[HN Gopher] Apple Vision Pro developer kit
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Apple Vision Pro developer kit
        
       Author : Pulcinella
       Score  : 146 points
       Date   : 2023-07-24 17:36 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (developer.apple.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (developer.apple.com)
        
       | hashtag-til wrote:
       | Are HN excited with this gadget?
        
       | mgrandl wrote:
       | Can I apply in Germany? My dev account recently expired, but I
       | would renew it for a chance to get my hands on the dev kit...
        
         | stirlo wrote:
         | I doubt someone who's such a small developer that they recently
         | let their dev account expire would be considered for this.
         | They'll be targeting big and established developers not people
         | who decide to spend $99 on a dev account so they can access
         | cool toys early.
        
           | mgrandl wrote:
           | Yeah for sure, I am just wondering whether they technically
           | send them out in Germany, or whether this is US only.
        
             | MichaelZuo wrote:
             | Of course there are plenty of large German companies with
             | the means to pay for a full developer kit and who are part
             | of the Apple ecosystem in some way.
        
       | jjkeddo199 wrote:
       | I hope Apple releases a haptic feedback type of electrode
       | addon+API to the Vision Pro, similarly to how rumble controllers
       | work for gaming consoles.
       | 
       | Imagine having an electrode that you could stick to the back of
       | your neck to simulate onTouch/onPress events. Imagine being able
       | to feel raindrops or gusts of wind in videogames. Immersion would
       | be greatly increased from this feature alone!
       | 
       | Apple would be foolish to omit something like this!
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | ceejayoz wrote:
         | I went to a "4D theater" at Disney World once that simulated an
         | alien xenomorph run amok on a space station. It'd get close and
         | there'd be a puff of breath on your neck; it'd go dark,
         | someone'd scream and you'd hear juicy noises accompanied by a
         | misting of water. Pretty terrifying as a 13 year old.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExtraTERRORestrial_Alien_Encou...
         | 
         | > Air blown through soft textile tubes caused them to slap
         | against the back of audience members' heads which, in
         | conjunction with hot air blowers and olfactory emitters,
         | created the most direct physical effect by suggesting the alien
         | was licking audience members.
         | 
         | That bit was _mean_.
        
       | BigglesB wrote:
       | Interesting that it actually calls out game developers right at
       | the start despite everything else announced about the headset
       | indicating that they couldn't care less about gaming on
       | VisionOS...
        
         | matt_s wrote:
         | Uses of VR/AR outside of gaming are going to be niche. Gaming
         | use cases could also be considered niche within the realm of
         | gaming. For entertainment outside of gaming, observe any young
         | person consume a long piece of content like a show/movie and
         | they probably have another device nearby they are texting on.
         | The goal for VR/AR should be distracted entertainment not
         | immersive entertainment like most examples show.
         | 
         | Mainstream use cases like office workers (I don't think Apple
         | depicted this) are less likely in my opinion. Typical office
         | workers (not developers/engineers like on here) are given a
         | bare bones budget PC to do their job, like total spend of $500.
         | Even if form factors for VR/AR get to "comfortable for 8 hours"
         | levels I still don't see the ROI on the hardware for commercial
         | purposes like office workers - most VR/AR headsets require some
         | other compute device as well.
        
           | crooked-v wrote:
           | > Typical office workers (not developers/engineers like on
           | here) are given a bare bones budget PC to do their job, like
           | total spend of $500.
           | 
           | The market here isn't typical office workers, it's execs and
           | high-value workers like software devs. They won't even have
           | the production at a scale large enough that it _could_ be
           | available to typical office workers en masse for years at a
           | minimum.
        
             | matt_s wrote:
             | Execs are typically spending their day mostly doing face to
             | face things. Developers can have a lot of pixels in front
             | of them very cheaply these days. I fail to see ROI in these
             | use cases either. Being "more productive" usually doesn't
             | quantify very well if it is all just a feeling.
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | How do you propose measuring developer productivity
               | though? Lines of code written? Unfortunately we've yet to
               | figure out a metric for developer productivity other than
               | "a feeling" and as a developer, sometimes I work better
               | when other people are in the room. Unfortunately, the
               | cheap pixels with a high ROI that are available to me
               | don't travel well, so I either have to go somewhere and
               | be confined my laptop, or someone else has to come to me
               | and be confined to their laptop. (Having an office where
               | that happens is so passe these days.) I have no idea if
               | Apple Vision will let that be different, and $3,500 is
               | too much for me to shell out, but I want to be in my home
               | office but also have my home office colocated with
               | everyone else's home office. Maybe I can setup my office
               | in a self-driving car and it can shuttle me and my desk
               | around to meetings.
        
         | TheCaptain4815 wrote:
         | Games produce the vast majority of revenue/profit for the app
         | store. Actually, whales in gaming do that but same difference.
         | 
         | https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/10/apple-vs-epic-70percent-of-a...
        
         | shortrounddev2 wrote:
         | Reminds me of
         | https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2146412825...
         | 
         | > Several things over the years made me conclude that, at his
         | core, Steve didn't think very highly of games, and always
         | wished they weren't as important to his platforms as they
         | turned out to be. I never took it personally.
         | 
         | > Part of his method, at least with me, was to deride
         | contemporary options and dare me to tell him differently. They
         | might be pragmatic, but couldn't actually be good. "I have
         | Pixar. We will make something [an API] that is actually good."
         | It was often frustrating, because he could talk, with complete
         | confidence, about things he was just plain wrong about, like
         | the price of memory for video cards and the amount of system
         | bandwidth exploitable by the AltiVec extensions.
        
         | RetpolineDrama wrote:
         | This isn't going to improve until Apple gets a leadership
         | overhaul. Look at the current executive team, it's all a bunch
         | of boomers who think "gaming" is candy crush and farmville.
        
