is assuming that it's powerful enough to run the
       | development environment. We need to wait until Apple releases the
       | specs.
        
       | NickC25 wrote:
       | Neat. I won't buy one any time soon, but it looks cool and
       | knowing Apple, they will iterate like hell on this platform over
       | the years and hopefully the price will eventually come down to a
       | more reasonable point like $2k-2.5k.
       | 
       | In 3-5 years down the line, though, this will really start to
       | take off. The Vision Pro 2 or Vision Pro 3 will be a game
       | changer.
       | 
       | Some of the features are quite useful, though.
        
       | patwolf wrote:
       | I'm usually a fan of shiny new things, but this might be the
       | first time I'll make an intentional effort to not buy something.
       | I expect it's going to be fantastic, and using it for my
       | development workstation would be amazing. However, I feel like
       | this will be a net negative for humankind.
       | 
       | My kids will plead with me to get them one, and it will be easy
       | to say no because it's so expensive. But with each successive
       | generation it will get better and cheaper until I can no longer
       | use cost as an excuse. My kids will explain to me that they have
       | no way to interact with their friends because they all use it.
       | I'm already dreading it.
        
         | spideymans wrote:
         | Apple says kids younger than 13 shouldn't use the product.
         | Another excuse for you :)
        
           | l33tbro wrote:
           | For now.
           | 
           | Think it's pretty reasonable to assume these things become
           | integrated with childhood over time in the same way other
           | screens have.
        
         | pityJuke wrote:
         | > However, I feel like this will be a net negative for
         | humankind.
         | 
         | The sinking feeling hit me too.
         | 
         | I'm well aware of how my usage of computers and technology,
         | despite how well they've served me professionally, have
         | absolutely caused me to be a more isolated human being.
         | Spending times on online forums were fun... but frankly, I
         | shouldn't've been hanging out there, and instead been
         | developing my social skills with my peers.
         | 
         | But now having conversations with others while my AI eyes
         | signal to them that I am totally listening?
         | 
         | Sitting in an empty room watching a TV? Or worse, sitting in a
         | room with someone else, both of us strapped up with a headset
         | to watch something, which we have to sync through the internet.
         | 
         | I mean, one of the demos was a parent sitting with one of these
         | things strapped to their face so they could record a 3D Video
         | of their kids. Instead of, you know, being with their kids.
         | 
         | VR/AR was already here, but now Apple have made it real. Not
         | looking forward to this.
        
       | ericzawo wrote:
       | I don't want the face computer.
        
       | StillBored wrote:
       | From someone who ignored the iphone because I didn't think it was
       | going to be a big deal and hopefully learned a lesson.
       | 
       | OTOH, 12 milliseconds in the AR mode doesn't sound fast to me.
       | I'm not in this space as other than a past oculus owner, but that
       | is 8 frames of latency at 60hz. I thought that the best devices
       | were much less these days.
        
         | darzu wrote:
         | 60hz is 16.7ms per frame. How are you getting 8?
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | simse wrote:
           | You get 8 if you think there's 100 milliseconds in a second.
        
         | fred256 wrote:
         | Unless I misunderstand, it's less than a frame at 60 Hz (= 16.7
         | ms per frame).
        
         | modeless wrote:
         | 12ms is 1 frame of latency at 90 Hz.
        
       | 037 wrote:
       | [dead]
        
       | gslaller wrote:
       | Disney did a better job of demonstrating the Vision Pro's ability
       | than apple. This is obviously going to be a hit, and by gen 3 -
       | 4(with a ton a immersive apps) it might by trailing behind
       | iPhone.
        
       | wildpeaks wrote:
       | They shouldn't have revealed the price today, it would have
       | afforded them more time to build hype around features and in-
       | person demos (and to give themselves a chance to reduce the price
       | before release).
        
         | allenu wrote:
         | The high price tag is interesting from a strategy perspective.
         | It feels like they wanted to start super high to really test
         | the market and give themselves an out if it doesn't succeed for
         | a long time.
         | 
         | Each year that they keep the price high, it can be used as an
         | excuse for the lack of uptake, should it not succeed. If they
         | ever exit the space, they can always announce that it was too
         | difficult to make it work at lower price points, instead of
         | "people just weren't interested in an AR headset".
        
       | rTX5CMRXIfFG wrote:
       | There's a lot of impressive technology in the device but I'm not
       | convinced that it's going to be as popular as the iPhone. Even
       | the Watch has a smaller market than the iPhone--I think this one
       | is even smaller than the Watch.
       | 
       | Perhaps if they made a lighter version that people could take
       | outdoors and quickly take photos/videos with for sharing in
       | social media (i.e. something to compete with Snap's Spectacles),
       | then it'd be easier to see more popular adoption. They wouldn't
       | really be innovating, though, and I'm not even excited by the
       | idea of being surrounded by people who wear such glasses whenever
       | I am outdoors.
        
       | vivegi wrote:
       | This is probably going to be even less successful than the Apple
       | watch in terms of adoption. $3.5k for a personal device --
       | perhaps it will capture a niche. Genre defining like the iPod or
       | iPhone, this isn't going to be.
        
       | yvsong wrote:
       | AirPods Max synthetic fabric is not comfortable to touch face.
       | Hope Vision Pro has more comfortable materials. Many big
       | headphones have comfortable velour or leather ear pads. It's also
       | better for the pads to be replaceable.
        
       | FinnKuhn wrote:
       | This seems very promising by being based on already existing
       | experiences (support for iPhone and iPad Apps). Considering all
       | the other features the price of 3499$ doesn't seem to crazy,
       | especially because it can replace all of your monitors, TV and
       | more while also enabling entirely new experiences for basically
       | the same price.
        
       | matsemann wrote:
       | For the FaceTime calling to make sense, you have to be the only
       | one actually using this product. If everyone in the call is
       | wearing this, you're basically talking with avatars..
        
         | gomjabbar wrote:
         | The avatar is supposed to be lifelike, captured from the lidar
         | camera...we'll see though
        
           | turingfeel wrote:
           | I think the avatar they demoed was somewhat lifelike to put
           | it very generously.
        
       | stellalo wrote:
       | If there's a company that can make the VR/AR headset thingy fly,
       | that is Apple. I'm not sure it will fly (I'm skeptical) but I'm
       | happy that we will finally find out.
        
       | bmcclure wrote:
       | Ooof, the price point on this is killer ($3500). Will need to
       | have some major differentiating features to justify that pricing
       | compared to a Quest 3.
       | 
       | I know they are fundamentally different (Quest having roots in VR
       | but also enabling passthrough AR and Vision Pro focusing on AR
       | ala Microsoft HoloLens) but hard to chew on that price!
        
       | joexner wrote:
       | But is it _advanced_ enough?
        
       | wildpeaks wrote:
       | They shouldn't have revealed the price today, it would have
       | afforded them more time to build hype around features and in-
       | person demos (and to give themselves a chance to reduce the price
       | before release).
       | 
       | Now it's going to kill interest in the device before it's even
       | out.
        
       | gowld wrote:
       | This could be the new Nexus Q.
        
       | sourcecodeplz wrote:
       | $3500 and you have to carry a weird battery around. The Oculus is
       | so much better.
        
       | nickpinkston wrote:
       | I'm betting that even Apple can't get this form factor to take
       | off in mainstream use cases.
       | 
       | Maybe in very niche cases, but there's a lot of dead bodies on
       | the VR/AR hardware hill even there with Hololens, MagicLeap, etc.
       | 
       | Then again Oculus sold like 20M units, so who knows...
        
         | sebzim4500 wrote:
         | Oculus sold a lot of users but most of them were used 0 or 1
         | times.
         | 
         | This product will need to be actually useful to take off, the
         | early adopters need to rave about it to their friends.
         | Presumably that's why Apple is targeting such a high price
         | point at first, I'm sure they could remove half the cameras and
         | use a worse CPU and end up with a device that sort of works,
         | but first impressions matter.
        
           | l33t233372 wrote:
           | I highly doubt many Oculus devices were sold that were used 0
           | times.
        
             | nickpinkston wrote:
             | I used my Quest 3 like twice and forgot to sell / gift it.
             | It's a pretty big problem, but I'm unsure the distribution.
        
       | w10-1 wrote:
       | The underlying tech is amazing, as is the design.
       | 
       | Augmented reality is a much harder problem than virtual reality.
       | 
       | Have they defeated cybersickness?
       | 
       | Possibly, in part due to only 12ms latency from outside camera to
       | display. The neurological visual latency is about 100ms, but
       | there are many drivers to cybersickness[1].
       | 
       | fovea-centric resolution: improve not the whole screen, but the
       | area seen by the retina's fovea, which has much higher resolution
       | (and attention). I can see how the R2 processor schedule could
       | prioritize what you're actually looking at relative to the rest
       | of the UI.
       | 
       | Is it weird? The device projects the eyes and face out to others,
       | so they can "interact" with you. It's telling that the ad places
       | the user not in a business context, but making toast for kids,
       | and interacting with a surprise soccer ball.
       | 
       | Notwithstanding the "everyday" appeal of 3D games for play and
       | minority-report displays for work, there are many, many specialty
       | applications where this could be huge and $3,500 would be
       | nothing.
       | 
       | I wonder what their manufacturing runway is. It could take time
       | to start selling millions of these units, but small lots can be
       | really, really hard to justify.
       | 
       | [1]
       | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2020.5822...
        
         | activitypea wrote:
         | 12ms puts it at about 90hz latency. I play games on a 144hz
         | screen, and I can tell the difference between 90 and 144 hz,
         | and that's on a bad screen at an arms length from my face
         | that's definitely not trying to convince me I'm looking at
         | reality.
         | 
         | It'll probably be in the same ballpark as a good transparency
         | mode on headphones -- close to indistinguishable in small
         | bursts, but long term causes alienation/lack of presence.
        
       | sinemetu11 wrote:
       | So it's a big screen?
       | 
       | The tech looks impressive, and I'm sure many people will buy it.
       | I'm guessing they'll also shortly after find it as exciting as
       | their phones...
        
       | Hippocrates wrote:
       | 3,500 seems SO worth it if this can be used to comfortably
       | replace external displays for long periods of time.
       | 
       | If I don't need external monitors, I don't need my large desk,
       | and I don't need my home office, which adds like 100k to the
       | price of any home I'd consider. I'd just work from a bedroom, a
       | closet, or my deck if I had this.
       | 
       | It would be amazing if I could use this to do more work outside,
       | while benefitting from a larger screen without glare, even though
       | "outside" might be watered down a bit. It would be excellent for
       | nomading or work/entertainment from a hotel room.
       | 
       | This could be a great way to regain some privacy and focus in an
       | open office environment, plus be able to personalize your setup.
       | A digital beach backdrop is better than seeing my coworker
       | scratch his crusty scalp 2 feet in front of me.
       | 
       | The benefits for air travel are obvious. People already swaddle
       | themselves with large noise cancelling headphones and zany neck
       | pillows. I don't think this would be weird plane at all. I'd kill
       | for an immersive 4k display over craning at my phone or relying
       | on flaky seatback entertainment.
        
         | o_m wrote:
         | I think I'll skip the first generation and wait for the
         | resolution to become better. 4k is good for a 22" external
         | monitor, but having 4k cover your field of vision will make
         | have to move your eyes a lot for the text to look good.
        
           | ricardobeat wrote:
           | It's nearly 5k per eye. The Reverb G2 is only 2160x2160, a
           | bit over 1/3rd of that pixel density and is already quite
           | usable for coding, so I expect the Vision Pro to be well
           | beyond "good enough" territory.
        
           | Hippocrates wrote:
           | Yeah I am curious to see how well this works in practice.
           | Resolution and screen size is a delicate balance, and the
           | face-mounted aspect of this throws conventional wisdom of
           | what works well out the window.
        
             | o_m wrote:
             | Yeah, I'm definitely going to try it out in an Apple store
             | but I don't have high hopes for anything text related. I'm
             | also skeptical to the 12ms (83fps) refresh rate.
        
         | rimeice wrote:
         | > use this to do more work outside
         | 
         | Can't wait for the Apple Vision Pro suntan.
        
           | js2 wrote:
           | It won't look too different from this:
           | 
           | https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ski+goggle+tan&iar=images&iax=imag.
           | ..
        
         | lph wrote:
         | > 3,500 seems SO worth it if this can be used to comfortably
         | replace external displays
         | 
         | Agreed, but that's a huge IF. The ergonomics problems with VR
         | headsets are well documented - has Apple really managed to
         | transcend them? I'm not gambling $3500 for a thing that
         | probably ends up sitting in a drawer because it gives me neck
         | cramps or eye strain or motion sickness.
         | 
         | If Apple wants to drive adoption they need to lower that risk.
         | A way to have a trial period or a one-week rental would help.
        
           | lurker919 wrote:
           | I'm pretty sure they would have had extensive trials for
           | comfort and neck strain already.
        
         | Terretta wrote:
         | > _If I don 't need external monitors, I don't need my large
         | desk, and I don't need my home office, which adds like 100k to
         | the price of any home I'd consider._
         | 
         | First thing my SO mentioned on seeing this was "wow, we can try
         | more kinds of places to stay when we travel". Lots of VRBO /
         | AirBnB can't work for remote work.
         | 
         | This expands the inventory of WR options for less than the
         | price difference of a week's stay.
        
         | 1letterunixname wrote:
         | Quest Pro does the exact same thing for 1/3 the price. It has
         | all sorts of enterprise features and Microsoft is on-board with
         | it.
        
         | goolz wrote:
         | Thank you for this! While yes, it is expensive and I do think a
         | bit wild I would pay serious, serious money to migrate away
         | from my home office.
         | 
         | Ever since I began remote work I have been cooking up ways to
         | code outside but the glare alone puts me off from it. I am a
         | solo kind of person who enjoys media a ton and am already a
         | huge fan of Apple's displays.
         | 
         | I guess with all the naysayers here it makes me happy to see
         | someone who understands the potential. This is awesome, and the
         | first VR set I have wanted to purchase. The price is steep and
         | I may even wait a generation. But if I had to bet, this will
         | end up absurdly successful similar to all of their other recent
         | home runs.
        
         | ndesaulniers wrote:
         | Hell you don't even have to get out of bed! Just lay there all
         | day with this thing on your face and atrophy like in
         | Surrogates.
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | paxys wrote:
         | What kind of work are you going to do on this without a
         | keyboard, mouse, and a laptop nearby for tethering? And if all
         | those are still a requirement then you're back to being stuck
         | on your desk.
        
           | goolz wrote:
           | Sure, for now perhaps. Do you really think Apple will not add
           | those features?
        
           | nomel wrote:
           | As they demonstrated, Bluetooth accessories like a keyboard
           | and mouse can be used. I basically did this, during the
           | pandemic, with my Quest 2, a TV tray, and my MacBook sitting
           | on the floor, next to me. I used my closet.
        
             | ncr100 wrote:
             | Making digital music - all the guitars and keyboard /
             | sequencer machine stuff.
        
           | rad_gruchalski wrote:
           | It supports wireless keyboard and a trackpad. For sure mouse
           | is not a problem.
        
           | sweetjuly wrote:
           | Stuck at a desk, sure, but as it stands I need a pretty big
           | desk to hold my ultrawide monitor while still having enough
           | room to hold regular physical things like notebooks, test
           | hardware, and other tools. Being able to ditch the monitor
           | and work with just a small 13" laptop would make small desks
           | more practical.
        
       | samsolomon wrote:
       | I've always thought the killer feature to get people to start
       | using AR/VR wasn't games or social experiences, but just a bigger
       | screen for web browsing, Excel, dashboards and a bunch of other
       | boring software.
       | 
       | Honestly, I'm not sure how Vision Pro product stacks up to what
       | Apple says, but the marketing shows that Apple has clearly
       | figured it out.
       | 
       | > I was initially a skeptic of widespread adoption of VR. I'm not
       | sure that it's going to be the next smartphone. However, if it
       | gets more comfortable and the price point goes down, I could see
       | it being a replacement for traditional desktop monitors. Instead
       | of paying $1k for a 27-inch display you get as many large screens
       | as you want. That seems probable to me.
       | 
       | >
       | 
       | > I know that sounds awfully boring and mundane, but that
       | probably comes way before other applications. After all the
       | original iPhone was just an iPod you could make calls with.
       | 
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33358495
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | satysin wrote:
       | For all the tech inside a device you can wear on your head it is
       | quite impressive even for the $3499 price tag.
       | 
       | I will hold off judgement until I can actually use one. While it
       | certainly has some goofiness and kinda dystopian vibes in some of
       | the demos shown it also has some very interesting use cases that
       | could be something almost everyone uses day to day like the TV or
       | computer.
       | 
       | But who knows, predicting the future is hard :)
        
         | jadbox wrote:
         | but will it run VSCode? Or is this iOS apps locked?
        
           | satysin wrote:
           | Well they showed it being used as a display with macOS but I
           | don't know if you can isolate an individual macOS app window
           | and use it as such within the Vision Pro interface.
        
       | brucethemoose2 wrote:
       | > Starts at $3499
       | 
       | Thar she bloooows!
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | elfrinjo wrote:
       | Well, we have seen something like this failing about six years
       | ago. Let's see whether - there is a new killer-use-case or -
       | technology has advanced enough to make it less cumbersome or -
       | Apple can generate enough hype around it to make it work on its
       | own.
        
       | 1letterunixname wrote:
       | Apple doesn't do enterprise or gaming.
       | 
       | VR headsets is a "flying car" tech category: always around the
       | corner, but unlikely to ever reach widespread adoption.
        
       | duncan-donuts wrote:
       | I think this looks cool as hell. The only thing that obviously
       | sucks about it is how big it is. Admittedly I didn't really jump
       | on the VR/AR hype train years ago so I don't know what's possible
       | today. This headset gives me some serious uncanny valley vibes
       | and kinda freaks me out which no other product in this space has
       | ever done.
        
       | krishna0902 wrote:
       | a lot of things started with games :)
        
       | rcconf wrote:
       | Regardless of how well this product does, the presentation and
       | vision from Apple was phenomenal. It was like watching a
       | cinematic AAA movie, so exciting and inspiring. There has been no
       | other company that has been able to present AR and VR in such a
       | way that is so exciting.
       | 
       | The augmented reality shifting to virtual with the dial is so
       | genius. I feel like a kid, and that's rare to feel these days.
       | Love it, dream on Apple!
        
       | vonnik wrote:
       | Looking at the demo through the link, the next step here is to
       | translate whatever the dog is thinking into natural language.
       | Would much rather get enriched reality than a 3D theater for my
       | 2D screens. I'm sure that's coming eventually, maybe through an
       | app store.
        
       | nkotov wrote:
       | I'm not exactly sure what the "aha moment" is for this compared
       | to the iPhone launch. Don't get me wrong, it looks incredibly
       | exciting and I love new shiny tech but the demo videos felt
       | incredibly lonely and I can't really picture myself using this on
       | a daily basis for hours. I have a Quest 2 that gets used once,
       | perhaps twice a month for VR Chat or to entertain family/friends
       | with Beatsaber. Once you played enough VR, you kind of get over
       | it.
       | 
       | It's like the iPad for me. When I want to get serious work done,
       | I use a MacBook. For quick stuff, the iPhone is sufficient. The
       | iPad then ends up being an entertainment device.
        
       | comment_ran wrote:
       | what a year to be alive!
        
       | motoxpro wrote:
       | As someone who travels for work, this is well worth 3500. To wear
       | these on flights, in small hotel rooms, etc. is definitely a game
       | changer. I have no use for video games so the Quest stuff with
       | the controllers never made sense.
       | 
       | I think people that complain about the price are anchoring on the
       | Quest price, same as people who anchored on MP3 player prices
       | when the iPod came out at 10x the price. Even if the Quest was
       | $100 or $50, I wouldn't buy it because its just not useful.
       | 
       | For sure I am an early adopter on this one, but as others have
       | said, this is Gen 1. It will get cheaper, faster, smaller,
       | better, last longer, have less bugs, etc. This is the way
       | technology works. It makes progress.
       | 
       | So many unfortunate maximalist (bigger than the iPhone moment) or
       | doomer (this is pointless and always will be) takes here. I'm
       | glad companies still take swings in the face of the way people
       | respond here.
       | 
       | EDIT: I don't see these as "metaverse" glasses or VR as much as a
       | $3500 display which framed in that way is completely reasonable,
       | it's $1000 cheaper than this https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-
       | mac/pro-display-xdr
        
         | kllrnohj wrote:
         | > As someone who travels for work, this is well worth 3500. To
         | wear these on flights, in small hotel rooms, etc. is definitely
         | a game changer. I have no use for video games so the Quest
         | stuff with the controllers never made sense.
         | 
         | Eh? Things like watching videos on a flight were tried with
         | Samsung Gear VR or Google Day Dream. It flopped. Want a virtual
         | office on a flight? Well fire up Virtual Desktop on an Occulus
         | today and you've got exactly that - no controller needed.
         | 
         | On a flight something like Occulus' passthrough mode looks
         | perfectly adequate - after all, the whole point in that
         | scenario is to isolate not to socialize. So the plain/train/bus
         | usage seems questionable, and do you really want to travel with
         | something that bulky?
        
           | motoxpro wrote:
           | This is not the same experience
           | https://youtu.be/74KInxQ8suI?t=208
           | 
           | The low res, jerkiness, having to use controllers, etc.
           | wether or not the apple experience is worth it is up to the
           | person.
           | 
           | I don't see these as "metaverse" glasses or VR/AR as much as
           | a $3500 display.
        
             | crakhamster01 wrote:
             | FWIW, that's a 4 year old video. MKBHD's video of the quest
             | pro:
             | 
             | https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jUIE2l_9ig8
        
               | ImHereToVote wrote:
               | But but but. Tim said that "Today marks the beginning of
               | a new era for computing,"
        
               | ncr100 wrote:
               | "'Computing' is a trademarked word owned by Apple
               | Computer Inc, Cuptertino California"
        
           | frakkingcylons wrote:
           | GearVR was a precursor to the Oculus Go, which was quite
           | successful. It showed that lots of people wanted a device to
           | watch media and user retention was pretty good:
           | 
           | From Carmack's Oculus Connect 2018 talk:
           | 
           | > With Oculus Go, about 80 percent of usage time has been for
           | viewing "media" and only 20 percent for gaming.
           | 
           | > Oculus Go and Rift are much "stickier," he says, with users
           | that "come back... week to week and spend a lot of time in
           | it."
           | 
           | https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/09/carmack-oculus-
           | quests...
        
           | denlekke wrote:
           | what's the virtual desktop on a plane situation you're
           | describing ? i thought it needed airlink to a local computer
           | or a really fast internet connection to a remote computer but
           | maybe i'm not up to date
           | 
           | if the vision pro gives me a laptop-mac experience in vr
           | without needing a separate computer with me, that's a pretty
           | compelling use case to me
        
             | ncr100 wrote:
             | You should be able to use the headset alone as a "ipad pro"
             | experience, computing power.
             | 
             | And you should be able to have your separate computer, with
             | the lid closed, and it still be running, projecting its
             | desktop inside the headset.
             | 
             | (based upon today's videos)
        
         | sdn90 wrote:
         | Same use case for me.
         | 
         | Laptops have terrible ergonomics it's near impossible to get
         | proper posture while traveling.
         | 
         | - Laptop stands help but introduce a new set of problems around
         | the distance of the screen and keyboard height
         | 
         | - Hard to find adjustable office chairs anywhere
         | 
         | - If you're in a city where you're walking for hours a day,
         | carrying a larger laptop gets tiring
        
           | hollerith wrote:
           | Sounds like you know that this new product weighs less than a
           | large laptop.
        
         | mahathu wrote:
         | You're still gonna have to type on something.
        
           | motoxpro wrote:
           | A keyboard fits on the tray a lot easier than a laptop if
           | youve never tried it.
        
           | rcarr wrote:
           | Might want to check out the Tap XR.
           | 
           | https://www.tapwithus.com/product/tap-xr/
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | I agree the simple monitor replacement use case is probably one
         | of the best in terms of real world usefulness.
         | 
         | But it's also the one that is most open to competition because
         | it has no ecosystem link. There are already half a dozen
         | alternatives at $400-$1k type range that give you virtual
         | monitors. eg: the XReal Air [0]. It's interesting that even
         | while they are generating some interest, it doesn't seem to me
         | that AR glasses as monitors on their own are taking off yet in
         | a mainstream way.
         | 
         | So it's going to be a question of how much more it can add to
         | that or do better than that. Is just branding it Apple enough?
         | Maybe. But I feel like it needs at least something else than
         | purely being a monitor to compete with the alternatives.
         | 
         | [0] https://xreal.com/air/
        
           | notJim wrote:
           | Resolution information is conspicuously absent from this
           | page.
        
         | graypegg wrote:
         | 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!
        
           | varenc wrote:
           | 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)
        
             | graypegg wrote:
             | 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.
        
             | mrfishsticks wrote:
             | They showed AirPods working with the headset on a flight
             | during the presentation at one point.
        
               | graypegg wrote:
               | That's what I was referring to, the ecosystem pairing
               | seems pretty tight so I could imagine that will be a
               | common combo.
        
           | savef wrote:
           | 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.
        
           | HDThoreaun wrote:
           | > you've become basically unapproachable
           | 
           | I don't want people talking to me on planes.
        
             | graypegg wrote:
             | Hey, it'll work! Just not a product for me.
        
           | kylehotchkiss wrote:
           | > 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.
        
             | graypegg wrote:
             | 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.
        
         | buildbuildbuild wrote:
         | This is also now the most private display. You can work in
         | public with no risk of leaks.
        
           | motoxpro wrote:
           | Totally. Meta framed any VR device as a metaverse device,
           | which I have no desire to ever participate in. I just want to
           | use "VR" the same way I use my laptop.
        
           | moduspol wrote:
           | It'll probably work well until you start making the "boob
           | honking" gesture with your hands. Then we'll be able to tell.
        
             | ncr100 wrote:
             | Cough, Senator Al Franken, cough.
        
       | arek_nawo wrote:
       | $3499 is a high price, but if Apple can deliver, this might just
       | be the next iPhone-like product.
        
         | mackid wrote:
         | 1977 Apple ][ Introductory price US$1,298 (equivalent to $6,270
         | in 2022)
         | 
         | I think folks are missing the point that this is the first Pro
         | version. Likely targeted at developers and early adopters. I'm
         | sure there will be an Air/Lite/etc version that cost reduces
         | overtime.
        
         | KMnO4 wrote:
         | It's effectively a nonstarter. $3499 USD prices this way beyond
         | the grasp of everyone but a small minority of enthusiasts and
         | professionals.
         | 
         | And considering Apple isn't really known for dropping product
         | prices as the years go by, all this really does is tell us that
         | the tech just isn't ready for mass production yet.
         | 
         | I'm considering this, like Google Glass, to be a neat proof-of-
         | concept.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | petercooper wrote:
           | _$3499 USD prices this way beyond the grasp of everyone but a
           | small minority of enthusiasts and professionals._
           | 
           | In a world of $1000 cellphones, $2000 computers and $40k
           | cars, I wouldn't be so sure. I suspect if the prices do stay
           | this high, it'll get priced on a monthly like how many people
           | pay for their phones or cars.
        
           | germinalphrase wrote:
           | Presumably, they would go the SE route where the Pro model
           | retains highest performance and price while the SE model
           | inherits the tech from past generations.
        
           | arek_nawo wrote:
           | Compared to what you are (potentially) getting for the price
           | it's not that high - especially when viewed as a work tool or
           | business expense. You can easily pay more for tech it could
           | replace, like monitors, headphones, speakers, lower-end
           | laptops and desktops even.
           | 
           | The only drawback I can see is the 2h battery and potential
           | fatigue from wearing something on your head, near the eyes
           | for longer periods of time. Maybe that'll be a non-issue?
           | Will have to wait and see.
        
           | bowsamic wrote:
           | > $3499 USD prices this way beyond the grasp of everyone but
           | a small minority of enthusiasts and professionals.
           | 
           | That's a really bizarre thing to say. People will literally
           | spend that on a fancy watch. They will spend 30 times that on
           | a car.
        
             | kweingar wrote:
             | I think you proved their point. A very small minority of
             | enthusiasts and professionals wear $3500 watches and
             | >$100,000 cars.
        
           | synaesthesisx wrote:
           | I'll go out on a limb and say it will be far more popular
           | than people think. I'm ready to preorder one (although
           | perhaps I fall into the enthusiast & early adopter category).
           | 
           | This can't be compared to other headsets out there, and is
           | rather in an entirely different product category.
        
           | [deleted]
        
       | the42thdoctor wrote:
       | Can't wait for the GPT integration with GitHub and start
       | programming like Tony Stark
        
       | nateb2022 wrote:
       | Because of the "Pro" branding, I'm really interested in how soon
       | we can expect a baseline non-pro Apple Vision. Determining what
       | specs/features they're going to cut will be interesting.
       | 
       | Also, with the release of visionOS, Apple is now maintaining a
       | pretty hefty load of systems: macOS, iPadOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS,
       | and now visionOS. I have no doubt that beneath the UX they share
       | a LOT of common building blocks, however I wonder if Apple will
       | try to consolidate one or more of those platforms. E.g. macOS and
       | iPadOS could be merged into a hybrid, watchOS is basically
       | turning into iOS on a small screen, and visionOS may have some
       | very interesting common ground with macOS -- possibly a
       | continuity-screen style interop in the future.
        
       | moron4hire wrote:
       | Disappointed there was no mention of WebXR support in Safari.
        
       | m3kw9 wrote:
       | Welcome to the ultimate skeptics vs optimists thread regarding
       | our AR/VR future
        
       | botverse wrote:
       | It's sad that they had to partner with Unity instead of EPIC...
       | So no Unreal engine for this because of the store dispute, great
       | loss for both parties
        
       | __MatrixMan__ wrote:
       | I'm skeptical. But if I put my inner skeptic in the corner, what
       | I'm most excited about is how it will affect ergonomics.
       | 
       | Most input happens in a (typically horizontal) plane, but the
       | human body is better modeled in polar coordinates. It's called
       | "tech neck" because we've attached a screen to the input plane
       | and then end up hunching while we look at it. Decoupling the two,
       | if we can pull it off, will help a lot of people.
        
         | peddling-brink wrote:
         | Hanging a computer on on face seems like an ergo negative.
        
           | __MatrixMan__ wrote:
           | That's going to depend pretty heavily on what you're doing
           | with that computer on your face.
           | 
           | Ergo problems typically come up when you're assuming the same
           | posture for long periods. If there are no other constraints
           | to lock you in (e.g. desk and monitor), then I expect there
           | will be much more moving around (perhaps even explicitly
           | encouraged by the OS).
           | 
           | Whether this offsets the weight-on-head thing... time will
           | tell. Whatever the problems will be, they'll be different
           | problems.
        
       | rednerrus wrote:
       | This has iPhone 1 feel. Killer hardware, killer idea, giant price
       | tag, and no killer app. They were really stretching with the
       | heart and the skyview app.
       | 
       | Eventually they'll get the killer app and it'll take off.
        
       | lardo wrote:
       | A Dyson Sphere for your attention.
        
       | zeroEscape wrote:
       | My biggest concern with this is how easy it would be to steal. If
       | I'm sitting in a train, someone could just yank it off my head
       | and run away. That's $3,500 bucks down the drain. When using a
       | phone for example, I don't really have to worry about it as long
       | as I'm careful. I wear a shirt long enough to cover my pockets
       | making it hard for a thief to lift up the shirt without me
       | noticing and grab the phone in my pocket. When I use the phone, I
       | keep it close to my body. If I were using the Vision Pro, I'd
       | have a giant screen in front of my face. I wouldn't even see the
       | thief coming. Maybe they could make a strap that you attach
       | around your chin like a helmet and charge $1,000 bucks for it. Or
       | perhaps screws to drill it into your skull.
        
         | dandandan wrote:
         | Given the Optic ID demo, I assume it's locked to authorized
         | users only and not valuable outside of being a source of parts
         | if stolen.
        
           | zeroEscape wrote:
           | I'm sure an hour after it's released, a YouTube video will
           | appear of someone demonstrating how to hack it.
        
       | jw1224 wrote:
       | I will happily go on the record as saying that this will be as
       | revolutionary as the iPhone, perhaps even more so.
       | 
       | ---
       | 
       | EDIT: To clarify this statement...
       | 
       | - For personal/entertainment use it largely replaces the need for
       | a TV, soundbar, or home cinema.
       | 
       | - For business use, the days of multiple displays and screen
       | management seem set to be a relic of the past. I look forward to
       | coding in an IDE which isn't constrained to a physical device sat
       | on my desk, or replying to emails "on the beach" versus under
       | fluorescent lighting. My work environment will soon become
       | consistent, without relying on the realities of my real-world
       | physical environment. Think about people working from home with
       | little-to-no desk space: this solves that problem.
       | 
       | - In response to the obvious criticisms (high price, battery
       | life, form factor, weird eyeball thing)... this is Gen 1. Look
       | how quickly the iPhone and Apple Watch evolved between
       | generations 1 to 3, and look how the price changed as production
       | capabilities and economies of scale evolved.
       | 
       | - Personally, I've been using Apple devices for 20 years. This is
       | the first novel Apple device I've felt _genuinely_ excited about
       | since first joining the ecosystem. Will I use it for everything?
       | No. Will the first version be perfect? No. Does it offer a whole
       | new paradigm to any one of the _physical_ devices I already
       | own...? Yes! If Apple 's reputation for growth and improvement in
       | other product categories historically is anything to go by, I
       | look forward to seeing how ubiquitous this becomes in 5 or 10
       | years from now.
        
         | ChuckMcM wrote:
         | I was wondering what was dragging HN down :-). That said, if it
         | translates signs in the "real world" on the fly to your native
         | language, that would be win for business users. The "infinite
         | screen/screens" thing has always show promise but has always
         | been hard to execute against. The lack of them pushing any kind
         | of gaming experience[1] was a bit telling for me. I'm guessing
         | they haven't fixed the vomit problem. Still think it would be
         | awkward to be in the same physical space with people who have
         | visors and people who don't.
         | 
         | [1] To be fair I didn't see the keynote, just followed the
         | website sales pitch.
        
         | lowbloodsugar wrote:
         | Not this version probably, just like the first version of the
         | iPhone wasn't stellar. But as a new product _line_ , this is
         | the first VR/AR device I've seen that demonstrates a vision for
         | the future that might work. For a one-day ubiquitous product,
         | $3k is the entry level price. None of the existing devices
         | support this vision - they are just VR hardware. Their lower
         | price doesn't matter because that's not what's going to go
         | mainstream.
        
         | niho wrote:
         | The thing that amazed me the most with the presentation was
         | that they never showed typing on a virtual keyboard. It seems
         | like you need an actual physical keyboard to do any typing.
         | 
         | The keyboard was famously considered a make it or break it
         | feature internally at Apple when developing the original
         | iPhone. It is very telling that they haven't managed to solve
         | this basic HCI problem for the Vision. Steve Jobs would never
         | have released this. I'm sad to say it, but this is not a "Pro"
         | device. It's a Prototype device.
         | 
         | Apple Vision Prototype
         | 
         | (And I'm sorry, but the eyes are creepy --- uncanny valley)
        
           | greedo wrote:
           | They did show a virtual keyboard during the presentation.
        
             | paul_f wrote:
             | I don't think it was virtual. Looked like a real keyboard
             | on the table
        
           | mrguyorama wrote:
           | The dual-touchpad style VR keyboard like the original Vive
           | has is probably the only usable virtual keyboard. Everything
           | else is one by one, find and peck typing.
           | 
           | If you want to experience it, get a steam controller or a
           | steam deck and use the trackpads on that keyboard. You get
           | used to it very fast and you can get really usable typing
           | speed.
           | 
           | It won't work for programming though because anything that
           | needs more niche than basic punctuation would require
           | chording or multiple inputs, which sucks.
        
           | 6nf wrote:
           | The idea is that you'll use voice recognition instead of
           | typing
        
             | niho wrote:
             | Yeah. Lol. So I'm going to be talking my code? Will be
             | super popular in the office.
             | 
             | "Hey Siri! Put that statement in an if-clause. ...no, not
             | that one. The other one. Argh!!!"
             | 
             |  _throws the $3499 vision across the room_
        
         | Ylmaz wrote:
         | Every team in my company got the new meta headset for free. I
         | used it for like 30 seconds and i've never seen anyone else
         | using it.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | newaccount74 wrote:
         | I think more iPad level. A successful product, but not
         | something everyone will have.
        
           | jonwinstanley wrote:
           | Not for a while, but this is v1. When they're cheaper,
           | smaller and lighter who knows
        
           | bunga-bunga wrote:
           | At 3500 this will be niche at best. They'll sell half the
           | units of Watch Ultra if they're lucky.
        
             | turnsout wrote:
             | Yeah... It's like sure, this replaces a TV for ONE person.
             | If I want to watch a movie with my wife and daughter, I'm
             | out $10,500
        
               | Dudester230602 wrote:
               | Keep in mind the battery is not enough for a movie. So
               | the entire family will also be plugged into a wall wart.
               | Mind the wire for any bathroom breaks!
        
               | thrill wrote:
               | It's a 2 hour battery with a dedicated cable and looks
               | easily swappable in seconds.
        
               | Dudester230602 wrote:
               | Yes, even for that family of rich Apple executives, it
               | will get tired by the third time.
        
               | paul_f wrote:
               | The running time of the CD-ROM was designed to play
               | Beethoven's 9th symphony in its entirety. You would have
               | thought Apple would plan the battery life to allow you to
               | watch all of Avengers: Endgame, or maybe Oppenheimer,
               | without pausing to swap the battery.
        
               | ladyanita22 wrote:
               | For a 3500$ device? Fantastic!
        
             | newaccount74 wrote:
             | I don't think the biggest obstacle is the price. I'm
             | assuming the price goes down eventually.
             | 
             | I just don't see the must-have reason why everyone would
             | have to buy one.
        
             | wahnfrieden wrote:
             | iPhone rollout not only first model
        
             | alwillis wrote:
             | > At 3500 this will be niche at best.
             | 
             | The original 128k Macintosh was $2,495 in 1984--that's
             | $6,244.14 in todays (2023) dollars, just to put things in
             | perspective.
             | 
             | Obviously there will be less expensive models to come; this
             | is just the start. This will be mostly for early adopters
             | and developers.
        
               | drivers99 wrote:
               | The original Macintosh was a flop in terms of sales, at
               | first.
        
               | alwillis wrote:
               | > The original Macintosh was a flop in terms of sales, at
               | first.
               | 
               | The point: it sold well enough for it to lay the
               | groundwork to the Mac market of today.
               | 
               | At this stage, Apple looks like the only company with a
               | real shot at making a mixed reality headset mainstream in
               | the next 5-7 years.
        
               | Kareem71 wrote:
               | People are poorer today on an inflation adjusted basis
        
               | selectodude wrote:
               | No, they really aren't.
               | 
               | https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEHOINUSA672N
        
               | Xeoncross wrote:
               | I know the FED says we're not poorer, but their
               | adjustment for inflation is just a marketing stunt.
               | 
               | If you look at the historical ratio of income to the
               | price of housing you'll see we're making less compared to
               | the cost of things every year.
               | 
               | Pull up a chart of "FRED:ASPUS/FRED:MEHOINUSA646N" on
               | https://www.tradingview.com
               | 
               | edit: took a screenshot to save the trouble
               | https://imgur.com/a/U5ml4Iq
        
               | mrep wrote:
               | You're ignoring interest rates which allow the overall
               | price to go up while keeping the monthly payment the same
               | and the fact that houses have gotten a lot bigger over
               | the decades [0].
               | 
               | [0]: https://www.supermoney.com/inflation-adjusted-home-
               | prices/
        
               | orangecat wrote:
               | _If you look at the historical ratio of income to the
               | price of housing_
               | 
               | This has a lot more to do with governments making it
               | illegal to build housing than the overall strength of the
               | economy.
        
               | selectodude wrote:
               | If you look at the historical ratio of income to the
               | price of computers we're literally orders of magnitude
               | wealthier. You can't just pick one data point and blast
               | off.
        
               | JoeJonathan wrote:
               | I mean, it's not entirely implausible that housing is a
               | better index of cost of living than computers.
        
             | nicoburns wrote:
             | True, but the price will come down. The early MacBook Air's
             | were also super-expensive, rich-early-adopter-only pricing,
             | and now they're the mainstream product.
        
               | kgwgk wrote:
               | $1800 was expensive but there were a number of
               | competitors in that price range.
        
         | gigel82 wrote:
         | I will go on record as saying this will be one of the biggest
         | flops in Apple's modern hardware history.
         | 
         | They've shown no innovative scenarios that Hololens / Quest /
         | Google Glass (and similar devices) hasn't shown before. Those
         | things flopped because they didn't have the scenarios and
         | nothing changed now.
        
           | hajile wrote:
           | For me, the big difference is apps. I have a Quest and
           | there's not much usable stuff for it. I can see a lot of
           | those ipad/iphone/mac apps as useful on an AR device.
           | 
           | Quality also matters. I don't really like looking through the
           | Quest for very long. Fresnel lenses and meh screen combined
           | with a terrible processor means the visual experience isn't
           | very good. I'd bet a lot that their custom lenses and screens
           | combined with a decent SoC offer a HUGE jump in visual
           | fidelity.
        
         | skilled wrote:
         | Nobody will remember/care about this as soon as the news sites
         | stop talking about it (in a few days), enjoy your iPhone moment
         | prediction.
        
         | bequanna wrote:
         | Man, I for one sure hope this isn't the future.
         | 
         | But maybe it is. Just another step away from one another,
         | further into isolation.
        
         | SanderNL wrote:
         | And I will go on record saying this is nice and all, but
         | fundamentally just some incremental progress. Absolutely not an
         | iPhone moment.
         | 
         | The _idea_ of having a fully immersive 3D environment around
         | you is cool, but I haven't had any VR experience that didn't
         | turn out to be eventually a headache let alone actually
         | productive. Even with gaming I can only name a few titles that
         | actually benefit, but for the ones that do the effect is quite
         | something, I'll admit that.
        
           | comment_ran wrote:
           | That's definitely a big concern about the physical pen. If
           | it's too heavy or if it's too hot, it will overperform or
           | perform some CPU intense work. Also the fitting using your
           | eye with such a close contact with the digital device is
           | another issue.
        
           | bluescrn wrote:
           | Was there really an 'iPhone moment', though?
           | 
           | The success of the iPhone has been all about the 'incremental
           | progress'.
        
           | billti wrote:
           | You do recall that when the iPhone came out we already had
           | Blackberry, HTC, Windows Mobile, Nokia already making smart
           | phones with touch screens and apps right?
           | 
           | Sure the experience was terrible, but that's the same play
           | here. Apple generally takes a technology space which is a
           | little early and poorly done by others, and ships a great
           | experience across hardware, software, and ecosystem to
           | capture a market.
        
             | jq-r wrote:
             | The elephant in the room is that by the time Apple came out
             | with iPhone, everyone else had a mobile phone because there
             | are clear benefits of ownining a mobile phone. Those phones
             | as you say were not great, and iPhone was absolutely
             | revolutionary in that case so we agree here.
             | 
             | But pretty much nobody has a VR headset right now (or at
             | least IRL people that I know), so not sure if a normal
             | person will see a benefit of owning this kind of device.
        
             | SanderNL wrote:
             | You are not wrong. Let's wait and see. I actually hope I'm
             | wrong.
        
           | jonwinstanley wrote:
           | Not sure how you can say it's incremental. I'd say it's quite
           | a jump from the other mixed reality products we've seen so
           | far
        
             | Demmme wrote:
             | Incremental because it's not new.
             | 
             | It was totally clear that a device for 3.4k can have the
             | values apples headset has.
        
               | throw74775 wrote:
               | > it's not new.
               | 
               | I'm not aware of any remotely comparable product.
        