           | nerdjon wrote:
           | Their Mac announcements around gaming at the same conference
           | seem to show otherwise.
        
             | RetpolineDrama wrote:
             | Their decades of failure and continued under-development of
             | GPU with the transition to Apple Silicon says it all.
             | 
             | A few developer tools that the suits probably have never
             | heard of don't change that.
        
             | smoldesu wrote:
             | Their Mac announcement was basically a catch-up release to
             | get DirectX working on Metal roughly as-well-as the Open
             | Source Vulkan translator. If that's not an apology release,
             | I don't know what is - it feels pretty clear that Apple's
             | obsession over platform control has hamstrung game
             | developers. They could have been a Steam Deck, but they
             | chose to be a Steam Machine.
        
               | nerdjon wrote:
               | The unfortunate reality is it is also not 100% up to
               | Apple to fix the issue.
               | 
               | Windows has a very strong grip on gaming and you have to
               | convince consumers and developers that it's worth it.
               | 
               | The Steam Deck kinda got around that with Proton but it
               | also means that if that becomes the norm for anything
               | other than Windows, it is only fixing one of those
               | problems while developers still continue to target and
               | optimize for the main platform (Windows)
        
               | smoldesu wrote:
               | Apple had a shot at dethroning DirectX when they helped
               | Khronos write the Vulkan spec. They eventually abandoned
               | it in favor of Metal, but things would look very
               | different if Mac, Linux and Windows all shared the same
               | GPU APIs today. Even without Macs, both Windows and Linux
               | have functional DirectX translators that MacOS could have
               | also enjoyed for the past half-decade.
               | 
               | Part of the problem is dethroning Windows. The other part
               | of the problem is not being so greedy that you make
               | Microsoft look reasonable by comparison.
        
               | pjmlp wrote:
               | Day dreaming?
               | 
               | Apple had nothing to do with Vulkan.
        
         | nerdjon wrote:
         | They showed hints of what this could do outside of the floating
         | windows in their announcement.
         | 
         | Like the Dinosaur coming out of your wall and then also talking
         | about Unity.
         | 
         | We have to remember that when they talked about this it was
         | around a year (or more if it isn't delayed) away from shipping
         | and they talked about it at a developer conference. It was
         | clear that they were focused on the technology it has and the
         | mostly Apple developed experience of it.
         | 
         | I still don't fully understand where the idea that this could
         | not be used for gaming came from, except maybe the lack of (VR)
         | controllers but I can't imagine not being addressed by the Mifi
         | program later down the line.
        
           | BigglesB wrote:
           | Not saying it can't or won't be used for gaming, but the lack
           | of precisely tracked 6dof controllers does severely limit it
           | from being usable with a lot of popular genres of VR games:
           | thinking Beat Saber & Pistol Whip specifically but anything
           | with swords/guns/bows & arrow or generally precise twitch-
           | based mechanics will likely not work well with just hand
           | tracking.
           | 
           | MiFi support down the road will be unlikely to solve the
           | issue since without bundled controllers, the market size for
           | games that require them won't be big enough to justify making
           | them & vice versa... unless each studio does something like
           | Guitar Hero & releases their own peripheral & bundles it
           | together with their game...
           | 
           | I can imagine lots of game genres that could work fine but
           | they'll only be economically viable if the market for
           | VisionOS games itself is big enough to support such a
           | business model or if Apple jump-starts things by investing
           | heavily in individual titles. Their messaging to date hasn't
           | really suggested that they're interested in playing that game
           | though.
           | 
           | We'll see, though.
        
             | JeremyNT wrote:
             | > MiFi support down the road will be unlikely to solve the
             | issue since without bundled controllers, the market size
             | for games that require them won't be big enough to justify
             | making them & vice versa... unless each studio does
             | something like Guitar Hero & releases their own peripheral
             | & bundles it together with their game
             | 
             | Yeah, you're already talking about the most expensive
             | headset, nevermind that added cost for controllers. With
             | this price tag you're going to be talking about a tiny
             | installed base.
             | 
             | If it's easy enough to port stuff... and the controller
             | ecosystem develops... well, sure, I guess this thing could
             | find its niche. From an ROI perspective though it can't
             | possibly be the _primary_ target for game developers, which
             | means it gets ports... and with ports to niche platforms
             | there 's always the risk of low quality / jank, which would
             | only hurt the brand.
        
             | sleepybrett wrote:
             | I think eventually we may see some tracked controllers,
             | perhaps they shied away from them for launch because they
             | would add to the already higher than expected price point
             | and won't be used in most of the work-focused scenarios
             | they seemed to present. Having to stop typing to pick up a
             | controller to twiddle some 3d ui and then swap back to
             | keyboard seems .. shitty.
        
               | BigglesB wrote:
               | Absolutely, controllers don't make sense at all for most
               | of those kinds of use cases, and would only add friction.
               | 
               | A device like this already has so many conflicting
               | constraints to deal with that I'm not really surprised
               | that they didn't prioritise the things that would benefit
               | gaming.
               | 
               | Hand controllers may well come a few years down the line
               | (if the product line survives that long), but it's very
               | much in line with their behaviour historically to
               | initially avoid requiring additional input devices:
               | anyone remember how long it took Apple to release a
               | stylus for the iPad?
               | 
               | Also seems like their efforts to protect privacy by
               | restricting direct gaze input access may make certain
               | kinds of gaze-related input actions tricky to implement,
               | but the Unity video shared earlier suggested that they
               | may be giving developers more access to that stuff (at
               | least via Unity-based apps) than they'd previously
               | implied.
        
               | seanmcdirmid wrote:
               | Assuming their hand tracking is super fast (no noticable
               | latency over controllers like on the quest), the biggest
               | loss to not having controllers is haptic feedback. I can
               | see haptic feedback being useful even in non-gaming
               | situations, feeling buttons is better than not feeling
               | buttons.
        
           | lolinder wrote:
           | > I still don't fully understand where the idea that this
           | could not be used for gaming came from
           | 
           | In the keynote they showed exactly one scene with a game:
           | someone picks up a console controller and starts playing a
           | basketball game... on a flat, virtual TV. That communicated
           | pretty clearly to me that they didn't have any interest in VR
           | gaming for this device.
           | 
           | EDIT: Not the keynote, but this video [0] at 3:22 pitches
           | gaming in exactly the same way: you get a big screen!
           | 
           | [0] https://youtu.be/TX9qSaGXFyg?t=202
        
             | detourdog wrote:
             | Also if the device can be used as a legitimate tool it can
             | be used for gaming. Gamers will figure out because gamers
             | gotta game.
        
             | [deleted]
        
             | nerdjon wrote:
             | I remember that, but just because they showed that doesn't
             | mean that there are not other fully immersive capabilities.
             | 
             | Like I said, we are talking about a product that is at
             | least a year away when they first showed it off and they
             | did tease other 3D setups.
             | 
             | To me all that ever said was, hey you can pair a controller
             | to this if you want. A natural extension of being able to
             | watch a movie or whatever.
             | 
             | I feel like saying no games based on that presentation was
             | very premature. Really saying almost anything about what
             | this can and can't do except for exactly what we were shown
             | is premature given the large chunk of time between
             | announcement and release and needing to see what developers
             | can actually do with it once all of the pieces are ready.
        
               | lolinder wrote:
               | Yeah, I agree that saying "no games" is inaccurate, but I
               | do think that Apple does not intend to prioritize
               | "serious" games on this device.
               | 
               | The way I read the keynote is that they intentionally
               | left out any spectacular gaming content because they very
               | much do not want people to treat the Vision Pro as a
               | gaming device like the Oculus. It's intended to for a
               | very different set of use cases, and they tried very hard
               | to communicate that with the emphasis on passthrough and
               | productivity.
               | 
               | So while that doesn't suggest that there will be no
               | games, it does suggest to me that the hardware and
               | software will lend themselves much more to the casual
               | games that are already prevalent on Apple's devices,
               | rather than appealing to the PC or console gaming
               | audience.
        
         | kraig911 wrote:
         | Well I'm thinking that the majority of ideas for this thing is
         | going to be game related.
        
         | MikeTheRocker wrote:
         | What about the system level integration of the Unity game
         | engine?
        
           | AuryGlenz wrote:
           | You can use Unity for things other than games.
           | 
           | Not having controllers will be pretty limiting for gaming -
           | some types of games will be fine, others definitely won't be.
        
             | stouset wrote:
             | You might as well write "Not having a keyboard or mouse
             | will be pretty limiting for gaming" fifteen years ago
             | before mobile gaming took off.
             | 
             | Yeah, it will be limiting for the preexisting games built
             | for preexisting VR systems. It will also be perfect for the
             | types of games people envision and build for this
             | generation of device. Not recognizing that seems more like
             | a lack of imagination on your part than a failure of design
             | on Apple's.
        
             | stirlo wrote:
             | I can see them having the ability to link a wireless
             | controller for hardcore gaming like you can to Apple TV
             | (and of course iOS devices).
             | 
             | For everything else games could use hand tracking with a
             | similar control scheme to Kinect and Wii attempted.
        
             | binarycrusader wrote:
             | In an interview John Carmack did with Lex Friedman
             | recently, one of the things that Carmack pointed out is
             | that VR games such as Beat Saber were a perfect fit for
             | requiring a controller since it was natural to move and
             | slice through something without significant physical
             | feedback (at least as represented in the game).
             | 
             | However, most VR games that require a controller for VR
             | interactivity with "real world objects" tend to fare less
             | well as they create a cognitive dissonance between the
             | actions the player is taking and their perceived results.
             | Anecdotally, for the few VR demos I've tried I agree.
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | The Novint Falcon is a force-feedback controller that
               | gives that feedback. Imagine holding a pencil for
               | writing, and using it to scratch the surface of a sugar
               | cube and feeling the indentations, and then also touching
               | the sides of it to literally feel out how big it is.
        
         | ceejayoz wrote:
         | It would be pretty insane not to at least try to court game
         | developers here.
        
         | whafro wrote:
         | Might have just been based on what they could show at demo time
         | - they can handle some core productivity stuff, but might not
         | have had the time/access/team to put together something
         | compelling on gaming for that date.
        
           | MBCook wrote:
           | I think they were trying very hard not to be pigeonholed as a
           | games device.
           | 
           | If they had made a part of the presentation (outside the 3
           | second mention of Apple Arcade) about playing games I could
           | see a lot of people spending even more time comparing it to
           | an Oculus or PSVR2 and complaining it was insanely priced.
           | 
           | Instead they did a pretty decent job of getting people
           | discussing non-game use cases.
        
           | MichaelZuo wrote:
           | This seems unlikely given how much effort they put into the
           | physical demo experience at the unveiling event, according to
           | nearly all attendees.
           | 
           | It's more likely that it simply doesn't have the processing
           | or cooling capacity for an impressive game experience.
        
             | meragrin_ wrote:
             | >> but might not have had the time/access/team to put
             | together something compelling on gaming for that date.
             | 
             | > This seems unlikely given how much effort they put into
             | the physical demo experience at the unveiling event
             | 
             | Can you name five games Apple has released in the past 10
             | years?
        
               | MichaelZuo wrote:
               | > Can you name five games Apple has released in the past
               | 10 years?
               | 
               | How does such a list of games relate to my comment?
        