             | LordDragonfang wrote:
             | It's a jump from what we've seen in the consumer space. It
             | isn't priced like other consumer VR hardware though, it's
             | 4-8x the price; much closer to enterprise pricing. If you
             | include the wider space with things like the Varjo XR3
             | (which released 2 years ago at only 2x the price) then it
             | looks a lot less impressive of a jump. Plus there's things
             | like the Bigscreen Beyond which actually manage a slim form
             | factor. Really the only thing Apple has a chance to
             | differentiate on is software, and they've got a lot of
             | catching up to do there.
        
               | jonwinstanley wrote:
               | But they do have a huge head start in apps, movies, tv,
               | games, sports rights compared to the makers of any other
               | device. They are well positioned or make this work by
               | integrating tightly to their own eco-system
        
           | whynaut wrote:
           | but it's AR?
        
             | verdverm wrote:
             | The Hololens was way ahead of this as far as AR goes, the
             | only issue that device had was FOV, but I won't use any
             | passthrough after trying both
        
               | bni wrote:
               | Passthrough has the benefit of enabling processing the
               | input in ways to make surroundings more compelling and to
               | blend in with the virtual content.
               | 
               | Also small FOV is a critical issue for transparent screen
               | AR. No one has managed to improve this significantly
               | after hololens v1.
        
               | verdverm wrote:
               | The hololens was much better at blending, I want to see
               | the actual real world, not a display of it. There is no
               | comparison here
               | 
               | HLv2 was an all around improvement, if you only tried v1,
               | you cannot make conclusions
        
               | whynaut wrote:
               | That has nothing to do with the point that VR issues are
               | being prescribed to an AR device..
        
           | isp wrote:
           | The _idea_ of hybrid AR /VR - adjusted by a dial (crown) - is
           | very clever. As is a high-resolution display.
           | 
           | But the form factor is a problem.
           | 
           | If it had all of the capabilities announced _but combined
           | with the Google Glass form factor of ultra thin & light_ -
           | then it would be a device more revolutionary than the iPhone.
           | 
           | But the form factor makes it much more niche.
           | 
           | And the tech just doesn't exist in the year 2023 to make a
           | device with that sweet-spot combination of high capability
           | and tiny form factor.
           | 
           | (My two cents, which I am hoping ages better than the
           | infamous HN Dropbox comment.)
        
             | SanderNL wrote:
             | I agree, but I actually hope we are wrong. This tech can be
             | amazing. I already like the Oculus with all its warts.
        
               | isp wrote:
               | I hope we are wrong too.
               | 
               | But I (perhaps naively) think this is being approached
               | from the wrong direction.
               | 
               | To me, if Apple had launched a new highly limited device
               | but with the Google Glass form factor - then I could see
               | the path to incrementally improve (keep the form factor,
               | and add features over time as hardware progresses).
               | 
               | It's much harder for me to see the opposite - of starting
               | out with the clunky form factor, even if it is 100x more
               | capable.
               | 
               | EDIT: Or I may be thinking from the wrong direction. I
               | could see this device as overtaking existing VR devices
               | like the Rift by far.
               | 
               | It depends on whether "success" here is defined as
               | surpassing the previous best-selling VR headset (very
               | plausible), or as matching the iPhone (much less
               | plausible).
        
         | andrewstuart wrote:
         | >> this will be as revolutionary as the iPhone, perhaps even
         | more so.
         | 
         | Not even close.
         | 
         | 99% of the people I know would never put a computer on their
         | face.
        
         | hammyhavoc wrote:
         | If it's so good for WFH, why has Apple insisted everybody
         | return to the office?
         | 
         | It's got a 2h battery life, so your dreams of using it on the
         | beach are pretty funny versus just using a laptop.
        
         | zjaffee wrote:
         | Strongly disagree that this will be as revolutionary as the
         | iphone. The iphone, and smart phones as a platform were
         | revolutionary largely because of how portable they are.
         | 
         | This is much more comparable to a laptop than a phone, and it
         | doesn't introduce new communications technology like the iphone
         | did with there now being near universal real time access to
         | people's cameras and gps location.
         | 
         | This feels like what the apple watch was to the iphone but
         | instead to the MacBook pro.
        
           | comment_ran wrote:
           | Unfortunately, I strongly disagree with this comment as well.
           | It is because how portable this device is, you have to think
           | about the... Imagine you have an infinite amount of screen
           | just in your pocket. What you say causes what you do, and
           | that's a huge thing.
        
             | prmoustache wrote:
             | Except even regular sunglasses are often inconvenient to
             | carry around. So this will never get in your pocket.
             | 
             | The rear revolution will be when the info goes directly to
             | our brain, bypassing the eyes. VR headsets looks to me like
             | half assed interim "what if" devices.
        
               | comment_ran wrote:
               | Good point. Remember, they demonstrate that they put
               | these devices as a module, so I'm not sure it is possible
               | to make it a portable device. You can easily get rid of
               | part of the panel part and put it into a very small bag,
               | and the rest of things can just like a rope, something
               | similar to those things, you can easily fold them into
               | small spaces. I'm actually thinking the same thing as
               | you. The real revolution is going to be directly
               | connecting our brains, so we don't bother using our eyes
               | to kind of sensor our physical world, that's kind of like
               | the matrix. I'm not sure that's going to be in the near
               | future or in the life we have, but I'm really looking
               | forward to that kind of scenario.
        
         | SkyPuncher wrote:
         | I have an NReal Air. It offers similar capabilities to
         | everything you mentioned (though much worse resolution).
         | 
         | If I have the preference, I still choose a screen. Screens are
         | easy, screens a casual, screens exist in the real world. I can
         | share them, I can walk away from them, I can position them
         | where _they will never, ever move_. Screens have (and will
         | always have) higher resolution. Screens don't require me to
         | mess with some cord and pull a headset off to find my snack or
         | walk to the bathroom.
         | 
         | I prefer my Nreals in two situations:
         | 
         | * When I'm traveling/on-the-go and want more screen real
         | estate.
         | 
         | * When my wife is using the main TV and I don't feel like
         | hauling the Playstation downstairs.
        
           | zmmmmm wrote:
           | Sounds like the Vision Pro addresses your main issues - it's
           | fully wireless, albeit with the somewhat ridiculous cord
           | hanging off and battery pack in your pocket. And you can walk
           | around your house with (presumably) near perfect pass through
           | view of the real world. And then the resolution - I think you
           | could be wrong about that. It's surprisingly hard to compare,
           | but the Vision Pro is going to get you pretty close to high
           | enough resolution that it doesn't matter any more.
           | 
           | It's interesting though you seem to view the fact that it's
           | close to impossible to move your monitors as a plus - that
           | part sounds very weird to me.
        
         | geerlingguy wrote:
         | Is this the new reverse-Dropbox reverse-iPhone HN groupthink
         | meta? The question is, will we link back to this in 10 years as
         | a gotcha as AR/VR is still 10 years away from mainstream then?
        
         | jonplackett wrote:
         | I will happily go on record as saying I do not have $3,499 to
         | spend on this, but I wish i did.
        
         | braymundo wrote:
         | I can't wait to see the second generation. And with Apple
         | giving some good attention to game developers, the
         | possibilities are incredibly interesting!
        
         | moralestapia wrote:
         | >this will be as revolutionary as the iPhone
         | 
         | I'm not so sure about that but I'm 100% sure that if anyone
         | manages to pull that off it's going to be Apple.
         | 
         | Corollary: if this doesn't make AR/VR finally go mainstream
         | then forget about it, it's 3D TV again.
        
         | vertigolimbo wrote:
         | It won't. Sadly. Can't justify spending 3K on... family calls,
         | tiresome multiscreen development environment, finally - games?
         | Won't happen unfortunately.
        
           | sekai wrote:
           | > It won't. Sadly. Can't justify spending 3K on... family
           | calls, tiresome multiscreen development environment, finally
           | - games? Won't happen unfortunately.
           | 
           | You missed one, porn.
        
             | LegitShady wrote:
             | from my...market research...vr porn super disappointing.
        
               | vertigolimbo wrote:
               | well apple could use vr + ar to enhance your experience,
               | provided that your partner agrees to that, and that could
               | potentially be a winner's recipe. But you know what's the
               | limitation? You won't see p*rn on apple store, or vision
               | os whatever it will be called.
        
               | shultays wrote:
               | What if Apple offers an AR service that sends you a call
               | girl and you can replace her face with whomever you want?
        
           | jsheard wrote:
           | The scope for games on this is pretty narrow without the dual
           | independently tracked controllers you get with the
           | Quest/PSVR/etc.
           | 
           | They'd have to work with hand tracking (low accuracy, no
           | buttons or sticks, no haptics) or a conventional console
           | controller (limited immersion).
           | 
           | Nearly all existing VR games are built around dual
           | controllers and would need significant reworking/compromises
           | to be playable on the Vision Pro.
        
             | jarjoura wrote:
             | No clue, but I'd assume this is like any other pro Apple
             | device that will have a bluetooth or some external device
             | SDK and 3rd parties will make controllers for games.
        
               | jsheard wrote:
               | Quest-style controllers are something that Apple would
               | have to faciliate. They are tracked using a combination
               | of motion sensors (high resolution but prone to drift)
               | and detection by the headsets cameras (low resolution but
               | doesn't drift) and the Vision Pros raw camera data is
               | only visible to the operating system.
               | 
               | You can connect a traditional controller of course, they
               | showed it working with a Playstation controller in one of
               | the clips, but that's mainly useful for playing
               | traditional flat-screen games on a virtual big screen and
               | not so much for games which actually explore the
               | possibilities of VR and AR.
        
               | andybak wrote:
               | 6dof tracked controllers usually need to be tightly
               | integrated with the headset.
               | 
               | Even if they are self tracking (like the Quest Pro
               | controllers and therefore expensive) there's still a
               | bunch of things that need to work smoothly together.
               | 
               | It's not just like making a Bluetooth gamepad.
               | 
               | And one thing we know about expensive, optional
               | peripherals is that lack of developer support is usually
               | it's death knell
        
           | sebzim4500 wrote:
           | The original iPhone was also a bit of a waste of money so
           | that doesn't really disprove their point.
        
             | tsunamifury wrote:
             | iPhone was an immediate iPod/phone/web browser/email
             | replacement on day one.
             | 
             | It's day one utility was one of the best ever
        
           | LapsangGuzzler wrote:
           | > tiresome multiscreen development environment
           | 
           | ...that fits in your bag. This is huge for folks like me that
           | want to travel without lugging around a large display. If the
           | visual integrity is there, it's gonna be worth it for me.
        
             | doix wrote:
             | Yeah, the resolution will make it or break it for me. I
             | tried working in a valve index using Simula and couldn't
             | really get into it. Despite technically having much more
             | screen space and screens, it felt like I was much more
             | constrained.
        
               | vertigolimbo wrote:
               | Si senior. Same experience with quest 2. It has to be
               | perfectly executed. In the Apple demo the guy was hitting
               | virtual keyboard? If vr misses two keys, I am done with
               | it and back to gaming only.
        
               | IanCal wrote:
               | I'm interested to know what sort of resolution you'd get
               | looking at a "screen". You get over 4k per eye, but that
               | means 4k-ish for your field of vision.
        
             | comment_ran wrote:
             | exactly I don't know how many like 4k monitor is just sat
             | in front of you and that physical device is only I don't
             | know smaller than a 10 inch iPad so that's it's incredible
        
           | rtkwe wrote:
           | This first version sure but if they're able to bring the
           | costs down and maintain the relative power it's a pretty neat
           | implementation of the idea.
        
             | vertigolimbo wrote:
             | _maintain_.... competition will catch up and /or will do it
             | better for a lower cost. It took years for other companies
             | to get close to iphone performance. But now Apple is
             | entering an established market already where fb is throwing
             | big bucks.
        
         | gigatexal wrote:
         | Yeah from what I can tell and being a solitary person if I had
         | 3.5k I'd be all over this. And I am a die-hard Linux guy though
         | I have an iPhone and an Apple Watch. Very cool stuff, albeit,
         | if it lives up to the hype in the presentation. Very cool
         | stuff.
        
         | wongarsu wrote:
         | Having multiple private large-scale screens anywhere, even on
         | the train or plane, is huge. Many VR headsets tried delivering
         | that, but so far the resolution just wasn't there. The article
         | is a bit light on actual details, but at least the price point
         | gives an indication that Apple might make it possible.
        
         | rafark wrote:
         | Loved it. It's exactly how I imagined it. People didn't have
         | high expectations because they thought this was going to be a
         | gaming device. I posted quite a few comments in the past months
         | telling people vr glasses like this had so much potential for
         | broader applications. I'm glad Apple is making this a reality.
         | It's going to be a wild success.
        
         | subsubzero wrote:
         | So.. Fun fact, Osterhaut group(ODG) has something just like
         | this and it was working as Apple demos showed and it was out 7
         | years ago. I tried it on and for me it was the biggest game
         | changer I felt since the 2007 iphone. Microsoft bought the
         | patents from odg and the company ran out of money trying its
         | own strategy. Sad story for them but I hope apple really does
         | this right as it will be an absolute game changer.
         | 
         | https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/03/odg-unveils-its-first-cons...
        
         | prmoustache wrote:
         | So most people prefer holding their phone in the hand to using
         | airpods to send voice messages or having calls.
         | 
         | What makes you think people will prefer strapping a much
         | heavier and uncomfortable headset to watching a screen?
        
         | ChicagoBoy11 wrote:
         | I completely agree.
         | 
         | I'm one of the weird people who tried out the Google Glass. It
         | was finnicky, 0 actual interaction with the modern world,
         | lasted a good 45 minutes, melted your face, and had terrible
         | audio.
         | 
         | But the thing is, if you could peak THROUGH the shortcomings,
         | it was abundantly clear how an eyesight driven, glass form
         | factor is the destination for computing. Smartphones were even
         | less advanced at the time, but even then, we I tried for a few
         | weeks making more extensive use of it, I would catch many
         | glimpses of how "neat" this technology would be... even doing
         | simple things like effortlessly capturing a picture on the
         | spot, or videoconferencing with my gf (now wife!) showing her
         | stuff in the grocery store and asking her what to get.
         | 
         | The AR capabilities, mixed with the essentially VR potential
         | for movies/games, will totally be a thing and it'll totally
         | live on our face as glasses. There can be details as to when
         | exactly, price points ,etc., but the ubiquity of this sort of
         | computing device will eclipse the iPhone when it comes time,
         | and until then, slowly but surely change the nature of "working
         | on a screen."
        
           | jbverschoor wrote:
           | Yes, Google Glass was fun, and geeky, but was SO bad.
           | 
           | This seems to be an actual well thought out product. The
           | resolution is a lot higher than the meta quest 3, and delays
           | will be super small.
           | 
           | They're marketing this for productivity, which for me is the
           | main selling point for VR at this point. I want a more
           | spatial desktop, and I want multiple screens on the go.
        
         | shadowgovt wrote:
         | I think it's a good risk, and the kind of risk Apple is well-
         | positioned (as a combined owner of hardware, software, and
         | third-party software ecosystem) to take.
         | 
         | Major we'll-see risk factors I identify:
         | 
         | 1) $3,500 is expensive, any way you slice it. That makes it
         | price-competitive with a workstation.
         | 
         | 2) The stand-up-and-work environment they demo'd doesn't work
         | for a lot of people. But if you sit down, you lose a lot of the
         | benefit of that panoramic space.
         | 
         | 3) Their gesture interface has to be rock-solid (meaning no
         | false negatives but also _no false positives_ ) for it to be
         | part of a daily work environment.
         | 
         | 4) We've been experimenting with headsets for long enough to
         | know that for the average user, the amount of time you can
         | comfortably use one is lower than the amount of time seated at
         | a mouse-keyboard-monitor UI.
         | 
         | 5) The battery life is 2 hours, which is like nothing. You can
         | use it plugged in, but then you're plugged in (meaning not only
         | that you're tethered to somewhere, but that you've got the
         | constant pressure of the tether disrupting your head motions,
         | which adds up over time in irritation).
         | 
         | All of that having been said, if anyone has a prayer of
         | overcoming these obstacles it's Apple. They've got the software
         | / hardware / UI / UX integration in-house to take a solid run
         | at the challenge.
        
           | comment_ran wrote:
           | I completely agree with your point about risk. When we're
           | talking about risk, the opposite of risk is a great benefit,
           | just like a starship. Captain Kirk said great risk we have,
           | the more potential gain we probably gain. Stand-up work
           | environment is also huge for me. I don't like sitting all the
           | time in front of a desk. But I'm not sure if I sit down, all
           | the benefits gonna last. Maybe it's just a choice. Maybe I
           | can sit down doing some different kind of things. Or maybe I
           | can lay on my bed, just do something else. The gesture
           | interface has to be rock solid. I agree. Especially you're
           | already doing something more fine-tune level things.For
           | example, you want to manipulate a 3D object, but I think we
           | can, or the engineering can finally overcome those
           | difficulties by using those optical algorithms to track, to
           | kind of think about a new way to interact with computer.
           | Actually, if you think about the way we communicate with
           | computer, all we're talking about is the keyboard, but does
           | the keyboard is the only solution to all the problem we have?
           | I don't think that is the only problem. The battery lapsed
           | two hours, I'm not sure what exactly they mean. If it's just
           | two hours, maybe it's a replaceable charge or something like
           | that, maybe we can bring a bigger external battery. I'm not
           | sure, but if it's just only working for two hours, that's
           | going to be some potential issues here.
        
           | jandrese wrote:
           | IMHO the biggest risk factor is that without a mass market
           | version (running iPhone apps in a window doesn't count) the
           | developers won't reach the critical mass you need to support
           | a novel piece of hardware like this. $3500 is a shit ton to
           | spend on a toy that lets you have a virtual Mickey Mouse
           | standing next to a screen playing a Disney movie.
           | 
           | If nobody is buying the product then developers have no
           | incentive to buy one either. The only software for it will be
           | demos from Apple and extremely expensive bespoke professional
           | applications for businesses, and that market is far too small
           | for Apple to ever recoup their R&D costs, much less ongoing
           | expenses.
           | 
           | The only way I see this working is if Apple themselves invent
           | a killer application for the headset. Even then its going to
           | struggle to find buyers at that price point. It doesn't
           | matter how cool your hardware is if nobody can afford it.
           | It's hard to see how they would even cut down the existing
           | hardware to make a version for real people.
        
         | kllrnohj wrote:
         | What's different about it compared to Occulus or Samsung Gear
         | or any other existing attempts at this?
         | 
         | Virtual movie theaters and virtual monitors haven't really been
         | compelling use cases for putting an ugly sweat box on your face
         | so far. What about slapping an Apple logo on it and pricing it
         | even further out of reach changes that in your mind?
        
           | seanalltogether wrote:
           | Most VR so far has been designed to isolate you from your
           | surrounding environment, and is the opposite. Also the
           | ability to use it without controllers makes the whole thing
           | feel less intrusive/burdensome to use.
        
           | JumpCrisscross wrote:
           | > _What 's different about it compared to Occulus or Samsung
           | Gear or any other existing attempts at this?_
           | 
           | It's sexy. Also, it's Apple, which means-given the price tag-
           | it's unlikely to be shit, and if it is, I'll have some
           | semblance of support.
        
           | beezlebroxxxxxx wrote:
           | I think the:
           | 
           | - existing apple ecosystem;
           | 
           | - the fact that this looks far more AR focused than the VR
           | focused stuff I've currently seen;
           | 
           | - the public's perception of the Apple brand and its build
           | quality (questionable if real, but an undeniable public
           | perception nonetheless) could get around the "ugly sweat box"
           | vibe you've described;
           | 
           | - the willingness for app-makers to build for the ecosystem;
           | 
           | - the 4k and (apparent) visual quality;
           | 
           | ...could make this successful, or at least iPad-like in terms
           | of dominating a market.
           | 
           | Hard to know for sure though until we get some actual reviews
           | and footage of people wearing it.
        
           | steveoscaro wrote:
           | I have an Oculus2 and a PSVR2, and the Apple headset seems
           | like an entirely different thing. It's meant to replace your
           | mac computer and your tv.
           | 
           | Yes with the headsets I have, you can surf the web and
           | technically try to write code, but it's not a good
           | experience. And those displays basically still suck. You can
           | see the pixels, and the lenses create weird effects. If Apple
           | has solved this, and the presence of the screen and lenses is
           | just "forgotten", it's going to be a huge step forward. It'll
           | be a device to actually be productive on, let alone watch
           | movies and play games, IMO.
        
             | drrotmos wrote:
             | IMHO this really is what's gonna make or break this
             | product. Will the screens have good enough fidelity and not
             | strain my eyes in such a way that I will want to wear the
             | headset for my entire work day.
        
               | mrguyorama wrote:
               | People always drag out this line but how much time in VR
               | do you actually have?
               | 
               | I have hundreds of hours in VR, doing fiddly simulator
               | things, and it's not an enjoyable experience, but rather
               | something you put up with to get to experience something
               | you wouldn't otherwise get to experience, like flying a
               | real as it gets plane.
               | 
               | A couple really nice monitors are $500. A laptop with a
               | really nice built in screen is $2000, even if you want
               | the apple logo on it.
               | 
               | Having infinite floating windows in VR is actually pretty
               | useless. Either they are all tiny and unreadable because
               | you need INSANE resolution to get 1080p quality at normal
               | viewing distance, or you have one giant screen pressed
               | against your face and your eyes find that very
               | uncomfortable. VR is tiring on your eyes, worse than
               | looking at a screen all day.
               | 
               | I wish rich kids would stop trying to attain a minority
               | report style dream of computation and focus on making
               | actual, usable, good UIs that are enjoyable, easy, and
               | productive to work with. This is none of those.
        
               | sebzim4500 wrote:
               | >Having infinite floating windows in VR is actually
               | pretty useless. Either they are all tiny and unreadable
               | because you need INSANE resolution to get 1080p quality
               | at normal viewing distance, or you have one giant screen
               | pressed against your face and your eyes find that very
               | uncomfortable. VR is tiring on your eyes, worse than
               | looking at a screen all day.
               | 
               | Apple seem to think they have solved these issues. We'll
               | see.
        
           | balaji1 wrote:
           | Gaming could be much be better on a VR/AR device, and a
           | reason to put on a "ugly sweat box" initially. Apple did not
           | go deep into that, only a brief segment about the Unity
           | collab. Maybe gaming is not their forte right now.
           | 
           | Apple Vision v3 will not be a sweat box. And even right now,
           | Occulus interface has to evolve to match this. Controller has
           | to be optional. It has to be AR.
        
           | SirMaster wrote:
           | Probably the fact that this uses microOLED at a much higher
           | resolution than anything before.
           | 
           | And that it's very light weight and more comfortable fitting
           | and probably wont be a sweatbox.
        
           | caconym_ wrote:
           | > What about slapping an Apple logo on it and pricing it even
           | further out of reach changes that in your mind?
           | 
           | Probably the fact that Apple has an excellent track record of
           | entering nascent consumer electronics markets late (e.g.
           | iPod, iPhone, Apple Watch) at high price points, nailing the
           | execution, and eventually dominating said markets with
           | arguably superior products.
           | 
           | It's the same story again and again. If you've already
           | decided Apple is charging $3000 for "slapping an Apple logo
           | on it" and nothing else, you may as well have been one of the
           | people back in ~2001 who swore up and down that the iPod was
           | just an overpriced late entry in a market full of mature,
           | attractive offerings like the Archos Jukebox line. In
           | retrospect, to be clear, you would have looked quite silly.
           | 
           | I'm not saying this thing is absolutely going to be a
           | success, but the problem with previous attempts at virtual
           | displays has been that the execution is always shit, and
           | Apple's greatest strength is nailing the execution. I don't
           | think betting against them here is a good bet.
        
           | ilaksh wrote:
           | Thr fact that the battery is separate should be a huge
           | improvement for comfort because one of the biggest problems
           | with most existing devices is their weight. Another thing to
           | check is how much heat the device transfers to the user. Or
           | in general the comfort. Also the fact that you can easily see
           | you surroundings should help.
        
           | jansan wrote:
           | The difference is the AR, which will eventually make it
           | wearable in everyday life. When setting the perimeter, the
           | Oculus already shows the surrounding using it's integrated
           | cameras. This will be the future. I don't think the first
           | version of Apple's AR mask will be a huge success, because it
           | still looks too dorky. But in a few years you will see many
           | people wearing sunglasses that double as phone screens all
           | the time.
        
             | kllrnohj wrote:
             | > The difference is the AR, which will eventually make it
             | wearable in everyday life
             | 
             | In Apple's 10 minute video about this device the "AR" part
             | came up exactly twice:
             | 
             | 1) When the lady was interrupted by a friend to talk about
             | sushi or something. This is literally Occulus' passthrough
             | mode. It was a temporary "see around me" mode switch in
             | practical usage.
             | 
             | 2) The dad filming his kids. This was just depressing.
             | 
             | All the other examples had the room around them, so the
             | "AR" part, as a glorifed skybox. The person was isolated &
             | alone.
             | 
             | Like maybe Apple will figure out something that Microsoft's
             | Hololens didn't. That's certainly possible. But they also
             | didn't showcase any such examples, either.
        
               | jansan wrote:
               | Ok, I had the impression that those things are
               | translucent, because the eyes were visible. I did not
               | fully watch it, but I just found out that Apple is using
               | a lentricular and OLED screen on the outside to display a
               | 3D image of your face to make it look like the mask is
               | transparent. This is some dystopian stuff.
        
             | kjreact wrote:
             | I don't think the dorky mask look will change any time
             | soon. There's just too much electronics to fit into the
             | system for it to shrink down to a pair of regular glasses.
             | 
             | When the Apple Watch was introduced, I thought that the
             | form factor would change after a few years. It's almost
             | been ten years and it doesn't seem like Apple will be
             | making any big form factor changes to the product.
             | 
             | Apple will just have to make it fashionable to wear dorky
             | scuba masks everywhere. Maybe the price tag will be
             | sufficient...
        
               | jansan wrote:
               | You may be right. Remember when they used someone with
               | extra large hands for presenting the first iPhone in
               | order to make it look small? Now you can get the iPhone
               | 14 is large and very large. We may get used to this if
               | the product is sufficiently useful.
        
           | EnragedParrot wrote:
           | What compelling use cases did the average consumer see for
           | carrying around a computer in their pocket before Apple
           | released the iPhone? There were a bunch of devices on the
           | market all _kinda_ doing what iPhone did, but Apple made it
           | make sense for the average consumer.
        
           | newZWhoDis wrote:
           | Less space than a nomad, too
        
             | kshacker wrote:
             | Lame?
             | 
             | For those downvoting, see the parent comment and also this:
             | https://slashdot.org/story/01/10/23/1816257/apple-
             | releases-i...
             | 
             | "Lame" was a historic comment and parent commenter should
             | have included it :)
        
           | sgt wrote:
           | Usually Apple comes along and builds it so well that people
           | will actually start using it. Oculus and the others are still
           | a pretty niche thing.
        
             | raydev wrote:
             | > Usually Apple comes along and builds it so well that
             | people will actually start using it
             | 
             | Agreed, but Apple have put themselves in a weird spot with
             | the $3500 USD price tag.
        
               | andrei_says_ wrote:
               | I think they'll be fine with first adopters, businesses,
               | the rich.
               | 
               | For people making 10x what we make, these are on the
               | level of $300.
               | 
               | And Apple gets to iterate and present v2 in a year or so,
               | at 1/2 the price.
        
               | kjreact wrote:
               | Apple is probably going to have supply constraints for
               | the first generation product so pricing it high makes
               | sense.
        
               | viscanti wrote:
               | Not that weird of a spot. That's what it costs for the
               | most premium experience they can launch with. They'd
               | rather it be good than something everyone buys on day
               | one. They can get costs down in future models as they
               | scale and progress pushes down some of the costs. As
               | iPhones become even more performant in the future they
               | can also eventually offer a version that offloads more
               | compute to that and bring costs down even more. Their
               | goal is to show this is a new type of product that works
               | at the level people expect for a completely new Apple
               | product. They can probably afford to wait for a much
               | lower priced mass consumer product.
        
               | briandear wrote:
               | Considering what I paid for my Apple XDR display, $3500
               | is a bargain.
        
               | billti wrote:
               | It's also the "entry point" price for a HoloLens
               | (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/buy).
               | Businesses will spend that on an AR/VR device that adds
               | value to their use-cases. It seems pretty clear this is
               | not intended for "mass market consumer adoption" at this
               | point in time.
        
               | raydev wrote:
               | The Vision Pro is arguably less useful than your XDR
               | since the VP can't run macOS. :p
        
           | kjreact wrote:
           | My take would be that it would be Apples track record of
           | making software work well with the hardware, more seamlessly
           | than either Samsung or Meta.
           | 
           | Just look at the virtual avatar they demoed compared with
           | Meta's. Apple went with a more professional looking avatar
           | instead of a cartoony one.
           | 
           | Another app that was shown was a Birds Eye view of a
           | basketball game. I'd love to be able to watch a sporting
           | event live from that perspective (if I could stomach the
           | entry fee for the experience).
           | 
           | I was on the fence about this product, thinking that there
           | wouldn't be many good use cases, but their presentation gave
           | some activities that I'd want to try on the hardware. Whereas
           | Meta's presentation didn't show anything I was interested in.
           | 
           | Apple is giving developers 6+ months to make even more
           | interesting apps. I think there's a good chance that this
           | could be a successful product. But I should hold my judgement
           | until I've seen the caveats of this device (ie comfort,
           | battery life, display quality, etc). I'm sure we'll see more
           | in-depth looks in the coming months. We can judge it more
           | fairly when these reviews come out.
        
             | whywhywhywhy wrote:
             | >Another app that was shown was a Birds Eye view of a
             | basketball game.
             | 
             | That was Disney's presentation not Apples. Am I the only
             | one who thought that part was Magic Leap level total
             | fantasy BS?
        
               | kjreact wrote:
               | I missed that it was part of the Disney presentation. In
               | that case it may be just vaporware. Truthfully it would
               | require a lot of infrastructure at the arena/stadium
               | before it could even be realized. I'm not sure the sports
               | team owners would be willing to pay for this expenditure
               | without knowing the potential revenue it could generate.
               | It'd also cannibalise some ticket sales, so it's not
               | necessarily a profitable move for pro sports.
        
               | tough wrote:
               | If players position is already tracked adding avatars to
               | it in real time onto a 3d visualization doesn't seem that
               | far fetched.
               | 
               | Some stadiums have cameras that fly over all the stadium
               | but no idea if it was BS or not
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | ncallaway wrote:
             | > Another app that was shown was a Birds Eye view of a
             | basketball game
             | 
             | Is there anything specific to the Vision Pro in that
             | feature? Couldn't they just offer that as something that
             | you could choose to watch on TV?
        
               | EA wrote:
               | When you watch live TV, you watch what one person decides
               | you should be watching.
               | 
               | With eye and head tracking in the headset, you can watch
               | what you want to watch during live events and eventually
               | in interactive motion pictures/motion environments.
        
               | kllrnohj wrote:
               | This is already a reality with esports and yet most
               | people prefer to watch someone else drive the camera.
               | Someone who is really good at doing that and who can
               | "predict the future" to never miss a key moment (aka, the
               | broadcast is on a slight delay).
               | 
               | I don't see any reason live sports would be different
               | here, do you? It'd be cool but it hardly seems
               | "revolutionary", more like something you do once or twice
               | for the novelty before going back to just not doing that.
        
               | snapdeus wrote:
               | Literally no one wants to do that. That's why it's
               | someone's job to do this.
               | 
               | This is just like how grocery stores have made us all
               | become cashiers.
               | 
               | I'm not doing that, it's work, and I'm not going to do
               | work.
        
               | skc wrote:
               | Yes.
        
               | kjreact wrote:
               | > Is there anything specific to the Vision Pro in that
               | feature? Couldn't they just offer that as something that
               | you could choose to watch on TV?
               | 
               | A TV wouldn't be apt at creating a 3D-ish AR viewing
               | experience. It also doesn't have the controls to navigate
               | such a scene easily. What I'm looking for is like a
               | holographic 3D display of the game on my table top.
        
           | SparkyMcUnicorn wrote:
           | > ... bring the powerful capabilities of their Mac into
           | Vision Pro wirelessly, creating an enormous, private, and
           | portable 4K display with incredibly crisp text.
           | 
           | If this "incredibly crisp text" is true, then I want it.
           | Nobody has done this yet.
        
             | zamadatix wrote:
             | With a resolution of slightly over 4k resolution per eye
             | for the entire view, on top of lenses and warping when
             | rendering it into the space, I just can't see how this is
             | actually possible. It may be better than many previous
             | solutions but they were all so far off in text clarity
             | that's not saying much. Of course, they could just set the
             | zoom way up on Safari/the UI and say "look, it's so clear!"
             | and be technically correct.
        
           | afavour wrote:
           | People are going to reply to you and say "what made the iPod
           | different from the Nomad"... inarguably the iPod was hugely
           | successful where the Nomad wasn't.
           | 
           | I don't think it's a great comparison. The MP3 players in the
           | pre-iPod era were all made by tiny players no-one had heard
           | of. The Oculus in particular has absolutely massive backing
           | and still hasn't amounted to a lot.
           | 
           | I suspect the differentiator will be software, not hardware.
           | In particular the willingness of third parties to create
           | software. Apple has a good record there at least.
        
             | jarjoura wrote:
             | Oculus is accessible by targeting itself as a fun gadget.
             | You buy it to play immersive games when you're at home
             | alone, bored. It's also affordable and that is extremely
             | important. You won't feel nearly as bad dropping a wad of
             | cash on this if it turns out to be a dud.
             | 
             | Apple's product, on the other hand, is extremely wonky. Who
             | is this thing actually for? Based on the demos, it just
             | looks like a second screen for my phone. It's also
             | outrageously expensive. So Apple is asking me to seriously
             | buy into the ecosystem and have confidence that this will
             | be an important device in my collection.
             | 
             | I don't know, to me this isn't like any previous Apple take
             | on a well defined market. In fact, this is Apple's take on
             | a very undefined market with an unknown trajectory. It kind
             | of feels more like when Apple went off the beaten path and
             | added a touch bar to the MacBook Pro. It was an interesting
             | idea and a lot of very long man hours went into making it
             | work, but at what cost? In the end, it turns out, people
             | just wanted simple tactile keys.
        
               | jeron wrote:
               | >Apple's product, on the other hand, is extremely wonky.
               | Who is this thing actually for? Based on the demos, it
               | just looks like a second screen for my phone. It's also
               | outrageously expensive. So Apple is asking me to
               | seriously buy into the ecosystem and have confidence that
               | this will be an important device in my collection.
               | 
               | that's actually the playbook for new product launches for
               | Apple. That was the same issue with Apple watch - they
               | had no idea who it was for when they launched the first
               | generation. It was just a watch with a screen that told
               | time and gave you notifications. Then, they realized
               | people loved using it for tracking health, and each
               | generation they keep coming up with more and more ways to
               | use it as an all-around health tracker. Now, Apple watch
               | is as ubiquitous on people's wrists as iPhones are in
               | people's hands
        
               | jarjoura wrote:
               | How so? The Watch was launched as a FitBit killer at the
               | 1.0 keynote. There was a small segment from Jony Ives
               | touting a ridiculously priced gold variant which was a
               | complete mis-read of the market. I could see how Apple
               | was nervous that their core audience was fashion
               | conscious and smart watches were the domain of the
               | biggest nerds out there.
               | 
               | However, point still stands, they knew they wanted an
               | iPod shuffle with health and personal safety device at
               | launch. They even went all out with a Nike partnership to
               | help promote it.
        
               | ss2003 wrote:
               | I hate the touch bar. I want my function keys back.
        
             | George83728 wrote:
             | cmdrtaco is wrongly mocked for his reaction to the original
             | ipod. The original ipod flopped hard: https://en.wikipedia.
             | org/wiki/IPod#/media/File:Ipod_sales_pe...
             | 
             | It didn't catch on until several years and hardware
             | iterations later.
        
             | fzzzy wrote:
             | Tiny companies nobody has heard of like Sony? Cmon.
        
               | mrguyorama wrote:
               | At the time early media players were relevant, and to the
               | community they were relevant (people very into music
               | tech), Sony was known as "that company that installs
               | rootkits on your computer if you buy their CD"
        
               | afavour wrote:
               | IIRC Sony were an absolute mess at the time. Didn't want
               | to cannibalise their Minidisc sales, had weird DRM...
               | even in the geeky crowds I ran in (where Nomads
               | definitely were seen) Sony MP3 players were a rarity.
        
               | cmiles74 wrote:
               | My recollection is that Sony's Memory Stick based
               | products of this era all had weird DRM requirements that
               | were a big hassle.
        
           | tkanarsky wrote:
           | I've said this before, but Apple's attention to detail might
           | finally bridge the uncanny valley to actually good AR. I can
           | elaborate a bit more when I get on my computer.
        
           | jolux wrote:
           | No controllers, no waving your arms about. Eye tracking and
           | hand gestures for navigation. Screen on the front that shows
           | your face to make it feel less isolating. I don't know that
           | it'll be a success but it's a lot more than just putting an
           | Apple logo on it.
        
           | zamadatix wrote:
           | The sweat box is actively cooled this time. I'm concerned
           | about the price as well though, even if it is fantastic
           | beyond all expectations of what was presented that's a really
           | hard price for most to justify for the feature set shown.
           | Showing things like true and proper Disney+ integration day 1
           | gives hope for big name support vs just special one off demos
           | for headsets of the past though. At the same time, they are
           | going to need a lot more properly integrated apps for it to
           | reach success status.
        
         | mantenpanther wrote:
         | Only if it's comfortable to wear and not sickening. It must be
         | a huge improvement over current devices like PS VR2, which I
         | can physically not tolerate for long.
        
         | mellosouls wrote:
         | This sounds like a take from somebody who doesn't realise
         | that's already there in headsets like the Quest that this
         | presumably won't match in numbers.
         | 
         | What is brilliant here, are the specs giving some serious boost
         | to the use cases already established by Meta/Oculus, NReal etc
         | and services like Immersed, BigScreen etc.
         | 
         | But please, less of that breathless "Apple have invented this
         | new thing" tone, it's annoying when they haven't.
         | 
         | Either do some basic research first, or if you have, then at
         | least frame what you reckon is revolutionary in terms of the
         | existing market.
         | 
         | I am sure from the specs, if not the price, that this is going
         | to kick up some dust, but its not obviously inventing anything
         | that isn't there already.
        
           | drdaeman wrote:
           | Not only they don't realize it already exists, they don't
           | realize how bad it is.
           | 
           | There's never enough resolution (even with 8K headsets), eye
           | strain from trying to focus on virtual objects is real, and
           | camera passthrough always look fake (and may even cause mild
           | nausea). Not to mention that most folks don't really train
           | their neck muscles to support significant extra weight on
           | their heads on front-back axis (we typically tilt our heads
           | much less than lean forward or backward, so headphones are
           | not comparable).
           | 
           | I don't believe Apple have made some giant leap and included
           | an autorefractor in there and made external cameras moveable
           | and able to match you pupillary distance (and convergence!),
           | then added some fancy magnetostrictive micro-mirror system to
           | dynamically boost resolution at the areas you're focusing at.
           | Not in this form factor, and if they would somehow magically
           | make it they'd be boasting about it non-stop.
           | 
           | If they showcase it in Apple Stores I would definitely take a
           | peek, and I would like to be wrong - but I'm pretty sure it's
           | a pricey gimmick that won't be anywhere comfortable for any
           | prolonged use.
        
         | epolanski wrote:
         | > For personal/entertainment use it completely replaces the
         | need for a TV, soundbar, or home cinema.
         | 
         | You're making a bold assumption, that someone wants to wear
         | this headset when relaxing. Also, a TV can be watched by
         | multiple people, and a home cinema will obviously deliver
         | better sound.
         | 
         | > For business use, the days of multiple displays and screen
         | management seem set to be a relic of the past. I look forward
         | to coding in an IDE which isn't constrained to a physical
         | device sat on my desk, or replying to emails "on the beach"
         | versus under fluorescent lighting.
         | 
         | The IDE is an interesting perspective I too as a developer am
         | thinking about. But there's a reason you can be as productive
         | in 2023 as in 1983 using emacs or vim. Because it's insanely
         | hard to replace the simplicity of text buffers and a keyboard.
         | 
         | > In response to the obvious criticisms (high price, battery
         | life, form factor)... this is Gen 1. Look how quickly the
         | iPhone and Apple Watch evolved between generations 1 to 3, and
         | look how the price changed as production capabilities and
         | economies of scale evolved.
         | 
         | Smart watches have been anything but a groundbreaking
         | technological revolution.
        
           | scyzoryk_xyz wrote:
           | > You're making a bold assumption, that someone wants to wear
           | this headset when relaxing.
           | 
           | Hey - the world's biggest computer company just went up on
           | stage along with the director of the world's biggest
           | entertainment conglomerate and made that 'bold assumption'.
           | They're probably pretty careful about these sorts of things.
        
             | gymbeaux wrote:
             | There are MANY examples of The Walt Disney Company making
             | poor decisions. The most recent one would have to be the
             | "Star Wars Hotel" that cost $1,200/night PER PERSON. In
             | what world can enough Americans afford to fill up a hotel
             | every night at that price? They did what all companies do-
             | they got greedy. Now they have a $300M write-off as they
             | tear it down.
             | 
             | DIS stock is taking a dump right now because Disney+, it
             | turns out, isn't the savior we all thought it was (and were
             | led to believe it was) during the pandemic when the Parks
             | division wasn't bringing in the cash. ESPN is dead weight.
             | They have more debt than ever thanks to the pandemic.
        
               | scyzoryk_xyz wrote:
               | I did not say they're making the right decision. I merely
               | pointed out that the parent comment poked at this being a
               | bold assumption.
               | 
               | They might be wrong, they might be making a bad play. But
               | they've also probably devoted a reasonable amount of
               | resources at finding answers to questions like whether
               | people will want to use these or not. So, they probably
               | didn't make "bold assumptions".
        
             | tolmasky wrote:
             | It takes very little for Bob Iger to say he will make
             | Disney+ available on the Vision Pro. It takes very little
             | to deliver a streaming platform to a new device in general,
             | but even less for one that uses the same frameworks as one
             | of your primary existing devices. Most of what they showed
             | was just showing you Disney+ content on a floating screen.
             | I highly doubt they have invested that much into any sort
             | of experience that is only possible on the Vision Pro
             | (hence limiting anything that came close to that as a
             | generic vaporware "What if?" trailer at the end).
             | 
             | With respect to the CEO of that company, I mean, sure. But
             | you kind of take that as a given. It's not like he's only
             | been right, and certainly his leadership so far has been
             | business oriented, vs. "wave of the future" oriented. A
             | good example is how the AirPods ended up being an arguably
             | bigger success than the Watch (and how that hasn't really
             | been fully capitalized on). The good news is that the
             | world's biggest company is precisely the kind of place that
             | can afford to iterate on something like this in the public.
             | So if the theory is that the "dream" of AR is only possible
             | by getting stuff out there to iterate on, then they
             | certainly now have a good shot.
        
             | bityard wrote:
             | Pure anecdata of course and I'm far from the average
             | person, but I personally do not like to wear headphones if
             | I can avoid it. (And yes, I have good headphones.) I can't
             | even imagine having a screen strapped to my face.
        
               | Fricken wrote:
               | I can imagine having a screen strapped to my face. I
               | can't imagine a killer app that makes it worth the
               | trouble & cost. I was hoping apple could help me out with
               | my limited imagination, but they're pushing Apple Vision
               | for watching movies, surfing the internet and facetime,
               | so not really.
        
             | sho_hn wrote:
             | Disney has nothing to lose here, and Apple can take a
             | failure, too.
             | 
             | Apple has produced plenty of devices that didn't pan out.
             | 
             | Let's not get too hyped away.
        
               | sebzim4500 wrote:
               | >Apple has produced plenty of devices that didn't pan
               | out.
               | 
               | Have they? They've launched particular versions of
               | existing products that didn't sell too well, but have
               | they ever launched a device which was was fundamentally
               | new and didn't eventually sell a ton of units?
        