               | [deleted]
        
               | JoshTko wrote:
               | Apple likely makes more in profit from App store games
               | than Sony does overall.
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | There's the How Much Will the Vison Pro Cost game,
               | there's the When Will the SE 3 Come Out game, there the
               | Will they Fix the Macbook Keyboard game, there's the How
               | Many Ports Will It Have game, there's the Will They Give
               | It HDMI and USB-A ports game, the Will They Switch Away
               | From Intel game. You think I'm being facetious, but if
               | you look at a game simply as a thing you spend time
               | doing, and then consider the amount of digital ink
               | spilled discussing those topics online and in-person
               | discussions being had about them, the meta Apple is
               | _endlessly_ entertaining.
        
               | zen_1 wrote:
               | I think you may have missed the part where games are
               | supposed to be enjoyable (for all parties involved!)
        
             | grumbel wrote:
             | I think the biggest problem is the controller and
             | locomotion. Almost all VR games available right now use
             | controllers to navigate around the virtual world. Meanwhile
             | Apple has shown nothing that allows you to move around in
             | the virtual world. All locomotion you do on Apple's headset
             | happens in the real world via AR, the fully immersive
             | experiences are basically limited to standing or sitting in
             | place.
             | 
             | This has the advantage of dramatically increasing the
             | comfort, since motion sickness is largely caused by
             | artificial locomotion with the controller, but it also
             | drastically limits what kinds of games you can do in VR.
             | 
             | I would expect them to expand on this area eventually, but
             | I can understand why they wouldn't for the announcement, as
             | for the time being they want the focus on VisionPro as a
             | friendly computer/monitor/TV/cinema replacement.
        
               | soligern wrote:
               | I wonder if there is a way to stimulate the vestibular
               | system externally to make it feel like actual locomotion
               | and perhaps improve on the motion sickness.
        
               | lostlogin wrote:
               | If you ever go near a high field magnet, they cause
               | balance disturbances, so you can stimulate the system.
               | 
               | However I'm not sure that putting 3T magnets near people
               | isn't an option.
        
               | pitched wrote:
               | There's a very high overlap between VR sickness and
               | normal motion/car sickness. That is also unsolved but
               | with a much larger user base!
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | natch wrote:
         | Not everything is always as it seems...
        
         | TillE wrote:
         | They didn't talk about VR gaming in their promotional material,
         | but they partnered closely with Unity, and had a whole WWDC
         | session about it. They care. They're probably just not quite
         | ready to make a big deal about it.
         | 
         | https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10093/
        
           | gochi wrote:
           | Apple has multiple problems here, ones that it can't exactly
           | outpace which is that when they do start making a big deal of
           | gaming they back themselves into a corner. They have to face
           | the problem that VR gaming devices are much cheaper and have
           | similar effect/more studios dedicated to making VR games.
           | They have the other problem that the leading game engine or
           | 3D content in general (Unreal) belongs to a company they
           | would rather see evaporate.
           | 
           | Very interesting times for Apple.
        
             | brookst wrote:
             | Game consoles are a lot cheaper than gaming PCs, but both
             | seem to do ok in the market. General purpose devices always
             | cost more than single-purpose.
             | 
             | And I don't think they're losing sleep over Unreal. Plenty
             | of games are done in Unity, and developers who want to ship
             | on multiple platforms are leaning towards Unity in part of
             | because of Epic's alienation of Apple and other platform
             | owners.
             | 
             | Definitely interesting times, but I don't think either of
             | those considerations will have an impact on Vision's
             | success (which is far from assured)
        
               | gochi wrote:
               | That's the point. Vision has to dictate itself as a
               | general purpose device in the market, and so far they
               | haven't done a great job at that. Their reluctance to
               | lean into gaming is a huge part of this desire to present
               | Vision as not some media consumption device but as
               | something you should use daily for creation.
               | 
               | Which is why they are backed into a corner, they have to
               | paint this picture while avoiding the largest 3d engine,
               | ignore stiff competition with other (largely gaming which
               | is important to note since your point about general
               | purpose vs specific is kind of nullified when other VR
               | headsets can handle non-gaming well too) headsets, and
               | get developers on board to start making apps for the new
               | platform before any sweeping changes to the app
               | marketplace take hold.
               | 
               | It would have been nice to see Apple shift their weight
               | behind O3DE instead, as Unity really has been struggling
               | to capture an audience. Would have demonstrated a real
               | commitment to creating 3D content. Those who ship on
               | multiple platforms are really struggling to stick with
               | Unity as it's made their lives harder the past ~5 years,
               | when the same is easily achievable on Unreal or even
               | Godot now.
        
               | goosedragons wrote:
               | A Meta Quest 2 is just as "general purpose" as Vision
               | Pro. It's basically the Android equivalent to Apple's iOS
               | based Vision Pro. Apple has a bigger problem with the
               | fact that they don't have any sort of VR controllers
               | similar to the Quest's or PSVR2.
        
               | HDThoreaun wrote:
               | Gaming PCs are not 7x more than consoles. $3,500 is just
               | too much to get any widespread appeal and without that
               | the game developers won't come.
        
             | wlesieutre wrote:
             | Even with the Epic situation, I'm surprised to see Apple
             | buddying up with Unity after they've merged with a company
             | that used to make Mac-targeted fake "Update Flash Player"
             | adware installers.
             | 
             | https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/osx-ironcore-a-or-what-
             | we-k...
             | 
             | https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/07/unity-and-
             | ironsources-4-4b...
        
             | lostlogin wrote:
             | > They have to face the problem that VR gaming devices are
             | much cheaper and have similar effect/more studios dedicated
             | to making VR games.
             | 
             | I agree but look at the iPhone - gaming on that is a
             | massive market and Apple do well off it.
             | 
             | You can buy a different phone for a fraction of the price,
             | but Apple are a market leader.
        