               | nemo wrote:
               | HomePod
               | 
               | Pippin
               | 
               | Apple III
               | 
               | Apple Lisa
               | 
               | iPod HiFi
        
               | sebzim4500 wrote:
               | I was just thinking of the last few decades but yeah fair
               | enough I had forgotten about the HomePod.
        
               | robbiep wrote:
               | I don't get this HomePod hate. I have the big (old gen)
               | and small one, and they rock. We're in allocated housing
               | at the moment for my fiancees work and they have a shitty
               | tv. I wouldn't be able to hear the thing if it wasn't
               | playing through my HomePod. And that's before the
               | benefits of it as a speaker
        
               | importantbrian wrote:
               | The Newton would be the quintessential example.
        
               | sho_hn wrote:
               | I know you're going to want me to post the Apple Newton
               | to disagree with, but I'm not that easy to catch!
               | 
               | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin
        
           | kjreact wrote:
           | > You're making a bold assumption, that someone wants to wear
           | this headset when relaxing.
           | 
           | Well Apple showed someone using the headset while lying down
           | in bed. I'd say that Apple is making a bold statement about
           | the comfort of their product. We'll need to wait for hands on
           | reviews to determine if it indeed is as comfortable as Apple
           | implies it is.
        
             | sleepybrett wrote:
             | They also showed a model sitting on a 15k couch wearing
             | probably a 3-5k turtleneck dress....
        
               | dsr_ wrote:
               | as she gently strokes the air up and down.
        
             | blitzar wrote:
             | > Well Apple showed someone using the headset while lying
             | down in bed.
             | 
             | The box of Wheaties showed someone shooting the winning
             | buzzer beating home run touch down in double overtime to
             | win the world series of superbowl cups. Somehow I doubt
             | that, due to the bowl of Wheaties I had for breakfast, my
             | afternoon will look much like that.
        
               | tomcam wrote:
               | Noted. I will eat 2 bowls of Wheaties
        
           | hparadiz wrote:
           | > You're making a bold assumption, that someone wants to wear
           | this headset when relaxing.
           | 
           | I've seen people pass out in VRChat with their headsets on.
           | Some people on VRC are on there for 12+ hours a day. It's a
           | fascinating sub culture I was totally shocked to learn about.
           | People drink and do drugs while listening to music at a
           | virtual rave. Multiple rooms full every Friday, Saturday
           | 80-120 people in the room hanging out. I found myself up till
           | 6 am lost in the music.
        
             | mrguyorama wrote:
             | I used to do exactly that when the pandemic started, but
             | like, is that enough for a $3k headset? I paid $2k for my
             | setup but I was already heavily committed to various
             | simulation game genres.
             | 
             | 120 people is not enough for an entire headset division,
             | and since the main reason most people don't like doing that
             | is that they don't really enjoy having the headset on, I
             | don't know what apple can do to change that.
        
               | hparadiz wrote:
               | Depends on the GPU performance. An index needs to be
               | powered by a whole desktop GPU.
        
           | pivo wrote:
           | > it's insanely hard to replace the simplicity of text
           | buffers and a keyboard
           | 
           | Totally agree. I just want to use this to replace my big
           | bulky monitor that I can't take with me wherever I go and
           | that makes my small place look a little more junky.
        
           | rco8786 wrote:
           | > You're making a bold assumption, that someone wants to wear
           | this headset when relaxing.
           | 
           |  _Raises hand_. I 'm in for that. I'm a VR fan but my soapbox
           | has always been that AR is the true future.
           | 
           | > Also, a TV can be watched by multiple people, and a home
           | cinema will obviously deliver better sound.
           | 
           | In the same way that when the iPhone came out there were
           | individual devices that could do each feature better than the
           | iPhone could, yes :)
           | 
           | If you look at video consumption, "individual" devices
           | (phones, tablets, laptops) make up about 50% of viewing time.
           | TV the rest. I don't think the multiple people angle is going
           | to kill this considering how much content is consumed
           | individually already.
           | 
           | A home cinema also has to be researched, purchased
           | separately, takes up space, etc. Any pair of $200 Bose
           | headphones sounds better than the old iPhone ear pods...and
           | yet...
           | 
           | > it's insanely hard to replace the simplicity of text
           | buffers and a keyboard.
           | 
           | We're talking about replacing monitors, not text buffers or
           | keyboards!
        
           | wslh wrote:
           | > ... Also, a TV can be watched by multiple people ...
           | 
           | I will point to this article: "Why Americans are lonelier and
           | its effects on our health" [1] that claims that "some surveys
           | reveal that around 60 percent of people in the U.S. right now
           | report feeling lonely on a pretty regular basis. And that's
           | pretty devastating from a public health perspective".
           | 
           | I don't know the real number but it connect with the market
           | potential. Also, Apple is really great on hitting the mark.
           | Playing with words, I don't think Mark is as good as Apple.
           | 
           | [1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-americans-are-
           | lonelier....
        
             | pxtail wrote:
             | But isn't this VR/AR kit going to contribute even more to
             | the loneliness - contribute and feed itself on the trend?
             | 
             | Despite positive upbeat music it was kind of sad to watch
             | people alone in their sparsely furnished environments
             | without personal touch, viewing favorite pictures on helmet
             | instead of printed on the wall, father with the face hidden
             | behind this helmet during kid birthday party, etc
        
               | wslh wrote:
               | Probably yes, we were talking about the success of the
               | product not the society. That is another topic where we
               | can also include mobile phones, streaming services, etc.
        
           | doctoboggan wrote:
           | For me it could go either way. I am willing to put up with
           | wearing a headset if it unlocks some new use cases. But we
           | really need to know the specs. I haven't seen anyone mention
           | a field of view, refresh rate, pixel per degree, etc. And
           | even with these specs I would need to actually try it to get
           | a holistic feel for the product and its software.
        
           | sho_hn wrote:
           | > Also, a TV can be watched by multiple people, and a home
           | cinema will obviously deliver better sound.
           | 
           | I was extremely surprised that shared reality was completely
           | absent from the presentation. Apparently the sensors on these
           | devices don't enable creating a coordinate system that
           | multiple devices can collaborate on/in. You can't look at the
           | same objects in space together.
           | 
           | This is hard stuff, but I'm stunned they're shipping it
           | before solving that problem.
        
             | Miraste wrote:
             | It's not the sensors. Meta headsets can do this with much
             | worse sensors by using shared anchors, which as someone
             | else mentioned is already a feature in ARKit. Why they
             | didn't mention this or integrate it into the OS I don't
             | know.
        
             | krmblg wrote:
             | Wouldn't this be addressed automagically by using the same
             | "anchors" when using the appropriate tech stack (i.e.
             | ARKit)?
             | 
             | https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/aranchor
        
               | pr0zac wrote:
               | You'd think it would because of that but you'd also think
               | if it was supported they'd mention it, if only to provide
               | defense against the "only for friendless nerds that live
               | alone" criticism, albeit at an absurd price point.
        
               | comment_ran wrote:
               | We're really missing the point here. Yes, that device
               | can't do better. You can't do that with your friends
               | together. But there's some similar in America right now.
               | You can just jump in and in 2 or 4 minutes, and that kind
               | of experience. Why to bother this kind of thing, this new
               | tech? Doing things together is good, I think that's the
               | main selling point of these devices.
        
             | caconym_ wrote:
             | > I'm stunned they're shipping it before solving that
             | problem
             | 
             | Are you really? Outside of everybody sitting on the couch
             | watching a movie together, which will be an extremely
             | marginal use case for this thing anyway--are you seriously
             | going to buy all of (spouse, kids, friends) their own $3500
             | headset?--shared-reality seems very niche for consumer
             | applications, which are clearly what they're targeting.
        
               | sho_hn wrote:
               | I really, honestly am!
               | 
               | I think without shared reality in place, the public
               | verdict on this device will be that it's a loneliness
               | enabler, or has you wear your loneliness on your face. Or
               | rather, on a screen strapped to your face. It's going to
               | be _undesirable_ , the most damning quality of any
               | consumer item. Nobody will envy their peers for having
               | one.
        
               | caconym_ wrote:
               | People say this about smartphones, too, and yet adoption
               | is practically universal. If the product is worth using,
               | people will use it, and the social friction will fade.
               | The reason products like Google Glass never moved beyond
               | pariah status is that they _weren 't_ really worth using,
               | so they were only ever used by "tech bros" who were
               | already cultural pariahs, and who in so using outed
               | themselves as such.
               | 
               | Besides which, nobody is looking into my home and calling
               | my various screens "loneliness enablers". Not that I
               | would give a shit if they were, though I might invest in
               | some blinds or drapes.
        
               | sho_hn wrote:
               | It's about perception. None of those screen inherently
               | prevent anyone else from sharing your experience, or
               | outright advertise escapism as a use case.
               | 
               | I'm saying the "Apple goggles" can so easily fall victim
               | this perception because those qualities are so front-and-
               | center with it.
        
               | caconym_ wrote:
               | > I'm saying the "Apple goggles" can so easily fall
               | victim this perception because those qualities are so
               | front-and-center with it.
               | 
               | And I'm saying nobody will ultimately give a crap if the
               | tech works as well as Apple wants it to. Our social
               | spaces have been utterly transformed by screens and
               | networked technology in the last few decades, and while
               | there is always some pushback, progress marches on for
               | better or worse.
        
             | docmars wrote:
             | Especially with as much emphasis they put on SharePlay in
             | the iPhone presentation. Quite a neat feature. For the few
             | households that will splurge $14,000 for a family of 4 to
             | watch movies together once a month, I'd hope it would have
             | this feature!
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | pdabbadabba wrote:
           | > a home cinema will obviously deliver better sound.
           | 
           | Will it, though? Of course you _could_ build a home theater
           | with better sound, but I 'd bet that the spatial audio built
           | into AirPods delivers better sound that most peoples' home
           | theater setups (which is generally just a TV with built in
           | sound or a mediocre soundbar).
        
             | beltsazar wrote:
             | Except those people who have "mediocre soundbars" can't
             | afford buying a $3.5K VR headset. And those who have a
             | spare budget of $3.5K to enhance their TV watching
             | experience will invest the money on a better TV and a
             | surround speaker setup.
        
               | carbine wrote:
               | I think you might be over-extrapolating your own POV. I
               | have a mediocre soundbar and can afford the Vision Pro.
               | I'm not likely to upgrade my soundbar anytime soon (I
               | don't really care), but I'm very likely to buy a Vision
               | Pro.
               | 
               | can't imagine people will only be buying it for movie
               | watching.
        
               | pdabbadabba wrote:
               | > Except those people who have "mediocre soundbars" can't
               | afford buying a $3.5K VR headset.
               | 
               | There are many many people for whom money is not the
               | limiting factor. It's because they don't have the space,
               | the technical wherewithal to set it up, the motivation to
               | make it happen, or some combination of all three.
        
               | kjreact wrote:
               | I want an IMAX viewing experience with booming surround
               | effects and I only have time to watch when the kids are
               | all in bed. Compared with a house large enough to have a
               | dedicated sound-proof theatre room, $3500 doesn't sound
               | too expensive.
               | 
               | Also not everyone lives in a house, I'm sure Manhattan
               | condo owners can afford the price of the theatre gear,
               | but cannot afford the space required for them to be used
               | optimally. Wealthy people don't all live in mansions.
        
               | addisonl wrote:
               | You can't get a "booming" sound without a sub.
        
             | hammyhavoc wrote:
             | Of course it will. This is basic physics.
        
               | kjreact wrote:
               | > Of course it will. This is basic physics.
               | 
               | But does everyone have the space/room dimensions to have
               | a proper surround sound setup? Pesky physics restrict you
               | here as well.
        
               | hammyhavoc wrote:
               | The average American or British living room with even a
               | cheap surround system is going to run rings around
               | anything in-ear or on-ear.
               | 
               | There's many reasons that people warn newbies not to mix
               | or master on cans and to use speakers.
               | 
               | For people who care about going beyond stereo, budget is
               | going to be a much larger problem for most folks than
               | space or technical knowhow. And anybody who cares about
               | going beyond stereo probably cares about quality.
        
             | catiopatio wrote:
             | For the price of a single Apple Vision Pro, I can buy a 65"
             | 4K TV, a Dolby Atmos surround-sound system from Sonos, and
             | still have a bit left over.
             | 
             | And you'll need a Vision Pro for each person watching.
        
               | pdabbadabba wrote:
               | Like I said, "you could build a home theater with better
               | sound." But most people haven't and won't. It requires
               | time, technical expertise, and a lot of space. And with
               | that you _only_ get a home theater. And you can 't travel
               | with it (I love the idea of using one on a plane).
               | 
               | But I'm sympathetic to the social-watching issue. I don't
               | love the idea of watching movies in a headset while my
               | wife sits next to me on the sofa doing something else (or
               | even watching the same movie on a screen). But I also
               | don't love the idea of buying two. (And that's without
               | even thinking about larger families.)
               | 
               | I think home theater will be a big part of the appeal,
               | but it won't succeed if replacing a home theater is the
               | only thing it does well.
        
               | secabeen wrote:
               | There's also a physical limit on bass sound from small
               | head speakers. Much of bass sound is felt in the chest as
               | much as in the ear, and the little speakers on the device
               | are limited there. iPods are the same of course, and they
               | do okay with sound, but we accept a lot of limitations on
               | portable devices.
        
               | throw74775 wrote:
               | Yes, but all you'll have is a big smart tv. Visio pro
               | does a few things a TV doesn't.
        
               | hammyhavoc wrote:
               | If someone can afford the Vision Pro, I don't think
               | buying a TV is going to be a problem for them, and they
               | almost certainly already have one.
        
               | rabuse wrote:
               | Can you take all that with you anywhere you go though?
        
               | Terretta wrote:
               | Note that 65" is very different from 100" and most
               | people's movie experience at home is far too small
               | relative to the directors' intents.
               | 
               | The Sonos w/ sub + rear surrounds and an 85" OLED TV with
               | these latencies will put you in the price point of this
               | thing.
               | 
               | If you're apart, both people would need a room, TV, and
               | Sonos system to share the experience. So each has that
               | "need one per person" problem depending whether colocated
               | or not.
        
               | hparadiz wrote:
               | I'm more excited to use this for games and VRChat. My
               | Valve Index needs my whole gaming desktop to power it
               | which is actually pretty much the price of an Apple
               | Vision Pro.
        
             | numpad0 wrote:
             | I don't think we are at a point in human technology where
             | any noise-cancelling headphones sound better than cheap
             | wired counterparts... they feel amazing by rather deceptive
             | engineering, but it only lasts until you go back to
             | standard non-cancelling speakers.
        
           | neuronic wrote:
           | By Gen3 in 5 years, people will begin to buy these like
           | iPhones and then multiple people will be able to watch via
           | SharePlay.
           | 
           | 3D images are probably coming to iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 so
           | the posts about "who's gonna wear this to take pictures" are
           | already moot.
           | 
           | This is a developer/enthusiast focused niche release
           | providing perfect beta testing grounds while technology will
           | shrink this device to a smaller and more practical form
           | factor.
           | 
           | In 3-4 years, the current Vision Pro will be the standard
           | Apple Vision product with a smaller form factor while a new
           | Pro product will have more advanced features and lose its
           | external battery.
           | 
           | I also think that Apple Vision will be successful but Gen1 is
           | not where its at for the vast majority of users.
        
             | bluescrn wrote:
             | Give it a decade, and the demand for immersive escapism
             | will be greater than ever, if anyone can afford it, as
             | western civilization continues its decline/collapse.
        
             | Demmme wrote:
             | Everyone thought 3.4k was just a rumor and it will be
             | lower.
             | 
             | A good experience is still expensive and even apple only
             | made it with 2h runtime.
             | 
             | It will take perhaps more or something really
             | revolutionary.
             | 
             | After all you need 4 to watch anything as a family and
             | people don't even mind watching movies on their phones!
             | 
             | Apple also has to believe for so long in this while not
             | being successful with it (my guess).
        
               | joking wrote:
               | good catch about needing 4 of them for a family... will
               | they implement multiuser in vision OS or you will have to
               | buy one for each member as you are supposed to do with
               | the ipads?
        
               | paul_f wrote:
               | I have to wonder about a device that won't allow you to
               | watch a 2-hour movie without running out of battery and
               | having to plug it in. I guess Oppenheimer is a no-go.
        
               | zimpenfish wrote:
               | > even apple only made it with 2h runtime
               | 
               | Using a tiny battery pack. I'm assuming (hoping) that
               | you'll be able to use something bigger that provides
               | USB-C power and get a correspondingly longer life.
        
               | Demmme wrote:
               | It looked like an longer one and apple can't break
               | physics. It has two 4k HDR displays build in and a M2 and
               | a R2.
               | 
               | I'm really curious if they have overheating limitations.
        
           | mgh2 wrote:
           | $3k: replaces a laptop, TV and computer
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMcq66_HeU
        
           | hinkley wrote:
           | > Smart watches have been anything but a groundbreaking
           | technological revolution.
           | 
           | I think Apple has made a tactical error here. The days of the
           | shrinking iPhone are long gone, but not forgotten. It was the
           | iPhone 3G that was a turning point for people who hadn't
           | bought an iPhone yet. It was smaller with better battery
           | life.
           | 
           | If the Apple Watch 3 had followed a similar pattern, they
           | would have had to skip adding the next additional sensor to
           | the device, but I think in the long term that would have just
           | delayed us one design cycle but still given us a thinner and
           | lighter watch, which we would have needed for a deeper
           | impact.
        
             | ethbr0 wrote:
             | Apple needs to do 3 things for the Vision Pro to be
             | successful.
             | 
             | 1. Convince enough people to buy one via halo use cases
             | 
             | 2. Leverage or buy developer adoption
             | 
             | 3. Create a decent enough developer experience to produce
             | high quality apps
             | 
             | On 2 & 3, Apple has a proven track record, or at least
             | amassing enough market share to force developers to ignore
             | deficiencies in 3.
             | 
             | Which means 1 is going to be make-or-break.
             | 
             | The Apple Watch is a great analogy here, because it was
             | _evolutionary_ rather than revolutionary.
             | 
             | It did not let you do anything you couldn't before. It did
             | let you do it better.
             | 
             | Consequently, this won't be (and doesn't need to be) an
             | iPhone level smash success. It just needs to be volume and
             | financially self-sufficient enough to get them to iteration
             | N+X.
             | 
             | Because iteration N+X is "We shrink the iPhone down to a
             | minimally-screened compute/network node, and the Vision SE
             | becomes everyone's must-have companion, and then Apple owns
             | a better-than-iPhone platform."
             | 
             | I think Apple made the right move in trumpeting its non-
             | work use cases, because Apple has let macOS atrophy for
             | enterprise use. And priced-for-work is a trap market they
             | don't need to pursue (see: Microsoft).
             | 
             | But I don't know if most people want a better consumptive
             | device $3500-badly... time, will tell.
        
               | llm_nerd wrote:
               | Regarding #2 and #3, Apple has been working on this for
               | years. ARKit for instance, is hugely gimmicky if not
               | silly on iPhones, and LIDAR on the same had incredibly
               | limited real world utility for that device. Yet for years
               | they've been deploying millions of equipped devices,
               | building it out, expanding the SDKs, doing developer
               | outreach, and so on. They've even built shared AR spaces
               | when the viewport is just a phone, again despite it being
               | pretty goofy and of limited value.
               | 
               | They've been building towards this for years.
               | 
               | I suspect for most apps supporting the Vision Pro will be
               | supporting variable resolutions (for resizable windows)
               | and clicking a checkbox on the targets.
        
               | mike_hearn wrote:
               | Surely $3500 and "Pro" in the product name implies they
               | think it'll mostly be used for work? I didn't quite
               | understand why they branded it that way given the heavy
               | consumer focus in the demos. It implies that they
               | intended for it to be a consumer device for a long time
               | and got cold feet at the end when they realized they
               | couldn't reduce the price.
        
         | ohgodplsno wrote:
         | I will happily go on record to say that you're critically wrong
         | and that the only reason this will ever have any usage is the
         | Apple Reality Distortion Field.
         | 
         | I speak having used most available VR devices available these
         | past few years, and currently owning a Valve Index:
         | 
         | Watching movies: wearing something over your eyes and on your
         | head like that for so long _fucking sucks_. It's heavy/hot
         | enough when you're doing something that takes your attention.
         | Watching a movie is fun for the first time, then you realize
         | that being able to walk around, look at other things etc is
         | infinitely better. Not to mention the fact that if you ever
         | want to watch with someone else, well they better have 3.5k
         | available. that makes it a non starter for literally anyone
         | hoping to, you know, have people over.
         | 
         | - For work: it fucking sucks. You know what's worse than having
         | two screens taking up your entire sight? Having to physically
         | turn your head to see more screens. It is physically sickening
         | to have your entire attention taken up like that.
         | 
         | - Form factor: my dude the last thing I want in public is to
         | look like I'm wearing swimming goggles. Also, two hours is
         | absolutely pathetic.
         | 
         | - Price: the first iPhone cost $600. The cheapest new iPhone 14
         | is $1000, the most expensive is like 2000. It got worse, not
         | better.
         | 
         | It's going to be a fun, overpriced toy and it'll be just like
         | every VR device people currently own: hanging on your wall and
         | used once every two weeks, at best.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | samwillis wrote:
         | The accessibility of this product is going to be transformative
         | in _industry_. There have been similar AR headsets for woking
         | in some industrial sectors, but this makes it possible for all
         | companies to develop apps specific to their work place. Every
         | factory, every distribution centre, every construction site,
         | every industrial site, every hospital, can have this integrated
         | to guide their workforce in complex tasks.
         | 
         | Imagine this for surgeries, or complex construction tasks, even
         | just finding items in a warehouse.
         | 
         | This is going to be massive in the workspace, thats where I
         | think people probably underestimate it.
         | 
         | We may all end up with one of these - or the none "pro" version
         | - at home, just as we have iPads laying around. But many of us
         | are going to end ups waring these for many hours a day during
         | work.
         | 
         | Taking of a headset when we go home will end up being a joy.
        
           | atonse wrote:
           | For me 100% of the excitement is about the bajillion business
           | ideas I've had hoping that VR would become more popular, when
           | it just simply didn't get there.
           | 
           | Industry is where I'm a lot more excited.
        
           | kllrnohj wrote:
           | Google Glass tried to pivot towards industrial use (eg,
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IK-zU51MU4 ) - it didn't
           | seem to go very well.
        
             | rabuse wrote:
             | Are we really going to compare a Google product with an
             | Apple product? It's night and day.
        
           | JoeJonathan wrote:
           | Speaking as a total non-expert here: assuming workspaces
           | _look_ good, I think this will entirely depend on software.
           | What will it be like to use this with a keyboard? Will the OS
           | be as siloed as iOS?
           | 
           | This morning, my mac wouldn't boot. I tried to write on my
           | iPad instead. It was a nightmare: too cumbersome to move
           | between apps, Zotero nearly unworkable, hard to navigate
           | different file versions. If the OS works more like iOS than
           | macOS, I can't imagine it being as useful as computers save
           | for very specific applications.
        
           | arcatech wrote:
           | I REALLY don't want a doctor performing surgery on me with
           | this thing on their face.
        
             | gretch wrote:
             | You think you don't until one day there's a stat that AR
             | assisted surgery is 50% more successful.
             | 
             | Ask yourself - do you like it when your surgeon is using
             | CAT scans, MRIs, blood/protein testing?
             | 
             | Do you like it when your surgeon is wearing magnification
             | glasses?
             | 
             | Do you think fighter pilots with AR huds with tactical info
             | perform better than fighter pilots with just their eye?
        
               | heavyset_go wrote:
               | I genuinely can't tell what posts are satire or not in
               | this thread.
        
             | bitterspeak wrote:
             | Tons of minimally invasive procedures are performed through
             | the Davinci surgical robot where the surgeon is literally
             | hunched over with his head buried ina computer screen. As
             | long as there is some medical benefit, I don't see this
             | sort of technology interaction as being something new.
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | vsareto wrote:
           | >This is going to be massive in the workspace, thats where I
           | think people probably underestimate it.
           | 
           | I don't think companies are going to spring this much for a
           | headset and laptop until there's very obvious benefits, but
           | maybe I've just been short-changed with shitty equipment my
           | whole career.
           | 
           | Companies trying to get people to go back to the office, then
           | ordering them VR headsets will be the height of tech irony.
        
             | chaostheory wrote:
             | Hot desking will be much easier when people will be wearing
             | their computer AND monitors.
             | 
             | You can further reduce furniture and physical office costs
             | 
             | Apple also isn't the only one with an XR headset. Meta's is
             | considerably weaker, but it's $999
        
           | Demmme wrote:
           | The price is to high for companies.
           | 
           | Laptop budget is 1-3k.
           | 
           | And people steal expensive shit. Alone the stealing is a deal
           | breaker alone.
           | 
           | And we have working cheap AR glasses.
        
             | whywhywhywhy wrote:
             | >Alone the stealing is a deal breaker alone.
             | 
             | Judging from the video it doesn't work outside anyway so
             | you'll be fine.
        
           | alexb_ wrote:
           | What about $3500 says "accessibility" to you? You're just re-
           | vomiting out all of the same promises VR companies have been
           | making for the past half decade. No company is going to spend
           | $3500 on a tool that easily breaks for low stakes jobs and is
           | untested/unreliable for high stakes jobs.
        
             | mcculloughrt wrote:
             | I work in construction. $3500 is a paltry, pocket change
             | amount of money compared to project budgets.
             | 
             | Standard single-building commercial / institutional new
             | builds can be tens of millions to low hundred million,
             | "big" projects are often north of a quarter billion
             | dollars, and well over a billion is not unusual for so-
             | called "mega projects". Risk (from defects / mistakes) is
             | often roughly proportional to budget. The placement of
             | seemingly minor and easy to miss elements at the initial
             | critical stages of a concrete pour in a high rise, for
             | example, is pretty high stakes with rework costing hundreds
             | of thousands to potentially millions. We have processes for
             | mitigating that of course, but none that approach it in
             | such a direct and observable way as AR, and none are
             | incompatible with being done alongside AR. Paying $3500 +
             | software for something that helps mitigate that risk in a
             | totally new and complementary way is very very interesting
             | to many companies.
             | 
             | edit: To be clear, I'm not convinced that this particular
             | device is revolutionary compared to those that already
             | exist, which have their own challenges. I'm just objecting
             | to the idea that there isn't a market for it at that price
             | even WITH challenges.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | stephc_int13 wrote:
         | You should probably try it before making this kind of
         | statement.
         | 
         | The perfect version of this tech -could- be what you describe.
         | But so far there are quite a few unknowns about the real
         | experience.
        
         | confoundcofound wrote:
         | Do you think people will enjoy living with a headset strapped
         | to their face? The shots of that dad playing with his daughters
         | while wearing the device seemed like a stretch that I'm
         | surprised Apple took. This is the company that takes its "Human
         | Interface Guidelines" seriously.
        
           | peyton wrote:
           | I dunno, beats pulling out a phone and fumbling with the
           | record button.
        
             | r053bud wrote:
             | Ah! So the solution to that problem is to have a mask
             | strapped to your face with 2 hour battery life. Makes
             | sense. Yeah that sounds better than my iPhone that fits in
             | my pocket and lasts all day. I can deal with the occasional
             | fumble to find the record button.
        
           | oezi wrote:
           | I think the remote worker in a hotel was a more likely take.
           | 
           | A lot will depend on the quality of the virtual avatar
           | generated for you while in a video call.
        
           | micromacrofoot wrote:
           | I didn't think people would enjoy looking at a 6 inch screen
           | while hunched over for every second of their waking lives,
           | but here we are.
        
             | confoundcofound wrote:
             | Difference being I straighten myself occasionally and look
             | at you in the eyes.
        
               | micromacrofoot wrote:
               | woah you must be really outgoing
        
           | outworlder wrote:
           | > Do you think people will enjoy living with a headset
           | strapped to their face?
           | 
           | Yes, while they are working on something. I've often wanted
           | to 'take my screen with me' as I moved to a different
           | location.
        
             | dboreham wrote:
             | Windows has had Remote Desktop for 20 years.
        
           | bsaul wrote:
           | Yes, that part also shocked me. It looks like they've
           | completely lost their mind, and don't realize they're
           | shooting a remake of black mirror..
        
             | astrange wrote:
             | Like 1984, Black Mirror isn't a dystopia because of
             | technology, but because it's in England. If you leave I
             | expect everything's fine. Also solves being converted into
             | Cybermen for the 100th time.
        
               | basedmember wrote:
               | This is the funniest comment I've ever read on HN. After
               | 3 months I've spent in London a year ago, I can never
               | understand while people online hate England so much.
        
               | l33t233372 wrote:
               | It's like the Ohio of Europe
        
         | 1024core wrote:
         | > For personal/entertainment use it largely replaces the need
         | for a TV, soundbar, or home cinema.
         | 
         | TV viewing is often a social experience: friends gathering in
         | front of a TV to watch a sporting event (say, a World Cup
         | soccer match, or your favorite team's football game, or an NBA
         | finals game). This takes away that aspect. I'm not sure if this
         | is a change we really need.
        
           | zimpenfish wrote:
           | > TV viewing is often a social experience:
           | 
           | Sure but "for personal use" kinda excludes "social
           | experience" here.
           | 
           | > it largely replaces the need for a TV, soundbar, or home
           | cinema
           | 
           | In my previous flat, living along, a big TV just didn't fit
           | anywhere. A sound system would also have annoyed the
           | neighbours. Something like this would have been perfect for
           | getting that 4K HDR viewing experience.
        
         | anonymouse008 wrote:
         | You're speaking mips and bits...
         | 
         | This is not what got Apple to where it was. It was recognizing
         | what we wanted to do to go further, individually and together,
         | and amplified that with technology.
         | 
         | This literally amplifies your ass to the couch. I'm shocked.
         | Stunned. And sad.
        
           | jw1224 wrote:
           | > This literally amplifies your ass to the couch. I'm
           | shocked. Stunned. And sad.
           | 
           | Were you "shocked/stunned/sad" about Apple TV? A product
           | which physically relies on your ass being sat on the couch?
           | 
           | Think a little bigger here! This goes well beyond
           | entertainment value. Imagine the general business uses in
           | industry, manufacturing, medicine, conferencing,
           | telecommunications, let alone any form of interpersonal
           | interaction over long distances...
           | 
           | These are all things we take for granted with FaceTime,
           | Google, GPT... All these are new but ubiquitous technologies,
           | which allow us to enhance our human abilities and connect
           | with each other in new and novel ways.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | anonymouse008 wrote:
             | You and I both know the TV was not Apple's 'One more
             | thing...' to such a cringy degree.
             | 
             | Preface: I've been in the VR/AR space a long time. I
             | started a company with a friend around the launch of DK1 -
             | we wanted to sell VR Computer Boxes. We had so many dumb
             | but beautifully naive ideas.
             | 
             | I will only offer high level themes (although incomplete)
             | that should hopefully explain why I take such issue with
             | this release:
             | 
             | We already have the best vision system on the planet, 'our
             | eyes'.
             | 
             | Spatial Computing in humans is not vision and audio alone -
             | proprioception underlies all.
             | 
             | What you cover with a headset, you cannot faithfully
             | recreate with cameras and software.
             | 
             | Use the brilliant chipset advantage to bring super 'low
             | cost' computing embodiments to every corner of life - then
             | integrate with devs
             | 
             | Ambient Computing is the next iteration of 'mac at the
             | center of your digital life'
             | 
             | AirTags, Beacons, and AppClips don't get the corporate
             | strategic attention they deserve
             | 
             | Apple Watch should be 'the wand' for life out in the real
             | world, with AppClips, Beacons and such
        
         | meling wrote:
         | I agree. This was more amazing than I had expected upfront. I
         | can envision myself using this for developing code as well, but
         | I think I will have a hard time convincing my boss...
        
         | outworlder wrote:
         | > I will happily go on the record as saying that this will be
         | as revolutionary as the iPhone, perhaps even more so.
         | 
         | It seems to have the potential. The UX seems incredible. Little
         | details like using eyes as a pointer make it for a far better
         | experience (no, moving your head to point is not the same).
         | Looking at your Macbook to pull apps from it is the sort of
         | thing that can make it intuitive for the average user. A proper
         | review of what this could do would take an article.
         | 
         | I think the main things we need to know are:
         | 
         | * What sort of apps can we use? Is this IOS-like, or can I run
         | XCode on it? Having to own the headset plus a macbook is not
         | going to make or break it, but it changes the value of the
         | device at its current price point.
         | 
         | * Can we comfortably use it for 8+ hours a day?
         | 
         | * Is text really crisp enough for productivity usage?
         | 
         | I don't think this version is quite there yet, but give it a
         | few iterations and we may be able to ditch physical monitors
         | altogether. I've been waiting for that for a while.
         | 
         | At $3499 it's quite a gamble. At $999 it would have been a no-
         | brainer, as that's the price of a phone. It does have way too
         | much hardware for a lower price point, so it's understandable.
         | But the more devices that exist, the greater the network
         | effects.
        
           | wintogreen74 wrote:
           | >> Can we comfortably use it for 8+ hours a day?
           | 
           | With 2 hours of battery life this is not a problem.
        
             | sebzim4500 wrote:
             | In the video you could see someone using it while there was
             | a wire going into his pocket, presumably that's a battery
             | extender.
        
             | notJim wrote:
             | It's indefinite if plugged in. You'd be in your office or
             | wherever with the device plugged in for productivity use.
        
           | Miraste wrote:
           | I'm not sold on eyes as a pointer just yet. The Quest Pro can
           | do this and it does not feel great. Based on experience with
           | a lot of other headsets:
           | 
           | > Can we comfortably use it for 8+ hours a day?
           | 
           | No. Even if the ergonomics are perfect, the screens aren't
           | good enough for this.
           | 
           | > Is text really crisp enough for productivity usage?
           | 
           | If they match the leaked resolution, no.
        
             | whynotminot wrote:
             | What's the leaked resolution?
        
               | oezi wrote:
               | They now published 24m pixel total, 12m per eye, i.e. 4k
               | per eye.
        
               | whynotminot wrote:
               | 4K is roughly 8 million pixels. I wonder if they're
               | including the front display in their pixel count. Or
               | there actually is significantly better than 4K per eye
               | happening here.
               | 
               | At any rate, it's a lot of pixels. Not sure what GP is
               | complaining about.
        
             | notJim wrote:
             | > No. Even if the ergonomics are perfect, the screens
             | aren't good enough for this.
             | 
             | Is > 4k not enough for this? Looks to be almost double the
             | Quest Pro resolution.
        
               | Miraste wrote:
               | Sadly no. I've used AR glasses that have double the
               | pixels per degree than the Quest Pro (done by using a
               | smaller FOV). It looks like 1080p on maybe a 32" desktop
               | monitor. You _can_ read but it 's not a fun experience.
               | Apple's version will depend on what FOV they use, but
               | it's going to look pixelated regardless. There's a reason
               | they didn't use their Retina branding.
        
         | pier25 wrote:
         | > _For personal /entertainment use it largely replaces the need
         | for a TV, soundbar, or home cinema._
         | 
         | It remains to be seen if the experience is better than a large
         | OLED TV.
         | 
         | In terms of sound I seriously doubt it. Maybe if it had large
         | planar drivers but I doubt you can use large headphones with
         | it. If it's meant to be used with crappy Airpods the sound is
         | going to be nowhere comparable to a home theater.
        
         | alexb_ wrote:
         | I will happily go on the record as saying that this will be as
         | revolutionary as the Apple TV. Perhaps even less so (if such a
         | thing is possible).
        
           | stocknoob wrote:
           | Once people get an AppleTV, do they go back to a
           | chromcast/roku/firestick/media pc?
           | 
           | It has a higher MSRP than the others, but once you get one...
        
           | jejeyyy77 wrote:
           | lol, except the Apple TV is awesome...?
        
             | Apocryphon wrote:
             | Set top boxes are a dime a dozen. A $50 Roku stick can
             | serve the purposes of a vast majority of TV watchers.
        
               | twobitshifter wrote:
               | It serves the purpose but h2h Apple TV is way better.
        
           | m3kw9 wrote:
           | Seriously? You still stuck in the 2d world!
        
           | mithr wrote:
           | I wouldn't really make a statement like the above, and I
           | can't say I necessarily agree with it... that being said,
           | other folks on this thread are kinda missing the point OP
           | made: it's not that Apple TV isn't _good_. It 's that it
           | isn't, and never really was, _revolutionary_.
           | 
           | It's an arguably best-in-class app-based TV watching
           | experience. But its market share is pretty small years after
           | launch, it hasn't caused much change/adaptation in the market
           | as a whole as a result of existing, and it's not really at
           | the center of any kind of cultural conversation.
           | 
           | I am really curious to learn more details about Vision Pro
           | (like... how much does it weigh?), and would be even more
           | curious to learn about the market fit research Apple must
           | have done to believe there's a place for this device,
           | especially at this price point. The biggest omission for me
           | was the placement of the headset as device on which to view
           | movies, and see pictures of your kids, while at the same time
           | completely sidestepping the question of how you'd do that
           | _together with your family_ , which is how these activities
           | are typically performed in a household with children.
        
           | fsloth wrote:
           | Apple TV is excellent? Is there a better device? (If you
           | don't want to use the apps bundled with tv).
        
           | mryingster wrote:
           | Unironically, the Apple TV is my favorite Apple device. It
           | does exactly what it says it does, is inexpensive, and has a
           | good interface. It just works.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | ra7 wrote:
             | And after years of neglect, they brought the one feature I
             | really wanted in the Apple TV -- ability to do FaceTime
             | calls on the big screen.
        
             | ghaff wrote:
             | It's sort of evolved to the "What's that Chromecast thing
             | again?" for me. (Which I thought was super-underrated.) And
             | I guess I could maybe upgrade my big TV which would be an
             | absolute hassle and is perfectly good for my purposes--and
             | might not even be better at this point. Not a frequently in
             | my hand thing but for ~$100 and really nice, perfectly
             | good.
        
             | thefourthchime wrote:
             | And most importantly, they're not selling you with tracking
             | or ads. You bought a thing, you get a thing. No BS. besides
             | that, the apps all work and have fewer bugs, unlike
             | everything else I've used like it.
        
             | pmontra wrote:
             | Apple TV is inexpensive and you hide it close to the TV.
             | This one costs more than $3000 and you have to wear it on
             | your face all the time. Masks work well only when we're
             | alone or if everybody is wearing one. If not, they use to
             | cancel the wearer from social interactions.
        
               | schappim wrote:
               | I think that is what they're trying to achieve with the
               | avatar and oled eyesight display. The jury is out.
        
             | moelf wrote:
             | Apple TV is one of those apple devices you can't use unless
             | you're "apple enough" -- you can't even set it up without
             | having an iOS device to do 2FA.
        
               | khazhoux wrote:
               | Correct. Apple products are really not meant to be used
               | as one-offs if you are otherwise in Android/whatever
               | ecosystem.
        
               | KptMarchewa wrote:
               | I'm happily using macbook, and would not use it if it
               | required me to use ios or any other device.
        
             | jw1224 wrote:
             | Fully agree! Their "hobby" has turned into possibly the
             | best experience in their lineup (from a UX perspective).
        
           | Exuma wrote:
           | You are high as a kite. AppleTV is one of the greatest things
           | in my househould. The UI is world's beyond whatever ad-filled
           | garbage "smartOS" my TV uses.
        
             | shadowgovt wrote:
             | True, but that bar is so low that you need a metal detector
             | to find it.
        
             | Xerox9213 wrote:
             | [dead]
        
             | Taywee wrote:
             | It's hard to find a UI worse than that of your average
             | Smart TV. They're in a league of their own when it comes to
             | spectacularly terrible UIs.
        
               | dunham wrote:
               | How about pre-iphone cell phones? It's been a while, but
               | I remember them having specularly bad UI and cheering
               | Apple's entry on that point alone.
        
             | adamwk wrote:
             | Somehow it's still the only smart TV with < 1s input delay
        
           | seanmcdirmid wrote:
           | No wireless. Less pixels than an 8K TV. Lame.
        
           | civilitty wrote:
           | Using a product I already paid for without getting served any
           | ads is pretty revolutionary /s
        
           | jonwinstanley wrote:
           | Apple TV is great, I've bought a few over the years
        
           | basisword wrote:
           | Apple TV is easily my favourite Apple product. Of all the
           | Apple products it's the one that works flawlessly and gets
           | out of my way. I could give up my Mac and switch to Windows
           | before I would switch to an Apple TV competitor.
        
             | pipeline_peak wrote:
             | > Apple TV is easily my favourite Apple product
             | 
             | It's a great Apple product for people who already own Apple
             | products.
             | 
             | It's like filling your tire with a Mercedes branded pump.
        
               | rstupek wrote:
               | That's not at all true. It works just fine without owning
               | any other Apple product. How do you think it requires you
               | own an Apple product?
        
               | pipeline_peak wrote:
               | Can you use Netflix, Hulu, etc with it through Android?
               | Or are you stuck with that wimpy remote that looks like a
               | 1st gen ipod shuffle? If that's true, I'll admit you can
               | use it, but that is a painful, dated experience. "click
               | left, click up, click up, click left"
        
               | rstupek wrote:
               | Yes you can use all of those with the included remote
               | which is easy to use and quite responsive. And all of
               | them (minus Netflix) surface the shows you're watching up
               | to "watch now" so you don't have to dig into any of them
               | to continue watch your shows. I'm not aware of any use of
               | an iphone which makes using the Apple TV easier.
        
               | twobitshifter wrote:
               | You should try the remote, it's blazingly fast and makes
               | any other TV feel like junk. You just swipe no clicking
               | needed. If you need to type there's voice to text built
               | in to the remote to either say or spell what you want.
        
               | nerdix wrote:
               | There was an issue where you couldn't accept accept an
               | updated iCloud TOS without an iPhone. You could dismiss
               | the prompt but it would keep nagging you whenever you
               | turned the device on. I think it's fixed now.
               | 
               | In general, using the Apple TV I get the impression that
               | Apple PMs are probably deep in the Apple bubble and the
               | idea that someone might not have an iPhone is
               | inconceivable to them.
        
               | KerrAvon wrote:
               | Apple doesn't have PMs in the sense you're thinking of.
               | This was a simply a bug.
        
           | Philip-J-Fry wrote:
           | I used to think Apple TV was unimpressive. I had an Android
           | TV which turned to shit after like 3 years. Apple TV though?
           | Runs like a dream, still gets updates, has nice integrations
           | with my iPhone. It's one of the best "plug and play" Apple
           | devices there is. It "just works".
           | 
           | I went from finding it unimpressive to it being my first
           | recommendation for anyone getting a TV. Screw regular smart
           | TV software, just get the TV with the best panel and use
           | Apple TV. So long as the TV doesn't break, you won't need to
           | upgrade for a long long time.
        
             | nerdix wrote:
             | I have a 2019 Shield Pro (so 4 years old) and the 2023
             | AppleTV 4k. I've had issues with both. My AppleTV
             | definitely does not just work. Apps crash all the time and
             | occasionally requires a restart. I have different issues on
             | the Shield which also occasionally requires restart
        
             | rafael_c wrote:
             | Have you tried Chromecast 4k, though? I've bought one, as
             | my LG TV's webOS became so sluggish that it became pretty
             | much unusable.
             | 
             | I have an Apple TV 4k in the living room and it's great,
             | but I find myself drawn to the Chromecast experience way
             | more. Apple TV is more refined, but Chromecast's remote is
             | far better than ATV's (1st gen, at least) and Google's
             | voice assistant is obviously far smarter (especially if
             | you're multilingual).
        
               | jackson1442 wrote:
               | Are you talking about Google TV? I haven't used that one,
               | but I've used Chromecast 4k and was not impressed. It
               | doesn't have a remote - or really a TV UI at all - which
               | was my biggest gripe.
        
               | KerrAvon wrote:
               | The original Apple TV remote was awful. It was the
               | achilles heel of the product. The newer silver Apple TV
               | remote with the round click/touch surface is what it
               | should have been; it's worth trying if that's your
               | primary pain point.
        