               | wlesieutre wrote:
               | My bigger question isn't the game studios or even the
               | price, it's the controllers. Remains to be seen what sort
               | of games people come up with that don't require the type
               | of hand controllers with a thumbstick, grip/trigger, and
               | a couple of buttons.
               | 
               | You'll really need to design from the ground up with its
               | very specific input capabilities in mind. Porting titles
               | over that were made for Quest, PSVR, or PC will be
               | difficult.
        
               | blensor wrote:
               | We've been designing our VR fitness game [1] around hand
               | tracking since Meta first came out with it 3 1/2 years
               | ago. So far I can say that we did not regret it, but it
               | definitely requires some workarounds around the accuracy
               | and speed you get from controllers.
               | 
               | [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5h2Jh6NygY
        
           | shortrounddev2 wrote:
           | Apple has always had contempt for games
        
             | sleepybrett wrote:
             | It might be a better take that apple generally treats games
             | on an equal level to every other category of software. They
             | just don't get much special treatment, historically at
             | least ... ios may have changed that drastically (apple
             | arcade is certainly a step in a direction). Meanwhile MS
             | (even pre xbox) carved out work for them with things such
             | as directx directinput etc.
        
             | bluescrn wrote:
             | When they released an Apple TV with an app store, casual
             | gaming seemed an obvious use.
             | 
             | But they came with a controller that seemed to be designed
             | with the goal of ensuring that it was as useless as
             | possible for gaming (also as useless as possible for
             | entering passwords!)
        
             | tashoecraft wrote:
             | Apple is the third largest game platform. They don't have
             | contempt for games. They just have no idea what exactly the
             | vision pro will turn into so they aren't backing it down a
             | path they can't return from. Selling it as a gaming device
             | means that if they don't have the gaming market quickly
             | enough, they might not be able to pivot to other markets.
             | It's an open (ish, for apple) platform that the market will
             | decide what it is to become.
        
               | shortrounddev2 wrote:
               | Mobile gaming isn't real gaming, it's virtual slot
               | machines for toddlers and Apple should be ashamed for
               | facilitating it
        
             | joshstrange wrote:
             | Apple has gone back and forth on if they care about games
             | but I don't think I'd call it contempt. A bad strategy
             | where they burn bridges with game developers due to talking
             | a big game then not following through? Absolutely but
             | "contempt" is a step too far I think.
        
         | aprdm wrote:
         | People use game engines for more than just gaming too
        
         | VectorLock wrote:
         | They couldn't care less about being the ones developing games,
         | but they DO care very much about being the ones driving
         | productivity apps which opens a whole corporate world for them
         | to control.
        
       | kirykl wrote:
       | In other words we built the solution, now were looking for your
       | problems
        
       | Dig1t wrote:
       | The largest question that they are not talking about is: will
       | porn apps be allowed? Two very different futures depending on how
       | that question is answered.
        
         | [deleted]
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | jojobaskins wrote:
         | God I hope not... Porn is probably one of the most malicious
         | vices influencing how young people (esp boys) view themselves
         | as shameful and romance as transactional. Technology wise there
         | isn't much to build beyond full games since 360 videos have
         | been around for ages now, just a player would suffice.
         | 
         | Edit: Actually with ai gfs and all that crap there are many
         | dystopian places devs could take this.
        
           | nerdjon wrote:
           | Maybe we stop also teaching that sex is shameful when it
           | isn't?
           | 
           | I really don't think porn is what causing people to think
           | that sex is a shameful act when it is perfectly natural.
           | 
           | Sure there are some valid discussions around porn and body
           | image but so is there with advertising, movies, etc etc etc.
           | It isn't like porn is the only thing pushing the "perfect"
           | body image.
        
           | dubcanada wrote:
           | I am wondering as to why you think it is especially boys? Do
           | girls who are completely surrounded by basically nude females
           | with perfect bodies 24/7 not experience the same level of
           | influence?
           | 
           | If anything I would think it would be the opposite, that
           | girls have it the hardest as boys expect all females to look
           | exactly like they do in movies, billboards, porn, etc. Versus
           | males which tend to be not great, but not nearly as bad.
           | 
           | Anyways onto Apple Vision Pro... I do think that porn is an
           | interesting question, I doubt Apple will do it. But whoever
           | does will probably do WAY better purely because porn has been
           | the reason for so many media format wins over the past
           | century.
        
             | dingnuts wrote:
             | I think the GP is talking about porn's irresistibility
             | among adolescent boys. Their use hurts both themselves and
             | women, by setting bad expectations. You're actually
             | agreeing past one another.. kind of funny considering all
             | the down votes, especially since down isn't supposed to
             | mean "disagree"
             | 
             | Is the GP violating conversational rules or just voicing an
             | opinion perceived as unpopular?
        
               | dubcanada wrote:
               | That makes sense to me, was mostly just wondering. I am
               | not disagreeing, the phrasing was just strange so wanted
               | to clarify.
        
             | jojobaskins wrote:
             | Social media is definitely worse for girls, but most
             | consumers of porn are boys. In any case, setting clear
             | bounds of interactivity is good and it looks like Apple
             | isn't allowing direct porn experiences on Vision Pro
             | because those apps will available through the app store.
        
           | piyh wrote:
           | Porn has been VR, and this an AR machine. This could be the
           | robo-gf bladerunner 2049 experience. You're thinking too
           | small.
        
             | CharlesW wrote:
             | > _Porn has been VR, and this an AR machine._
             | 
             | Apple Vision Pro does both. Even when you're using it for
             | AR use cases, you're seeing reality as captured and
             | processed by the AVP.
        
           | herval wrote:
           | porn has existed since humans were able to draw pictures on
           | cave walls, and on every kind of medium invented since. That
           | "malicious vice" won't go away any time soon
        
           | delfinom wrote:
           | >view themselves as shameful and romance as transactional
           | 
           | No, you can thank social media algorithms on YouTube and
           | TikTok pushing "influencers" like Tate.
           | 
           | They get fed a stream of essentially shitbag instruction
           | videos and individuals trying to be a "role model". They
           | specifically garner audiences of young men.
           | 
           | porn on the other hand has been around even for us
           | millennials and older, we turned out fine. What we didn't
           | have was the Tiktok and Youtube algorithms.
        
           | Dig1t wrote:
           | Your opinion is probably not popular, but I agree with you.
           | 
           | I was speaking from a purely business perspective, from
           | Apple's point of view they should do this to sell systems.
           | 
           | For society, I think this is probably terrible.
        
         | Slitted wrote:
         | A quick look at the App Store answers your question: no. Those
         | will need to be webapps.
        
         | sshff wrote:
         | As in apps that have porn as one of their specific uses that
         | will be for sale in the official App Store? You've got more
         | chance of Tim Cook announcing that the full line of Apple
         | hardware will be switching to Android as a base operating
         | system and only releasing with pink flocked finishes from now
         | on.
        
         | nerdjon wrote:
         | Sadly most likely not given the App Store right now.
         | 
         | This (well not porn specifically but related) is my biggest
         | concern about the Vision Pro. They are trying to bill it as a
         | computer (like the iPad) and while I am sure for a lot of
         | people they will be able to do most of their work and play on
         | this device, I am worried about how closed it will be.
         | 
         | I love my Apple devices, but I find it very frustrating that
         | even with how powerful the latest iPad's are that as long as it
         | remains a closed platform I will never be able to do my job
         | (writing code) on it and I worry the same will be true for this
         | device.
         | 
         | I am excited about the vision pro personally, but it slightly
         | annoys me that the people that they need to court to make this
         | a success (developers) can't do their job on the device itself.
         | 
         | But I also find myself on the flip side and the closed platform
         | is part of why I choose Apple also.
        
         | mdgrech23 wrote:
         | I mean couldn't they just not allow porn apps but allow you
         | play video and what's on those videos is up to you?
        
           | VectorLock wrote:
           | You don't need a $3000+ AR headset to play videos.
        
           | ceejayoz wrote:
           | Sure, but there will be enterprising developers looking to go
           | _far_ beyond that not very interactive approach. Hand
           | tracking plus a full gaming PC plus 3D rendering has some...
           | obvious possible end results.
        
         | VectorLock wrote:
         | It sounds crass, but this really would be the make-or-break
         | use-case just like it was for the VHS and DVD formats.
        
         | herval wrote:
         | webxr is supported, so web-based apps will work
         | 
         | as for official app store apps, I highly doubt it
        
         | madeofpalk wrote:
         | Porn apps are not allowed on any of their existing App Stores,
         | so I'm not sure why this would be different.
        
           | Dig1t wrote:
           | Well, this platform is uniquely well suited for porn. It
           | would be a massive system seller for them if it were allowed.
           | It goes beyond just videos, interactive experiences are a new
           | thing for porn and you need to actually be able to install an
           | app to make them work.
           | 
           | There is historical precedent for platform winners being the
           | one that had the support of the porn industry. See: Blu-ray
           | vs HD-DVD and others.
        
             | ceejayoz wrote:
             | The closest Apple is likely to get is allowing some form of
             | side-loading.
        
               | qingcharles wrote:
               | They'll probably be forced into side-loading, like the EU
               | is doing with iOS right now.
        
             | chasd00 wrote:
             | The AR experience of a virtual door in your living room, a
             | knock, then opening the door and in steps a pornstar who
             | then sits down on your couch would be revolutionary.
        
             | madeofpalk wrote:
             | You think Apple's going to have a massive change of heart
             | and let porn onto their App Store?
             | 
             | The question here isn't whether you think Porn is a unique
             | application of AR/VR, it's whether Apple would allow it
             | onto their curated App Store.
        
           | dingnuts wrote:
           | There are definitely apps for playing 3D 3/6DOF videos over a
           | network available in the Oculus store, like Skybox VR
           | 
           | I guess that isn't a porn app but neither is a web browser,
           | technically. Are people installing first party porn apps on
           | their other devices?
        
           | dandellion wrote:
           | So what are the chances that this ends up like Betamax? I
           | mean that a technically inferior alternative will allow porn
           | and take over.
        
             | s4i wrote:
             | That is not why Betamax failed. There was porn on beta.
             | Betamax failed because the cassettes didn't hold as much
             | tape as VHS and JVC's licensing model for recorders was
             | cheaper and more straightforward than Sony's. In the rental
             | market, the format with slightly less friction was a bit
             | more popular each year, which sealed the deal by the
             | mid-80s.
        
               | MBCook wrote:
               | Plus, when Beta made alterations to fit more on a tape
               | (extended play modes to use the VHS term), the quality
               | dropped to close to VHS levels, so the advantage was
               | gone.
               | 
               | Even then, VHS could do the same thing, drop quality
               | more, and fit EVEN MORE on a tape.
               | 
               | It seems pretty clear to me, ignoring licensing which was
               | a huge issue, that beta was designed for recording TV
               | shows while VHS also had movies in mind.
        
             | ceejayoz wrote:
             | VHS didn't have manufacturer-controlled content purchasing.
             | 
             | The other major VR device manufacturers have a similar
             | approach; you get the apps and content through their
             | stores. Sony, Facebook, Google, etc. are all similarly
             | unlikely to have official porn support; Steam is perhaps
             | the most likely (as they permit at least some adult gaming
             | on their store).
             | 
             | I suspect you'll see plenty of porn apps in jailbreak /
             | sideload world. Quest already has 'em that way.
        
               | MBCook wrote:
               | We still don't know whether or not there is an official
               | side loading story (ala Mac) or if it's locked down (ala
               | iOS, though I think that's odds favorite).
        
             | herval wrote:
             | What's the chances the iPhone will end up like Betamax? It
             | doesn't offer porn apps, after all
        
               | fragmede wrote:
               | Safari visits Pornhub just fine. The question is if video
               | playing will support side-by-side video for 3D in the
               | browser.
        