               | oldandboring wrote:
               | My family is all-Google so we have 5 Google TV devices.
               | We're not dissatisfied enough to get rid of them, but
               | it's pretty shocking to me how poorly it integrates with
               | other Google services. I just keep finding ways in which
               | it's clear that Google TV was developed in a silo
               | relative to other Google services. Plus, Google's "Family
               | Link" parental controls are so poorly designed it makes
               | me wonder if anyone at Google actually has kids.
               | 
               | Granted, I am not an Apple user at all, so it's possible
               | there would be similar frustrations on that side, but
               | anecdotally I hear that Apple is way better about these
               | sorts of things.
        
             | deadmutex wrote:
             | Were they same price though? E.g. I won't compare a Lucid
             | to a Corolla.
             | 
             | Fwiw, my Google TV runs well too.
        
               | danieldk wrote:
               | We have a two month old high-end Sony TV with Google TV
               | and a second gen 4k Apple TV. They are not really
               | comparable. The Apple TV is super smooth and has great
               | apps. The Google TV, in comparison, is clunky, the apps
               | are meh, and you have to wait ages for major OS updates
               | (while investing TVs, I looked at historical OS updates).
               | Heck even a new TV is on a two year old OS with months
               | old security updates.
               | 
               | But the Apple TV really shines with the integration in
               | the Apple ecosystem. AirPlay, SharePlay, AirPods,
               | HomePod, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, etc. the integration
               | is fantastic.
        
               | nerdix wrote:
               | That's still a bad comparison. You should be comparing a
               | comparably priced stand alone device to the AppleTV. The
               | built-in OS is never as good as decent stand alone
               | devices even on $3000 TVs.
        
           | mensetmanusman wrote:
           | Are you including the remote which, for free, comes with no
           | mute button?
        
             | ddoolin wrote:
             | If you're referring to the Apple TV remote, it does have a
             | dedicated mute button.
        
             | timcederman wrote:
             | The mute button on the bottom left?
             | https://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/4982/as-
             | images.apple...
        
         | hdjjhhvvhga wrote:
         | > - For personal/entertainment use it largely replaces the need
         | for a TV, soundbar, or home cinema.
         | 
         | I don't know about others in this thread, but for me the
         | satisfaction of watching a movie alone is extremely low - to
         | the point I don't do it at all.
        
         | verdverm wrote:
         | Small, comfortable smart glasses enabling Hololens 2 like UX, I
         | agree.
         | 
         | Bulky, expensive passthrough? No, there are better, cheaper,
         | more open options than this on the market. If it was going to
         | change things, we'd be seeing people using this capability
         | already.
         | 
         | The main hold up here is technology advancement, not quite
         | where it needs to be yet, but the field is showing the progress
         | needed to reach it.
        
         | deanc wrote:
         | We've had all these things since the very first VR headsets. I
         | remember sitting in a movie theatre setting trying to play a
         | 1080P movie and it looking like a potato.
         | 
         | Forgetting the AR/VR debate for a minute, the thing holding
         | these back from wide adoption has been resolution and comfort.
         | I have yet to use an XR device where I can simply play a video
         | without it being jarringly blurry and pixelated. I've yet to
         | use an XR device that isn't a chore to wear and sweaty
         | (although I do trust Apple to address this one).
         | 
         | Let's see. The proof will be in the pudding when I try one of
         | these in an Apple store next year.
        
         | air7 wrote:
         | I'm willing to take the opposite "bet", and say that I think
         | this will receive very little traction.
         | 
         | The single reason being that it's uncomfortable to use. That's
         | it. It's an "Emperor's New Clothes" type saying: It doesn't
         | matter how impressive the capabilities are, if it's
         | uncomfortable, people will, after the initial allure fades,
         | just not use it.
         | 
         | IMO The only viable future for VR/AR is when the form factor
         | will come down to normal looking/weighting glasses that I might
         | look around for while having them on.
        
         | Hippocrates wrote:
         | I agree.
         | 
         | I spent a ton of money configuring my home office. Many
         | displays, giant motorized desk, articulating arms, cable
         | management, etc. Easily over $3500, and I still don't feel like
         | it's ergonomically great. It certainly can't be brought
         | anywhere. It occupies a whole room.
         | 
         | Now I am thinking I might not need that bulky stuff at all, and
         | if I don't need the displays and big desk then maybe I don't
         | need the office. If I don't need the home office then maybe I
         | should be shopping a home that's around 75-100k cheaper with
         | one less room.
         | 
         | I've often wanted to work outside from my deck but then I don't
         | have my screen real estate and I get tons of glare. This could
         | solve that.
         | 
         | We've long complained about the degradation of the in-office
         | experience. These days it's all open-floor plans with a fixed
         | monitor set and no privacy. If I could put these on and have a
         | huge display with a beach in the background, I wouldn't as much
         | mind sitting 2 feet away from coworkers.
         | 
         | The benefits of something like this on flights and in airports
         | seems obvious. Its not really weird, considering savvy
         | travelers swaddle themselves in AirPods Max and bizarre neck-
         | sling-pillow apparatuses already.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | fnord77 wrote:
         | A TV is often a social device. this thing is not
        
         | elorant wrote:
         | iPhone price went up with subsequent generations. So I wouldn't
         | count on Apple to drop the price at the near future.
        
           | LUmBULtERA wrote:
           | Apple likely started with the "Pro" moniker fully intending
           | for non-pro versions to come out at lower price points.
        
         | KallDrexx wrote:
         | > - In response to the obvious criticisms (high price, battery
         | life, form factor, weird eyeball thing)... this is Gen 1. Look
         | how quickly the iPhone and Apple Watch evolved between
         | generations 1 to 3, and look how the price changed as
         | production capabilities and economies of scale evolved.
         | 
         | The original iPhone released for $599, which is ~$876 2023
         | dollars based on CPI. So, while most of your bullet points
         | about iPhone improving is true, the iPhone is the wrong thing
         | to point to for economies of scale making Apple products
         | cheaper over time.
        
         | nabakin wrote:
         | > I will happily go on the record as saying that this will be
         | as revolutionary as the iPhone, perhaps even more so.
         | 
         | > Look how quickly the iPhone and Apple Watch evolved between
         | generations 1 to 3
         | 
         | I would not compare the iPhone to the Apple Watch. They were on
         | completely different orders of magnitude of evolution.
         | 
         | I could see the Apple Vision Pro being half as popular as the
         | Apple Watch (primarily due to the price tag) and I think
         | there's a good chance it finds its market, but I think
         | comparing it to the iPhone is way off base.
        
         | doctoboggan wrote:
         | Agreed, I think this is going to be big, but it does very much
         | have the feel of a first apple product. Especially wearing it
         | to record 3d videos, I am sure now that there will be a 3d
         | camera on the next iPhone pro.
        
         | c7DJTLrn wrote:
         | How can you say that before trying? Have you ever tried VR? You
         | can see the pixels, it's not at all immersive. I find it hard
         | to believe that Apple have somehow invented revolutionary
         | display technology before Meta/Oculus who have had about decade
         | to do R&D. Not to mention that "inside-out" tracking is nowhere
         | as good as shown as show at the WWDC keynote.
        
         | justinator wrote:
         | Oh wow an anonymous hn user makes an optimist statement about
         | new technology - lots riding on that!
        
           | jw1224 wrote:
           | You can invest in my opinions, from just $3999(tm)!
        
         | znagengast wrote:
         | Compared to how much progress the iPhone made from initial
         | launch to now, the potential for this product line is very
         | exciting.
        
       | rngname22 wrote:
       | Biggest notes:
       | 
       | - 3d camera built-in to the device is huge, photo and video got
       | so big online because smartphones meant we all had cameras on us
       | and they made sharing those media easier, we may finally see
       | stereo photo and video content go beyond adult content if
       | consumers can record stereo video with this device they already
       | have and upload to YouTube, Tiktok, etc
       | 
       | - Microgestures as input like two finger pinch and flicking up
       | the hand are really wise. Gorilla arms syndrome sucks and means
       | most people prefer to sit there and play Call of Duty rather than
       | jump around and play Beat Saber or Wii Bowling.
       | 
       | - FOV seems to be full field of view, unlike Hololens and Magic
       | Leap
        
         | oezi wrote:
         | Did they say anything about Lidar and room mapping accuracy?
         | The gestures seems very minute. I am astounded they can pick
         | those up well.
        
       | quickthrower2 wrote:
       | I could see myself enjoying this for work - insane screen real
       | estate! And for catchijg up with family abroad IF we can see each
       | other in 3D. How do you see each others face though? Can it
       | reconstruct your face using AI or something (it already is
       | looking at your eyes)
        
       | tdba wrote:
       | The external facing screen conveying the user's eyes and a sense
       | of what they are looking at is a simple but really great idea
       | that makes this device feel much more faithful to the idea of
       | augmented reality than any predecessor.
        
       | riccardomc wrote:
       | How do I make a zoom call with this thing?
        
       | jablongo wrote:
       | The tech is amazing, but also ridiculous. Think about how much
       | time and cost went into developing these features: - Creepy Eyes
       | fake transparency (a work around for the fact that you look dumb
       | wearing ski goggles on your face) - The realistic 3d facetime
       | avatar (a work around for the fact that you look dumb wearing ski
       | goggles on your face, creepy eyes isn't a good enough work around
       | for facetime, and you need an external camera to do facetime).
       | 
       | None of the use cases seemed to compellingly improve productivity
       | or well being, they just close the gap between the digital and
       | physical w/ no benefit. I'd have been more convinced if it was
       | depicted helping a mechanic assemble an engine with AI
       | annotations and advice, but instead almost all of the demos
       | seemed dystopian.
       | 
       | The eye tracking technology involves shining infrared light at
       | your eyes at all times - not an expert but I can't help but
       | wonder if that is going to have long term effects.
       | https://ehs.lbl.gov/resource/documents/radiation-protection/....
       | It is ironic that Apple Health is launching an eye-health
       | initiative which reminds kids to keep their device far enough
       | from their face to prevent eye damage, and then is releasing
       | another device that is covering your entire field of vision at
       | like 2 centimeters away from your eyeballs (Edit: this last part
       | is a non issue because the focal point is not so close due to the
       | lenses).
        
         | bogtog wrote:
         | > The eye tracking technology involves shining infrared light
         | at your eyes at all times - not an expert but I can't help but
         | wonder if that is going to have long term effects.
         | 
         | For what it's worth, infrared beams and cameras is standard for
         | psychology research using eye-tracking. Psychological studies
         | are only 30-minutes long, but I've never heard anybody mention
         | risks of this, and IRBs do not require mentioning anything like
         | that in consent forms.
        
           | KerrAvon wrote:
           | The presence tracking technology in Face ID iPhones uses
           | infrared beams (not sure if it's the same as what's in the
           | Vision Pro), and some people's eyes are in fact sensitive to
           | this, resulting in eyestrain when used over a long period of
           | time.
           | 
           | You can turn this feature off to get standard idle lock
           | screen timeout behavior, and still continue to use Face ID; I
           | don't know if there's a workaround on the Vision Pro)
        
         | activitypea wrote:
         | > Creepy Eyes fake transparency (a work around for the fact
         | that you look dumb wearing ski goggles on your face) - The
         | realistic 3d facetime avatar (a work around for the fact that
         | you look dumb wearing ski goggles on your face, creepy eyes
         | isn't a good enough work around for facetime, and you need an
         | external camera to do facetime).
         | 
         | And transparency mode on modern headphones is a waste of time
         | since you can just take them off. I agree both the demoed
         | features suck and I don't want them in my conference calls, but
         | stuff like that is a necessary bridge for a new product
         | category. Hard to call that wasted effort.
        
           | simse wrote:
           | > And transparency mode on modern headphones is a waste of
           | time since you can just take them off.
           | 
           | Unless you want to continue listening to what's playing
           | through the headphones. I enjoy listening to both the nature
           | and quiet music when I go on walks.
        
         | sebzim4500 wrote:
         | >It is ironic that Apple Health is launching an eye-health
         | initiative which reminds kids to keep their device far enough
         | from their face to prevent eye damage, and then is releasing
         | another device that is covering your entire field of vision at
         | like 2 centimeters away from your eyeballs.
         | 
         | That's not how this works though. VR goggles have the focal
         | point at least 20 feet from your eyes, it's way better for you
         | than having a phone in front of your face.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | rcarr wrote:
         | Personally I think it's going to be super awesome when you can
         | join an online TTRPG and you can change your animation to match
         | your character, as well as having all your character sheets,
         | maps and a battle map in front of you all at once.
         | 
         | Imagine seeing the characters of Critical Role brought to life
         | in real time!
        
         | willis936 wrote:
         | You likely get a lot more infrared in your eyes by going
         | outside, and also a much higher amount of UV which is what
         | actually causes damage.
         | 
         | As long as it's just a gentle/diffuse flood there is no cause
         | for concern. When they start introducing scanning lasers then
         | it's time to sit up in the seat.
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | asdff wrote:
         | What kind of sucks about tech is you start realizing people
         | mainly just do the same stuff they did 25 years ago with it.
         | Only today, the hardware has to be 1000x as powerful to run all
         | the shitty bloaty software that's still just serving email,
         | rendering spreadsheets, chat, images, videos, news, online
         | shopping, etc, as its ever been. It's like we've been in this
         | arms race for sexier and more resource demanding window
         | dressing, versus something that I actually couldn't do before,
         | and there has been absolutely no letting up.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | porsager wrote:
       | I'm just looking forward to being able to work/focus without the
       | people around me always disturbing me, not thinking I'm doing
       | anything important.. I hope this outside eye thing can be tweaked
       | so I can use them as an "availability marker"
        
       | ecliptik wrote:
       | Can't wait to run GopherVR [1] on this.
       | 
       | 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GopherVR
        
       | sekai wrote:
       | Useful metric to gauge potential success of an innovation: will
       | it make consuming porn more enjoyable / transcendental?
        
         | tennisflyi wrote:
         | I think if Apple leans in to it, porn might prop it up.
        
           | eastbound wrote:
           | Apple is too prude to authorize that.
           | 
           | Maybe Apple's strategy relies on EU's sideloading law... to
           | make porn both persona non-grata and available in VR. They
           | can deny it's here, and blame it all on EU, and let parents
           | decide whether they give the "PUK" code to their teenager,
           | and that's a winning trio.
        
         | riffraff wrote:
         | VR porn has been around for years. I do not own VR goggles so I
         | can't comment on how enjoyable it is.
        
       | GravityLabs wrote:
       | Amazing day for Apple. What an incredible company and what
       | incredible products. So excited to buy one of these next year.
       | Thanks Apple!!!
        
       | mouzogu wrote:
       | controlling the UI with your eyes and fingers is cool.
       | 
       | but the issue I always had with VR is at that point when I
       | realise i can't actually touch or feel any of it.
        
       | coryaf wrote:
       | Can we tell if it will be possible to develop with anything other
       | than Swift?
       | 
       | For reference, Apple says that it will have "familiar tools and
       | frameworks like Xcode, SwiftUI, RealityKit, and ARKit, as well as
       | support for Unity and the new 3D-content preparation app Reality
       | Composer Pro"
       | 
       | My guess is that since we can use other frameworks like react
       | native on iOS that you could eventually do things with something
       | like Python or JS, but someone will need to create some
       | frameworks to interface with their APIs. Any thoughts?
        
       | VisionNoob wrote:
       | It's hard not to be impressed by it. From a design standpoint, it
       | feels magnitudes more human and thoughtful than everything else.
       | It will help open the world of "spatial computing" to the
       | everyday consumer (who has the money), not restricting it to the
       | VR people who have already grown used to the limitations of
       | current headsets and may not see how cool this handset-free, see-
       | through-ish device is. The fact that existing apps already work
       | on it is amazing, and who knows what new apps this will inspire.
       | I'm excited.
        
       | jarek83 wrote:
       | Name with "Pro" in it already, might suggest lower-tier versions
       | coming in some future?
       | 
       | Device looks promising, and I wonder if they plan to allow 2
       | devices to show the same content simultaneously to say watch 3D
       | movies with someone else in the same room.
       | 
       | Some say $3499 is a high price, but being able to carry huge
       | design studio with you is heck of a value to me.
        
         | stephanerangaya wrote:
         | There's SharePlay for that
        
         | ryandrake wrote:
         | I've never spent even $1500 on a single tech product before,
         | let alone $3500. They might as well have made it $9999. Its
         | pricing puts it in the business buyer / wealthy Apple
         | enthusiast league with Mac Pro, not consumer hardware. This is
         | not priced for the market of middle class consumers worried
         | about a recession.
         | 
         | The Quest 3 is $499. This headset looks GREAT but is it really
         | 7X greater than the Quest 3?
        
           | crazygringo wrote:
           | Tech is so cheap now. When the Macintosh II came out in 1987
           | [1]:
           | 
           | > _When introduced, a basic system with monitor and 20 MB
           | hard drive cost US$5,498 (equivalent to $14,160 in 2022).
           | With a 13-inch color monitor and 8-bit display card the price
           | was around US$7,145 (equivalent to $18,400 in 2022)._
           | 
           | Even the Commodore 64 was expensive [2]:
           | 
           | > _Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in
           | August for US$595 (equivalent to $1,800 in 2022)._
           | 
           | If the experience is worth it and there's no cheaper
           | competitor, people have the money for these things.
           | 
           | And honestly, as a big user of the Quest 2 -- the Quest 3
           | isn't anywhere close to the same ballpark as this. Apple
           | Vision Pro looks absolutely more than 7x better, the only
           | question is whether it's _worth_ it for you.
           | 
           | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_II
           | 
           | [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
        
           | petesergeant wrote:
           | > let alone $3500. They might as well have made it $9999
           | 
           | I'll buy it at $3,500, but not at $9,999
        
           | seanmcdirmid wrote:
           | I'm totally getting a quest for fitness. This thing doesn't
           | look like it is designed for fitness at all, although I might
           | get one in the future if (a) I have disposable income for it
           | and (b) the experiences are compelling? $3500 isn't that much
           | these days (unfortunately).
        
         | lewisgodowski wrote:
         | Sounds like a great use for SharePlay! (:
        
         | justinator wrote:
         | _> might suggest lower-tier versions coming in some future?_
         | 
         | First it has to not bomb.
        
         | EnragedParrot wrote:
         | I get the impression this model is intended to introduce the
         | product line to the market and give developers something to
         | build on while Apple fine-tunes the hardware. The thing is way
         | overpriced for the average consumer but the tech inside it is
         | wild. I expect we'll see more consumer-friendly models in
         | 2024-2025.
        
           | lozenge wrote:
           | It's shipping in 2024, surely they won't release a new model
           | in the same year.
        
             | dabluecaboose wrote:
             | It's supposed to ship Q1 2024 according to the keynote. I
             | wouldn't be surprised if a cheaper model becomes available
             | around Christmas 2024
        
               | solarmist wrote:
               | I think this is long game material. And we won't see a
               | "consumer" version for at least two more years. Maybe
               | Christmas 2025, but I feel like that's super optimistic.
        
               | dabluecaboose wrote:
               | I remember when the iPhone came out, and one kid in my
               | high school got one cause his dad was a wealthy
               | businessman. Everyone thought it was super cool but it
               | was definitely not consumer-friendly at the time (No app
               | store, default stocks app, expensive and carrier-locked)
               | 
               | I think this headset has potential, but we're definitely
               | not there with the first generation.
        
           | justicz wrote:
           | This is exactly what I think is going on as well.
        
         | russdill wrote:
         | 23M pixels across the field of vision of two eyes doesn't meet
         | the requirements of a design studio. A retina display is
         | minimum 60 pixels per degree. This will be around 30.
        
           | nomel wrote:
           | No FOV was included in the announcement. These numbers are
           | fabricated.
        
           | fumar wrote:
           | What about of distance and and field of view? I haven't seen
           | any metrics to complete the picture.
        
           | two_handfuls wrote:
           | Agreed - we don't know what the actual PPD will be, but it
           | will surely fall short of 60 given that the VR display covers
           | more of your field of view than a 4K monitor in front of you.
           | 
           | That said, it'll still be higher than the current VR headsets
           | and I expect many people will find it sufficient for their
           | work.
        
           | agnokapathetic wrote:
           | Foveated rendering + active optics can make the fovea 2x the
           | peripheral.
        
         | dvwobuq wrote:
         | > Some say $3499 is a high price
         | 
         | As a golfer I can assure you plenty of people will happily
         | spend that amount and more on their hobby.
        
           | epolanski wrote:
           | Yeah, Apple doesn't make products for niche hobbyists though.
           | 
           | This isn't remarkable or xReal.
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | It was quite odd that they branded it Pro but then demonstrated
         | 90% consumer applications for it. Very mixed messaging about
         | who the target market is.
        
         | bwv848 wrote:
         | 'Pro' as in 'Prototype' I guess.
        
         | 1letterunixname wrote:
         | That's already making an assumption that this is a valid
         | category that isn't doomed to failure like every other attempt
         | since 1985.
         | 
         | Enter the story of the Nintendo Power Glove.
        
           | solarmist wrote:
           | Did you ever use the power glove? I had one and it was the
           | worst piece of tech I've ever had from a major company.
        
       | paxys wrote:
       | The hardware is no doubt impressive, as expected, but I just
       | can't see myself in any of the situations they keep showing in
       | VR/AR demos.
       | 
       | Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive headset,
       | and scroll through their vacation photos? Does someone watch an
       | entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty headset strapped to them (and
       | plugged into a socket) instead of on a couch with their
       | family/friends? Would I want to be in a group call with generated
       | avatars of people rather than their actual faces? If the kids are
       | having a fun moment would I want to run inside, grab my headset,
       | strap it on and record a video, or just go join them? Would I
       | rather work on this all day instead of a laptop?
       | 
       | And the one thing I could maybe see this being useful for -
       | gaming - was barely even mentioned in their keynote.
       | 
       | If I'm dropping $3,500 and cutting myself off from the outside
       | world (and no, that weird eye display thing doesn't count), a
       | half-assed substitute for consuming the same content as I would
       | on any other screen isn't going to cut it. Show me the actual
       | future, in terms of software/content/communication/immersiveness,
       | _then_ we 'll talk.
        
         | mikenew wrote:
         | I find it pretty hilarious that VR started off as a product for
         | gamers, designed by gamers, and funded by gamers. And even
         | before it made it to market, it was bought up by Facebook who
         | said "no no no, forget games, we're going to give you
         | _experiences_ ". And it's been a parade of uninteresting,
         | nobody-actually-wanted-this products and ideas ever since.
         | 
         | By far the most compelling things you can do in VR are games.
         | Modded Beat Saber is incredible (and a total pain in the ass
         | now that Facebook bought the game and tries to release a mod-
         | breaking update every few weeks), VR Chat (a moddable,
         | nerd/furry/whatever/anything goes playground), and Half Life:
         | Alyx, a AAA game delivered by a gaming company. EDIT: almost
         | forgot Phasmophobia. Hearing all your friends (and yourself)
         | scream like little girls in unison is a priceless experience.
         | 
         | I think Apple designed an incredible piece of hardware here,
         | and I really would like to put on a headset and have as much
         | virtual desktop space as I want while I'm sitting on a beach.
         | But what I really want are games. That's what everyone has
         | _always_ wanted from this, and yet somehow the whole VR space
         | has been taken over by these lame corporate execs who have
         | never touched a game more serious than Candy Crush in their
         | life, insisting they know better.
        
           | usea wrote:
           | Apple's reality distortion field could be the secret sauce
           | that gets people to overcome many of the issues you
           | described, and to purchase a VR product even if they don't
           | make any sense to use.
        
           | swyx wrote:
           | i just have stock Beat Saber and am interested in modding.
           | what mods do you recommend?
        
           | b33j0r wrote:
           | It's for bringing employees back into the office who are
           | never coming back into the office!
           | 
           | In our Titanium tier, you can even eye-track how often your
           | employees glance at their phones!
           | 
           | ...
           | 
           | What happened here is that VR/AR have always been nerd
           | dreams. But it's always been expensive, or uncomfortable to
           | use. Nerds funded rounds 1-3.
           | 
           | Now we're at the point where it's board meetings and people
           | making presentations about workplace reintegration. Aka
           | employee monitoring and nudging.
        
           | mrguyorama wrote:
           | The actual concept of VR was basically done the second the
           | Vive came out. Now you can have really good immersion for a
           | Flight Simulator game that won't come out for a few years and
           | nobody really knew it would happen yet, and the couple
           | driving simulation games on PC that somehow haven't died, and
           | a smattering of immersive FPS games.
           | 
           | Nothing else really benefits from the increased immersion,
           | and everything struggles with the discomfort, nausea, cost,
           | loneliness, and extra development effort of VR.
           | 
           | VR isn't the next generation of graphics, it's just the
           | display equivalent of a really powerful direct drive racing
           | wheel with load cell brake or that airbus branded joystick
           | that costs $500 bucks. It's for turbo nerds.
        
             | mikenew wrote:
             | You're missing something. Yes it's for turbo nerds, but
             | it's _also_ for ultra casuals.
             | 
             | I have shown Beat Saber to probably around 30 people at
             | this point. The game is set up in the living room with the
             | TV mirroring the headset and the audio coming through the
             | living room speakers. So it feels like a party environment
             | with everyone trading off with watching and playing.
             | Without even a single exception, every person who has tried
             | it has absolutely loved it. Even several people who have
             | never touched a digital game of any kind in their life, and
             | took all manner of convincing to even try it at all.
             | 
             | In any other game you play, there is always some mapping of
             | inputs into actions. Doesn't matter if it's MKB or game
             | controller or touch screen; you have to learn that
             | deflecting a joystick moves the player camera, or pressing
             | "A" causes your character to jump. But in VR, at least in
             | games like Beat Saber, you simple move your body in exactly
             | the way you'd expect. You don't press a button at the right
             | time to slice a block, you just _slice the block_. Couple
             | that with the immersion you get in both sound and visuals,
             | and it adds up to something that feels absolutely magical.
             | 
             | Yes, many things do struggle with clunky movement, nausea,
             | etc. There are many games that I have no desire to play in
             | VR. But the stuff that shines bright shines _really_
             | bright, and I think there 's a huge amount of potential
             | there.
        
               | riffraff wrote:
               | Do you recall the Kinect? Casuals loved it!
               | 
               | But then, of course, very few of them went and bought an
               | Xbox + Kinect to use it.
        
               | OkGoDoIt wrote:
               | And it cost an order of magnitude less than the vision
               | pro
        
               | phkahler wrote:
               | Have them slide one Saber down the other. It's the best
               | haptic feedback in VR.
        
               | tsimionescu wrote:
               | I've played BeatSaber for the first time just last night,
               | and had a similar experience: party atmosphere, everyone
               | who joined in loved it, even people who don't game. It
               | felt natural and fun.
               | 
               | And 30 minutes later, we were all bored, put the headset
               | to rest, and forgot it even exists.
               | 
               | Everything I've seen from VR so far is on the ultra
               | casual side, arcade games or slightly more. Nothing as
               | complex as Minecraft, not to mention some AAA RPG or
               | Action game, seems even slightly plausible at the moment.
               | Even HL: Alyx is ultimately a visually stunning version
               | of those old on-rails shooters more than a sequel to
               | HL2's extraordinary gameplay.
        
               | JKCalhoun wrote:
               | Sounds like Rock Band. But everyone could participate at
               | the same time.
        
               | BaculumMeumEst wrote:
               | I think you're really understating the nausea and
               | discomfort. Maybe this is a first step towards mass
               | adoption, but it will not happen unless significant
               | improvement is made to the user comfort, now matter how
               | great some VR experiences are.
        
               | RhodesianHunter wrote:
               | Have you used any of the newer models?
        
               | MetaWhirledPeas wrote:
               | It's getting there iteratively. The headsets are getting
               | lighter and more comfortable.
               | 
               | The nausea won't be going away though. There will always
               | be a class of apps/games that cause nausea for many
               | people, because it's caused by a decoupling of virtual
               | movement from real movement, not from any technological
               | shortcoming. Any game or app that does this will make
               | some people want to upchuck
        
               | pseudosavant wrote:
               | I've had similar experiences with friends and Beat Saber,
               | but how many of those 30 friends enjoyed the experience
               | enough to get VR themselves? If your experience is like
               | mine? Zero.
               | 
               | It is a cool novelty. Cool experiences while using it but
               | the least popular gaming device in the house. Even my
               | kids' low end Atom-based laptops get more gaming use for
               | chess.com and Minecraft.
        
           | LocalPCGuy wrote:
           | The real money isn't in VR right now though. The real money
           | is in AR. Does this fit that? Not sure, but there are
           | hundreds of use cases for something like this in the
           | workplace (and not just for developers/desk workers). Think
           | the person who needs to reference a manual while working on
           | something (machinery, car, top of a telephone pole, etc.).
           | Just a single example, but I feel that is the kind of market
           | that the executives are aiming at cause they know for
           | businesses, the cost is immaterial if it solves their issue
           | or makes it so 1 person can do the job of 2. Not endorsing it
           | either, fwiw, just saying, that has to be part of the
           | thinking. The gaming market just isn't big enough, especially
           | when you figure in the cost of the equipment (even at half
           | the cost).
        
             | paxys wrote:
             | That was the idea behind HoloLens, and they tried to make
             | it work for a decade, but ultimately that flopped as well.
             | No one wants to fix a machine or a telephone pole or
             | whatever else with a massive headset strapped to their
             | head. These are just pointless scenarios dreamed up by
             | techies who have never done any of those jobs in their
             | life.
             | 
             | If such a headset were to be commercially successful gaming
             | and porn are the only areas that need targeting, but those
             | are also ones that large corporations are least interested
             | in.
        
               | paul7986 wrote:
               | Once this headset's form factor shrinks down to sunglass
               | size it will be the next iPhone. Especially with
               | innovators creating apps that enhanced current life
               | experiences like...
               | 
               | - Play real life ping pong, tennis, card games, etc ..
               | glasses keeps & displays score in your view
               | 
               | - Rewind ... how did this building look ten, twenty, 100
               | years ago
               | 
               | - Who am I talking to at a conference.. their name
               | appears above them
               | 
               | - Lots more and better innovative ideas to come too
        
               | valcron1000 wrote:
               | > Once this headset's form factor shrinks down to
               | sunglass size it will be the next iPhone.
               | 
               | So true. The company that is able to do so will have such
               | an advantage over the competitors it won't even be fair.
               | I sure as hell will be developing apps for such device.
               | Potential is unlimited
        
               | 908B64B197 wrote:
               | Can it even shrink that much?
               | 
               | Optics killed HoloLens.
        
               | [deleted]
        
           | chazeon wrote:
           | Apple themselves clearly know their bad reputation in the
           | gaming community, and their lock down model for selling
           | software will also not be embraced by many gamers. In this
           | respect a $399 Steamdeck is a better device than Apple's
           | piece with 10x the price.
        
             | arcticbull wrote:
             | ... released by Steam, a company with a lock down model for
             | selling software. The gaming world has long embraced the
             | App Store model. In fact, I'd argue the macOS and iOS App
             | Stores were probably inspired by Steam.
        
               | ztrww wrote:
               | The difference being is that Valve is competing a
               | (mostly) open market. Clearly they are offering enough
               | value to earn their 30%?
        
               | gisely wrote:
               | Not really an open market when one company has as large a
               | share of sales as steam. Valve may have a different ethos
               | from Apple, but both agree on principle of extracting
               | monopoly rents.
        
               | everyone wrote:
               | Yeah Valve/Steam seem relatively decent/ethical now (eg.
               | Steam deck being a PC u can install what u want on and
               | modify and repair), but it's just cus the average tech
               | company has gotten so bad. When I 1st saw steam I was
               | appalled, its a DRM system, a program running on my
               | system that has no function and I dont want, + a bunch of
               | online or social features I dont give a shit about.. and
               | none of that has changed.
        
               | Jochim wrote:
               | The alternative to Steam used to be limited use CD keys.
               | Steam's not perfect but it's better than hoping you
               | haven't re-installed the thing you paid for one too many
               | times.
        
               | tsimionescu wrote:
               | Unfortunately, even beyond DRM, online competitive gaming
               | is both an extremely popular hobby AND the most direct
               | use case for trusted computing outside of top secret
               | work. There simply can't be a fun, popular online
               | competitive game without strict verification of the
               | client software to keep out cheating, so Steam offers an
               | extremely valuable service in this alone (as do other DRM
               | schemes).
        
               | CyberDildonics wrote:
               | You realize the company is called Valve right?
        
               | km3r wrote:
               | Having an app store != locked down. AFAIK, you can run
               | any software you want on a Steam deck without any hacking
               | needed. Can you say the same for any non macOS apple
               | product?
        
               | xattt wrote:
               | Steam Games are a one-and-done deal, while App Store
               | games are slimy with subscription mildew.
        
               | WastingMyTime89 wrote:
               | Steam and Apple models are extremely different. What you
               | buy on Steam can't be launched outside of Steam but Steam
               | is happy to serve as a launcher for content coming from
               | outside of it and will allow said content to use its
               | extra functionalities (controller support and chat
               | notably). Valve hardware is always notoriously open. The
               | deck runs and allows you to access Linux.
               | 
               | Apple is completely different and outside of MacOS
               | strictly controls everything.
        
               | drdaeman wrote:
               | > What you buy on Steam can't be launched outside of
               | Steam
               | 
               | Not true. Steam has a lot of DRM-free games that can be
               | bought on Steam Store and are typically started through
               | Steam client but do not really require Steam to be
               | running. They're simply not integrated with Steam in any
               | way.
        
               | Jochim wrote:
               | AFAIK Steam doesn't require developers to use their DRM
               | and there are absolutely games that you can purchase
               | through Steam and launch independently with just the exe.
        
               | bparsons wrote:
               | You can boot most games you buy on steam from the folder.
               | It is extremely weak DRM.
        
           | api wrote:
           | Companies like Meta are trying to push what they want this to
           | be about, and it's not games. Its ads, completely immersive
           | ads and the addictive infinite feed model perfected by TikTok
           | applied to VR and AR to push those ads. The ad market is
           | significantly larger than the game market.
           | 
           | We'll see what Apple does with this. It's a chance for them
           | to redeem themselves in the gaming market a bit if they make
           | it good for games, which as you say is what everyone actually
           | wants from this technology.
        
           | m463 wrote:
           | "You're not the target market"
           | 
           | sigh.
           | 
           | this seems to be the way the world is going.
           | 
           | The market for what the tech world seems to be producing is
           | people who can be easily swayed from their own vision to the
           | company vision, and have little expectations of (actual)
           | privacy, of actual utility, and just adapt to what they get.
           | 
           | It's hard to push back against this sort of thing.
           | 
           | Mindful people don't to be limited by the scenarios the
           | manufacturer has allowed. They don't want to ask permission,
           | to be locked-in, to have subscriptions, to have surveillance,
           | and advertisements.
        
             | etempleton wrote:
             | But who is the target market for this? I like to think I am
             | usually pretty good at saying this isn't for me but it is
             | for demo Y. It isn't clear here, but if I take the
             | marketing video and the price point and put two and two
             | together the target audience is people with a trust fund.
             | Not upper class, but multi-millionaire inherited wealth
             | types. The kind that travel a lot and so something like
             | this makes a lot of sense when on a plane or in a hotel
             | room.
             | 
             | For everyone else though? It is too much money and too
             | little utility. I am sure it will come down in price, but I
             | still don't see it unless they let you plug it into a PC
             | and use it like a normal VR headset for games, because
             | those are the only people that will shell out over a grand
             | for a headset.
        
             | KuriousCat wrote:
             | What are the 'self assembled PC' equivalents in this space?
        
             | justinator wrote:
             | Ugh - so much of what you say resonates with me.
             | 
             | This is certainly the future (VR) but I'm not really
             | interested in it. I'm interested in just being outdoors
             | (not indoors). I want to feel rain, and cold. I want to
             | know I can't just escape.
             | 
             | Others not so much, and all you need is a little bit of
             | money. The brain doesn't know the difference. Doesn't know
             | you're in a dead neighborhood in suburbia in a house that
             | looks like all your neighbors you don't talk to anyways,
             | far from any restaurants or public spaces. We have this
             | now. Food and other items are being delivered to our doors.
             | So on and so forth - I'm not going to belabor my personal
             | view of a future hellscape of rich tech countries.
        
               | ajmurmann wrote:
               | It's astonishing how much you see this sentiment online,
               | but no impact from it anywhere. Sure there is pushback on
               | this sentiment online as well, but just from how much
               | it's expressed online, you' expect at least like 30% of
               | new developments to be more dense, mixed-use that
               | encourages community, walking etc. Yet, somehow it feels
               | closer to 1%. I wonder if that's because online is a
               | small bubble or because the people engaged in zoning and
               | planning are in a bubble or the venn diagram just has
               | little overlap.
        
               | justinator wrote:
               | I mean real estate and development is a whole 'nother
               | thing. Demand is wholly outstripping supply for places
               | you want to actually live in, so you get what you get and
               | you get to be happy about it.
        
               | comment_ran wrote:
               | Unfortunately, this is the reality. Most people will
               | choose the comfort over those discomfort. Just like the
               | 99% moving matrix, going to select the blue pills over
               | the red pills. Even the people who choose the red pill
               | change their mind. It's just a big lever to enlarge those
               | points.
        
           | jchoca wrote:
           | Facebook bought it up because they saw the opportunity for
           | that sweet behavioral surplus and just couldn't pass it up.
        
           | narag wrote:
           | _By far the most compelling things you can do in VR are
           | games._
           | 
           | What about porn?
        
           | radicaldreamer wrote:
           | There's a reason Kojima was on stage and it isn't just to
           | announce Death Stranding is coming to the Mac. The key part
           | was future games for Apple platforms...
        
           | IAmGraydon wrote:
           | I just want to experience Tribes:Ascend on a good VR headset
           | without a tethered computer. Is that too much to ask?
        
           | cptaj wrote:
           | This. Drives. Me. NUTS.
           | 
           | Just make games! Its that simple. Those are the experiences,
           | those are the killer apps, they are the metaverse! They
           | literally just need to get out of the way with their
           | corporate bullshit.
        
             | LightBug1 wrote:
             | Yeah, actually you're on to something. I admired the
             | hardware but you just nailed the feeling I was getting from
             | this presentation but couldn't describe.
             | 
             | It's the old print magazine adverts for the Atari ST or
             | Amiga or early PC's... and shown on the screen was a
             | spreadsheet...(and don't get me wrong, I love a good
             | spreadsheet, but.... )
        
               | cubefox wrote:
               | I think any games released for that system will be
               | crippled by the controls, like smartphone games. Gestures
               | and eye tracking are probably just as imprecise as
               | touchscreens.
        
           | marcosdumay wrote:
           | Hum, AFAIK VR started off as aimless experimental tech, was
           | repurposed for data visualization first, and only after a
           | reasonable amount of success there it was pushed for gamers.
           | 
           | And then gamers unanimously rejected it, but it found a quite
           | cozy niche in CAD.
           | 
           | That's just to say that it has probably a lot of other
           | serious uses. But yeah, as soon as it's actually good, games
           | will probably be most popular one. Anyway, I agree, the
           | serious uses will almost certainly not include pretending you
           | are in a circle with your coworkers' avatars.
        
           | Melatonic wrote:
           | Seriously - VR gaming was awesome years ago if you had the
           | hardware and continues to be awesome.
        
           | programmarchy wrote:
           | I don't care about games at all. Have never put on a VR
           | headset. But I will likely pre-order Vision for a better
           | productivity workflow. Apple will get the OS right, whereas
           | Meta never had a chance.
        
             | mrguyorama wrote:
             | Oh good, just wait until you get regular headaches from
             | attempting to decipher the text on your virtual screen. It
             | works terribly. VR is an awful, desperate, not fit for
             | purpose replacement for even a single 1080p monitor.
        
               | LtdJorge wrote:
               | 23Mp is a freaking lot, tho
        
               | paxys wrote:
               | That's just marketing nonsense. You get 23MP if you
               | combine both displays in the headset. Well guess what,
               | they show the same picture, so the actual resolution is
               | half that. And out of that only the pixels in the center
               | are going to be sharp enough to be usable (notice that
               | none of the demos ever extended the picture all the way
               | to the edge).
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | > VR is an awful, desperate, not fit for purpose
               | replacement for even a single 1080p monitor.
               | 
               | But for how much longer? I can really see the benefit of
               | having "more space" when working on a computer.
               | 
               | We're peeking through needle holes, small screens mostly
               | covered by bars and menues. If we're lucky the context we
               | need for our task fits on two large screens.
               | 
               | I believe this strains our working memory more than we
               | understand. Making us do thing slower, worse and with
               | more effort.
               | 
               | VR has the potential to unlock much more "space" that we
               | can navigate in a way that is much more natural to us.
               | 
               | Not sure if the tech is up to the task today or if it
               | will be in 10 years. But the value proposition is clear.
        
               | godelski wrote:
               | Not to mention that the screen is becoming a bigger and
               | bigger part of the mass of the computer. I wouldn't
               | expect to like this first product but 5-10 years down the
               | line it isn't unreasonable to believe that your computer
               | is your phone, you take it everywhere with you, and your
               | monitor is your glasses (benefit if you already wear
               | glasses). That sounds pretty cool. Keyboard is the next
               | big thing imo, because virtual typing sucks and I need
               | something tactile. We'll probably need to rethink the
               | entire concept though.
               | 
               | My main concern is about collaboration. Specifically, a
               | fear with Apple lockin. When you pair program you can
               | just sit down at either computer. Will we have an open
               | protocol to share screens (or specific apps in screens
               | like modern screenshare does)? Will is be semi-open like
               | the current MMS system where Apple makes you look at a
               | potato? My concern is about how these can be used to
               | further isolate ourselves and break our fundamental
               | social structure. But part of that will be how we use
               | them, along with the decisions these companies make. I
               | just hope Apple doesn't lock everyone in, but I'm not
               | going to hold my breath.
        
               | tagami wrote:
               | voice replaces typing
        
               | godelski wrote:
               | Oh that sounds like hell to me if I'm being honest. It
               | would be okay for stnadard routines "write a for loop
               | that increments variable foobar" (LLMs help here) but be
               | a fucking nightmare for debugging or fine grained work.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | Counter point: why hasn't voice controlled office apps or
               | code editors taken off already? Is it inertia or is voice
               | control just not that useful?
        
               | wyre wrote:
               | AFAIK it hasn't been accurate enough until recently. I've
               | heard OpenAI's whisper is great text to speech and I
               | think I read today iOS 17 is updating their speech-to-
               | text as well.
               | 
               | Also, I'm not an office worker but I would imagine
               | working with speech to text around everyone else using
               | speech to text would be a hellish and annoying scenario.
               | Work from home alleviates that.
               | 
               | It reads that a lot of the control of visionOS is speech
               | based as well and Apple should be smart enough to know if
               | it doesn't work well the entire product will flop and Tim
               | Apple's entire legacy will likely be over.
        
               | llampx wrote:
               | The same designers who are designing your web and app
               | experience will also design your AR and VR experience.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | I think designers are doing a good job. They just don't
               | have great material to work with.
        
               | bl0rg wrote:
               | May I ask which headsets you've tried? I was stunned by
               | the visual clarity of even a Pico 4, and I expect the
               | vision pro to be far clearer.
        
               | vGPU wrote:
               | I have a vive pro 2. Text is unreadable. Absolutely
               | terrible lenses.
        
               | ricardobeat wrote:
               | There is nothing on the market that gets close to what
               | Apple is releasing here. The total resolution is nearly
               | three times 4k. They don't mention FOV, but the
               | description implies something approaching 180 degrees,
               | and this being Apple, plus foveated rendering as a
               | feature, you can assume smooth rendering somewhere
               | between 120-240hz.
        
               | jsheard wrote:
               | "23 million pixels across two displays" = sqrt(23 million
               | / 2) = 3391x3391 per eye assuming square panels.
               | 
               | That's less horizontal resolution than a 4K monitor
               | (3840x2160) stretched across your _entire_ field of view.
        
               | ricardobeat wrote:
               | It's not as simple as that though, with your head and
               | eyes in constant movement and two separate screens with a
               | high refresh rate. The G2 or Vive have 50% less density
               | and it's already quite hard to distinguish individual
               | pixels.
        