               | herval wrote:
               | Since webxr is confirmed to be supported, and u can do 3d
               | video with it, it'd be extremely unlikely they would
               | restrict that
        
               | dandellion wrote:
               | Higher than zero, its market share is much lower than
               | Android.
        
               | MBCook wrote:
               | I agree. It's been 16 years. Clearly failed like Beta.
        
         | turnsout wrote:
         | There's always WebXR...
        
       | fidotron wrote:
       | [removed]
        
         | tagraves wrote:
         | Isn't this exactly what Apple did with the M1 chips when they
         | were first being released? Plus, Apple announced they would do
         | developer kit applications for the Vision Pro at the same time
         | they announced the Vision Pro, so they couldn't have based this
         | decision on the traction with third party developers.
        
           | WraithM wrote:
           | It is exactly what Apple did with the M1 chips. I had a
           | developer kit Mac Mini with an M1 chip in it that I sent back
           | to Apple when the developer period was over.
        
           | fidotron wrote:
           | [removed]
        
             | TillE wrote:
             | This is Apple, they have billions in cash on hand. There's
             | very little pressure to make money on the first gen Vision
             | Pro, not if they're committed to the product line long
             | term.
             | 
             | Anyway, it's been reported that manufacturing these has
             | been a slow process, hence the slow rollout. They don't
             | expect to sell a ton, not at $3500.
        
           | MBCook wrote:
           | Yes. And the Intel switch before it.
        
       | madeofpalk wrote:
       | There's not really many details here, and because I don't have a
       | paid developer account I wasn't able to see what's on the other
       | side of the Apply button, but are there any details on the terms?
       | I'm curious about costs and other restrictions.
        
         | Pulcinella wrote:
         | Terms & Conditions PDF:
         | https://developer.apple.com/visionos/developer-kit/apply/sta...
        
           | dblitt wrote:
           | > Microsoft Word - Vision Pro Developer Kit Program Terms
           | (FINAL).docx
        
           | madeofpalk wrote:
           | Thanks! Exactly what i was after
           | 
           | Edit: No mention of costs in the T&Cs, but i did find it
           | amusing that you must use it in a room with "solid doors,
           | floors, walls and ceiling, and locks that can be engaged when
           | the DK is in use"
        
             | linsomniac wrote:
             | So you're in a locked room... and injure yourself. And
             | paramedics break in to help you. Violation of your T&C.
        
           | treesciencebot wrote:
           | Wow, this is pretty strict. If you are working from home,
           | don't let your children or partner even see it.
           | 
           | > You must ensure that unauthorized persons (including any
           | family, friends, roommates or household employees) do not
           | access, view, handle, or use the DK.
        
             | gardenhedge wrote:
             | Huh? My children and partner never use my work stuff
        
             | josho wrote:
             | I think this is just to catch the potential loophole of a
             | roommate trying it out and blogging about their experience.
             | 
             | If that happens then this clause means you are in contract
             | breach.
        
             | dagmx wrote:
             | Pretty common for developer kits though. Its the same deal
             | for previous developer kits, and consoles etc...
             | 
             | Its an extension of the NDA to everyone around you, but
             | since you can't bind them to an NDA, you say that the
             | person who is bound to it is on the hook for transitive
             | breaches of the NDA
        
             | cududa wrote:
             | It's unlikely to be seeded to indie devs working from home.
             | Even massive companies are only going to get 1 or 2, and
             | those are going to be locked in a room in the office.
        
               | 4ad wrote:
               | If it's like the Apple Silicon dev kit, this is not true.
               | Everybody got it, big and small.
        
               | whywhywhywhy wrote:
               | > If it's like the Apple Silicon dev kit
               | 
               | It's not.
        
               | cududa wrote:
               | This is going to be nothing like the Apple Silicon dev
               | kit bro. They're expecting to be able to manufacture
               | about 250,000-350,000 a year. They need those for Apple
               | Stores, their own internal development, and of course
               | customers. This is probably going to be more like 1,000
               | dev kits or less that go out.
        
             | ingenieros wrote:
             | They are treating this as a major game console sdk with all
             | the NDA's that come with them.
        
         | samstave wrote:
         | [flagged]
        
       | baby wrote:
       | Compare this with the Quest devkit:
       | https://developer.oculus.com/quest/
        
       | jbverschoor wrote:
       | For Apple TV they did the same.. it could've been an awesome
       | gaming platform, but the remote was the worst ever.
        
       | bogwog wrote:
       | So to get this you need to apply by giving your app idea to a
       | company notorious for stealing third party app ideas?
        
         | paxys wrote:
         | Don't worry, they aren't going to steal your app idea. They
         | will wait for it to get successful first.
        
           | delfinom wrote:
           | They also reserve the right to kick you out of the app store
           | once they have their clone ready :D
        
             | nmjohn wrote:
             | Which apps have they done that to?
        
               | lostmsu wrote:
               | I remember something about phone usage trackers.
        
               | bangonkeyboard wrote:
               | FlickType: https://www.inverse.com/input/tech/apple-
               | blocked-the-flickty...
        
         | pk455 wrote:
         | as opposed to putting it on their store as people have done for
         | 10+ years?
        
         | jeroenhd wrote:
         | You don't get Sherlock'd until you've proven your idea works
         | when your app becomes popular. That way, you take all the risk
         | and they don't even need to think about what ideas are worth
         | stealing!
         | 
         | In this case, it'd probably be wise to patent your app before
         | even applying for the dev kit, just in case. You'll still be
         | fighting Apple in court eventually, but you'll make more money
         | through hostile takeovers than when you get copied, replaced,
         | and dumped.
        
         | f6v wrote:
         | I don't download any apps except maybe 3 or 4. What have they
         | stolen?
        