               | msvan wrote:
               | A 4K monitor has 8.3M pixels, so you could equivalently
               | say that it's ~three 4K monitors.
        
               | [deleted]
        
               | [deleted]
        
               | jdkoeck wrote:
               | You obviously haven't watched the keynote.
        
             | swarnie wrote:
             | Tim, if this is your alt account you're legally obligated
             | to say so.
        
             | detrites wrote:
             | Consider trying any VR headset first, the interface has a
             | few unanticipated effects for many people. Eg, nausea,
             | headaches, dizzyness etc. A "productivity workflow" might
             | only last half an hour before you're fatigued from its
             | innate unnaturalness.
        
             | BulgarianIdiot wrote:
             | Better productivity workflow: a sweaty device you need to
             | carry on your head, with a cable with a battery pack, for
             | the spectacular 2 hours battery life, reproducing low-
             | resolution virtual displays around you, which you are
             | supposed to very productively operate by clumsily making
             | finger gestures around the display (instead of on them).
             | 
             | Yeah, I'll keep my monitors, mouse and keyboard, and my
             | smartphone, thanks.
        
               | hollerith wrote:
               | You need the battery pack only if you want more than the
               | 2 hours of battery life the device itself gets.
               | 
               | ADDED. Since I am getting downvoted, here is a cite:
               | 
               | https://www.laptopmag.com/news/apple-vision-pro-is-here-
               | and-...
               | 
               | >Up to 2 hours of battery life without the battery pack.
               | (Yes, there's a battery back that can be attached to
               | Vision Pro.)
        
               | liamwire wrote:
               | You misunderstand, it's two hours with the battery pack
               | connected, there's no internal battery that's intended
               | for standalone use.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | Whatever happened to that Google glass tech? Didn't look
               | as "sweaty" as those bigger VR sets.
               | 
               | > Yeah, I'll keep my monitors, mouse and keyboard, and my
               | smartphone, thanks.
               | 
               | I don't see why we'd need to replace both input- and
               | output devices at the same time. Improve the output first
               | and maybe the input later.
        
               | drdaeman wrote:
               | > Whatever happened to that Google glass tech?
               | 
               | Inability to overlay graphics over the real world. We
               | only know how to do so additively (shine some light in
               | the eye to make things bright), but AFAIK there is no
               | solution to effectively and dynamically black out some
               | part of the picture you see.
               | 
               | Also, at the time, people had freaked out about wearing
               | cameras in public. (I wonder if I need to purchase some
               | popcorn to watch how it'll go for this one, or if it's
               | gonna be different.)
        
               | floren wrote:
               | > Also, at the time, people had freaked out about wearing
               | cameras in public. (I wonder if I need to purchase some
               | popcorn to watch how it'll go for this one, or if it's
               | gonna be different.)
               | 
               | My prediction is that it's going to be A Thing to wear
               | this at all times, even if your battery is dead, similar
               | to the way The Kids These Days have their airpods in
               | 24/7. Pressure your mom until she finally gets you a pair
               | ("free" with 10 year Verizon contract)
        
               | safarimonkey wrote:
               | Magic Leap 2 has a segmented dimmer that works fairly
               | well. It's a small probably-LCD panel that sits in front
               | of your eye. It lets the headset black out part of your
               | view, leaving a kinda blurry shadow around objects.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | jknoepfler wrote:
             | Having made a serious attempt at a virtual workspace for
             | development myself, I'll just say: it's ok, but there are a
             | lot of challenges.
             | 
             | To develop, I need an actual fully-featured operating
             | system with a terminal, a full suite of tools and
             | libraries, and an application ecosystem.
             | 
             | To date, proxying all of that through a desktop/laptop to a
             | virtual display or virtual remote desktop is clunky at
             | best. Reading in VR is unpleasant. Typing in VR is
             | unpleasant. Juggling controllers in VR is unpleasant.
             | Wearing a headset for more than an hour or two is gross -
             | you will really need to spend time and effort keeping the
             | bits that touch your face clean. Cords are a hassle and the
             | weird constant slight resistance starts to drive me nuts
             | after awhile. For me there wasn't a hard deal-breaking
             | issue, just a death by a thousand cuts.
             | 
             | Don't get me wrong - you can absolutely do it. For myself,
             | it fell far short of the friction-free space for deep
             | productivity I was after.
             | 
             | Also, again speaking personally, there is no way in hell
             | I'm going to show up to work video meeting as a cartoon
             | avatar (or turn my camera off). So meetings sort of break
             | the whole thing.
             | 
             | Maybe this product will solve a lot of those friction
             | points. I think that would be great, personally, but I'm
             | skeptical.
        
           | skatanski wrote:
           | That's a very good point. VR Chat is the magical quirky
           | "META" experience, which is already there. Straight from
           | either Gibsons novels or Ghost in the Shell. Apple seems to
           | be more in line with more gated, streamlined and polished
           | experiences, than what's in VR Chat. Its a similar story with
           | the Sony VR HeadSet.
        
           | johnfernow wrote:
           | I am a huge fan of VR gaming: some of my best gaming
           | experiences ever have been in VR (notably Resident Evil 7 on
           | PSVR1 and RE8 on PSVR2).
           | 
           | Even still, I acknowledge putting on a VR headset comes with
           | some notable downsides: those sacrifices are 100% worth it
           | for _some_ games because it enables an incredible experience
           | you can 't otherwise have. Sure, you can play a modded
           | version of Half-Life: Alyx without VR, but you're going to
           | have a much worse experience and a lot less fun. Same for
           | RecRoom and plenty of other titles.
           | 
           | But for work? I'm 100% willing to put up with a little
           | discomfort for an hour or two if I'm having a great time; I'm
           | less willing to do that for 8 hours a day when my job can be
           | completed in a far more comfortable manner.
           | 
           | Comfort no doubt could be improved upon, but even still, I
           | like to see the world with my own eyes. VR is a nice brief
           | escape, and it doesn't have to be a solo activity: playing
           | RecRoom or Zenith with friends is a lot of fun! I even bring
           | my Quest 2 over to my friends' house IRL and play Zenith in
           | the same room with him. But it's not much of an escape if
           | that's what you spend your whole day in.
           | 
           | There are many activities that are a ton of fun for short
           | periods of time, but if done all day, are miserable. I enjoy
           | gaming quite a bit, but I dread the idea of being a pro-gamer
           | who Streams on Twitch 10-12 hours a day playing one title to
           | get good: that'd suck all the fun out of the activity for me
           | and I'd much rather just work a more regular job like web
           | development. I see the same being true for VR: I enjoy it a
           | lot for an hour or two a day at most, but being in it all day
           | could cause me to hate it.
        
             | wpietri wrote:
             | A question I ask of all VR gaming enthusiasts: how much
             | time do you spend on VR games versus other games?
             | 
             | A while back I rented an Oculus Quest. For the first week,
             | it was the hot property in the house. By the end of the
             | second, the kids were back on their Switches and nobody
             | even noticed when I returned it. Asking around, I know a
             | bunch of people who _own_ VR gear of one form or another,
             | but I still haven 't met anybody for whom it's a daily
             | driver, or who spends most of their gaming time using it.
        
               | lttlrck wrote:
               | In my case well over 90% - for simracing. Pancake mode
               | doesn't come close for me, it's an entirely different
               | experience.
               | 
               | However more than 2 hours straight is far more tiring in
               | VR but for me that's due to eye fatigue rather than the
               | HMD.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Thanks. And how much actual time is that? In, say, hours
               | per week?
        
               | ajmurmann wrote:
               | Is it an issue that you cannot see your hands on the
               | wheel and the buttons that the wheel has for more complex
               | cars like F1 with a ton of settings?
        
               | kitsunesoba wrote:
               | About ~1h20m per day in a two-days-on-one-day-off
               | interval in modded PC version of Beat Saber with custom
               | song maps on a Quest 2 with "frankenquest" setup. It's
               | surprisingly decent cardio. Been doing it for over a year
               | at this point and have racked up several hundred hours of
               | playtime.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Thanks! The fitness use case seems to be one thing that
               | creates long-term users. It's surprising to me that's not
               | a bigger part of VR marketing.
               | 
               | Although interestingly, I suspect this is less about
               | facehugger 3D and more about motion-sensitive
               | controllers. For example, consider this person who has
               | been playing Fitness Boxing on the Switch for 3 years
               | straight: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comment
               | s/t3sk6j/a_lo...
        
               | cptaj wrote:
               | The fact that you cant walk around in the games really is
               | a dealbreaker. It would be a nobrainer for all consoles
               | if it werent for that unfortunate detail
        
               | twic wrote:
               | I'm pretty sure the whole VR industry is an op by Big
               | Closet to sell more closets.
        
               | chaostheory wrote:
               | I use my Quest pro to play video games that trick me into
               | cardio workouts. Due to my body tiring out and the
               | battery life, I play a max of two hours a day.
               | 
               | It probably eats up less than half of my video game time.
               | I find that I play less video games now since VR is a
               | different experience from pupetting an avatar with a game
               | controller. You tend to use your whole body, which is
               | great if you cant find the motivation to workout.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | That makes sense.
               | 
               | One of the interesting questions for me is whether VR
               | will get other platforms to take this use case more
               | seriously. I have a Switch and regularly play Fitness
               | Boxing. It's great in that I'm much more likely to stick
               | with the workout versus just doing calisthenics on my
               | own. But the fitness catalog is limited. I'd love for the
               | next generation of the Switch to include better motion
               | control so that movement games can be richer.
        
               | chaostheory wrote:
               | Good news: nearly every VR game on the Quest (that isn't
               | 3rd person) is a fitness app even though it's
               | unintentional. There is a ton of variety. Feel like
               | boxing one day, slashing ninjas the next, rowing a boat,
               | riding a bike, slashing boxes with lightsabers, dodging
               | bullets like neo; all of that is possible and the variety
               | is nice even with the small market VR has now. (I believe
               | that will be the same with Apple Vision)
               | 
               | I think the quest 2's price point is back to being close
               | to the Nintendo switch.
               | 
               | As a personal anecdote, I lost 15 lbs playing VR video
               | games. Every time I don't have the motivation to workout,
               | I just tell myself that I'm just going to play some video
               | games.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Sure! But I would enjoy most or all of those the same way
               | I play Fitness Boxing: with a screen. I think what makes
               | VR good for fitness is the motion controllers, not the
               | facehugger stereoscopy.
               | 
               | Conversely, when I rented the Quest, the kids ended up
               | playing Beat Saber by sitting on the couch and twitching
               | their wrists. They liked it, but they didn't find the
               | motion part compelling. So although I totally believe you
               | and others get fitness value out of VR, I just think
               | that's not an intrinsic to VR.
        
               | DarkmSparks wrote:
               | I have 9000 hours in steamVR... on linux. I can never go
               | back to 2D tbh.
               | 
               | This headset looks like it finally brings the full
               | experience and more out of the dev only space.
        
               | 0zemp2c wrote:
               | [dead]
        
               | hparadiz wrote:
               | Okay I need details. What distro and headset? What are
               | you using it for?
               | 
               | I've been playing with an Index on Gentoo but it's been a
               | buggy mess and I really just wanna use it for VRChat
               | without having to boot into Windows.
        
               | sillysaurusx wrote:
               | I used to spend a lot of time in Pavlov. Was playing PavZ
               | pretty much every day. Then one day I stopped, and
               | haven't really been back. There's definitely a lot of
               | activation energy that goes into "getting into VR" and
               | once you're out, you don't really want to put in the
               | effort to get back in. HL Alyx was a big motivator for
               | me, but I haven't felt like that for other games yet.
        
               | Gigachad wrote:
               | I have a vive original and played about 200 hours of vr
               | games. Haven't taken it out of the box for years though
               | because I don't have the space for it anymore and just
               | don't really care about VR gaming that much.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Yeah, I hear that a fair bit. That's the kind of thing
               | that makes me think it's like 3D movies: a fun novelty,
               | but not a sea change.
        
               | kroltan wrote:
               | As someone who has >1000 hours in VR (and is also a game
               | developer), the simple answer is that there really have
               | been only maybe a dozen games. And lots of mostly
               | identical alternatives.
               | 
               | Boneworks/HL:Alyx/Pavlov: Shooter, VRChat/RecRoom/etc:
               | Social, Beat Saber/Harmonix somethingsomething: Rythm,
               | The Room, Jet Island... Where each of those alternatives
               | have lots of mechanical convergence, so it "feels" like
               | playing the same game if you overlook the button mapping
               | of the controllers.
               | 
               | The tech works perfectly fine, but there are so many
               | caveats and limitations that the possible design space is
               | quite limited, or there has been too much inbreeding.
               | Plus, developing for VR is much more expensive as a
               | baseline because of the increased limitations, so you end
               | up with generally lower quality games than a traditional
               | medium.
               | 
               | All in all, I would say that in a scale from "Pong"
               | (1972) to "Outer Wilds" (2019) we are maybe just after
               | "Wolfenstein 3D" (1992) in relation to the VR gaming
               | landscape: Games are fun, but most of everything is
               | really bad and played out of a lack of better options, or
               | a clone of something actually cool.
               | 
               | ---
               | 
               | My point here is I don't entirely agree with you it's a
               | novelty, I would say it's more of a _variation_ that can
               | become a staple with many people, but will never* be the
               | main /only medium. Pizza, not bread&butter.
               | 
               | (And yes, that's half the definition of a novelty, but
               | that's why I say I don't _entirely_ agree with calling it
               | such)
               | 
               | * Unless we invent the actual Matrix "full-body immersion
               | with motor suspension" tech or something functionally
               | equivalent (and I'm not even saying that's a good idea).
        
               | drited wrote:
               | Infinite is my answer. I sit down all day at my desk job.
               | I like to move in my free time. VR gets me up and moving,
               | I love that. I don't play console or PC games at all.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | Thanks! And how much time is that?
        
           | underlipton wrote:
           | Everyone read that one Vernor Vinge novel and decided to get
           | on the gravy train before Chicago gets nuked. /s
           | 
           | Speaking more seriously: I think you're right in the short-
           | term, wrong in the long-term, but getting at a fundamental
           | truth, which is that *applications* are what will drive
           | development and adoption. And they have to be fully-formed
           | and wedded to the form factor, while still being accessible.
           | 
           | AR/VR _will_ revolutionize general computing, but if you can
           | 't figure out _how_ yet - clearly, they have not - the focus
           | should be on the applications that _are_ already well-
           | envisioned (and, in the past few years, as you 've said,
           | well-executed) on the platform.
           | 
           | Further, it helps if the killer-app is emotionally engaging,
           | allows and anticipates the failure of the user within the
           | app's internal UX logic, and doesn't interfere with a user's
           | crucial assets or processes (related to work, health, etc.)
           | until the platform's kinks are worked out.
           | 
           | Sounds like games fit the bill quite nicely. It is truly
           | weird that execs taking home eight figures or more can't (or
           | refuse to) wrap their heads around that. Gaming is anathema
           | amongst a certain portion of the population, I suppose.
        
             | gumby wrote:
             | Obligatory pedantry: True Names was a novella, not a full
             | novel. And the better for it.
             | 
             | Or you were referring to Rainbow's End in which case I'm
             | embarrassed about my comment.
             | 
             | More seriously: I was really excited by True Names when it
             | was published (and a bunch of us at MIT talked about it a
             | lot) but by the time Snow Crash came out it seemed pretty
             | obvious that real world metaphors weren't really desirable
             | in virtual environments. Certainly the web and its abortive
             | competitors (like apple eWorld, and many others) made it
             | clear for those not paying attention: nobody wanted to
             | "walk" from Gap to Williams Sonoma in some virtual mall:
             | they just wanted to click over and get satisfaction. Nobody
             | likes long boring travel in an open video game; a little is
             | OK to avoid breaking the spell, but soon something has to
             | happen or you need a convenient elevator. The same applies
             | to movies.
             | 
             | BTW you're 100% right about gaming being the killer app.
             | Once people are used to that perhaps they'll want to do
             | other things. But without a reason to develop the right
             | metaphors, affordances, and experiences, there's "no there
             | there".
        
               | underlipton wrote:
               | >Or you were referring to Rainbow's End in which case I'm
               | embarrassed about my comment.
               | 
               | Sorry, Gumby, it's the Play-Doh press for you.
               | 
               | I feel you. RE is probably going to end up being wrong
               | about a lot of things, too; in particular, Vinge even
               | kind of hinted at how the lack of haptics would cause the
               | "mirror world" and virtual object schemas to break down,
               | at least as far as immersion and utility go. Ultimately,
               | I don't think we get to the world he described without
               | the tech that was just nascent within it. That's
               | analogous to the inapplicability of real-world
               | translation metaphors to the pop-into-existence data
               | stream that is the web, as you said. I realized this the
               | moment that I reached out to touch the 3D model of a
               | character I'd created and nothing was there.
               | 
               | Gaming short-circuits perception and gives leeway in a
               | lot of ways that are conducive to a haptic-less
               | experience, though. Good movement and animation can make
               | up for a lack of embodiment that would kill a more
               | serious experience (Second Life as a virtual office or
               | retail branch...), and while animation is much less
               | reliable of a tool for VR, I'm sure that other
               | affordances can be found if devs are allowed to just...
               | play around with it (pun intended).
               | 
               | The presentation kind of disappointed me because I didn't
               | see an understanding of the situation that they face.
        
               | floren wrote:
               | > Certainly the web and its abortive competitors (like
               | apple eWorld, and many others) made it clear for those
               | not paying attention: nobody wanted to "walk" from Gap to
               | Williams Sonoma in some virtual mall: they just wanted to
               | click over and get satisfaction. Nobody likes long boring
               | travel in an open video game; a little is OK to avoid
               | breaking the spell, but soon something has to happen or
               | you need a convenient elevator. The same applies to
               | movies.
               | 
               | What's funny is that I think (having not experienced it)
               | that I _would_ like to basically set various files and
               | applications around a virtual space, because I 'm
               | eternally frustrated with all window managers and other
               | 2d application management tools. I just don't want to
               | wander through someone _else 's_ "carefully curated" hall
               | of t-shirt JPEGs.
        
               | underlipton wrote:
               | People seriously underestimate the potential
               | entertainment or even utility of being able to take your
               | digital photo collection and, just, spread them all
               | around your floor or walls or whatever. Grab them, stack
               | them, group them with natural gestures. After that, the
               | next time you open a PC-based photo manager, you will
               | feel trapped, poking around a bucket full of files with a
               | stick.
        
             | wpietri wrote:
             | > AR/VR will revolutionize general computing
             | 
             | People keep thinking that stereoscopic 3D will
             | revolutionize things, but they've been consistently wrong
             | about that for more than 170 years.
             | 
             | It starts with the Brewster Stereoscope [1] which was shown
             | at the Great Exhibition of 1851. [2] It was a huge success,
             | and in following years hundreds of thousands of viewers
             | were sold, with lots of content following. Eventually the
             | fad blew over, ending up as antique-shop fodder.
             | 
             | Next up was the ViewMaster; the US Department of Defense
             | bought 100,000 units because it was going to revolutionize
             | military training. Then came the 1950s wave of anaglyph 3D
             | movies, the 1990s VR boom and bust, the Avatar-driven
             | resurrection of 3D movies in 2009, which was quickly
             | followed by a wave of enthusiasm for 3D TV. Then, most
             | recently we have the resurrection of VR, this time with the
             | Metaverse attached.
             | 
             | I think 3D _worlds_ have revolutionized a chunk of gaming,
             | from Quake to Minecraft and onward. But the available
             | evidence suggests that stereoscopic 3D _interfaces_ are an
             | idea much more popular in theory than in practice. As best
             | I can tell, the most representative 3D technology is not
             | facehugger VR, but those Magic Eye stereograms [3] that go
             | in and out of popularity. They are a fun novelty, but they
             | never transform everything. There 's a big hype cycle and
             | everybody gets excited, but after a bit of use they quickly
             | go back to 2D and most are just fine with it.
             | 
             | [1] https://stereosite.com/collecting/the-brewster-
             | stereoscope-i...
             | 
             | [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Exhibition
             | 
             | [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Eye
        
               | StrictDabbler wrote:
               | Yeah, I said this about videophones in 2002 or so. I was
               | sure I was right. Videophones had been reinvented five
               | times over. You could only use it at home, sitting on the
               | couch, giving it your full attention. Who would want to
               | have regular conversations that way enough to pay for a
               | videophone with limited compatibility?
               | 
               | Now I go to the supermarket and people are holding their
               | phones out at arm's length having FaceTime conversations
               | at full volume with their adult kids.
               | 
               | Once 3-D works and integrates with physical objects it's
               | going to be a big deal. We just keep failing at that.
               | 
               | Social stuff changes.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | The reason I think videophones is a bad comparison is
               | that video conferencing systems were economically
               | successful in the corporate space well before you started
               | saying that about videophones. There was a demonstrated
               | value proposition; it's just that costs had to come way
               | down for consumers to find it worth it. (Which I suspect
               | demonstrates that that don't care very much about it, in
               | that they pay $0 for video calls in both up-front and
               | per-minute terms.)
               | 
               | But even if you were right, _some_ social stuff changing
               | isn 't proof that _other_ social things will change soon.
               | It 's just as plausible to me that the cost, in terms of
               | money and inconvenience, will have to drop just as far
               | for VR as it did for video calls. Meaning that it would
               | have to be included in every phone or every pair of
               | glasses for free and with approximately no additional
               | effort to use. Which is something that we are surely
               | decades away from.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | On the other hand, isn't it quite typical for good ideas
               | to be recognized as such many times before the technology
               | is actually mature to implement them properly?
               | 
               | Edit: most morbid example that comes to mind - flying
               | machines.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | That can be true, but you see the same pattern with bad
               | ideas. Look at perpetual motion machines. People keep
               | trying to invent them, but that doesn't prove they'll
               | eventually succeed.
               | 
               | We could also consider jetpacks and flying cars and food
               | pills. People have been inventing and re-inventing them
               | for years. I'm sure if I looked I could find new
               | generations of people taking another swing at it who
               | haven't really reckoned with why all the previous waves
               | failed.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | > but that doesn't prove they'll eventually succeed
               | 
               | Of course it doesn't _prove_ anything. But there 's
               | certainly a difference between the "hardness" of
               | designing sufficiently high quality 3D glasses using well
               | known technology, and doing something that breaks a
               | physical law.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | My point with perpetual motion machines isn't that good
               | VR violates physical laws. It's that some ideas are
               | attractive enough that people will keep trying and
               | failing to make them real, without bothering to look at
               | why the other attempts failed.
        
               | geysersam wrote:
               | In your opinion, why did the other attempts fail?
               | 
               | My impression is that even 2D screens are still rather
               | lacking (they're big, heavy, very bright, need a big
               | power source, rather expensive, sometimes difficult to
               | interact with). In many situations a book or some papers
               | are still superior to "virtual 2D reality".
               | 
               | Not sure if this indicates VR is conceptually flawed or
               | if it means we're just still early in the development of
               | the technology.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | In my opinion, the other attempts happened because people
               | think 3D is cool. Both as a concept and as a novel
               | experience. And the other attempts failed because they
               | went out and built a lot of stuff based on that coolness,
               | without testing to see whether there was lasting value.
               | 
               | And we certainly see that repeating here. Magic Leap
               | burned $3.5 billion. I'm not sure how many tens of
               | billions Meta has spent on vision of a Metaverse. But
               | what's pretty clear is that so far there's very little
               | long-term usage, very little value creation.
               | 
               | Might it work someday? Sure. But it's perfectly plausible
               | that it will remain a practical failure until something
               | like the holodeck or programmable matter becomes a
               | reality. So it could be another 170 years before VR is a
               | success.
        
               | underlipton wrote:
               | >People keep thinking that stereoscopic 3D will
               | revolutionize things
               | 
               | I'm not one of them. The revolutionary aspect of
               | AR/VR/XR/MR/WhateveR (or, at least, one of them) is the
               | ability to uncouple appearance or apparent make-up from
               | function. It does for physical objects what the web did
               | for paper.
        
               | andybak wrote:
               | Stereoscopy is not the same as 6DOF. If I shut one eye in
               | VR, it's still VR.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | I agree that stereoscopy isn't _the only_ thing going on.
               | But are you saying there are VR headsets that don 't have
               | stereoscopic 3D, and that I should therefore change my
               | analysis?
        
               | andybak wrote:
               | I think 6dof - that is _spatial_ experiences and
               | interactions are genuinely new.
               | 
               | I think any analysis that tries to lump this in with 3D
               | TVs and View-Masters isn't terribly illuminating.
        
               | wpietri wrote:
               | I don't think spatial experiences are particularly new.
               | 
               | Quake was the first game I recall playing that was
               | intensely spatial. So much so that after a couple of
               | hours playing I had trouble readjusting to meatspace; the
               | positional part of my brain was still carrying enough of
               | the virtual world that i was easily disoriented. The same
               | thing happened to me with Minecraft. Years later, I still
               | have vivid spatial recall of some of the bases and mines
               | I built.
               | 
               | You could certainly argue that VR controllers are an
               | exciting step forward in spatial interaction. But things
               | like the Wii and the Switch's (less capable) motion
               | control mean they're only a step forward, not a leap. And
               | that also makes clear that motion control and VR are
               | separable concepts. I look forward to seeing the fancier
               | controllers migrate to other platforms to see how that
               | goes.
               | 
               | So I think what makes facehugger VR unique is
               | stereoscopy. And stereoscopic 3D is a thing with a long
               | history of faddish excitement followed by a total crash.
               | You could argue that's not relevant here, but an awful
               | lot of VR advocates make their cases in terms of 3D.
        
           | KuriousCat wrote:
           | It sounds like companies are trying to bring work to a
           | playground and at the same time can't make compelling games
           | that can beat Beat saber...
        
           | baron816 wrote:
           | I think immersive experiences is the way to go. Imagine being
           | able to experience a bunch of (idealized) historical events--
           | celebrating Allied victory in WWII, walking through a market
           | in Ancient Rome up to the Colosseum to watch a match, walking
           | around your city before people settled it, etc.
           | 
           | The tech isn't quite there yet, but we may not be that far
           | off of some aspects of it with generative AI. Those
           | experiences would certainly be boosted if you could walk up
           | to anyone and they'd have a unique personality and would be
           | able to have a full conversation with you.
        
           | alliao wrote:
           | while I share the same sentiment, it is hard if not
           | impossible, if gamers became permanently attached to VR/AR
           | tech and then try to bring everyone else onboard. that's why
           | apple went in with high prices first, got to make it look
           | sexy/cool/elusive while the tech matures, then only release
           | to general public at affordable prices when it's 99% there;
           | like macbook air.
        
             | asdff wrote:
             | If anything that sort of thing backfired with the
             | plummeting demand for the mac line after the the ungodly
             | expensive mac pro caster wheels and such.
        
               | [deleted]
        
           | r3trohack3r wrote:
           | > I find it pretty hilarious that VR started off as a product
           | for gamers, designed by gamers, and funded by gamers. By far
           | the most compelling things you can do in VR are games.
           | 
           | Going to have to disagree with you there. The most compelling
           | use case for VR is porn. The most compelling cover story for
           | buying a device for porn will be games.
           | 
           | AFAICT the most prolific and reliably deployed cardboard
           | (previous gen VR) experiences ended up being porn.
        
             | blacksmith_tb wrote:
             | However Apple has been hostile to that particular content
             | so I wouldn't expect it to be marketed with that in mind...
        
             | cpncrunch wrote:
             | Porn will never work. See the Dara Obriain skit for a
             | hilarious explanation why.
        
           | gcanyon wrote:
           | I'm curious what you think of https://moonrider.xyz ?
           | 
           | I just use it for virtual workouts, so I use the "punch" not
           | the "saber" mode, but it works great for that.
        
         | beezle wrote:
         | Nobody really likes wearing ski goggles, especially for many
         | hours. I can't begin to imagine how annoying it will be to wear
         | something heavier. Hope it has some type of ventilation system!
         | 
         | Perhaps a HN opthamologist can chime in - what are the long
         | term effects on vision likely to be from wearing/using a device
         | like this for extended periods of time every day?
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | codelord wrote:
         | I think if the hardware is good and even more importantly
         | developer tools are easy to use and better than competition
         | this could be successful. It doesn't really matter what Apple
         | shows in their demo what the use cases are. Does anyone share
         | heart-beats on Apple watch? No. Yet, Apple Watch is a best
         | selling product.
        
         | zebnyc wrote:
         | Regarding the photo library, I can speak for my wife. We have a
         | kindergartener and one of my wife's favorite activities is to
         | watch pictures / videos of our kid in bed. She can do this for
         | hours on end to entertain herself.
         | 
         | She also likes to watch movies on an iphone instead of a big
         | screen cause she can use it while performing other tasks
         | (cooking, cleaning etc). She has always said no to a larger
         | form factor like a iPad but I think this might be a good use
         | case for her.
        
         | crazygringo wrote:
         | > _Does someone watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty
         | headset strapped to them_
         | 
         | I just want to say, _absolutely_. Except it 's not sweaty.
         | 
         | You're not going to do it in a social situation -- it's not
         | replacing a movie the family watches together -- but in your
         | bedroom or home alone absolutely. Just recline on your
         | bed/couch and watch an IMAX-sized screen in the sky above you.
         | Surround sound in your AirPods.
         | 
         | I already do it with my Quest 2 and it's glorious. It's hard to
         | imagine how good the experience is until you've tried it.
         | 
         | And I'm convinced that within a few years, it's going to become
         | the main way of watching movies together with
         | friends/family/lovers when you're geographically apart --
         | whether 2,000 miles or 2 miles.
        
           | nocontextpls wrote:
           | I own a Quest 2 and it's far from glorious. The resolution
           | makes everything a blurry mess, and the lenses make anything
           | off-center even more blurry.
           | 
           | It DOES get sweaty, hot, and it leaves pressure marks on your
           | face.
           | 
           | My 65" 4k OLED TV and shelf speakers absolutely destroy the
           | Quest 2. I have also owned an HTC Vive and a Valve Index.
           | 
           | I would rather do nothing than use any of them for media
           | consumption.
        
             | crazygringo wrote:
             | If you use an app like SkyBox you can make sure the screen
             | is outputting full 1080p detail by adjusting the size and
             | rendering quality of the virtual screen. Nothing is blurry
             | or messy at all -- I've actually compared against stills
             | from the same video on my laptop. Each eye is 1920 pixels
             | wide but it's effectively a bit wider since you have two
             | eyes without total overlap between the two images, so it
             | matches up for 1080p pretty perfectly. (And you can watch
             | 4K content but you're only going to get effective 1080p
             | resolution.)
             | 
             | I'm happy you have a 65" 4K TV but not everyone does, and
             | the vast majority of content out there is only 1080p as
             | well. And my AirPods Pro, with noise cancelling, together
             | with the Quest's own spatial audio, absolutely destroy any
             | regular speakers I've ever owned. And everything can be as
             | loud as I want without disturbing anyone's sleep or study.
             | 
             | > _It DOES get sweaty, hot, and it leaves pressure marks on
             | your face._
             | 
             | I guess we have different experiences, but it sounds to me
             | like your strap is possibly much too tight. None of those
             | things happen to me. But I'm also using it in a room-
             | temperature environment -- I'm sure it would get sweaty and
             | hot if it were 90degF indoors or something.
        
               | nocontextpls wrote:
               | > If you use an app like SkyBox you make sure the screen
               | is outputting full 1080p detail. Nothing is blurry or
               | messy at all. You can do the math if you don't believe
               | me.
               | 
               | 1080p detail? Are you aware this detail is spread all
               | over your field of vision? ~18 pixels per degree is
               | laughable quality. And let's not talk about the Screen
               | Door Effect!
               | 
               | > The vast majority of content out there is only 1080p
               | 
               | What???
               | 
               | > And my AirPods Pro, with noise cancelling, together
               | with the Quest's own spatial audio, absolutely destroy
               | any regular speakers I've ever owned.
               | 
               | You probably haven't owned many speakers, then.
               | 
               | > I guess we have different experiences, but it sounds to
               | me like your strap is possibly much too tight.
               | 
               | If you don't wear it tight, it's easy for it to move
               | slightly and you lose the sweet spot of the lenses, which
               | is very narrow, increasing blurriness even further.
        
               | crazygringo wrote:
               | > _1080p detail? Are you aware this detail is spread all
               | over your field of vision?_
               | 
               | I'm aware that the field of view on the Quest 2 is fairly
               | narrow, so expanding the virtual screen to the full width
               | of the field of view winds up to actual 1080p yes. And
               | it's a great comfortable size for a virtual screen.
               | You're free to confirm the math yourself.
               | 
               | >> _The vast majority of content out there is only 1080p_
               | 
               | > _What???_
               | 
               | That's factual. Even most new TV shows aren't in 4K yet,
               | nor is most of the movie catalog.
               | 
               | > _You probably haven 't owned many speakers, then._
               | 
               | Right, I've dropped a few hundred on speakers. I'm much
               | happier dropping a couple hundred on AirPods than many
               | thousands on speakers to get the same quality... that I
               | can't even use at the same volume because it would bother
               | people.
               | 
               | I don't know why you're being so antagonistic here.
        
           | dahwolf wrote:
           | I must be old-fashioned or even anti-social, but what exactly
           | is the point of watching a movie together remotely? Does it
           | become some kind of group debate that constantly interrupts
           | the movie?
        
             | crazygringo wrote:
             | With comedies you're laughing together and it's awesome. I
             | did that constantly during COVID with friends. Especially
             | great for reality TV shows, you can pause and make jokes
             | about what's going on.
             | 
             | It's really fun to pause and chat about what's happening
             | and then resume. Yes it's constantly interrupting the movie
             | but that's the whole point. But because you pause you're
             | not missing dialog or anything.
             | 
             | I mean, do you not see a difference in watching something
             | on a couch with friends vs. watching the same thing by
             | yourself?
        
         | allenu wrote:
         | I'm in the camp that sees the whole thing as a novelty. I
         | didn't see any use cases that made me go "Ooh, I need this in
         | my life." I already have multiple screens around me. If I'm
         | watching TV and want to look something up, I can open up my
         | laptop or look at my phone.
         | 
         | The nice thing about those are I can physically close the
         | laptop or turn off the phone. With a virtual screen, I have to
         | use some UI to do it. I know it doesn't seem like much of a
         | difference, but to me, there's enough lag and lack of real feel
         | of control that I'd prefer a real object than a virtual one.
         | 
         | Interacting with app windows in 3D space also doesn't feel any
         | faster than just using a flat window on a flat screen. I'm
         | already super productive using keyboard + mouse and a flat
         | display, so I don't see how using my voice and turning my head
         | to look at things in a virtual space is any better.
        
           | m3kw9 wrote:
           | To be fair when the iPhone 1 came out nobody really said they
           | need it in their lives vs a Nokia or BB
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | allenu wrote:
             | For me, it's hard to make direct comparisons with the world
             | of then. Today, everybody has so many devices and are so
             | used to tech all around them every waking moment. An AR
             | headset doesn't feel like a huge leap in additional day-to-
             | day functionality compared with what a smartphone gave us
             | at the time.
        
               | netsharc wrote:
               | As this comparison says[1], people got from Wright
               | Brothers to 747 in a very short time and thought we'd be
               | space travellers soon after that, but hey, a 747 was good
               | enough.
               | 
               | [1] https://idlewords.com/talks/web_design_first_100_year
               | s.htm
        
             | entrox wrote:
             | > To be fair when the iPhone 1 came out nobody really said
             | they need it in their lives vs a Nokia or BB
             | 
             | That's not how I remember it, that original keynote was
             | magical. The benefits of the iPhone over current devices
             | (both phones and MP3 players) were crystal-clear, the only
             | damper being high price together with tying it to an AT&T
             | contract.
             | 
             | While impressive technologically, this on the other hand
             | gives rather creepy vibes - the whole presentation looks
             | like a Black Mirror episode.
        
             | mikeg8 wrote:
             | I don't remember it that way at all. The screen resolution.
             | Touchscreen keyboard. Pinch and zoom, safari web browsing
             | etc was all so much better than Nokia and BB offerings and
             | many people immediately wanted the first iPhone. The
             | earliest adopters would be hounded to show off their phone
             | to family and friends.
        
         | tinus_hn wrote:
         | No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
        
         | drited wrote:
         | I would totally rather work on this all day instead of being
         | hunched over a laptop. The freedom of posture, and the
         | expansiveness of the desktop real estate blow laptop
         | productivity out of the water in my opinion.
        
         | thefz wrote:
         | AR/VR is still a solution in search of a problem and will be
         | for a long time.
         | 
         | This is one of the most laughable launches and devices I have
         | ever witnessed in my life.
        
         | the_watcher wrote:
         | It would very obviously be useful for work if you can actually
         | get high res, effectively unlimited monitor space. Maybe not
         | for everyone, but people already spend $3500+ on monitor setups
         | somewhat regularly (and employers definitely do this). Apple
         | themselves sell a single monitor that costs $2300 when fully
         | spec'd out (5k, but the point is that they know what people
         | spend on monitors). I can't figure out why that wasn't the
         | highlight of the demo, since that's just very clearly the
         | easiest way to sell a $3500 device with this specific set of
         | features.
         | 
         | The recording video of a kid's birthday was one of the most
         | ridiculous thing's I've ever seen. I'd maybe record my kid with
         | something like this every once in a while, but I certainly
         | wouldn't be wearing ski goggles while he blows out candles.
        
           | coryfklein wrote:
           | This "unlimited monitor space" is a complete non-selling
           | point for me.
           | 
           | Being a wealthy software engineer, my monitor space is not
           | bottlenecked by my budget or desk space, but by my literal
           | neck. Constantly rotating my head back and forth from one
           | monitor to another is, quite literally, a pain.
           | 
           | For me the sweet spot is a single curved monitor right in
           | front of me. If I need more "desktop space" I add another
           | Space with Mission Control. And with keyboard shortcuts I can
           | move between Spaces nearly as fast as I can rotate my head
           | around.
           | 
           | So what am I going to do with a VR headset if I ever got one?
           | Put the active app straight in front of me just like I do
           | with my normal monitor. I'm not going to put my terminal at
           | some odd angle 25deg above my head and crane my head back
           | when I want to run a command in it. I won't put the Weather
           | app 90deg to my right, obscuring what is currently a nice
           | picture window looking out on my yard.
           | 
           | For me, VR needs that "killer app" to justify the high
           | pricing and inconvenience of use, and I just don't see one
           | yet. I don't expect one any time soon either; if VR was going
           | to get a killer app, it would have shown up by now.
        
             | qup wrote:
             | Not only swiveling your head around, but doing it with a
             | couple pounds strapped to it. People's necks are going to
             | be swole.
             | 
             | That being said, I've always wanted a wearable monitor so I
             | can lay in bed (or stand, or lay in my hammock, or just
             | have some variety). The chair is bad, and I've spent way
             | too many years (literally) in it. I need options.
             | 
             | I'm a terminal nerd, though, so I don't care too much about
             | all the 4k etc.
        
             | threeseed wrote:
             | Most developers don't have mobility issues. They have 2 / 3
             | large monitors (or laptop + monitor).
             | 
             | And so in this case they have the ability to access them
             | anywhere, anytime.
        
               | madeofpalk wrote:
               | Not wanting to turn your head 90 degrees to see your 13th
               | monitor is not a "mobility issue".
        
               | threeseed wrote:
               | Or you could not be ridiculous and just use 2 or 3
               | monitors like everyone does today.
               | 
               | At least you have the option to put monitors above and
               | below as well.
               | 
               | And completely swap configurations for different use
               | cases e.g. coding versus gaming.
        
               | zippergz wrote:
               | "Everyone" does not use 2 or 3 monitors. Certainly among
               | the software engineers I interact with regularly (at top
               | US tech companies), having multiple monitors is the
               | minority, not the majority.
               | 
               | I agree with the parent that any setup that requires me
               | to turn my head to see all of my screen space is a
               | downgrade, not an upgrade. Even a monitor that's too big
               | (above 30 inches or so at normal desk viewing distance)
               | is bad.
               | 
               | If you like it, go for it, but don't act like it's the
               | only or even most common way to work, even for
               | developers.
        
             | jsight wrote:
             | I just think you are thinking of the monitors in an overly
             | literal way.
             | 
             | Imagine a calendar on the wall, but with your meetings and
             | everything dynamic instead of just a static calendar. And
             | it adjusts to show your next meeting extra large as it
             | approaches. No you see useful information in your
             | periphery.
             | 
             | Or perhaps you have application monitoring dashboards on
             | another wall. You don't look at them all the time, but a
             | dedicated space wouldn't be a bad thing.
             | 
             | I see a lot of potential here in the future.
        
             | zmmmmm wrote:
             | Aren't you a case in point then?
             | 
             | > the sweet spot is a single curved monitor right in front
             | of me
             | 
             | So you can have that. Exactly the right monitor size,
             | curvature, location - in every room of the house, on the
             | train, at work, in the cafe etc. People with ergonomic
             | challenges are, I would have thought, a perfect market for
             | this.
        
           | ray__ wrote:
           | Yes, I agree with this. I'll only be buying one of these if
           | it means I can replace my work displays with it-I'd happily
           | pay the exorbitant price if it meant being able to have the
           | equivalent of an unlimited high-res display anywhere, at any
           | time. The lack of sub-pixel rendering on macOS means that I'm
           | already forced to buy an expensive 5K display for every place
           | that I plan to do work; a headset like this is a bargain in
           | comparison. Obviously this means that the headset will have
           | to be comfortable enough to use for long periods of time and
           | have high enough resolution to compete with a hiDPI display.
           | I doubt that this device will be able to deliver on both of
           | those fronts.
        
           | bredren wrote:
           | I am OP on the XDR Pro Display owner's thread over in the
           | Macrumors Forums.
           | 
           | Last week I asked XDR owners about their thoughts for
           | possibly replacing their high end XDR monitor(s) with virtual
           | displays in the Apple Vision Pro (I called it Apple Reality)
           | 
           | The question and replies cover some of the considerations
           | around this replacement and there are ongoing replies now
           | that some of the specs are known:
           | 
           | https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pro-display-xdr-
           | owners-...
        
           | yowzadave wrote:
           | The tech on this thing is so cool and so useless! People will
           | buy them, try them out, and then a month later realize they
           | didn't actually use it at all and return them to the store.
        
           | dwhitney wrote:
           | Yeah that was silly, but aren't all of the new iPhone cameras
           | 3D cameras? People take photos/videos all of the time. Now
           | you can immerse yourself in them. I think it's pretty cool
        
             | bredren wrote:
             | Presumably the current and next iPhone Pros can capture 3D
             | video.
             | 
             | I don't know why this wouldn't have been ridiculous,
             | because it really is ridiculous to suggest this would be
             | worn by a parent during a young child's happy birthday
             | singing and blowing out the candles.
             | 
             | This idea seemed like way too much of a stretch for this
             | intro. They had to know this, so I am very curious what the
             | reasoning was for why they included it.
        
               | xp84 wrote:
               | Current iPhone Pros? How would they? Their cameras are
               | super close together and different focal lengths (or
               | whatever the correct term is for "they're 1x, 3x and
               | 0.5x").
               | 
               | I share your immediate skepticism that wearing one of
               | these during any moments you'd like to relive later seems
               | preposterous. May as well just be DVRing the "moments"
               | with your goggles and be watching a movie on the inside,
               | because that's how present you would seem. Unless the
               | entire family all had their goggles on ("Apple Vision Pro
               | Family, starting at $9,999!") and you are all actually
               | experiencing a remote moment virtually!
        
         | jayd16 wrote:
         | > Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos?
         | 
         | Right now they pull open a (what was once massive) laptop and
         | scroll through vacation photos.
         | 
         | > If the kids are having a fun moment would I want to run
         | inside, grab my headset, strap it on and record a video, or
         | just go join them
         | 
         | Same as running inside to grab the camcorder, no?
         | 
         | >Would I rather work on this all day instead of a laptop?
         | 
         | If I got multiple monitors from a laptop on any desk then I
         | would find that pretty compelling.
        
           | PascLeRasc wrote:
           | Recent phones like the 3GS have a camcorder built in and fit
           | in a pocket.
        
             | jayd16 wrote:
             | Indeed, but its not like the scenario described has never
             | happened. If anything, the camcorder dad was a very popular
             | trope.
        
           | bredren wrote:
           | >Same as running inside to grab the camcorder, no?
           | 
           | Presumably new iPhone will record 3d video.
        
         | johnfn wrote:
         | > Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos? Does someone
         | watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty headset strapped to
         | them (and plugged into a socket) instead of on a couch with
         | their family/friends?
         | 
         | Not saying that I like it, but a very large swath of people
         | mindlessly scroll instagram for hours a day, or watch movies on
         | their laptop.
        
         | OJFord wrote:
         | > (and no, that weird eye display thing doesn't count)
         | 
         | That weird eye display thing is the only novel thing here, as
         | far as I can tell? I actually thought that was pretty neat.
         | (Not 3.5k suddenly-I'm-interested-in-VR neat, but still.)
        
         | fnordpiglet wrote:
         | I have a 360 go pro. That does make the headset worth it.
        
         | 30minAdayHN wrote:
         | I always wanted something like this. I lived in small
         | apartments where I cannot have large screens. I always thought
         | having a good VR / AR headset will unlock a huge screen which I
         | don't have access to otherwise.
         | 
         | Of course, it's anyone's speculation and numbers will give us
         | answers in future.
         | 
         | I see very similar parallel to headphones imo - why would
         | anyone wear a device instead of listening to amazing speakers.
         | I feel the same for vision.
        
         | nipponese wrote:
         | > Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos?
         | 
         | If your photos are: 1. 3D movies 2. viewed in a collaborative
         | setting instead of trying to show your stupid phone to everyone
         | at the table, one at a time
         | 
         | yes, you are going to view photos in headset.
        
         | oblio wrote:
         | Historically, I think it dates back to Jobs not liking them,
         | Apple doesn't really care about games. It begrudgingly accepts
         | them on the platform as second rate citizens since there's a
         | lot of money involved.
        
         | richardw wrote:
         | Unity as a partner. This thing hasn't arrived yet. It'll
         | definitely have games.
         | 
         | Personally this is the first AR kit I've vaguely wanted. The
         | software, hardware and partner list makes this a game changer.
         | There are more like me.
        
           | ztrww wrote:
           | > Unity as a partner.
           | 
           | Shovelware games drowning in ads and iAPs?
        
         | JumpCrisscross wrote:
         | > _Does someone watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty
         | headset strapped to them (and plugged into a socket) instead of
         | on a couch with their family /friends?_
         | 
         | Flights. This might become a must-have for the jet-setting
         | class. That not only makes Apples first-year numbers, it
         | fertilizes the market for developers.
        
           | hindsightbias wrote:
           | There was a lot of negativity online about the iPad and
           | iWatch. I knew they'd all be successful the first time I
           | boarded a flight after their intro.
           | 
           | Everyone in first class had one. As first class goes, so goes
           | at least America.
        
             | utopcell wrote:
             | That's an arbitrary over-generalization. I'm sure first
             | class was carrying blackberries long after 2007.
        
               | [deleted]
        
             | fumar wrote:
             | Fair comparison, I felt the same about the AirPods. What
             | these three devices have in common? They are not pro
             | devices and their physicality is portable and easily
             | accessible. Is the same true for the Vision Pro? I am
             | purposefully excluding price.
        
           | moooo99 wrote:
           | But it fertilizes the market for what kind of developers?
           | Currently I see no real convincing reason why this should be
           | substantially different than existing headsets except for a
           | better operating system experience.
           | 
           | I can see this being an exceptional gaming device if the
           | screen specs are anything to go by. But any game that would
           | justify spending the substantial premium for that device
           | would likely need an extra PC with really beefy specs,
           | bumping the price up even higher, further limiting the target
           | audience.
           | 
           | I've read other peoples thoughts about 3D modelling usecases.
           | For most CAD related use-cases this thing is almost
           | definitely overspeced considering the shitty textures most
           | CAD prototypes utilize. Maybe it would be cool for
           | architecture studios, but thats also a fairly limited
           | audience.
           | 
           | I'm sure developers will come up with very creative use-cases
           | for that device, but I cant imagine most of them being as
           | impactful in the average persons everyday life as the
           | introduction of the iPhone was. What I'm very certain is that
           | this device is launching at a bad time economically. 3.5k is
           | a significant expense, even for people with higher incomes.
           | In a time where disposable incomes shrink and uncertainty is
           | continuing to stress many employees, I don't think as many
           | people would be willing to drop the 3.5k on that device as
           | maybe 3 years ago.
           | 
           | But hey, maybe this comment will age as poorly as the famous
           | dropbox one.
        
             | xp84 wrote:
             | Completely agree with your points here. I personally see
             | nearly zero times when I would use this given what I've
             | seen so far. I imagined consuming content with the cheap
             | Oculus Go would be cool, but mine has been gathering dust
             | for years.
             | 
             | This Apple device seems like a moonshot. I am actually
             | really glad for them to use some of their $100B+ of cash to
             | take a shot at this product rather than other things that
             | might be more sure-fire profit makers. I think _if_ there
             | is a killer app for AR /VR, we haven't seen it yet, and
             | also, it'll be mind-blowing. But I think the chance of that
             | happening anytime in the next 5 years is minimal. It's a
             | low probability of something really awesome, so I'm rooting
             | for it even though Apple is overall not my favorite
             | company.
        
             | threeseed wrote:
             | Existing headsets are predominately VR.
             | 
             | This is the first true mixed reality headset as it allows
             | you to gradually transition between VR to AR. That's going
             | to make the headset a lot more usable outside or in
             | collaborative environments.
        
           | haberman wrote:
           | On flights you want noise cancellation. Maybe you could pair
           | these with noise-cancelling AirPods, but then would you still
           | get the "spatial audio"?
        
             | jtmarmon wrote:
             | 1. Airpod pros have spatial audio
             | 
             | 2. Their presentation showed someone using it with airpods
             | on a plane
             | 
             | https://twitter.com/techAU/status/1665790510093697024
        
               | cj wrote:
               | How do airpods compare with noise canceling Bose over the
               | ear? (Genuine question, not rhetorical)
        
               | swores wrote:
               | Two years ago they were better than the best in-ear noise
               | cancelling earphones Bose had. I've not kept up to date
               | or tried Bose since then so maybe they've got even better
               | (they weren't bad, just not as good as Airpods Pro, IMO).
        
               | yurishimo wrote:
               | AirPods ate some of the most highly rated wireless
               | earphones at the moment. Compared to full size Bose, I
               | would say they are 90% comparable.
        
           | xp84 wrote:
           | I kept picturing someone, having turned the "immersiveness"
           | crown to the max and put on noise-cancellation, sitting in a
           | window seat, smiling and calmly watching Ted Lasso all the
           | way down while everyone around them braces for impact and
           | grabs their life preservers!
        
           | hadlock wrote:
           | VR movies in economy maybe. To tune out the awful experience
           | of sitting in a 17" wide seat with not nearly enough leg
           | room.
           | 
           | Nobody is paying business or first class prices and wearing a
           | VR headset. Certainly not devoting carry on baggage space for
           | it.
        
             | JumpCrisscross wrote:
             | > _Nobody is paying business or first class prices and
             | wearing a VR headset. Certainly not devoting carry on
             | baggage space for it._
             | 
             | Why not? The screens aren't that great. And I may want to
             | watch my own content.
        
             | threeseed wrote:
             | I fly business class all the time and would absolutely use
             | this.
             | 
             | I get to watch my own content on a significantly larger and
             | better quality screen.
        
           | grogenaut wrote:
           | My M2 air works great on flights no matter the seat
           | configuration and I'm not small person. Costs a lot less than
           | the ar as well.
        
             | gnicholas wrote:
             | For productivity, the M2 MBA is great. But for movie-
             | watching, this is no comparison. I'm not a member of "the
             | jet-setting class", but I completely agree that this is
             | going to be de rigueur for those folks. I wouldn't be
             | surprised if first class cabins came with free rentals in
             | the near future.
        
               | yurishimo wrote:
               | They need a better story for the lenses for that to
               | become a reality. Anyone who needs corrective lenses will
               | need to bring their own and my guess is they are going to
               | cost around $500. I'll eat my shoe if they are less than
               | half of that cost.
        
               | azinman2 wrote:
               | Flights is one of the most compelling use cases for me
               | personally. I'm tall and would love this. I also could
               | use my ergonomic keyboard while looking up and ahead.
        
           | cj wrote:
           | Maybe, but you'd need to wear bulky Bose on top of the VR
           | headset to get decent audio quality + noise cancelation.
        
             | JumpCrisscross wrote:
             | > _you 'd need to wear bulky Bose on top of the VR headset
             | to get decent audio quality + noise cancelation_
             | 
             | I have a Bose and AirPods Pros, and I can't say one is a
             | class above the other.
        
           | numpad0 wrote:
           | XReal(Nreal) glasses are much cheaper and lighter and with
           | good reputations for that use case.
        
             | freedomben wrote:
             | Does anyone know what is the privacy status of XReal? I
             | would like to buy one, but I'm quite concerned about
             | privacy.
        
               | [deleted]
        
           | snackwalrus wrote:
           | I also thought flights were a compelling use case until I saw
           | that the battery life was "up to" a whopping 2 hours
        
             | dwighttk wrote:
             | on a flight you just plug it into your seat
        
             | notatoad wrote:
             | i can certainly see the appeal of a VR headset on flights,
             | but if that's all i'm buying it for why would i go for a
             | $3500 apple device instead of a $299 headset from meta?
             | 
             | can i even use noise-cancelling headphones with the reality
             | pro, or is it locked to the built-in spacial audio headest?
             | because i'd rather block out the noise than the peripheral
             | vision on a plane.
        
               | [deleted]
        
               | threeseed wrote:
               | a) Meta Quest is heavier, bulkier with significantly
               | poorer quality displays.
               | 
               | b) You can use any earphones you like. There are videos
               | of people using the AirPods Pro which are the best noise
               | cancelling IEMs on the market today.
        
               | JumpCrisscross wrote:
               | > _a) Meta Quest is heavier, bulkier with significantly
               | poorer quality displays_
               | 
               | It's also made by Facebook. We tend to underestimate the
               | power of brands in tech. There are few places I've seen
               | as loud of a status-signaling system than commercial
               | aviation.
        
               | azinman2 wrote:
               | The screens are totally different, as are the apps.
        
             | generaljargon wrote:
             | Aside from the in-seat power, I think another likely
             | solution will be third parties like Belkin making a less
             | "apple-esque" but longer lasting battery that's compatible
             | with the magnetic connector. The OEM solution looks quite
             | small as is. [1]
             | 
             | 1 https://www.apple.com/v/apple-vision-
             | pro/a/images/overview/d...
        
               | gnicholas wrote:
               | Interesting, it doesn't show a way to charge that brick.
               | I assumed it would have USB-C for charging, though
               | perhaps MagSafe makes more sense given the propensity of
               | the user to stand up and start walking without realizing
               | he's plugged into the wall!
               | 
               | I also wonder if it will use the other type of MagSafe
               | (like on the iPhone) charging. I could see the argument
               | for convenience, but presumably this would be
               | significantly slower charging than over USB-C.
        
             | jdprgm wrote:
             | Two extra batteries will likely be trivial cost in the
             | context of a $3500 device, not sure why this isn't clear to
             | everyone critiquing the battery life?
        
             | doctoboggan wrote:
             | Unless it's plugged in, in which case it can be used
             | indefinitely. Many planes today allow you to plug in
             | devices from your seat.
        
               | loeg wrote:
               | Usually very limited amperage, almost certainly
               | insufficient to keep this thing going indefinitely.
        
               | yurishimo wrote:
               | This is not true. Most seats have a 120/240v receptacle
               | that can keep laptops charged while in use.
               | 
               | You're forgetting this thing uses a mostly passive M2
               | chip. Not to mention I'm sure they designed it so it
               | could be powered from the USB c ports on their laptops.
               | The headset won't use anywhere near the amount of power
               | you seem to be implying.
        
               | bagels wrote:
               | Many also do not. Maybe even most?
        
               | HDThoreaun wrote:
               | Then you get to use it for 2 hours. Most domestic flights
               | only have two hours or so of time when you're allowed to
               | use your laptop.
        
               | mmcclure wrote:
               | I typically fly one airline so it could just be their
               | planes, but I don't remember the last plane I was on that
               | didn't have outlets[1]. And certainly the folks that can
               | drop $3,500 on this are more likely to either be in
               | business class or flying "nicer" airlines, so plug access
               | feels like a non-issue to me.
               | 
               | [1] That being said, the number of times a plug has been
               | able to support a charging brick directly is...miniscule.
               | They're usually so worn out that they can't support the
               | weight, so I have to carry the extension just for that
               | reason.
        
           | CydeWeys wrote:
           | All the most enjoyable stuff I've done in VR has involved, at
           | a minimum, lots of arm movement, and typically also leg
           | movement as well. Think Beat Saber, or Half-Life: Alyx. I
           | don't really see this working in a seated plane environment.
        
             | RandallBrown wrote:
             | We're talking about watching movies, not playing rhythm
             | games.
             | 
             | Is it going to be worth $3500 to have a better movie
             | experience on an airplane? Absolutely not. Is it going to
             | be awesome? Probably.
        
               | seanmcdirmid wrote:
               | It depends on how often you fly. I can see a frequent
               | flyer benefiting from this, or maybe airlines will just
               | had them out to their biz class flyers.
        
           | justapassenger wrote:
           | They focus on AR experiences, so doesn't fit into flights.
           | Why would I need to see my sweaty passenger?
        
             | dwighttk wrote:
             | there's a lot of graded levels of visible background in the
             | keynote
        
             | swores wrote:
             | They've said there's a "crown" (like on their watches) on
             | the headset you can turn to adjust seeing your surroundings
             | or not. And there's a video demonstrating that on the page
             | this thread links to. So no, you're not stuck seeing your
             | surroundings if you don't want to see them.
        
         | mithr wrote:
         | > Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos? Does someone
         | watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty headset strapped to
         | them (and plugged into a socket) instead of on a couch with
         | their family/friends?
         | 
         | This was exactly my biggest question. In what situation do you
         | sit and watch family photos of a vacation with your kids _alone
         | on your couch_? In almost all cases, you 're doing that with
         | your family, or showing them to someone else. And if you've got
         | a family (as many people in the ads did!) you're also watching
         | movies together with them most of the time. Apple completely
         | sidestepped talking about how other people might be able to
         | share your experience. Even if this is amazing for actual work,
         | and you're working in a physical office (as the guy in the ad
         | did! as Apple requires all employees do a few days a week!),
         | how will you show your coworker what you're working on? They
         | also conspicuously focused on manufacturing, presentations, and
         | conferencing as their office use cases, and _not_ coding,
         | despite repeatedly stating that small text looks very clear.
         | 
         | As for the "running inside and grabbing a headset" aspect, it
         | felt like they were implying that people will wear this
         | everywhere they go (which they similarly imply won't feel weird
         | exactly due to the weird eye display thing), so you'll
         | _already_ be wearing the headset. But that feels like a very,
         | very ambitious goal, that right now seems ridiculously unlikely
         | /niche.
        
           | jumpkick wrote:
           | Regarding looking at family photos alone, this is typically
           | only done in a film, when you, a character, have experienced
           | some terrible tragedy.
        
         | pxc wrote:
         | > Does someone watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty
         | headset strapped to them (and plugged into a socket) instead of
         | on a couch with their family/friends?
         | 
         | My mom does this because she's legally blind and the best
         | assistive devices she can use for movies are AR goggles that do
         | magnification/zoom. It's the only way she can make out a human
         | face in a film.
         | 
         | I've worn them for parts of movies as well just to try them and
         | it's really not so bad. The calculus here will obviously be
         | different for people with normal vision, but I figured this
         | experience with a similar use case was worth noting.
        
         | tootie wrote:
         | AR is so, so, so difficult and so much more than just good
         | resolution. If they are trying to do passthrough camera then
         | the framerate has to be super high while also delivering all
         | that 4k video. The problems with opacity and occlusion of real
         | and superimposed objects is almost impossible to make it truly
         | immersive. I think their trick is likely going to be in the
         | software and in the interaction modes. You can't strap this to
         | your head and ride a bike with heads up display, this will be a
         | seated experience with a controlled environment. And it may do
         | that one job very, very well.
        
         | drrotmos wrote:
         | > Would I rather work on this all day instead of a laptop?
         | 
         | That really is the $3,500 question. Can I see myself preferring
         | to work streaming my Mac's screen to a Vision Pro for my IDE,
         | having and things like Slack and e-mail off to the side running
         | on the headset? I don't know, but if I can, this seems worth it
         | to me.
        
           | rtkwe wrote:
           | It really depends on how the fake screens actually look in
           | use. You need a decent multiple of the number of pixels in
           | the screen you want to emulate on your AR glasses to be able
           | to pull it off well and so far we haven't really gotten it. I
           | do not see myself getting these till they're a third or less
           | the price either unless they're issued to me for work for
           | some reason.
        
           | wnolens wrote:
           | These days I've moved over to pomodoro technique to be able
           | to get _any_ work done in the face of WFH distractions and
           | general indifference to my work.
           | 
           | So strapping on immersive goggles for 30m-1h chunks and
           | taking lots of breaks actually fits my current work model
           | perfectly and might improve my productivity.
           | 
           | It all comes down to.. how clear is text?
        
           | ARandumGuy wrote:
           | All day is the key component. Most VR headsets recommend
           | taking breaks every half hour, which isn't just a "cover your
           | ass" warning. I know I can't use my personal headset for much
           | longer without feeling woozy after I take it off.
           | 
           | By comparison, I'm at my laptop for 7+ hours just for work. I
           | would need to see compelling evidence that the Vision Pro is
           | safe and comfortable to use for that long before I'd even
           | consider replacing my laptop. And if it can't replace the
           | computers or displays I use, then it's just a $3,500 gimmick.
        
             | asdff wrote:
             | To be fair you are supposed to get up, walk around, and
             | refocus your eyes on something far away every 20 mins or so
             | no matter what computer you are using.
        
             | qintl55 wrote:
             | They say that the battery on that is ~2 hours (?) So
             | probably not for work yet.
        
               | mostlysimilar wrote:
               | It can be plugged in for all-day use.
        
               | gnicholas wrote:
               | I work sitting in a chair, looking at a screen. If I were
               | to work using one of these, I would just plug it in like
               | my computer and screen currently are. Though it would be
               | nice to go outside and work in my hammock, on a gigantic
               | floating screen!
        
               | RandallBrown wrote:
               | Depending on your work, I imagine you'll still want a
               | desk for typing.
               | 
               | I can't imagine writing code using only my voice.
        
               | gnicholas wrote:
               | I have a lap desk with a BT keyboard and trackpad. I
               | assume I'd want to bring the keyboard to my imaginary
               | hammock desk. The trackpad (and lap desk) might not be
               | necessary, assuming that pointer manipulation can be done
               | via gestures.
               | 
               | I agree that dictation would not be enough for most
               | people. I don't code, but writing emails is not a fun
               | experience with Apple's current speech-to-text offerings.
        
               | c1b wrote:
               | Its AR
        
               | asdff wrote:
               | You can buy two or three and swap them out. Chicken
               | scratch for a company when engineers cost so much these
               | days anyhow.
        
               | utopcell wrote:
               | The problem is not the cost, it's the experience. You
               | _could_ be carrying multiple laptop batteries with you
               | also. It would make the laptop itself lighter and
               | thinner, but it would be a larger hassle overall.
        
               | xp84 wrote:
               | I was disappointed to see that the battery cord, with the
               | magnetic headset-side connector, seemed hardwired at the
               | battery end. Though this is very in character for Apple.
               | You can bet that each "battery with proprietary cord
               | tail" will be at least $199. Look what they charge for an
               | iPhone "battery pack" -- a $2 ring of magnets, a $5
               | battery, and a bit of plastic = $99.
               | 
               | Given the initial cost is so high, it's both frustrating
               | that they will continue to nickel and dime you, and at
               | the same time unlikely that someone dropping that kind of
               | money will even blink at buying an accessory which
               | actually is less than the sales tax on the device itself.
        
           | mgrandl wrote:
           | I can 100% see myself preferring working on this thing over a
           | Mac, as long as I don't need a Mac to host my dev
           | environment.
        
             | byteware wrote:
             | I mean, depending on the work using it as a thin client
             | would make the most sense imo, compiling still takes a toll
             | on the battery life even with m2 magic
        
           | ignoramous wrote:
           | Exactly. You know it is worth it when corp pays for the
           | gadgets ;)
           | 
           | I mean, how terribly over-priced is the Mac, and yet...
        
           | paxys wrote:
           | A bigger question is - does it support mouse input? Because
           | none of their demos showed it, and without it the headset is
           | basically dead on arrival for any real work.
        
             | anamexis wrote:
             | I don't think that's self-evident. If the eye tracking is
             | really good, it could obviate the need for a mouse.
        
               | beebeepka wrote:
               | Why would it obviate the need for a mouse? I can focus on
               | something and expect my cursor elsewhere. Especially in
               | games
        
               | anamexis wrote:
               | Because any time you're doing fine-grained work with your
               | cursor, you're looking at it. I'm not talking about
               | games.
        
               | beebeepka wrote:
               | I can see where you are coming from but it doesn't make
               | too much sense to me. Why can't we have both.
        
               | xp84 wrote:
               | it seemed pretty obvious we do have both. It showed a
               | "magic trackpad" being used. Seems like it supports
               | pointing devices normally.
        
               | [deleted]
        
             | youreincorrect wrote:
             | My bigger worry is how I would type, if that's at all
             | possible. My assumption, like the sibling comment notes, is
             | that eye tracking would replace mouse input.
             | 
             | And I'm not yet typing code by talking to a computer. Maybe
             | AI will work for 'typing' by talking and using copilot or
             | some similar tech, but I've yet to try that and am not that
             | confident that software has caught up to allow me to
             | navigate folders and files within a codebase, edit the
             | code, restart any servers if that's necessary, test (run
             | tests, or visit a page, or send a curl request), post a
             | pull request, etc. All of the disjoint steps I need to do
             | to work, which change depending on the task, would need to
             | work confidently in a system like this for me to switch
             | over. And if speech is the way forward, I think my wife is
             | going to be pretty upset with me since I WFH.
        
               | HDThoreaun wrote:
               | They're positioning this as a productivity product.
               | You'll probably be able to just use a keyboard. Get ready
               | to learn to type without looking at the keys I guess, but
               | I think most people already can with only a few issues.
               | 
               | Imo most useful case for this is watching youtube in bed,
               | I'd just keep a bluetooth keyboard/mouse on my
               | nightstand.
        
               | anthonymckay wrote:
               | "Get ready to learn to type without looking at the keys I
               | guess"
               | 
               | Why wouldn't you be able to look at the keys? This is AR,
               | you can see everything around you still, including a
               | physical keyboard right in front of you.
        
               | mostlysimilar wrote:
               | You can pair a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, it was shown
               | in the keynote.
        
               | youreincorrect wrote:
               | If I'm just going to use this sitting at my desk, I'll
               | stick with my monitor instead.
        
               | mostlysimilar wrote:
               | That's fair. My monitor is a constrained space. If this
               | headset is light and comfortable and can give me
               | unlimited real estate without compromising on text
               | clarity and resolution, I'd happily wear it all day at my
               | desk.
        
               | youreincorrect wrote:
               | Hey, I think that's fair too.
        
               | filoleg wrote:
               | The beautiful part is that the headset makes any desk (at
               | my apartment, when visiting parents, in the office, etc.)
               | my desk, which is exactly the same every time no matter
               | where I am. Without bajillion cables and with
               | instantaneous setup time. And would allow me to not worry
               | about the physical constraints of the surface and take up
               | no actual physical space on the desk.
        
               | caconym_ wrote:
               | You can use a Bluetooth keyboard pretty much anywhere you
               | can sit with it on your lap or a table in front of you.
               | One might legitimately worry about looking like a huge
               | dork in public, but for a lot of people I imagine there
               | is a lot of appeal to a device that can throw up a
               | virtual array of multiple monitors anywhere they want to
               | sit down and get some work done.
        
               | l33t233372 wrote:
               | Yes let me just rip the keyboard I carry with me out of
               | my back pocket.
        
               | caconym_ wrote:
               | Well, you do you, but if I were using a headset like this
               | as a laptop replacement I would put it and the keyboard
               | in a backpack. You know, just like how I carry my laptop
               | around today.
        
             | zebnyc wrote:
             | Maybe they will sell you an iGlove )in the future) to go
             | along with this so that you can type / click on your
             | virtual keyboard & mouse
        
               | swores wrote:
               | They've already made it clear that you can do that
               | without a glove... (as well as optionally using physical
               | devices instead).
        
             | tracerbulletx wrote:
             | They mentioned the magic trackpad, so I can't imagine a
             | mouse wouldn't also work.
        
             | rad_gruchalski wrote:
             | > You're able to place multiple apps in the real world
             | space and can type with either voice or a virtual keyboard,
             | but you can also use Bluetooth keyboards and trackpads, and
             | with a glance at your Mac, you can use it on a large
             | virtual display.
             | 
             | https://www.macworld.com/article/1940428/apple-vision-pro-
             | de...
        
             | MacsHeadroom wrote:
             | They showed a demo with Bluetooth touchpad (and keyboard)
             | input.
        
             | spudlyo wrote:
             | The demo I saw showed a guy at a standing desk, using a
             | Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. I remember I grimaced
             | thinking what his shoulders must feel like typing with his
             | hands so close together on that tiny, shitty little
             | keyboard. It made me think of little T-Rex arms.
        
               | rjmunro wrote:
               | The keys on the magic keyboard (and therefore hand
               | positions) are no closer together than on other
               | keyboards. It just doesn't have the numeric keypad part.
               | 
               | If you want an ergonomic keyboard with a gap in the
               | middle, any bluetooth keyboard will work with a Mac,
               | iPhone or iPad, so I imagine it would with this too.
        
               | [deleted]
        
           | acomjean wrote:
           | Anytime its on your face, you could be working.
           | 
           | Front and center, your work. anytime, anywhere. depending on
           | how its implemented you can't get away. Hope they include a
           | power button.
           | 
           | But 2 hours of battery life is a good amount of work, though
           | it seems short somehow. Nice to know there is a limit on it
           | taking over your time.
        
           | cesarvarela wrote:
           | I think that price tag is not for end consumers, but early
           | adopters/builders. There is going to be a gold rush of "maybe
           | I can make that flashlight app that makes me a millionaire".
           | 
           | Fun times incoming.
        
           | rad_gruchalski wrote:
           | > That really is the $3,500 question.
           | 
           | For me the question rather is: is being able to work from the
           | sofa a couple of hours a day without having to stare at a
           | small screen worth $3.5k? Certainly.
        
             | its_ethan wrote:
             | Is the small screen you're referring to your laptop, or the
             | tiny screens in the headset?
        
               | rad_gruchalski wrote:
               | I'm not a native English speaker so I thought I missed a
               | comma somewhere. But rereading my previous comment I'm
               | rather certain I mean the small screen to be the one of
               | the laptop. Even the 16" model gives only so much space
               | to work with.
        
               | canadianfella wrote:
               | [dead]
        
             | randyrand wrote:
             | Maybe I am in the minority, but I have no problem using my
             | laptop on the couch for a few hours. It's quite
             | comfortable.
        
               | rad_gruchalski wrote:
               | Yes, mostly. But sometimes not. Sometimes I wish I could
               | have those 32 inches on the vesa while still sitting on
               | the sofa.
        
               | rabuse wrote:
               | I'm with you on this. I see these as a wonderful option
               | for being productive just about anywhere, if the
               | experience is actually what was demoed.
        
               | practice9 wrote:
               | And for me spending more than 2 hours per day with laptop
               | on the sofa is a recipe for neck pain and migraines. The
               | angle is just not right.
               | 
               | If the headset is more ergonomic for this situation, it
               | will find its target audience for sure. The battery is
               | designed for 2 hours sessions, but the device can run
               | indefinitely while on charger
        
           | oezi wrote:
           | The key question is if this thing will stay cool enough to be
           | comfortable.
        
           | donbongo wrote:
           | This is the same question i'm asking myself too
        
         | caconym_ wrote:
         | > massive
         | 
         | > sweaty
         | 
         | > strapped
         | 
         | > instead of [...] their family/friends
         | 
         | > generated avatars
         | 
         | > kids [...] grab my headset, strap it on [...] or just go join
         | them?
         | 
         | > cutting myself off from the outside world
         | 
         | > half-assed substitute for consuming the same content
         | 
         | > Show me the actual future
         | 
         | It seems like you're trying very hard to convince yourself this
         | will be a bad product that is unpleasant to use and carries
         | unavoidable antisocial externalities. It could very well be all
         | of that and more, but I don't really understand why you would
         | bother with this level of self-assured negativity before there
         | are even any unbiased hands-on impressions out there. Apple is
         | historically very good at execution.
         | 
         | > Would I rather work on this all day instead of a laptop?
         | 
         | You know, I very well might!
        
           | electrondood wrote:
           | Shoot, I would. I've been dreaming of a headset to replace my
           | monitors for years now.
        
         | hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
         | I totally agree with everything you've written, but I'd just
         | put forth that I think what Apple did with Apple Watch could be
         | instructive here.
         | 
         | Apple Watch was basically originally marketed as a high-end
         | app/notification device (remember the original 10k gold Apple
         | Watch?) Over time they realized the real target market and use
         | case was as a fitness/health tracker, and they doubled down on
         | features and design for that.
         | 
         | With these AR/VR headsets, I agree that gaming is the one use
         | case I've actually seen these headsets be great at, but all
         | these companies keep trying to extend it to our daily lives
         | that nobody seems to really want. But I could believe Apple
         | would eventually come around to seeing one or two really good
         | target markets (gaming and watching movies maybe?) and then
         | just really hone in on that. Folks say games will be a tough
         | sell because Apple isn't really known as a gaming platform, but
         | I don't think this is really true if you take iOS games into
         | account. I can easily see game developers wanting to build for
         | this given the hardware capabilities.
        
           | lolinder wrote:
           | No one is going to buy a $3500 headset for their puzzle and
           | idle games, so Apple's existing games market is not going to
           | help them sell this device.
           | 
           | For Apple to break into the VR games space they'll have to
           | woo both serious gamers _and_ large game studios, both of
           | which seem extremely unlikely given the _huge_ cultural
           | disconnect.
        
         | coolspot wrote:
         | > Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos?
         | 
         | A male sitting alone in a dimmed room watching photos with a
         | smug on his face. I think they were hinting at something else
         | than "vacation photos".
        
           | d3nj4l wrote:
           | [dead]
        
         | opportune wrote:
         | I have not developed a VR/AR game, but I imagine there are
         | several chicken-egg problems making this possible killer app
         | hard to achieve. One is that VR/AR adoption (and _usage_ ) is
         | not enough to justify large studios spending huge sums of money
         | developing games that make extensive use of Vr/ar features, at
         | best they'll take a regular game and port it to VR. Another is
         | that there aren't very many workers who are experienced at
         | developing VR/AR applications yet, and that the tooling isn't
         | mature enough (or standardized enough) for this to be easy. But
         | without killer apps there won't be enough VR/AR users to begin
         | with.
         | 
         | Also the hardware is rapidly developing and creating super
         | flashy applications requires high-specced SKUs that are only
         | supported by a small number of devices in the wild.
         | 
         | Porting 2D desktop applications with a couple VR/AR gimmicks to
         | VR is something that is well scoped and comparatively easy, it
         | also is mostly re-usable because any "render a 2D UI in 3d"
         | tech is going to work in most or all applications. So in terms
         | of getting features and applications to encourage adoption, it
         | has very high ROI.
         | 
         | Also, people probably aren't just going to strap on a VR
         | headset to look at vacation photos or YouTube videos if the
         | only thing it offers is a super wide field of view and
         | immersive audio. But they will for... other kinds of photos and
         | videos that Apple can't demo on stage
        
         | goosedragons wrote:
         | As someone who lives alone in a tiny apartment I have watched a
         | movie on my Quest 2, quite a few. It's better than watching a
         | movie on my PC monitor that pulls double duty as a TV. Would I
         | pay $3500 for that though? Absolutely not.
         | 
         | I'm curious how well gaming will work too. They didn't show off
         | any sort of VR controller a la Quest or PS VR2.
        
           | RandallBrown wrote:
           | I think they purposefully avoided showing a VR controller
           | because they're making the claim that you don't need one at
           | all for the use cases they were showing.
           | 
           | I think they're claiming that their hand and eye tracking are
           | good enough that you don't need to be waving your arms around
           | to navigate menus.
           | 
           | They did show people using a Playstation controller to play
           | games so I assume there will eventually at least be a third
           | party VR controller.
        
           | LtdJorge wrote:
           | Because their gaming market would be tiny. Gaming on Mac is
           | completely dead, and mobile gaming will take at least a lot
           | of time to adapt to the hardware.
        
             | joemi wrote:
             | > Gaming on Mac is completely dead
             | 
             | "Dead" is an unnecessary exaggeration. I'm a Mac gamer and
             | my Steam library has more Mac games in it than I can
             | possibly play all the way through. No Man's Sky was just
             | released for Mac, and I'm looking forward to playing that
             | too. I just played through Subnautica at the same time as
             | my friend who was playing it on his Switch and he was blown
             | away at how much better and smoother it was on my M1
             | MacBook. Also Parallels and Crossover open up the ability
             | to play a lot of Windows games on a Mac. I'm still
             | impressed with just how well that works for some games. I'm
             | not a bleeding-edge everything-in-my-life-is-about-gaming
             | gamer, sure, but I still think I'm a gamer. Yes, compared
             | to the Windows gaming market, the Mac gaming market is
             | small, but it's not dead.
        
         | Pxtl wrote:
         | > Does someone watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty
         | headset strapped to them (and plugged into a socket) instead of
         | on a couch with their family/friends?
         | 
         | Let's be real, most media content is being consumed on phones
         | these days. In those cases? Yes, a headset is basically just a
         | smartphone for your face.
         | 
         | But I agree about the demos in general focusing on stuff you
         | can do already just fine in 2D. There was very little that
         | looked like a useful application of a HUD. No 3D modeling work,
         | no superimposing digital info over relevant real-world
         | objects... just normal computer and smartphone tasks, but
         | wearing a big sweaty heavy expensive face-screen.
        
           | princevegeta89 wrote:
           | Can it be straining the eyes, head, ears, and jaws? Also,
           | what are the negative mental effects of being lost in that
           | world for 2+ hours? Staring at my phone, I still know what's
           | beside me.. I can fall asleep with stuff still playing on my
           | phone... but I can't imagine what sort of an experience it is
           | to fall asleep with the headset still wrapped around your
           | skull...lol
        
         | robbyking wrote:
         | > _Does someone really sit on their couch, put on a massive
         | headset, and scroll through their vacation photos?_
         | 
         | There was a time that people said the same thing about digital
         | photos -- people swore nothing would ever replace physical
         | photo albums, and thought the idea of having to look at a
         | screen to view your vacation photos was insane.
         | 
         | Now just imagine a few generations from now when Apple Vision
         | is the size of a pair of regular eye glasses.
        
           | ztrww wrote:
           | I guess the question is whether this the Newton or the iPad.
           | It might take another 5-10 years before actual uses cases get
           | figured out and at that point it might be very different from
           | what Apple is offering now or are envisioning for the next
           | couple of generations.
        
             | swores wrote:
             | I wasn't around when the Newton happened so I'm curious -
             | do you know if there were people at the time (outside
             | Apple) believing it would be the next big thing?
        
           | wpietri wrote:
           | When do you believe that time was? Because that's not how I
           | remember it.
           | 
           | I borrowed an Apple QuickTake from friends in the mid '90s,
           | and bought an Olympus 1-megapixel camera not too long after.
           | People definitely complained about the low quality. And some
           | said they didn't want to have to go to a desktop computer to
           | view their photos, which was very plausible given the size
           | and slowness of desktop computers of the time.
           | 
           | And they turned out to be basically correct. Digital
           | photography became wildly more popular with the rise of the
           | smartphone and the tablet. Basically computers had to get
           | much more human-friendly, fitting into the existing human
           | world, so that you could use photos as you would with an
           | album, handing them around, pointing at them, etc.
           | 
           | Which is part of what makes me skeptical about facehugger VR.
           | Instead of putting technology in their living rooms, it
           | requires people to cut themselves off from their surroundings
           | and pretend to be somewhere else. It's the exact opposite of
           | what made digital photography work for the masses.
        
           | paxys wrote:
           | Cool and in those few generations I will absolutely buy that
           | magical device. But we are discussing what's in front of us
           | today.
        
             | swores wrote:
             | The conversation doesn't have to be limited to only whether
             | this device is perfect today, I'm not sure why you object
             | to people discussing the concept and its future potential
             | also.
        
         | liendolucas wrote:
         | I got very similar thoughts... I think the most promising
         | future of this tech are simulations of all kinds: let's
         | virtually open a human body and study it, let's disassemble an
         | engine to see how each part works, let's project how a city
         | should be wise-designed to avoid transport issues, etc.
         | 
         | Even most of these things can be also appreciated using regular
         | tech. Why should Apple succeed when most of other companies
         | have not succeeded (Occulus, Hololens, HTC Vive)? Putting aside
         | not so stunning technology, people actually didn't get engaged
         | with the tech so much.
         | 
         | I had the opportunity to use a version of the Occulus some
         | years ago and found them pretty impressive, but even though at
         | the time I saw it like a cool gadget only to be enjoyed for a
         | very limited amount of time.
        
         | foobarbecue wrote:
         | I watch tv shows often and movies occasionally on my Quest 2.
         | Often the TV shows aren't in 4K anyway so I'm not losing any
         | resolution. The main reason I do it is the perfect darkness you
         | get with the headset on. Shows like Silo are too dark to watch
         | during the day in my southern california apartment. I know I
         | could get blackout curtains or whatever but the Quest is
         | actually cheaper and easier.
        
         | zitterbewegung wrote:
         | This is good for gamers actually not for the obvious one (hand
         | tracking ) but actually the ability to immediately change the
         | isolation. The biggest problem I have with doing stuff in VR is
         | that I multitask in certain games and if you make it so I can
         | switch to something else momentarily then that's a big win. I
         | agree with you though that why they haven't been much more
         | aggressive with gaming at wwdc unless at launch or nearer they
         | wanted to announce then but that would be ridiculous since
         | gamers preorder everything and announcing a game would push
         | more gamers to that.
        
         | erTAlEAS wrote:
         | I agree that it's undoubtedly a very impressive device.
         | 
         | I think the next generation of computing devices is going to be
         | centered around the device understanding the environment around
         | you, what you are looking at and doing. E.g. you are shopping,
         | cooking, fixing something at home, running, playing basketball
         | and the device understands what you are doing and gives you
         | info and help about the activity. Democratizing access to a
         | personal universal coaching for everyone, like the Internet did
         | with access to information. This device is kind of like a mac
         | on your head, I think it doesn't differentiate itself enough
         | from what is currently available. That's with the exception for
         | entertainment: gaming and movies where I expect it will provide
         | a much more immersive experience to what you can have at home
         | with a traditional setup, like the other similar device do.
         | 
         | I do like the eye display on the front, I think Apple is making
         | a correct bet that these devices can't cut you off from the
         | outside world. In the long run they will be small enough not to
         | cover the face at all. I think it's probably another 5-10 years
         | before the next big thing, but with the Apple silicon
         | advancements and few year of lessons from this device Apple is
         | the best position to dominate that space then.
        
         | LightBug1 wrote:
         | To be honest, I was looking to hate on this, but they sold it
         | much better than the others...
         | 
         | I can see value in it where before it was a gimmick.
         | 
         | And come to think of it, isn't this where Apple does best?
         | Taking the components of an idea that others have failed with,
         | and using them to create a new market category.
         | 
         | That thing will have to be as light as a feather though...
         | 
         | What weirded me out most though, was the feeling that all the
         | presenters had run their demonstrations through chatGPT "in the
         | style of Steve Jobs". Maybe the SMT have rebooted Jobs via an
         | LLM!
         | 
         | I enjoyed the memory of him though.
        
           | lolinder wrote:
           | What value do you see here that others haven't already tried
           | selling? I haven't watch the keynote yet, but the landing
           | page looks like all the same concepts Meta's been trying and
           | failing to get people excited about for years now.
        
             | LightBug1 wrote:
             | Possibly it's the confidence that there is "something"
             | behind it. I. E. Apple software...
             | 
             | To get all nostalgic again... "And one more thing... the
             | iPhone runs OSX * rapturous applause *". It's that same
             | kind of thing.
             | 
             | When I think of Meta, I think Facebook and it's absolutely
             | over. I see Zuck avatar, I see cringe. Same with other
             | manufacturers. Not many have the depth to deliver short and
             | long term. Especially if dropping serious money on it.
             | 
             | You have to hand it to Apple, the presentation is cliche,
             | but they know how to sell.
             | 
             | I won't be getting one, but I can imagine these selling
             | decently. Not iPhone scale, obviously, but enough to cement
             | the market
        
         | t-writescode wrote:
         | > Does someone watch an entire 2+ hour movie with a sweaty
         | headset strapped to them (and plugged into a socket) instead of
         | on a couch with their family/friends?
         | 
         | Some of us don't have local friends we want to sit down and
         | watch a movie with; and some of us don't have local friends at
         | all.
         | 
         | I know people who already watch whole movies, etc, in VRChat.
         | This usecase already exists.
        
         | asdff wrote:
         | Apple hasn't cared about gaming seriously for perhaps decades.
        
         | jillesvangurp wrote:
         | Sure, the announcement is full of cliches and more than a
         | little cringeworthy. But I'm not aware of any device that
         | provides this level of quality and immersion for things like 2D
         | and 3D movies, games, or simply the amount of screen real
         | estate for anything 2D people already use. The genius move with
         | this strategy is that it is mostly about leveling up 2D and
         | existing content and software. With some sprinkling of 3D
         | content.
         | 
         | And probably this device is not fast enough for full immersive
         | 3D gaming to begin with. You'd need that new Mac Studio in a
         | backpack mounted on your back with probably a few kilos of
         | battery dangling behind it and some cooling for you and all
         | that hardware. Not going to happen. Some light gaming is
         | probably fine. But it would be a mistake to aim this at gamers.
         | 
         | If this works as advertised, this could basically replace most
         | of my devices. Why have a laptop when I can just project
         | whatever in my field of view, grab a wireless keyboard and go
         | to work. Not that different from what magic leap promised to
         | deliver years ago. Only issue with that is of course that they
         | never really delivered that. Apple seems a bit further with
         | their R&D.
         | 
         | Probably the first generation will have some significant
         | limitations and a certain level of being just a bit
         | uncomfortable. That head band doesn't look fun without AC, for
         | example. And of course motion sickness might be a thing. Not to
         | mention headaches and other potential side-effects of prolonged
         | exposure to this. And probably showing up in public with this
         | is not a great idea in terms of getting robbed, beaten up, etc.
         | Also, the whole interacting with family is seriously cringe-
         | worthy to look at. This looks to me like a solo experience that
         | has not much capability for sharing it with others.
         | 
         | On the other hand, I think they just presented a big money
         | making machine with an amazing walled garden that is pretty
         | much guaranteed to bring countless users if if gets even close
         | to delivering what is on display here.
         | 
         | I think 3.5K$ is pretty OK as a price point. I don't have that
         | kind of disposable income necessarily. But lots of people
         | undeniably do. And this does have a certain level of wow that
         | unlocks that kind of budget for those with this kind of money.
         | I bet lots of people are itching to throw money at this thing
         | on the off chance it is much than half as good as this
         | announcement suggests.
         | 
         | I'm just hoping that this kicks the competition into gear. This
         | looks like it is a lot nicer to have than some of the other
         | stuff out there. The flip side is of course that it's all
         | locked behind the towering walls of Apple's walled garden. This
         | just screams for a more open answer. Meta looks like it just
         | got its lunch eaten pretty thoroughly. Mark Zuckerberg going on
         | about having meetings in VR just isn't quite going to be good
         | enough. I'd love to see what MS comes up with. They've been
         | working on holo lens for years and been holding off on putting
         | it in the hands of consumers. This might prompt them to kick a
         | few things into gear. A pro-sumer focused version of that maybe
         | with some XBox and Steam action on the side could tempt a few
         | people.
         | 
         | And of course all of this stuff is going to be cat nip for the
         | adult entertainment industry. Forget games. I don't think I
         | need to spell that out for this audience. I'm curious to see
         | how Apple is going to contain that.
        
       | joking wrote:
       | another product to add to the apple walled garden, you will have
       | to go through the vision store for everything, and they will
       | capture their share from all the transactions happening inside
       | it. It's incredible how apple can be so innovative and nobody can
       | fight such prevalence. Will be a handset with the same features,
       | but that you can connect to an open operating system someday? i
       | would like to think that it will happen someday.
        
       | ThinkBeat wrote:
       | pR00000n.
       | 
       | If the Apps are restricted in the samme manner other Appple
       | devices it will be a bit more difficult. but this will create a
       | whole new level of porn for the world. Combined with the rather
       | impressive advances made in teledildonics one can get a lot
       | closer to "being there".
       | 
       | Various mostly shitty "VR" enabled ways to watch porn have been
       | developed but have been disappointing in use.
       | 
       | This may kick off a whole new frenzy. Some folks will make a lot
       | of money. Esp if they manage to combine it with the independent
       | "Content creators"
       | 
       | In fact, getting out early and opening in a studio making
       | recordings for people would be sustainable for a good while. If
       | you are in the right location.
        
       | golergka wrote:
       | Getting it as soon as I can. 3500 is steep, but 4k display for my
       | Macbook anywhere I go is invaluable for a remote working nomad.
        
       | numpad0 wrote:
       | Interesting that they didn't mention a pancake lens. It isn't
       | one?
       | 
       | edit: the other thread is growing faster:
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36200708
        
       | turndown wrote:
       | Very interesting and I can't really blame them on the price
       | point; this is basically the pinnacle of the in-house engineering
       | they've been working at since they decided to spin out their own
       | processors. I think it is so early on for these kinds of products
       | that the true "market" isn't known or formed yet, so nobody
       | really knows if this thing is positioned well or not.
        
         | batmenace wrote:
         | Also presumably the reason for making the first one a 'pro'
         | version -- and beginning the presentation with a focus on work.
         | Easier pitch that way, and once it can establish itself / there
         | is an ecosystem, you can probably get more 'consumer' focussed
         | versions with less compute power or that are plugin only etc
        
       | nehal3m wrote:
       | Looks like an awesome device, but with that price I don't think
       | it's aimed at consumers. Also, would the Pro moniker imply a non-
       | Pro version at a lower price in the future?
        
       | schaefer wrote:
       | I own a Varjo Aero. A comparably priced PC VR headset (after
       | including graphic cards costs) that runs only under windows. I
       | bought this setup for productivity - not gaming.
       | 
       | I want to give a quick reaction to apple vision pro from that
       | perspective. On the Aero, under windows I quickly came to learn
       | that while the screens were clear and legible... The primary
       | drawback was lack of software. Specifically there was no true 3d
       | window manager.
       | 
       | I couldn't arrange 10 different programs spatially around me,
       | like some cliche virtual hacker's den. I couldn't layout a pillar
       | of source code that expanded hundereds of pages above and below
       | my current focus...
       | 
       | I was locked into looking at my 2d windows desktop, projected
       | onto a plane, in a 3d virtual space. I wasn't in 3d at all. I was
       | still trapped in 2d.
       | 
       | ---
       | 
       | The window manager in apple vision is already far better than
       | that! So, here's my prediction.
       | 
       | Just like when microsoft sat out the race to mobile (iphone v.
       | android), they are decidedly on the sidelines here too. VR
       | productivity seems to be almost exclusively apple's for the
       | taking. (yes, I'm aware that FB has some offerings in this space,
       | but no way in hell do they get telemetry on my literal eyeballs).
       | 
       | Just as products like the ipad haven't exactly challenged
       | microsoft windows, they have diminished it's roll in people's
       | lives, apple vision seems to be a product with that kind of
       | potential.
       | 
       | -
       | 
       | Last but not least, in the old days, I owned an ipad pro, which I
       | supposedly bought for productivity. It had some weird limitation
       | where I couldn't run apps side by side in the way that I wanted.
       | Eventually I gave the ipad away. Sooo... this time around apple
       | doesn't get the benefit of the doubt. I'll pretty much have to
       | demo one and personally confirm my top use cases before I'd
       | consider buying.
        
         | bloggie wrote:
         | A good 20 years ago there was a bit of software called SphereXP
         | that arranged windows in a 3D sphere around you, I really liked
         | it and I'm glad the tech is coming back!
        
       | asimpletune wrote:
       | The demo greatly exceeded my expectations. If the v1 actually
       | works as well as their presentation, then this is going to
       | fundamentally change personal computing. Sure, it's expensive,
       | but that's because they are bringing to market something that is
       | truly high tech.
       | 
       | In 5-10 years this will be mainstream if it's not too expensive.
       | It's going to be interesting because we're going to repeat the
       | cycle of a new competing platform coming up, like Android, and
       | copying the UX. This time around though it seems that they
       | patented it really hard, so it'll be interesting to see that
       | fight go down.
       | 
       | Ultimately it's going to come down to if their products lives up
       | to its claims, and if they'll be able to bring the costs down.
        
       | 0xDEF wrote:
       | This product will fail among Apple's traditional customer segment
       | of high-income Westerners.
       | 
       | High-income Westerners do not like to engage in activities that
       | make them appear like mindless consumer zombies. In Denmark the
       | highest income households have small cheap TVs they can hide away
       | while low income households have big 4K TVs as the main
       | attraction in their living room. The reason is that the former
       | don't want to appear like passive mindless consumer zombies who
       | watch TV.
       | 
       | It is a very superficial opinion but wearing a VR/AR headset is
       | literally the most 1984 consumer zombie thing you could possibly
       | do.
        
       | dr_ wrote:
       | Expensive but with such an immersive experience can right off the
       | bat replace a television and surround sound system. But
       | potentially offers a lot more than this. Not bad for a 1st
       | generation product.
        
       | keithxm23 wrote:
       | I find it fascinating that Apple is deliberately avoiding the
       | terms VR or virtual. 51 uses of the word "spatial" but only 1
       | "virtual" which is also not in the context of VR.
       | https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/introducing-apple-vis...
        
         | kqvamxurcagg wrote:
         | Very good point - I guess they are trying to redefine the
         | terminology in this category and create unique marketing
         | keywords. I suspect that is too late, VR Goggles just seems to
         | ingrained but perhaps I'm wrong.
        
       | fosk wrote:
       | This looks fantastic. Now do it in a "contact lenses" format and
       | it will change the world like the iPhone did.
        
       | JumpinJack_Cash wrote:
       | They got duped into the Metaverse?
        
       | maybelsyrup wrote:
       | You will get in the pod, you will eat the bugs
        
       | DonHopkins wrote:
       | Apple Vision by Bob Bishop has come a long way since 1979!
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiWE-aO-cyU
        
       | s-xyz wrote:
       | I am sure that I bought a TV for the very last time. This is mind
       | blowing, the future is here!
        
       | summerlight wrote:
       | Given the $3500 price tag + US only release, it looks like Apple
       | also doesn't think that this product will strongly appeal to the
       | market broader than enthusiasts. Perhaps the first version is
       | more of an experimental product with no high expectations, so we
       | probably need to see if it draws enough attentions from
       | enthusiasts and generates a good level of tech hypes here.
        
       | artemiszx wrote:
       | Regardless of the future of the device, it's been a long way for
       | Apple to get here. ARKit was released in 2017 and is on version 6
       | by now, so far mostly for gimmicks. The same is true for the
       | lidar sensor on every iPhone and iPad Pros: consumers have been
       | bearing cost of R&D and establishing the supply chain for years.
       | Also don't forget binaural spatial audio: though quite cool on
       | its own in the AirPods, it is clear that AR/VR is the application
       | it shines. Finally, Apple Silicon's absolute performance and
       | performance per watt gives them an definite edge over
       | competitors.
       | 
       | Although not needing handheld controllers is quite an Apple move,
       | I am personally disappointed that the UX is not more spatial, but
       | rather floating traditional 2D interfaces. As users of the first
       | gen bear more of the initial manufacturing and R&D cost, let's
       | hope Apple can further iterate on the ideas, and also reduce
       | costs for a proper consumer-range model.
        
         | solarmist wrote:
         | All new paradigms heavily crib from the original while finding
         | their place. I fully expect this will fall away within 5 years
         | if there's a healthy adoption.
        
       | xtalax wrote:
       | I really hope that they have thought about alternative accessible
       | gestures, not all of us have the luxury of functioning fingers
        
       | ur-whale wrote:
       | If I need reading glasses, will I be able to use this thing?
        
       | nojvek wrote:
       | If the displays and sensors on the device are as good as they say
       | they are, I'd buy it.
       | 
       | Watch a movie, play a game, workout, code, dance, be fully
       | immersed. Like have multiple screens around my garage walls in 3D
       | where I can walk up to them.
       | 
       | I tried NReal AR glasses, Roku, Quest, Holo lens. They didn't
       | feel right.
       | 
       | If Apple vision pro could really take me to another world, be
       | immersed for multiple hours, $4000 (including tax) is worth the
       | experience.
        
       | RGBCube wrote:
       | It starts at $3499 BEFORE tax, lmfao
        
       | srvmshr wrote:
       | I understand they have built a whole deal of spatial audio
       | technology around it. But in a practical sense, I hope one could
       | just plug in Airpods instead to go with the MR display. Under no
       | circumstances, real world settings will match their design studio
       | perfection. Too often stray sounds & ambient noise pollution
       | could dilute that experience.
        
         | Geee wrote:
         | Yeah, they showed the guy using Airpod Pros in the airplane for
         | noise cancellation (and privacy).
        
       | seydor wrote:
       | Well it s good, this is how you make something that turns us to
       | cyborgs.
       | 
       | A bit pricey to become a household items (because a family needs
       | 4 of them) but this is probably where things are heading to
       | 
       | There is so much engineering going on here that maybe ... it's
       | simpler to start considering retina implants or just brain
       | implants.
       | 
       | This was more like a work of art than a consumer device. I wonder
       | if Oculus can steal some ideas ... Like, these device are not for
       | gaming but general productivity. Ditch the 2 oculus controllers,
       | put the battery in the 1 controller and wire it to the head. I m
       | not convinced if eye tracking is worth it. oculus' controls are
       | precise enough and in any case it's better to hold something
       | instead of pointing and pinching the air, it makes the device
       | more physical. dont know what is needed for the ability to render
       | a full field of view but would be interesting to know what is the
       | level of nausea this causes when movement is involved. I guess
       | Apple purposely chose to eliminate all optic flow movement - all
       | the apps appear to be stationary.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | summarity wrote:
         | With profiles and OpticID you probably wouldn't need one for
         | everyone in the household. Or even more than one. Just the
         | lenses.
        
           | seydor wrote:
           | how do u watch a movie together?
        
             | RandallBrown wrote:
             | On your TV?
             | 
             | Group movie watching on this would be cool with people in
             | different places, but if you're already in the same house
             | that feels too dystopian for me.
        
               | seydor wrote:
               | smartphones can switch profiles too, but it s not like
               | people are sharing them
               | 
               | We used to think it is dystopian that people were looking
               | at their phones , now it s the most common image
               | everywhere
        
         | DANmode wrote:
         | Sony has the patent for the contact lens.
        
         | valine wrote:
         | I'm convinced it's not possible to build a decent headset
         | without eye tracking. Low latency, high refresh rates, massive
         | resolutions, in a tiny footprint just isn't possible with our
         | current generation of chips. Eye tracking lets you put your
         | compute cycles where they're needed, and not waste time
         | rendering to useless pixels.
        
           | seydor wrote:
           | is it really low latency considering that it needs 2 cameras
           | and a bunch of leds? Also, saccades are not very precise and
           | are relatively small movement so i m nor sure how precise and
           | detailed the pointer is in these.
        
             | valine wrote:
             | The said during the event that they have a custom chip to
             | do the signal processing for the cameras and sensors. I
             | fully believe they've solved the camera latency issue.
        
         | abracadaniel wrote:
         | Their cost comparison to a 4k tv, surround sound, high end
         | laptop, etc does seem reasonable for a single person, but it
         | does indeed break down for a family. Everyone sitting on the
         | couch watching a movie, but you with your goggles getting a
         | completely different experience.
        
           | epolanski wrote:
           | > 4k tv, surround sound, high end laptop
           | 
           | None of those can be replaced by a vr headset in anything but
           | "some" applications and scenarios.
        
             | arsome wrote:
             | Yeah, how exactly are you replacing a laptop with something
             | without a keyboard? A tablet perhaps, but we're miles away
             | from this one still.
        
         | ralfn wrote:
         | Sony's VR headset also has eye tracking.
         | 
         | It is a great input, but more importantly: drastically lowers
         | the required computation with foviated rendering, i.e.
         | rendering hires where you look, not everywhere.
        
           | numpad0 wrote:
           | Unless you're doing at least once over 100Hz refresh rates,
           | human eyeballs are too fast for foveated rendering. Motion to
           | photon latency for this thing is 12ms from the presentation,
           | which is 83Hz(so it's 85Hz), and that's probably for post-
           | processing 2D warping and not 3D scene shading/rendering
           | where foveated rendering must take place so no way that
           | works.
        
             | ralfn wrote:
             | They did specifically mention foveated rendering.
             | 
             | Also the 12ms mentioned, wasn't that from camera to screen
             | (so the latency of both the camera sensor added to the
             | latency of the screen) or did i misunderstand?
             | 
             | Now that i think about it, the eye tracking is also a
             | camera. Hmm.
        
       | stephenhandley wrote:
       | visionOS UI unsurprisingly still feels very tethered to a
       | stationary AR model (i.e. mostly on couch / at table use cases).
       | Of course hard to tell without trying it, but even if this had
       | full day battery and wasn't a glowing please rob me sign, wearing
       | this while navigating some outdoor spatial environment with the
       | current OS seems like a great way to break an ankle. Maybe they
       | have some gesture or accelerometer-based trigger to do the
       | equivalent of Mission Control's "desktop" to minimize everything
       | except for the camera pass-through so a person can safely walk
       | around their house.
       | 
       | Seems like if it is eventually going to become outdoor-friendly
       | OS, it would need to minimally be multi-mode for stationary vs.
       | moving user, where when moving there's more minimal overlay
       | (maybe like Anon [1] hopefully minus the dystopian hellscape).
       | 
       | 3D camera + spatial audio is probably most interesting near term
       | thing for me in this version, will be interesting to see how
       | people use that to record and share immersive experiences.
       | 
       | [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuaa4hJVC5s
        
       | matt_s wrote:
       | What I can't wait for is unbiased hands on reviews, hopefully
       | from MKBHD or someone big enough they can just shell out the
       | money for it and tell us how it actually is to operate.
        
       | kabanossen wrote:
       | For someone who hasn't really tried this kind of thing (VR
       | goggles...), what's it like after thirty minutes? Two hours? I
       | feel reluctant because it's a huge thing wrapped around my head,
       | isn't that something a twelve year old likes but not a 32 year
       | old?
        
       | mikece wrote:
       | Apple: We're concerned about myopia from holding screens too
       | close to your face.
       | 
       | Also Apple: Strap a pair of 4K displays an inch from your
       | eyeballs!!!
        
         | quasarj wrote:
         | Did they say anything about myopia from holding screens close?
         | I thought they specifically said the feature was encouraging
         | spending more time outside. I believe the current theory for
         | increased myopia is from not getting enough sunlight into your
         | eyes as a child. Nothing to do with focusing close.
        
           | gorbypark wrote:
           | Directly after mentioning the sunlight monitoring/monitoring
           | outside time feature they announced a feature that utilizes
           | the Face ID cameras to warn you if you are holding a screen
           | too close to your face.
        
           | function_seven wrote:
           | Yeah, they also covered a new use of the lidar/camera on
           | iPhones, to notify users that they're too close to the
           | display. Called "Screen Distance"
           | 
           | https://www.apple.com/ios/health/
        
           | andelink wrote:
           | From the iOS 17 press release:
           | 
           | > Additionally, increasing the distance the device is viewed
           | from can help children lower their risk of myopia and gives
           | adult users the opportunity to reduce digital eyestrain.
           | Screen Distance in Screen Time uses the TrueDepth camera to
           | encourage users to move their device farther away after
           | holding it closer than 12 inches from their face for an
           | extended period of time.
           | 
           | Link: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/ios-17-makes-
           | iphone-m...
        
         | gbear605 wrote:
         | Theoretically the lenses could make this not a problem. We'll
         | have to see how it works in practice though.
        
           | nomel wrote:
           | It's not theory. Every VR headset produced, since the 90's,
           | and every microscope, shortly after their invention, has had
           | optics that make viewing comfortable, by having a distant
           | focal distance, for the eyes to settle on. This is, quite
           | literally, Physics 101 material!
        
         | asdff wrote:
         | Gesticulating with a hand all day like that probably can't be
         | great either
        
         | doctoboggan wrote:
         | It's the focusing close that is bad, and with the lenses you
         | are focusing further in the distance
        
           | fauigerzigerk wrote:
           | As a glasses wearer I was wondering how this works. They
           | mentioned extra lenses that I would have to install into the
           | device. But why isn't it possible to do this all in software?
        
             | numpad0 wrote:
             | It takes optical phased array(we're not there yet at all))
             | or light-field display(not there in computational power
             | yet) to do this in software. Some googles has diopter
             | correction/focus adjustment dials, but it's not common for
             | some reason, which I can only make assumptions, perhaps to
             | do with motion sickness.
        
             | vagab0nd wrote:
             | It's not possible because software cannot change the
             | direction of light.
        
             | seba_dos1 wrote:
             | Because making the lenses movable and adjustable by
             | software is significantly more complex than making them
             | replaceable?
        
         | planb wrote:
         | Funny, the moment they showed the vision health feature, I
         | immediately thought they'd come back to that later to tell us
         | that computing using a headset is in fact better for the eyes
         | (because of the lenses that shift the focal distance).
        
         | EscapeFromNY wrote:
         | The focal distance won't be an inch away of course. Every
         | headset I've seen specs for puts the focal distance at 20ft.
         | For normal human eyes, 20ft is optical infinity, so there's no
         | difference optically between looking into a headset and looking
         | at the horizon.
        
           | wlesieutre wrote:
           | From my understanding, the Quest's focal distance is at 1.3m
           | 
           | https://twitter.com/ID_AA_Carmack/status/1371485209603022853
           | 
           | Valve Index reportedly around 6 feet
           | 
           | https://www.reddit.com/r/ValveIndex/comments/by1j2z/focal_di.
           | ..
        
         | 542458 wrote:
         | Most VR headsets have your eyes focused at infinity, so that's
         | usually not a problem.
        
         | 4rt wrote:
         | They also went from parents can "track your kids by buying them
         | an iwatch" to "our fundamentals are privacy".
        
           | lotsofpulp wrote:
           | In many cultures, children are viewed as not being owed the
           | same privacy that adults or even older children may be.
        
         | bufo wrote:
         | This is completely wrong. Learn about lenses.
        
       | Rhedox wrote:
       | $3500 to watch movies or use it as a virtual monitor. With 2
       | hours of battery life.
       | 
       | Tough sell...
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | polycaster wrote:
         | Well, looks like we'll have to do without the extended LOTR
         | edition...
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | lagrange77 wrote:
       | I'm still curious, how they will enable developers to start
       | developing for the device, before it gets released. A simulator
       | will not be as effective as in the iPhone case.
       | 
       | Maybe by something like the M1 Mac mini developer kit, that you
       | had to return.
        
       | mrsmee89 wrote:
       | This is spectacular. What a great achievement. I have a few
       | questions.
       | 
       | 1. Will the battery pack be an additional charge?
       | 
       | 2. What will be the defining factor for higher priced models
       | (memory, larger battery, cellular etc)?
       | 
       | 3. What effect on the body will this have for long term daily
       | use?
       | 
       | 4. Will content creators be able to price their content
       | differently for this device?
       | 
       | 5. How will Apple display the demo in store?
       | 
       | 6. Is there a feature that allows multiple users?
       | 
       | 7. Will this function as a real computer like a Mac or more like
       | an iPad?
       | 
       | 8. Is there a feature to prevent social awkwardness?
        
       | themagician wrote:
       | I think there is a possibility that this device actually looks
       | the way it does in the promo.
       | 
       | Every VR device that's come to market so far show a promo that's
       | completely disconnected from the actual experience. They show
       | these crisp, high resolution images. But when you get the headset
       | on you've got this really soft image, with damn near abysmal edge
       | sharpness, and a display riddled with fun new unique artifacts
       | like mura and screen door.
        
       | redbell wrote:
       | I'm truly wondering what M. Zuckerburg and the rest of the Quest
       | team are thinking/saying/feeling seeing Apple entering this field
       | with such an impressive device. Will they welcome such a player
       | to give more credibility to the metaverse concept and the VR/AR
       | headset market or they would panic because they may feel unable
       | to compete, who knows?! But surely, the next months would
       | interesting to sit and watch.
        
       | doctoboggan wrote:
       | The price is even higher than people expected at $3.5k! The
       | passthrough of the wearers eyes with a front facing display is
       | pretty interesting, especially with the 3D lenticular display
       | giving every viewer the correct perspective.
       | 
       | I hadn't seen that in the rumors leading up to the launch, its
       | good to see apple still can keep some secrets.
        
         | zyang wrote:
         | There were rumors of third display but for peripheral vision.
        
         | jaywalk wrote:
         | I find the eye display to be quite creepy.
        
           | thrill wrote:
           | Now Apple needs to make a "Pro" version of the Razer
           | facemask.
        
       | minimaxir wrote:
       | No tech spec sheet other than the battery life:
       | 
       | "The external battery supports up to 2 hours of use, and all-day
       | use when plugged in."
        
         | DANmode wrote:
         | M2 chip + R1 chip
        
         | dragonwriter wrote:
         | To be fair, it also gives vague hints on resolution with "more
         | pixels than a 4K TV for each eye", which is simultaneously more
         | verbose and less informative than giving the actual resolution.
        
           | SirMaster wrote:
           | I mean, they said it's got 23 million pixel microOLED.
           | 
           | Dual 4K would be 16.5M pixels.
           | 
           | So it's comfortably 40% more than 4K per eye, so as long as
           | say a virtual TV screen filled up most of your vision it
           | should be at least close to 4K quality. Maybe a bit less in
           | the end, but even somewhere between 1080p and 4K should look
           | great.
           | 
           | Ever been to a movie theater using digital 2K projectors?
           | Looks pretty good to me still.
        
             | fassssst wrote:
             | It should look fine for video, text is another story.
        
           | mojomark wrote:
           | Yeah, "4K TV resolution" doesn't mean anything as that
           | completely ignores viewing distance. Pixels Per Degree (PPD)
           | is the core metric and it drives me bananas that marketing
           | professionals continue to intentionally obfuscate basic facts
           | about products for sale.
           | 
           | I assume they're just ashamed that after billions of dollars
           | in product development, they were unable to obtain the
           | requisite 35PPD necessary to emulate a very basic "virtual
           | computer monitor" and display readible text - or get close to
           | the 62PPD that actually represents the limits of human
           | resolution and is the golden benchmark to shoot for.
           | 
           | Maybe they did achieve these goals, which would be
           | impressive, but without using standardised meaningful metrics
           | for HMD resolution you just can't tell.
        
             | polycaster wrote:
             | I trust they would have mentioned that if they had it. "4K
             | TV resolution" is the best they could say, so in turn you
             | can expect the minimum you could possibly squeeze out of
             | that statement.
        
             | bx376 wrote:
             | Fair point! Anyone can do a quick math on the PPD with
             | their announcement of "23 million pixel microOLED" with
             | this calculator? https://qasimk.io/screen-ppd/
        
         | thomasfl wrote:
         | So it is only useful with net power.
        
       | stuckkeys wrote:
       | 3500? Holly Applemolly. That is expensive as shit considering the
       | VR is not new tech. Ofc, someone is going to smash at me with
       | "well this is Apple ok." Cool story. Looks like a fun little
       | gadget but is way too pricey for the consumer line. Unless ofc,
       | they will have a beat down version without the "pro" features.
        
       | xwowsersx wrote:
       | Can I use this with my Mac to replace my physical displays and
       | work with the headset on? That would be incredible if possible.
        
         | MacsHeadroom wrote:
         | Yes, you can airplay your Mac's display to a virtual display
         | inside the AR experience of the Vision Pro.
        
         | mjamesaustin wrote:
         | It looks like yes, but only one display for now. One of the
         | reasons I'll wait till version 2 or 3 - my primary use case
         | would be to have unlimited virtual displays for working in
         | macOS.
        
           | xwowsersx wrote:
           | Right, that's exactly how I feel. I'd already have 3-4 Studio
           | Displays if it weren't so costly. To be able to have
           | unlimited virtual displays would be so great.
        
         | two_handfuls wrote:
         | The presentation says that yes you can. Incidentally, you can
         | also do this with the cheaper Quest Pro headset (or any headset
         | in the Quest line, so $300-$1000 price range). There are a few
         | options, [VRDesktop](https://www.vrdesktop.net/) being one.
        
       | cjmcqueen wrote:
       | Two words, flight simulator.
        
       | hmate9 wrote:
       | External battery with a cord, and even with that only 2 hours
       | performance. This has to be improved before mainstream appeal.
       | (and the price of course)
        
         | comment_ran wrote:
         | remember he said all day use. not sure what it mean.
        
           | teacpde wrote:
           | I guess you could just swap batteries ...
        
           | lijok wrote:
           | All day use when plugged in
        
           | jaywalk wrote:
           | All day use if it's plugged in, as in using an AC adapter.
        
           | throwaway202351 wrote:
           | iirc, he said something like "when plugged in you can use it
           | all day, and on battery you get two hours"
        
           | ASinclair wrote:
           | All day use if you plug it into wall power.
        
         | moron4hire wrote:
         | Yeah, with them touting watching movies and only having "up to
         | 2 hours" of battery, that's going to severely limit the movies
         | you can watch. "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once", which
         | they showed someone watching, is 2.2hrs.
        
       | llm_nerd wrote:
       | It's interesting that HN is completely overloaded right
       | now...with people coming to announce how unimpressed they are and
       | how it isn't for them.
       | 
       | The displays in this device are _crazy_. I honestly didn 't think
       | they'd be able to put together a value proposition, but I think
       | they legitimately did. It's super expensive, and some of the cost
       | of the device seems kind of silly (if I heard correctly, the
       | display on the front is 3d and gives different perspectives based
       | upon the viewers), so obviously they're going to have a lot of
       | room to improve value in subsequent generations.
       | 
       | But it's going to be a hit. HN is going to be swamped with "How I
       | used Vision Pro to..." posts when it comes out.
       | 
       | One element that didn't get a lot of play (if any...though I was
       | distracted with work) -- did they talk about using it as a
       | display for a Mac? I'd love to use a real keyboard mouse
       | interacting with flexible Mac displays.
        
         | amrangaye wrote:
         | Every. Single. Apple product launch post. "Meh", "I can't see
         | the use case for this", "it's all already been done before".
         | Like clockwork. Then they'll sell a million of these, and by v3
         | it'll be much smaller / better / cheaper, and gain mass
         | adoption. It's like people have an "apple event reaction"
         | algorithm going, and it never changes.
        
         | soneca wrote:
         | Yes, they showcased that you just have to take a look at a Mac
         | screen and the glasses become the display.
        
         | hartator wrote:
         | 23M for both eyes doesn't seem that far off from Meta Quest 2
         | Pro at 9.3M (2,160 x 2,160 x 2).
         | 
         | And Meta Quest 2 Pro is one year old at $999.
        
           | zimpenfish wrote:
           | > 23M for both eyes doesn't seem that far off from [...] 9.3M
           | 
           | It's almost 2.5x the pixels [edit: was ~~resolution~~ which
           | is incorrect]. How is that "not far off"? It's more pixels
           | _per eye_ than the MQ2P has for both!
        
             | makomk wrote:
             | 2.5x the pixels is more like 1.5x the resolution in terms
             | of the smallest features that can be seen - remmber that
             | displays are two-dimensional and in order to halve the
             | width of the smallest discernable detail like say a line
             | you need to double the pixels in both directions for a
             | total of four times as many pixels. On the other hand, it
             | is going to be close to 2.5x the rendering cost.
        
               | zimpenfish wrote:
               | Ta, edited my post to correct it to pixels instead of
               | resolution.
        
         | _ph_ wrote:
         | They explicitly said in the keynote, that you can bring up the
         | screen of your Mac as a virtual display. So it looks like you
         | can use this to work with your Mac.
        
         | AmericanOP wrote:
         | It is a viable first entry as an AR computer. Does it need to
         | be anything more than that?
         | 
         | In 10 years with GenAI video creation and GenAI NPCs it could
         | be bonkers cool.
        
           | spaceman_2020 wrote:
           | Don't think we'll take 10 years. GenAI NPCs are like 1-2
           | years. GenAI video is about 3-5 years max.
           | 
           | A little scary bringing a kid into this world. I've seen how
           | my nephews and nieces get completely absorbed by screens.
        
           | michaelt wrote:
           | _> It is a viable first entry as an AR computer. Does it need
           | to be anything more than that?_
           | 
           | It needs to do what HoloLens and Google Glass didn't.
           | 
           | Sell well enough to attract developers and improve
           | manufacturing economies of scale.
           | 
           | For what it's worth, I think Apple has a chance here - there
           | were smartphones before the iphone, but apple made the first
           | one good enough to take off. Perhaps this will be the same?
        
         | debacle wrote:
         | The cost is prohibitive, but I can't think of anyone who I
         | trust more to introduce a cutting edge consumer device.
         | 
         | I wont be a user, but I hope they succeed.
        
         | Pxtl wrote:
         | The device seems amazing, it's just... not really Apple, that's
         | all.
        
         | pjerem wrote:
         | > did they talk about using it as a display for a Mac?
         | 
         | Yes ! In 4k
        
         | ChicagoBoy11 wrote:
         | Yeah, although the part about it just had someone use it to
         | extend the native monitor.. I'd be curious how deep that
         | integration went... more than a large virtual monitor, to have
         | you able to spawn multiple/infinite windows of any of the mac
         | apps on it, that'd be killer!
        
           | solarmist wrote:
           | Probably a v2 feature that isn't ready yet. But I'd be
           | surprised if they weren't working on it after the widget
           | stuff on Mac desktop.
        
         | selectodude wrote:
         | The guy on the commercial was using a real keyboard so I
         | imagine this can be used relatively standalone, with the caveat
         | that it uses iPad apps.
        
         | mdavidn wrote:
         | > if I heard correctly, the display on the front is 3d and
         | gives different perspectives based upon the viewers
         | 
         | This effect probably relies on a lenticular lens overlaid on an
         | OLED screen. This was similar to the method used by the
         | Nintendo 3DS to create a stereoscopic image without glasses.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_printing
        
         | chpmrc wrote:
         | > It's interesting that HN is completely overloaded right
         | now...with people coming to announce how unimpressed they are
         | and how it isn't for them.
         | 
         | Agreed, polarization is a good sign that this is going to make
         | an impact. Ironically "unimpressed" is communicated by a lack
         | of response, not by a negative one (which more likely indicates
         | people's beliefs are being challenged). The only way this would
         | be a flop is if they shipped something really buggy and worse
         | than the competition (which at the time will be the Meta Quest
         | 3). Otherwise...
         | 
         | > it's going to be a hit. HN is going to be swamped with "How I
         | used Vision Pro to..." posts when it comes out.
         | 
         | 100%!
         | 
         | > did they talk about using it as a display for a Mac? I'd love
         | to use a real keyboard mouse interacting with flexible Mac
         | displays.
         | 
         | Looks like it's going to be a standalone device that you can
         | pair with a magic keyboard and trackpad. Considering it ships
         | with an M2 I expect iPad/Air level performance (assuming the
         | spatial stuff is solely handled by R1). I can totally see
         | myself using it as "the one device" (pun intended) and get rid
         | of my Macbook, assuming there's an easy way to share content
         | with someone who's next to me, e.g. on my iPhone.
         | 
         | I can't wait for it to be publicly available.
        
         | slaymaker1907 wrote:
         | I'm predicting right now that it's going to have performance
         | problems with that display. While they haven't released exact
         | resolution numbers per eye, 23M would give it a slightly higher
         | resolution than the HTC Vive Pro 2, a headset which requires a
         | GPU. While mobile chips have really impressive CPU performance,
         | I don't think they're nearly as competitive in the graphics
         | space.
         | 
         | Knowing Apple, they're also not going to support anything else
         | besides Apple Hardware so you won't be able to hook it up to an
         | actual gaming rig like you can with the Meta Quest 2. While
         | this isn't a big deal for a lot of people, Apple is taking a
         | huge risk releasing a very premium product like this without
         | supporting the largest established VR market (gamers).
        
           | hajile wrote:
           | 100 games at launch isn't aiming for gamers? That's at least
           | decent compared to the quest.
        
             | yurishimo wrote:
             | 100 games on Apple Arcade*
             | 
             | How many of these will be windowed iOS apps? I assume most
             | of them.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | czhiddy wrote:
           | Roughly double the amount of pixels = "slightly higher
           | resolution"?
        
             | crubier wrote:
             | Sqrt(2) = 1.4 so there are 40% more pixels per inch. It's
             | not a different order of magnitude.
        
               | anthonymckay wrote:
               | The Vive Pro 2 has ~12M pixels. This has 23M. That's
               | nearly double. We don't know the FoV so we have no idea
               | was the pixel per degree density is.
        
           | RandallBrown wrote:
           | Performance wise, in the Platform State of the Union, they
           | mentioned that they will use eye tracking to choose which
           | parts of the "screen" to render at high resolution. That
           | should help a bit.
        
           | stouset wrote:
           | > Apple is taking a huge risk releasing a very premium
           | product like this without supporting the largest established
           | VR market (gamers).
           | 
           | This reads like "Apple is taking a huge risk releasing a new
           | smartphone without supporting the largest established market
           | (BlackBerry device users).
           | 
           | The VR gaming market is microscopic compared to what Apple is
           | likely aiming for here. They do not give a single flying fuck
           | about this "established market", nor have they for any other
           | market they've entered. The entire Apple ethos is to
           | completely change the narrative for whatever product category
           | they enter. They did this for phones, for bluetooth audio,
           | for watches, and--whether or not they're ultimately
           | successful--you can bet your ass this is their intent for
           | wearable headsets.
           | 
           | What's the eventual end goal for these devices? I'm not sure
           | yet, but I'm certain it will become clearer in the coming
           | years. My expectation is they anticipate this will come to
           | replace fixed displays for a huge number of office workers.
           | Maybe not with this first revision, but by gen 3 that's my
           | bet for the market of this device. If you assume it get
           | lighter and comfortable, higher res, and better battery life
           | over the next few iterations it's clearly something that
           | could just _be_ your work machine with a paired bluetooth
           | keyboard.
        
             | hparadiz wrote:
             | VR headsets are very personal from a cleanliness
             | perspective. I would never share one. There's a reason why
             | the padding around the visor is removable and washable.
        
             | JP44 wrote:
             | To chime in on the last part, I imagine that it could be
             | beneficial for Apple's offices alone; every employee is
             | able to create their preferred workspace while using less
             | physical space; only really needing a desk, keyboard,
             | mouse, power & internet source and a seat
        
             | ztrww wrote:
             | > The VR gaming market is microscopic compared to what
             | Apple is likely aiming for here. They do not give a single
             | flying fuck about this "established market", nor have they
             | for any other market they've entered. The entire Apple
             | ethos is to completely change the narrative for whatever
             | product category they enter. They did this for phones, for
             | bluetooth audio, for watches, and--whether or not they're
             | ultimately successful--you can bet your ass this is their
             | intent for wearable headsets.
             | 
             | Apple is also the company which released
             | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton back in the
             | day... They turned out to be right at the end but still had
             | to renter the market entirely from scratch after 10 years.
             | So far Apple has been great in "perfecting" products that
             | already exist by doing the right thing at the right time.
             | 
             | They weren't the first or the second to release a
             | smartphone, smart watch, tablet, BT earphones etc. all of
             | those had established markets and somewhat clear use cases
             | Apple "just" streamlined and turned them into something
             | that normal people would actually want to use. It's seems a
             | bit to early to do that for VR yet. So in a certain way
             | they are in somewhat uncharted territory.
        
               | stouset wrote:
               | Whether or not they're successful is irrelevant to the
               | question of what their _intent_ is. But I find it telling
               | that your initial reaction is to reach for a device that
               | failed _thirty years ago_ as if it has any relationship
               | to modern Apple.
               | 
               | They didn't "just" streamline the smartphone. They
               | destroyed virtually overnight the existing dominant
               | players in the smartphone market and within a few years
               | essentially ended the existence of non-smartphones as a
               | market category entirely. They didn't "just" streamline
               | the watch. Again, within five years of entering the
               | market they overtook (in units) shipments of the _entire
               | traditional watch industry_. Both of these examples are
               | significantly larger and more entrenched than the
               | existing VR gaming market.
               | 
               | Of course not every product of theirs is successful in
               | doing this. But without question, this is their aim a
               | majority of the time.
        
           | zmmmmm wrote:
           | > Apple is taking a huge risk
           | 
           | Let's contextualise this ... they have so much money in the
           | bank there is literally no way to spend it. This could
           | completely flunk and have zero impact on them. There's no
           | risk here for Apple. Perhaps the question is why they aren't
           | being more adventurous, or pushing this harder by subsidising
           | the gen 1 device to get it off the ground.
        
         | peyton wrote:
         | > did they talk about using it as a display for a Mac
         | 
         | Yeah, you look at the screen through the headset and then pinch
         | to move it around and grow/shrink it.
        
         | j2bax wrote:
         | There was one moment in the presentation when a guy at the
         | office opened his Macbook Pro and the screen popped up above it
         | much larger.
        
           | solarmist wrote:
           | He also used a keyboard and trackpad.
        
         | ctvo wrote:
         | This is an over confident audience very sure that their
         | experiences and perspective is representative of the
         | mainstream. See the rsync vs. Dropbox meme.
         | 
         | The execution is all that matters here not any speculative
         | flaws. If it's a delightful, polished, responsive experience
         | for the stock applications, other use cases will come. I don't
         | want to bet against Apple achieving that bar. They've done it
         | over and over again before.
        
           | ztrww wrote:
           | > If it's a delightful, polished, responsive experience for
           | the stock applications
           | 
           | IMHO this is a perfect description for the Apple TV.
        
         | theonlybutlet wrote:
         | I agree 4k in each eye sounds insane. But eye strain that's
         | going to be the big determinant. I initially thought it was
         | transparent OLED at the start but to my disappointment it's
         | just screens. Perhaps they've got the focal adjustment thing
         | Magic Leap was trying to do right.
        
           | tmalsburg2 wrote:
           | 4K is not much if you consider that these pixels have to
           | cover the entire field of view, not just a relatively small
           | screen.
        
             | coffeebeqn wrote:
             | It's certainly a generational jump from the Quest series at
             | least. Of course the price is completely ridiculous
        
             | theonlybutlet wrote:
             | The best an eye can discern is roughly 20 microns, but
             | generally far higher at 100 microns. They said 7.5 microns
             | per pixel (X3 for RGB is 22.5 so roughly there without
             | space).
             | 
             | Assuming they're square. Roughly calculating (23 million
             | pixels between the two with no space between 7.5 microns,)
             | that's 25.432mm^2. they've said they're the size of postage
             | stamps. This ties in.
             | 
             | I think it's near safe to assume there's no real gap
             | between pixels and thus indiscernible. The lag might be a
             | thing and focus, but this might actually not be a problem.
        
               | thfuran wrote:
               | >The best an eye can discern is roughly 20 microns
               | 
               | That's not how it works. You need an angular resolution.
        
               | tmalsburg2 wrote:
               | The pixels may be 7.5 microns but you're forgetting that
               | they are viewed through a lens. The point stands: 4K
               | pixels for the full field of view, which is a lower
               | density than 4K for a small screen.
        
               | theonlybutlet wrote:
               | The lens can be directional focusing your vision onto a
               | certain point, also your peripheral vision cannot discern
               | as much detail. They've stated it is on a chip the size
               | of a postage stamp. So we'll have to see how the lens
               | directs it, when it's released.
               | 
               | Edit:sort of a Magic Leap type thing. The further out you
               | look from the centre of the lense, the more the lense
               | curves back to the focus your eye on the centre. With the
               | eye tracking changing the image to compensate for your
               | eye movement.
        
         | fnordpiglet wrote:
         | I think it'll be 5 generations before it's a real product. I'd
         | note the first iPhone was kinda garbage as was the first iPod.
         | For the iPhone the App Store was empty and the apps that
         | existed for years were pretty rudimentary. It couldn't hold a
         | phone call open. It was clunky and comparatively terrible
         | hardware. Apple has the ability to invest and innovate on an
         | idea for _decades_ incorporating advances, fostering
         | investment, and building an ecosystem.
         | 
         | The jaded take to my ears sounds a lot like the LLM /
         | generative AI take - looking at the first real generation and
         | claiming it's an evolutionary dead end of hype monsterism. I
         | feel sad that people that likely got into this field as a
         | dreamer of what can be are stuck seeing what simply is.
         | 
         | Will this usher in rainbows end within the next 20 years?
         | Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm always happy to see there are still
         | nerds that can dream of what can be, even if they're often
         | drowned out by the chorus of what today isn't.
        
           | comment_ran wrote:
           | I do see your point and it is true that every product is
           | going to be more mature, more complete for the later
           | publication. But things of a first generation product like
           | this is going to be a huge risk for a lot of people. But the
           | things I want to talk to myself is probably if I can pick up
           | one thing or maybe one or two things that this device can
           | solve that probably doesn't have a good solution in the
           | market, then just go for it. And if it is affordable, then go
           | definitely do it. The upside of doing this is you cannot
           | change your workflow in the early stages. So if you consider
           | the time you put into that product in this new workflow, the
           | things or the productivity you gain from this early
           | experiment is going to be more productive. But gain, it's a
           | risk.
        
             | fnordpiglet wrote:
             | Yeah I think first generations of apple products are for
             | the curious, the rich, and the engineer seeking to build
             | the next generation of apps on their new platform. I never
             | look at them as "a good deal," or a mature product. I think
             | that's foolish for any 1.0 of anything. Generally 3.0 is
             | where maturity begins, and 5.0 is where incrementalism
             | starts.
        
         | paxys wrote:
         | It's interesting that every single top HN thread is mostly
         | unanimous praise for this device (which presumably no one has
         | yet seen or used), while also painting themselves as the
         | minority opinion.
        
           | tempnow987 wrote:
           | Techcrunch concluded "The price reveal turned any 'would buy'
           | in the room into a 'definitely not' without hesitation."
           | 
           | Anyways, bookmark the threads of folks calling an Apple
           | product dead on arrival for a revisit in a few years.
           | 
           | The ipod, the iphone, the watch, the airpods... they've had a
           | pretty good record and almost all these have had harsh
           | criticism out the gate (while then going on to absolutely
           | PRINT money for apple).
           | 
           | Apple is sitting on lots of cash and investment with
           | operating cash flow of something like another $100B a year?
           | Why aren't they allowed to take some risks on products like
           | this. Facebook certainly has burnt billions in a similar
           | space.
        
             | gary_0 wrote:
             | Whether or not it's the right device, it's definitely being
             | introduced to the wrong economy.
        
               | basisword wrote:
               | The people that can afford this aren't impacted by the
               | economy. It's a professional tool and the expense can be
               | justified. It's not a product for ordinary consumers yet.
               | On top of that it's not out until next year - who knows
               | what the economy will be like then.
        
               | gary_0 wrote:
               | > It's a professional tool
               | 
               | That you use to look at family photos, use iPhone apps in
               | a giant window, watch movies, and play with VR Mickey
               | Mouse? The presentation seemed to lean more towards the
               | consumer than industry applications.
        
               | basisword wrote:
               | They did but that mostly seemed silly to me. Multiple
               | monitors was the main thing that jumped out as an actual
               | good use case. They need to market all aspects of it but
               | they've named it "pro" for a reason and I feel like there
               | was a lot of focus out on productivity uses (conference
               | calls, browsing, multiple displays, 3D Models).
        
               | spookie wrote:
               | Yes, I feel a lot of people are too tied down to their
               | biases and social bubbles. I'm working in the area and
               | you see great use of these devices from medical, to
               | architecture, and mechanical engineering.
               | 
               | I understand the skepticism, but sometimes our perception
               | of the world is quite narrow. Given that most of us are
               | developers, even more so.
               | 
               | I don't mean to be condescending, I just feel that way a
               | lot with both myself and my colleagues when exposed to
               | fields and constraints that we haven't seen before.
        
               | sbuk wrote:
               | iPhone 3G was released in summer 2008, right in the
               | middle of the biggest financial crisis since the Great
               | Depression. Arguably, this was the beginning of iPhone's
               | rise in popularity. The original iPhone was released in
               | 2007, and the cracks in the economy were beginning to
               | show then...
        
               | gary_0 wrote:
               | But it cost $500 ($700 in today's dollars) and the day-
               | to-day utility of cellphones/blackberries had already
               | been established for a decade. Your example doesn't seem
               | that comparable.
        
             | dayvid wrote:
             | People paid $550 for a pair of headphones. They'll buy this
             | if it's good
        
               | permo-w wrote:
               | to be fair, $550 for a pair of headphones is a lot, but
               | it's not even close to top of the range
        
               | nunez wrote:
               | It was definitely in the upper range of prices for over-
               | the-ear Bluetooth headphones, not like this even matters,
               | because people just _did not_ pay $500+ for headphones
               | before the Maxes dropped.
        
               | ztrww wrote:
               | some people obviously did pay $500+ for headphones. We
               | don't know how many sets has Apple actually sold...
        
               | permo-w wrote:
               | >people just _did not_ pay $500+ for headphones before
               | the Maxes dropped
               | 
               | are you sure? why do you think this?
        
               | thih9 wrote:
               | I think they're saying that apple is selling $500
               | headphones to people who would otherwise not buy $500
               | headphones
        
               | prng2021 wrote:
               | Except no one bought those headphones.
        
               | _ph_ wrote:
               | I love mine and would rebuy them without blinking.
        
               | budoso wrote:
               | Have you been outside recently?
        
               | prng2021 wrote:
               | Yes. What percentage of people in the world who use
               | headphones would you say is using them?
        
               | d3nj4l wrote:
               | A far higher percentage than "no one"
        
               | usea wrote:
               | Of people I see sitting at a computer, few are using
               | them.
               | 
               | For everyone else, airpods far outnumber all other kinds
               | of headphones combined. Whether it's the grocery store or
               | an airport.
               | 
               | I can only speak to my experience. This is a subjective,
               | bias-loaded anecdote. For example it could just be that
               | they're newish, so I notice the novelty more. Or the
               | design is easier to see. Etc etc.
        
               | wilg wrote:
               | Not true, I bought them and really dislike them.
        
               | blurri wrote:
               | I see these people in the gym with all the time with
               | them. I think your "no one's buying them" might be rooted
               | in a personal bias.
        
               | gleenn wrote:
               | I personally love those headphones even despite their
               | price.
        
               | dervjd wrote:
               | You'd be surprised how popular they are. Certainly
               | they're overpriced, but the noise
               | cancellation/sound/build quality/etc is very good.
               | They've also apparently become something of a celebrity
               | "it" item: https://www.vogue.com/article/are-the-airpods-
               | max-the-latest...
        
               | ztrww wrote:
               | People were paying similar amounts for high-end
               | headphones for years.
        
             | chpmrc wrote:
             | I've never spent more than $400 for a smartphone, always
             | bought second hand Android phones. My income went up in the
             | last couple of years and a few months ago my phone broke. I
             | bought a $900 iPhone.
             | 
             | If it's good people will buy it. I will buy it. No doubt
             | about that.
        
           | llm_nerd wrote:
           | Not claiming it's a minority opinion, but early on there were
           | multiple submissions that were dominated by people rushing to
           | proclaim that it was DoA. One claimed it was the end of
           | Apple. There is a huge disparity between people who click an
           | arrow and people who comment.
           | 
           | And you are absolutely correct that the enthused haven't used
           | this device, or even heard from a non-Apple employee that
           | tried a beta. I am hugely concerned about long term comfort,
           | particularly in the eye fatigue realm, for instance, and will
           | be watching to see what the sentiment around that is.
           | 
           | If it were many other companies I would honestly be much more
           | skeptical about it, but I mean Apple has a pretty good track
           | record of actually delivering products that meet or exceed
           | their promises. And they really promised the moon with this
           | reveal.
        
             | comment_ran wrote:
             | I completely agree with you about the tiredness of the eye
             | or fatigueness of the eye. It's really hard to imagine
             | someone wearing this kind of device for a very long time
             | without feeling any pain. I'm not sure exactly the reason
             | why this pain came from. But I think the question we face
             | is going to be maybe the next big thing for humans, which
             | is going to directly connect all those sensors directly
             | connected to our central brain without using the eye. But
             | that's kind of a science fiction thing. I'm not sure I'm
             | going to have a chance to experience those things.
        
               | joahua wrote:
               | Ditto. I can't see this being used portably so do wonder
               | if the 2 hour battery life is a clue on how fatiguing the
               | experience might be.
               | 
               | 2 hours I guess covers a commute, but it's hardly
               | handheld form factor - how much bigger would it need to
               | be to get "all day wear" battery life? It doesn't feel
               | like a real spatial constraint, so can only presume >2hrs
               | is not required in actual use.
        
           | comment_ran wrote:
           | I see the pattern is that C is complained by most of people.
           | And there is another type of programming that is that, which
           | people never talk about. So just by talking about, regardless
           | it's positive or negative, there is a tension in there and
           | it's expectation, it's our will to kind of devices or this
           | technology came into being. So eventually it will become part
           | of our life and I hope that day comes sooner and this company
           | will not disappoint us.
        
         | yumraj wrote:
         | > But it's going to be a hit. HN is going to be swamped with
         | "How I used Vision Pro to..." posts when it comes out.
         | 
         | I'm not going to predict whether or not this is going to be a
         | hit, I just don't know.
         | 
         | However, remember when Google Glass came out there were tons of
         | these _" how I use"_ posts and I remember people even changing
         | their LinkedIn profile pictures to be with Google Glass. And,
         | we all know how that turned out.
         | 
         | So, early posts by _self-styled_ influencers or wannabe 's are
         | in no way predictor of success, or failure, of a product.
        
         | mithr wrote:
         | > The displays in this device are crazy.
         | 
         | I'm actually curious about this, and how the displays will
         | actually feel. The ads/keynote all talked about how they're
         | "more than 4k for each eye", which _sounds_ like a lot when you
         | 're talking about TVs or monitors, but... stops sounding quite
         | as impressive when you realize you're talking about IMAX-sized
         | screens (which is the main "wow" draw for watching movies in
         | VR), or when talking about augmenting _reality_.
        
           | xu_ituairo wrote:
           | I think resolution will be important the _smaller_ (or
           | further away) the movie you're watching is. And for things
           | like text in apps.
           | 
           | If you're watching an IMAX-size screen in AR, the resolution
           | of the content will be the main factor, I think, rather than
           | the density of the goggle displays.
        
           | febusravenga wrote:
           | They have eye focus tracking for sure in this, so maybe they
           | can render in adaptive resolution mode je only highest rest
           | in center of vision? Who knows?
        
             | duskwuff wrote:
             | Adaptive resolution rendering doesn't add more pixels to
             | the display -- if you want high resolution for the spot the
             | user is currently looking at, you need that resolution
             | across the entire display.
        
             | theonlybutlet wrote:
             | Hopefully focal adjustment tracking too. I've got a feeling
             | it's just for the selection UI.
        
           | theonlybutlet wrote:
           | Each pixel is 7.5 microns. Assuming RGB, that's 22.5 microns.
           | Thats at the maximum limits of detail an eye can see.
        
             | wilg wrote:
             | That's not enough information. It's behind a lens that
             | spreads it across your entire field of view.
        
               | theonlybutlet wrote:
               | Assuming they're square. Roughly calculating (23 million
               | pixels between the two with no space between 7.5
               | microns,) that's 25.432mm^2. they've said they're the
               | size of postage stamps. This ties in.
               | 
               | I think it's near safe to assume there's no real gap
               | between pixels and thus indiscernible. The lag might be a
               | thing.
        
               | yathern wrote:
               | Once again, the absolute size is irrelevant - postage
               | stamp or otherwise. It's optically scaled to fit your
               | field of view - essentially under a microscope. There are
               | VR devices with 4k screens already, and it's still not
               | enough to be indiscernible to the eye - especially for
               | things like text.
        
               | thfuran wrote:
               | Not having visible gaps between pixels is a necessary but
               | woefully insufficient condition for high visual fidelity.
        
               | [deleted]
        
             | gpm wrote:
             | I have 2 4k screens in front of me right now. I can close
             | one eye, and without moving my head make out the entirety
             | of both screens. They cover most of the non-peripheral
             | horizontal field of view, but you could easily fit in
             | another 4k screen on top of each vertically. I can make out
             | individual pixels (when there is a gradient, like with a
             | small font) on the screens. Higher resolution screens of
             | the same size at the same distance would let me read
             | slightly smaller fonts.
             | 
             | That is, at a resolution in which pixels are still
             | perceptible, I can make out more than 33,177,600 pixels (4
             | 4k screens, equivalently 1 8k screen) per eye. This device
             | has less than that. Less than half that per eye. It's not
             | "at the maximum limits of detail an eye can see" even
             | assuming they just have no wasted pixels in your peripheral
             | vision.
             | 
             | 7.5 microns means nothing without knowing what lenses it
             | goes through.
             | 
             | That said, I think it might be enough pixels to be useful
             | for reading text. Unlike the index I own, where that is
             | just unpleasant.
        
           | Analemma_ wrote:
           | Yeah, 4K per eye stops being impressive when it's five inches
           | from your retina and you're trying to read fine text. Pimax
           | has had a 4K/eye device for years already: it's nice but
           | still nowhere near good enough to do things like replace your
           | computer monitor. They're planning to ship a 6K/eye device
           | next year, which will probably still not be enough. The real
           | world has a very high pixel density!
        
         | iddan wrote:
         | There's Sightful's $2000 device you can buy right now
         | https://www.sightful.com/ I've used an early demo of this and
         | was very impressed. After the demo I had the strong feeling
         | Apple is going to build something similar and I was right
        
           | blktiger wrote:
           | 4 Million Pixels is so terrible for an AR/VR headset. 23
           | million pixels will be indistinguishable from reality for all
           | intents and purposes.
        
             | JackGreyhat wrote:
             | The human eye has an approximate pixel resolution of 120
             | million pixels per eye. On top of that, our brain
             | constantly processes and integrates the output of our eyes.
             | This creates an even higher perceived pixel resolution of
             | about 480 million pixels per eye. Some estimates are even
             | higher.
             | 
             | I'm not saying Apple created a bad product...but I wouldn't
             | expect a mere 23 million pixels to be indistinguishable
             | from reality.
        
         | ignoramous wrote:
         | > _But it 's going to be a hit._
         | 
         | Well, if nothing else, the _influencer_ / _celeb_ culture will
         | make it so. Apple, unlike other tech companies, almost has a
         | monopolistic grip over it.
         | 
         | I mean, they sold AirPods for the most ridiculous price and yet
         | they beat sales numbers of just about everyone in the audio
         | industry.
        
         | comment_ran wrote:
         | Taking a positive sign because now the consumers expectations
         | are high and if they not deliver what they promised here then
         | they're gonna have a huge trouble so as a consumer it would be
         | nice if the consumer can provide some our expectations to say
         | how to show our interest and kind of motivate them to build a
         | better product.
        
         | madrox wrote:
         | There's a famous macrumors forum post of people raging against
         | the iPod, saying it will be a massive failure. We've seen the
         | same reaction from every Apple hardware announcement since.
         | 
         | The original post in 2001 is still live. Read it for a laugh:
         | https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.5...
        
           | redbell wrote:
           | > _Read it for a laugh_
           | 
           | Steve Ballmer also laughed so much of the iPhone being
           | _without a keyboard_ :) , It turned out to be one of the most
           | innovative products in history.
        
           | crashingintoyou wrote:
           | I'll admit to being quite skeptical of the iPad and was wrong
           | about that.
           | 
           | That said, despite owning a Quest 2 and eagerly awaiting the
           | Quest 3 release, nothing in this headset particularly appeals
           | to me. (Am mainly into rhythm games and am guessing those
           | wouldn't be nearly as fun without the haptics in into other
           | headsets' controllers which this seems to lack).
        
           | ztrww wrote:
           | Apple also released
           | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton
           | 
           | Which was a great idea and a very innovative product
           | literally ahead of it's time by 15 years.
        
             | fnordpiglet wrote:
             | I bought a used newton from the lead engineer on the
             | newton. I loved the device and used it regularly until my
             | then girlfriend stepped on it and broke the display.
             | Needless to say that relationship wasn't long after that
             | ;-)
             | 
             | I later had a palm. It was garbage compared to the newton
             | even if it was 1/8 the size. I'm glad to see the newton
             | essentially return as the iPhone/iPad.
        
           | makeitdouble wrote:
           | TBF, there's an equal amount of "I haven't touched the
           | product, nor even read reviews of people handling it in their
           | hands, but I'm totally gonna buy this only based on the
           | marketing material"
           | 
           | I kinda loved how Accidental Tech Podcast's host joke about
           | not having even heard of the product yet but they'll probably
           | buy it for personal use either way.
           | 
           | The pendulum has fully swinged the other way for the a
           | sizeable chunk of people I think.
        
         | two_handfuls wrote:
         | Yes, the presentation shows it used as a display for a Mac.
         | Incidentally, you can also do this with the cheaper Quest Pro
         | headset (or any headset in the Quest line, so $300-$1000 price
         | range - but you don't get as many pixels). There are a few
         | options for the software, VRDesktop (https://www.vrdesktop.net)
         | being one.
        
       | browningstreet wrote:
       | Bets please:
       | 
       | Date and city location of the first reported occasion of a
       | person, wearing these outside, who get them stolen off their
       | head.
        
         | maxlin wrote:
         | February 24th 2024 in SF
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | chad1n wrote:
       | This will only be targeted in US, no? I doubt it's GDPR compliant
       | and won't probably buyers outside of US. If it's $3500, then in
       | Europe, it will be around $5000.
        
         | jw1224 wrote:
         | What's not GDPR compliant about it?
        
         | idoh wrote:
         | What's the issue with GDPR? If it is similar to other Apple
         | products where data is collected / processed at the edge, then
         | no more issues than anything else they do.
        
       | lvl102 wrote:
       | There's no question this will be a game changer. Applications
       | will be absolutely endless. Can you imagine putting this on and
       | having guides on fixing homes or cars? I didn't know it was going
       | to be completely untethered. That you can walk around with this
       | thing freely.
       | 
       | By the 3rd gen and cheaper price, Apple will be selling a lot of
       | these devices. As software ecosystem emerge to create this
       | entirely new experience, I cannot wait to see what people develop
       | to use this device.
       | 
       | I don't necessarily think this first gen will sell well but it
       | will make people start thinking of all the possibilities. I am
       | excited.
        
       | TIPSIO wrote:
       | I could see this reinventing the living room.
       | 
       | Imagine in 5-10 years when this tech is perfected. It's a
       | Saturday night. You, your spouse, and 3 kids each have one of
       | these strapped to their face.
       | 
       | Why watch a movie on the couch facing a wall with a traditional
       | flat TV format?
       | 
       | Certainly Disney or whoever will invent 3D interactive
       | plays/games with stadium type immersive entertainment.
       | 
       | Living rooms will become circles like when people playing a board
       | game.
        
         | throwaway106382 wrote:
         | I think what's much more likely:
         | 
         | Parent 1: watching a drama Parent 2: playing a video game Kid
         | 3: zoned out watching a movie/cartoon/playing videogames
         | 
         | See this already with kids that mindlessly consume television
         | while parents just drone out doomscrolling on facebook on their
         | devices.
        
         | davem8 wrote:
         | "It's a Saturday night. You, your spouse, and 3 kids each have
         | one of these strapped to their face."
         | 
         | That sound's like a futuristic hellscape to me. I sure I'm not
         | buying 1 never mind 5.
        
       | uticus wrote:
       | > A unique dual-chip design enables the spatial experiences on
       | Vision Pro... The powerful M2 chip simultaneously runs
       | visionOS... the brand-new R1 chip is specifically dedicated to
       | process input from the cameras...
       | 
       | Any information on the new "R1" chip?
       | 
       | Signal processing sounds like FPGA territory, would be
       | interesting to know what is unique for giving this chip new
       | branding, versioning, and calling it out... versus just saying
       | "the headset processes input from the cameras..."
        
         | jwmcq wrote:
         | I think that signal processing is really only 'FPGA territory'
         | because most people who need to do custom signal processing
         | don't also have access to large scale chip design and
         | fabrication capacity. For Apple, it could just be a matter of
         | "we built a custom chip because that's kind of what we do now -
         | might as well tell people about it". I agree that I'd
         | definitely love to hear more, though!
        
       | IceWreck wrote:
       | Awesome trailer, but the Meta Quest 3 can do the same things,
       | with somewhat worse hardware but that's acceptable considering
       | its 7x cheaper.
       | 
       | The biggest improvements over it are the higher resolution, the
       | spatial audio and using a PS5/xbox controller to play regular
       | apple arcade games. They are heavily leaning into the "use it as
       | a large monitor aspect" which is something Meta Quest sucks at
       | because of poor resolution.
        
         | dmitrygr wrote:
         | > Awesome trailer, but the Meta Quest 3 can do the same things,
         | with somewhat worse hardware but that's acceptable considering
         | its 7x cheaper.
         | 
         | "My pinto can do the same thing as your Private jet, just with
         | somewhat worse hardware but that's acceptable considering it
         | cheaper."
        
       | zyang wrote:
       | The amount of innovation packed into one release blew my mind.
       | Apple has done it again.
        
         | turbobooster wrote:
         | [dead]
        
       | Sodman wrote:
       | One use case I'm psyched about for this - shared virtual
       | whiteboarding for remote workers. No traditional apps have been
       | able to reproduce the feeling of being in the room with a small
       | group, collaborating on a shared whiteboard, feels like a huge
       | opportunity!
        
         | ncr100 wrote:
         | I feel collaboration is the 'killer app' for this tech - though
         | it won't achieve that.
         | 
         | Now, how big is that market?? I don't think it's all that big.
         | yet.
         | 
         | Generative AI is making an impact on that world too - perhaps
         | there will be a change in generative AI's presence in creation
         | / media creation, which will require AR / VR.
         | 
         | I think THIS product will be sold as a PC / Monitor
         | replacement, and in 5 years the collaboration killer app will
         | be the "novel" usage.
        
       | paul7986 wrote:
       | AR sized sunglasses is the next iPhone so much innovation to
       | happen here.
       | 
       | Though as of now and until they shrink all the tech into regular
       | sized glasses the majority will reject while the innovators will
       | jump on this headset and start creating amazing things.
        
       | londons_explore wrote:
       | >Early next year
       | 
       | Wow - It's 8 months till you can even buy one of these!
        
       | escapecharacter wrote:
       | What an early announcement before actual availability
        
       | thih9 wrote:
       | All this - software demo, hardware demo, and the price - feels
       | like a developer preview.
       | 
       | That's fine, it's the wwdc after all.
        
       | 762236 wrote:
       | I really miss the authenticity of an Elon presentation. Some of
       | the people in the Vision Pro presentation looked 3D rendered with
       | the degree of post processing the video underwent.
        
         | LapsangGuzzler wrote:
         | When is the Cybertruck releasing again?
        
           | rowanG077 wrote:
           | End of this year.
        
         | DANmode wrote:
         | Were they the people toward the end they had said were
         | rendered?
        
         | tkanarsky wrote:
         | No kidding. This honestly felt like something out of Hunger
         | Games, with some obviously well-off, out-of-touch, work-from-
         | home dweebs wearing this unit to show off their status to their
         | Apple ecosystem social circle. And then we have Disney! With
         | Marvel and Star Wars! So you can experience Adventure! Without
         | leaving your home!
         | 
         | Yeesh, this says a lot about their target market.
         | 
         | Cool tech, though. Let's hope I'm not peer pressured into
         | wearing one of these masks for my kid's goddamn birthday party.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | thomk wrote:
       | When the iPad came out I thought to myself "Who needs a big
       | iPhone? also, god what a dumb name, 'iPad'. Apple really missed
       | the mark on that one." Welp, I was wrong then. I don't personally
       | see myself using this but that doesn't mean it is not going to be
       | successful. I'll just wait and see.
        
       | rcarr wrote:
       | I was sceptical going into today that Apple were going to be able
       | to make an AR product for $3000 that could justify that price
       | point, especially when my XReal glasses only cost $399. I was
       | even more sceptical when I heard they were going to be VR capable
       | and goggles.
       | 
       | Well fuck me. This thing looks absolutely insane. It's come in at
       | $3499 and if it performs as good as those videos make out then,
       | if anything, it's a bargain.
       | 
       | I can't believe they've managed to do away with controllers for
       | everything except serious typing. I can't believe they've managed
       | to cram more pixels than a 4k TV on to the size of a postage
       | stamp. And I can't believe we'll soon be reliving memories in 3d
       | (just please put the same camera technology into the phones so
       | the kids don't have a childhood of staring up at goggle eyed
       | parents until this tech become sufficiently miniaturised).
       | 
       | Computers this decade are going to be incredible.
        
         | qumpis wrote:
         | What stood out to you that justifies the pricetag, especially
         | in comparison to cheaper competitors?
        
           | rcarr wrote:
           | Well for starters, this demo was so insane and full of tech
           | that no one is even talking about the fact we're all going to
           | have realistic animated avatars that interpret our facial
           | expressions in real time.
        
             | paxys wrote:
             | You mean something the Quest does already?
        
               | rcarr wrote:
               | lmfao if you want to compare Zuckerberg's cartoons to a
               | console level animation then sure.
               | 
               | Oscar Wilde - A cynic is a man who knows the price of
               | everything and the value of nothing.
        
               | wtetzner wrote:
               | Alan Perlis - Lisp programmers know the value of
               | everything and the cost of nothing.
        
               | kazinator wrote:
               | TIL! Perlis was got that from Wilde? That makes it even
               | cooler. He was pondering over the Wilde quote and
               | realized that it can be reframed to apply to Lisp.
               | 
               | Plus, it makes Lisp programmers the opposite of cynics,
               | in a way.
               | 
               | If you only care about the cost of every computation, but
               | not its value, then you're a kind of code cynic.
        
               | crazygringo wrote:
               | The Quest doesn't. It's not detecting facial expressions
               | at all, it doesn't have cameras to do so.
        
               | [deleted]
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | oezi wrote:
           | Low latency Video pass through so that you can actually see
           | the physical surroundings and/or your own hands to grab
           | something that somebody is handing to you without getting
           | motion sickness.
        
             | rcarr wrote:
             | Yeah the way that woman blurred in and out of view was
             | silky smooth.
        
             | wvenable wrote:
             | I do that now with a Quest 2. I assume Apple has done it
             | 10x better (for 10x the price) but I wonder if you need it
             | to be 10x better.
        
               | crazygringo wrote:
               | It's so atrocious with the Quest 2 as to be virtually
               | unusable though.
               | 
               | It's black and white, low-res, incredibly grainy, and
               | there are weird seams in a bunch of transition spots
               | because the cameras are further apart than the eyes so
               | it's doing weird reconstruction. It's legitimately hard
               | to grab objects using it because your arms and hands
               | aren't _quite_ in the right place.
               | 
               | What Apple looks like they're doing makes it actually
               | useful.
        
               | wvenable wrote:
               | I've heard this expressed a few times but I find it
               | perfectly usable for what I need it for. It is a free
               | feature reusing the existing IR cameras for pass through.
               | My home space is always the pass through home because
               | it's so useful to see your surroundings.
               | 
               | It's definitely not AR but for reaching out and grabbing
               | something (as I was replying to) or walking around it's
               | perfectly acceptable. The 3D effect is perfect so you can
               | actually reach out and grab whatever you want.
        
               | crazygringo wrote:
               | Wow, that's really interesting that we have such
               | different experiences with it.
               | 
               | I really want to use passthru as my home space but the
               | problem is that it actually makes me nauseous after a few
               | minutes. I have zero nausea with the Quest 2 normally
               | because everything aligns perfectly in terms of movement
               | and depth, but the 3D in passthru is just off enough to
               | make me feel sick.
               | 
               | Maybe just different people's sensitivities to things.
        
               | belval wrote:
               | I'll preface this by stating that I don't like Apple
               | products and I love my Quest 2.
               | 
               | We absolutely need the 10x better in VR for "spatial
               | computing". Right now the issue with the Quest 2 for work
               | is that it's way too heavy/bulky, is not sharp enough,
               | has jitters that make you dizzy and the integration with
               | your computer is always a bit hit or miss (mine has
               | trouble connecting through AirLink half the time).
               | 
               | The issue with the above is that they are experience
               | breaking. I completely "buy" what Apple is selling here
               | because the current solutions simply fall short. If I
               | can't read code properly or my neck hurts after 1 hour
               | it's a deal breaker and the headset goes unused. 4k per-
               | eye and almost ski mask thickness with the battery in my
               | pocket might actually bridge the gap.
               | 
               | I won't pay 3k+ for it, but we definitely need it to be
               | 10x better because the 1x is still pretty far from a
               | daily driver.
        
               | rcarr wrote:
               | I will quite happily exchange more money for higher
               | quality and higher privacy. Meta have crossed so many
               | ethical boundaries and caused so many societal problems
               | why anyone still wants to give them both their data and
               | their money is beyond me. Do you really want that company
               | to be able to track your eye movements? Any time you
               | browse any product website that information is going to
               | be logged, they're going to know exactly what you want
               | and you're going to be bombarded with adverts wherever
               | they possibly can.
               | 
               | You get what you pay for. If you pay less than what it
               | costs to develop the technology then YOU ARE THE PRODUCT.
        
             | 76SlashDolphin wrote:
             | Have you tried a Quest Pro? I had the opportunity to use
             | one for a bit and the latency of the passthrough was really
             | good. Apple's implementation will undoubtedly be better but
             | they're not even the first "mainstream" option for low
             | latency video passthrough.
        
         | zmmmmm wrote:
         | I puzzled how you can be surprised by all this. There's nothing
         | here that wasn't well understood, expected. 95% of it is just
         | showing things other devices have done for years.
         | 
         | > I can't believe they've managed to do away with controllers
         | 
         | Meta has been shipping it for several years on the Quest line.
         | It's now extremely good. I'm keen to hear if Apple have shipped
         | something better and they may have, but it's hardly "can't
         | believe" territory.
         | 
         | > I can't believe they've managed to cram more pixels than a 4k
         | TV on to the size of a postage stamp
         | 
         | You're repeating Apple marketing lines verbatim. That's just
         | what a micro OLED display is - the tech has been around for a
         | while. They aren't made by Apple, half a dozen other VR/AR
         | headsets are shipping these.
        
         | jmkni wrote:
         | Agree the tech is incredible, it just seems like something I
         | would use a handful of times, be like 'that was cool' and then
         | never really use again
        
       | rattray wrote:
       | dup of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36201593 I think
        
       | SebastianKra wrote:
       | I'm not going to make predictions that I'll later regret, but I
       | have the following concerns:
       | 
       | Comfort: This needs to sit on your face for 8 hours or more.
       | Unlike with the Quest Pro, your face always touches the shield.
       | If you wear AirPods Max with this, the majority of your head is
       | covered, sweating and unable to breathe. Apple supposedly paid
       | lots of attention to making the material breathable, but their
       | rubber products also deteriorate notoriously fast, so we'll have
       | to wait and see.
       | 
       | Resolution: The displays have an impressive resolution, but I'm
       | not sure it will be enough. So far, none of the VR headsets I've
       | tried have come even close to matching the resolution that I
       | would want for coding and desk work. But image quality at the
       | same resolution can vary heavily based on the lens quality and
       | the headset, so we'll have to wait and see.
       | 
       | Input: I hated Hand Tracking on the HoloLenses and disliked it on
       | the Quest. The pinching gesture becomes uncomfortable really
       | quickly, as it requires more and more monotonous movement than
       | tapping a key or clicking a mouse. However, they seem to heavily
       | involve eye-tracking as an input method, which none of the other
       | headsets have tried, so we'll have to wait and see.
       | 
       | Price: Well, I have a year to justify this in my head.
        
         | rahkiin wrote:
         | Apple Vision pro has 3x more pixels than the Quest 3. Cannot
         | say anything about the resolution without comparing exact
         | display sizes though
        
         | hxugufjfjf wrote:
         | It has a battery life of 2 hours.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | IAmGraydon wrote:
       | I guess they had to call it a "spatial computer" in an attempt to
       | overcome the shock that they want $3,500 for a VR headset when
       | the competition is selling their newest generation for $500.
        
         | ChildOfChaos wrote:
         | Yes, but what they are doing seems to be nothing like the other
         | VR headsets, did you watch or read?
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | kllrnohj wrote:
           | It was all 2.5D apps and watching movies - this is the exact
           | stuff that has already been tried. It's a really polished
           | presentation of it with the shadow casting and stuff, but is
           | that really the missing piece? Seems unlikely.
        
             | ladberg wrote:
             | Fully 3D apps and content are definitely supported, just
             | not emphasized a ton in the keynote. I expect third party
             | devs to create tons of cool stuff for it beyond the basic
             | 2D iPad apps!
        
           | ARandumGuy wrote:
           | What are they doing that can't be done with other VR
           | headsets? Virtual desktop has been a thing for years, and VR
           | pass-through and "pointing interfaces" are possible with the
           | Meta Quest. While these features may be better on Apple's
           | headset, they certainly aren't new.
        
             | apersona wrote:
             | I'm sorry, but have you tried the Quest Pro's pass-through?
             | 
             | I have, and it was an awful experience. They had color pass
             | through but faked it and it felt like a grayscale video
             | that someone shoddily tried to paint over it. There was
             | significant warping and text (like a poster on my friend's
             | wall) was barely readable.
             | 
             | It "exists", but was completely useless in terms of
             | usability. If Apple can get pass-through to actually work
             | well, I would call that "new" in the sense that it's a
             | feature that's usable.
        
           | IAmGraydon wrote:
           | It's not that different. Did you watch the Quest 3
           | announcement last week?
           | 
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhce2OgZu4
        
           | philjohn wrote:
           | Honestly, it really doesn't seem different at all.
           | 
           | AR is also where other notable headset makers are betting,
           | Quest has had hand controls for quite a while (which made the
           | "clunky controllers" dig fall flat).
           | 
           | It definitely seems more refined, but then again, it's over
           | 2x the cost of the competition, so that would have to be
           | taken as read.
        
             | steveoscaro wrote:
             | The Quest is not AR focused in the least, it's pure VR. And
             | the hand tracking is clunky. This looks like a very
             | different experience in general.
        
               | IAmGraydon wrote:
               | I guess you missed the Quest 3 announcement last week.
               | It's all about AR and it's $500.
               | 
               | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhce2OgZu4
        
               | ChildOfChaos wrote:
               | There is really no comparison between the Apple device
               | and what Meta announced, the devices are quite different.
               | 
               | Even when Apple showed games, it was less full AR games
               | or like VR experiences in AR, it was about putting a
               | screen up and playing a standard game like this.
               | 
               | The Apple experience is full VR and using every space as
               | a screen to access the things you already do. Meta is
               | insisting on building the 'metaverse' it's a completely
               | different concept that people making this argument seem
               | to have completely missed.
               | 
               | And I say that as someone that uses a Q1 everyday for
               | Fitness and will be purchasing a Q3, you saw Apple
               | announce nothing like this, also I think the name is a
               | give away 'vision pro' it's about visuals and virtual
               | screens, not about creating another reality, which is
               | likely why they moved away from the reality pro name that
               | was rumoured.
        
         | jonwinstanley wrote:
         | It's very expensive but this product is offering a lot more
         | than the $500 headsets
        
         | qumpis wrote:
         | Which competitor is providing $500 AR headset?
        
           | IAmGraydon wrote:
           | I'm amazed at how many people here missed this last week:
           | 
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhce2OgZu4
        
             | randyrand wrote:
             | That ad is so dinky. They make Apple marketing look so
             | good.
        
               | ImHereToVote wrote:
               | They make the Quest seem cheap. Because it is. It's
               | geared for mass adoption.
        
             | qumpis wrote:
             | Oh! I was aware of Quest 3, but had no idea it supports AR
             | too.
        
           | coolspot wrote:
           | Recently announced Oculus Quest 3 has full color and depth AR
           | pass-through for $499
        
         | jarek83 wrote:
         | With M2 on board and other silicon chip it actually is a
         | computer, not to mention it comes with its own OS.
        
         | JohnBooty wrote:
         | I guess they had to call it a "spatial computer" in an
         | attempt to overcome the shock that they want $3,500 for
         | a VR headset
         | 
         | With "computer" I think they're trying to emphasize the fact
         | that it's standalone, not an add-on?
         | 
         | That may seem silly, but I have not paid much attention to
         | VR/AR and I had assumed that headsets like the Meta Quest 2
         | were tethered to some other device. A quick search before this
         | post showed me that is _not_ the case, but I was actually
         | ignorant about that fact. So apparently there are dopes like me
         | who need to be told that these flagship headsets are standalone
         | computing devices.
        
           | [deleted]
        
       | faefox wrote:
       | DOA at the announced price of $3499. I don't think even the
       | Reality Distortion Field can overcome the intrinsic problems with
       | VR/AR, namely that most people simply do not want to deal with
       | the hassle of strapping something to their face or clearing a
       | sufficiently large area for room-scale experiences.
        
         | ladberg wrote:
         | You don't really need to clear an area for this because you'll
         | be using passthrough 99% of the time and won't hit stuff.
         | You'll be able to run around a cluttered room, pick up things,
         | interact with people, type on keyboards, etc. without taking
         | the headset off!
        
         | pcurve wrote:
         | Yep.
         | 
         | Most people don't even like wearing eyeglass.
         | 
         | I feel like we're going backwards from Google Glasses.
        
       | getmeinrn wrote:
       | Calling it now, the failure of this Apple product is going to be
       | a big turning point for the company. Apple is supposed to be the
       | company that sets trends, but instead they're following Meta down
       | a path that has now shown to be a dead end, and no amount of
       | aesthetics or marketing can prevent it.
        
         | bostonsre wrote:
         | Why would it be a turning point if the product fails? Couldn't
         | they just amputate and operate the business as usual?
        
         | DANmode wrote:
         | Has it been a dead end because of no demand, or has there been
         | no demand because of the poor UX?
        
         | illuminati1911 wrote:
         | 100% agreed. This is going to be the point in history that
         | people will remember when Apple went too far and how it
         | destroyed the company...or destroyed the Apple as we know it
         | today.
         | 
         | I've understood every single Apple product so far (with some
         | small exceptions) but this is just DOA. People are used to
         | thinking that Apple doesn't go into a product space unless they
         | can really nail it in terms of implementation and pricing.
         | 
         | There is no excuse for 3499. This product is dead. If they
         | can't manufacture it any cheaper they should have never done
         | it.
        
           | klelatti wrote:
           | It may or may not be a dud but I've no idea how even a
           | resounding failure could 'destroy' a company as profitable
           | and with as successful a product as the iPhone.
        
           | stirlo wrote:
           | What makes you think they can't manufacture it cheaper?
           | 
           | I see this price as a way of earning a healthy profit off
           | early adopters and allowing them time to get third party apps
           | developed before they announce a Vision (non pro) for
           | $1000-2000 that flys off the shelves
        
           | pcbro141 wrote:
           | Destroy the company how? They have tens or hundreds of
           | billions in cash. Couldn't they just discontinue the product
           | and move on if it flops?
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | gnicholas wrote:
         | It's possible, but I see a use case for this as a replacement
         | monitor for my Mac, plus a lot more. If this were $2k I'd get
         | one immediately, assuming an in-store demo is not
         | disappointing.
         | 
         | I have never had any interest in Meta products (partly because
         | of their affiliation with FB).
        
           | lm28469 wrote:
           | > as a replacement monitor for my Mac
           | 
           | Have you every worn literally anything for 2+ hours on your
           | head. Even glasses get uncomfortable after a day
        
             | jkubicek wrote:
             | I'm not 100% confident that I could wear these all day, but
             | I wear my Airpods Pro all day long and they're _heavy_. I
             | can wear my ski googles most of the day. Building a VR
             | headset that can be worn for a few hours straight and are
             | all-day comfortable seems possible.
        
             | joshmanders wrote:
             | > Have you every worn literally anything for 2+ hours on
             | your head. Even glasses get uncomfortable after a day
             | 
             | Some of us don't have the luxury of removing glasses after
             | 2 hours, so... Yeah, I've worn something on my face for 16+
             | hours a day, so I can see.
        
               | lm28469 wrote:
               | > Some of us don't have the luxury of removing glasses
               | after 2 hours, so... Yeah
               | 
               | Exactly! You're making my point, people do not want that
               | unless they're forced to
        
               | TillE wrote:
               | I wear glasses nearly every waking hour and don't
               | consider them uncomfortable. They're fine.
        
             | gnicholas wrote:
             | Good point. I am wondering if they can make the environment
             | immersive enough that you don't notice the weight as much.
             | Sort of like how roller skates are heavy and cumbersome
             | when you're walking around outside the rink, but when
             | you're on the rink you don't notice that because they
             | enable you to move so easily. And yes, I realize how badly
             | I'm dating myself with this analogy.
        
             | oezi wrote:
             | Lots of glass wearers aren't bother by glasses at all.
             | 
             | The key point is temperature and weight. No data on either,
             | yet.
        
               | asdff wrote:
               | On the other hand , others shove their fingers into their
               | eyes chasing around a loose contact behind their eyeball
               | because the prospect of glasses is in their mind even
               | worse of an experience.
        
       | rickreynoldssf wrote:
       | This is a proof of concept. It's going to take many more years to
       | get it into a practical form factor for widespread adoption. In
       | the meantime, early adopters including developers will define it.
       | It's basically the same as the Macintosh. That essentially failed
       | to gain mainstream adoption for 15 years. People called it an
       | expensive toy. Same same but different.
        
       | riffic wrote:
       | Think before you post.
       | 
       | Remember, whatever opinions or hot takes you have of this product
       | now will be resoundingly made fun of for the rest of history.
        
         | ActorNightly wrote:
         | I mean its pretty clear how this stuff goes by now.
         | 
         | 1. Tech already exists. Not really widely adopted since its
         | super niche.
         | 
         | 2. Apple comes along, takes existing tech, makes it sleek,
         | gives it modern processing power, integrates it into the apple
         | ecosystem, puts everything behind a paywall
         | 
         | 3. Because Apple is cool and has brand recognition, people
         | adopt the tech and start using it.
         | 
         | 4. Non Apple cheaper alternatives eventually pop up.
         | 
         | Rinse and repeat. Happened with iPod, iPhone, iWatch, e.t.c
        
         | shp0ngle wrote:
         | Or not.
         | 
         | It's not like past always predicts the future. Apple has a lot
         | of stinkers too, just not recently. Apple TV (the HW device) is
         | not all that successful either.
         | 
         | On the other hand, this is rather hype-free (no metaverse!!!!!
         | no AI!) and has actual usecases presented. Also I thought Apple
         | Watches were stupid, but now almost everyone has one. So, who
         | knows.
        
         | harveywi wrote:
         | "A new era of facial computing."
        
         | racl101 wrote:
         | Looks Rad yo.
        
         | curiousllama wrote:
         | Last October, I sent my coworker a short rant that chatbots
         | don't work, never will, and everyone really needs to stop
         | trying to build them.
         | 
         | ChatGPT was released a week later. My coworker claims he's
         | gonna have my rant framed.
        
           | lm28469 wrote:
           | It's been what ? 8 months ? Who lost their job ? Where is
           | skynet ?
        
         | picture wrote:
         | You make it sound like this is the new steam engine, but is it
         | really that historical of a product? Nothing here strikes me as
         | an entirely novel idea, in fact it just seems like an iteration
         | on an already pretty well developed concept
        
           | ok_dad wrote:
           | It's everything that's best from the VR world put in one
           | package by Apple. The only downside to this device for VR
           | might be if it isn't supported by SteamVR or OpenXR. If this
           | is a walled garden, it will be more of a niche product for
           | professionals. If you can plug this into any PC to do VR,
           | it's actually quite awesome as a headset, but pretty
           | expensive due to all the extra chips.
        
             | A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote:
             | I will admit I was curious. I am not an Apple fanboy; quite
             | the opposite. But if it will jailbroken the same way phones
             | were, there is a potential there. Naturally, I would assume
             | developers will be able do whatever they want anyway.
             | 
             | This is the first device from Apple that.. I might consider
             | buying if it looks like something I could use. And that is
             | despite the crazy price.
        
               | ok_dad wrote:
               | I think as a VR headset alone it's worth $1.5k due to the
               | features it has (4k+ OLED per eye, inside-out tracking,
               | hand tracking, etc.), so I guess the other $2k is half
               | due to this thing being a whole iPhone on your face
               | (basically) and then some "Apple Product Premium" for the
               | other half, since Apple makes nice products that work
               | well for the most part. I see it as expensive, but well
               | worth it, assuming you could use this with regular PCVR
               | titles, like having SteamVR or OpenXR support. If it
               | doesn't have support for PCVR, then it's a tough sell for
               | me, personally.
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | barneysstory95 wrote:
           | [dead]
        
           | renewiltord wrote:
           | Not wireless. Higher price than a Quest. Lame.
        
             | drdaeman wrote:
             | > Not wireless
             | 
             | It's supposedly an autonomous device, although from the
             | photos it seems that there's a brick on a cable to carry
             | around.
        
               | renewiltord wrote:
               | I'm just snowcloning "No wireless. Less space than a
               | nomad. Lame" since the comment I'm replying to seems like
               | an unintentional snowclone of exactly what GP comment
               | was.
               | 
               | Ignore me.
        
           | jonwinstanley wrote:
           | Yep, you could probably describe the iPhone as an iteration
           | on an already pretty well developed concept too
        
             | SllX wrote:
             | A lot of people were even less charitable at the time.
        
       | mark_l_watson wrote:
       | I will probably wait for version 2 in about 2 years, but I am
       | fairly certain I will buy one.
       | 
       | I get a huge amount of value from my Quest 2, so spending money
       | on a new toy is not unreasonable.
       | 
       | I worked in the field of VR about 25 years ago (SAIC, Angel
       | Studios, Disney project). VR and AR as consumer tech will
       | eventually be AWESOME, but I am not holding my breath - it will
       | be a long wait.
        
       | mrdatawolf wrote:
       | The Apple faithful are going to wake up tomorrow and realize THIS
       | is what they used to make fun of Google and Microsoft for.
       | 
       | It's a pair of REALLY expensive snow goggles. Worse it's goggles
       | with a tiny battery life, a bizarre generated face, it looks
       | goofy and the first time that cable snags on anything...
       | 
       | Imagine Steve Jobs on stage and he says "One more thing..." and
       | puts that on his face, That would NEVER happen.
       | 
       | This is cool in the same way the Newton was! (edited for typo)
        
       | IceHegel wrote:
       | Disappointing to see it won't ship until 2024. I wonder if they
       | are waiting for a 3nm chip.
        
         | NotSuspicious wrote:
         | It looks like they aren't since they said it will use an M2
         | chip
        
       | [deleted]
        
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