           | ycombinete wrote:
           | F.lux is another to add to the pile. IIRC apple broke the
           | part of their API flux used in the same release that they
           | added the feature to iOS.
        
             | joshstrange wrote:
             | I used F.lux for many years but Night Shift is better IMHO.
             | Should Apple instead refuse to build in feature if a
             | version exists in the world? Also F.lux was free, so I'm
             | not sure exactly what was lost, it seems like it's still
             | around if you prefer that over Night Shift.
        
           | ceejayoz wrote:
           | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(software)
           | 
           | > The phenomenon of Apple releasing a feature that supplants
           | or obviates third-party software is so well known that being
           | Sherlocked has become an accepted term used within the Mac
           | and iOS developer community.
           | 
           | (Honestly, I think the fuss over Sherlock was overblown, but
           | they definitely have a bit of a reputation for this.)
        
             | jahnu wrote:
             | Here are a few more recent examples
             | 
             | https://9to5mac.com/2022/06/16/sherlocked-apps/
        
               | joshstrange wrote:
               | I mean... you can call some of those things Sherlocked if
               | you want but that's a pretty bad list.
               | 
               | Does Apple build features into their core products that
               | resemble other products on the market? Absolutely but
               | often it helps raise the bar for that type of software.
               | It gives users who were never going to go looking for
               | another app something they didn't have before, it sets
               | the floor for what they type of app should do/how it
               | should look, and it gives existing apps a space to carve
               | out a pro/prosumer space with features that Apple will
               | never implement.
               | 
               | Spotlight (specifically the Command+space popup) exists
               | and I think that's a net win for macOS, I don't use it, I
               | use Alfred and have no plans to leave. Same with Notes vs
               | Drafts or Weather vs Carrot Weather or Reminders vs
               | Things, and the list goes on.
               | 
               | Does it clear out some of the bottom of the barrel
               | versions? Yes, I'm fine with that. Does it sometimes
               | integrate deeper into the system in a better way than a
               | 3rd party can (Sidecar being a good example or Camera
               | Continuity)? Yes, but should we all deal with a
               | hacky/crappy experience just so that Apple doesn't
               | Sherlock someone? My answer is no.
        
             | yieldcrv wrote:
             | This should be an antitrust violation solvable by Apple
             | cash and stock and a third party valuation.
        
               | ceejayoz wrote:
               | I really don't see an antitrust violation in "we added
               | the ability to more easily search your Mac, in a similar
               | fashion to an existing app". Even the original Watson
               | seems based largely off Google's "what if the search UI
               | was just a single text field?" approach.
        
               | artsytrashcan wrote:
               | It's analogous to the MS/IE/Netscape situation 20 years
               | ago. They would lose/have to settle on similar grounds, I
               | suppose.
        
               | ceejayoz wrote:
               | They'd have to have a Microsoft-esque monopoly first.
               | 
               | Apple doesn't currently have one in computers, mobile
               | devices, or VR.
        
               | yieldcrv wrote:
               | that's not the antitrust violation and that's not what
               | Apple is doing, the violation would be
               | 
               | "come into our walled garden where you pay to agree to
               | these onerous and arbitrarily applied terms, we analyze
               | every possible app to see every app and idea _per
               | version_ , and then copy the ones that take off allowing
               | it to function outside the constraints of our walled
               | garden while continuing to apply these arbitrarily
               | enforced terms to you debilitating your business in
               | unnecessary ways"
               | 
               | the regulator and existing antitrust statutes can
               | override the clauses that someone agreed to that
               | perpetuates this, and they should. with the alternate
               | route for Apple being to pay the developer beginning at
               | an independent third party's valuation.
        
         | natch wrote:
         | Ideas don't belong to anyone. I can think of a search-my-files
         | idea just as well as anyone can, and Apple can do the same.
        
           | brookst wrote:
           | There's a common fallacy that a brilliant idea is the hard
           | part of building a business. People who consider themselves
           | "idea people" see execution as a footnote that any pleb can
           | do.
           | 
           | The reality is exactly the opposite: ideas are a dime a
           | dozen, good execution is _hard_.
        
             | alaskamiller wrote:
             | After twenty years of hearing the same thing over and over
             | again I believe the actual fallacy is that ideas are a dime
             | a dozen, good execution is hard.
             | 
             | Now I learned ideas and execution are minimum requirement,
             | good execution is common, great execution is hard, good
             | ideas are hard, great ideas aren't worth it.
             | 
             | Starting with a good idea can save you plenty of
             | opportunity cost, money and tears; but many can't explain
             | nor tell apart what a good idea really is.
             | 
             | Then you have the metaphorical sand trap of great ideas.
             | Don't get stuck in those.
             | 
             | And, finally, it doesn't even matter if it's good ideas nor
             | good execution, if people don't know your story nor are
             | they willing to retell your story then none of this matters
             | in the market.
        
         | natch wrote:
         | Do you use an Android phone, by any chance? I hate to break it
         | to you... hard to have it both ways.
        
         | vanjajaja1 wrote:
         | I don't think they're interested in ideas and potential, they
         | seem interested in proven track record teams that have existing
         | apple apps
        
       | martythemaniak wrote:
       | There's one app I'd love to develop and use for this and it's for
       | home renovations. I want to put this on, then walk around my
       | house, have it create a real-time digital version of my place,
       | and quickly remodel and renovate. Move existing furniture around,
       | try new wall colours, shop for art, change the flooring, browse
       | new furniture, etc.
       | 
       | I don't want to spend my few free hours driving around flooring
       | warehouses, looking at low-res pictures of furniture on websites
       | like wayfair, etc, I just want to sit/stand comfortably at home
       | and see how things will be at the end and customize it easily.
       | 
       | This could theoretically be a business. If you're gonna be
       | spending tens of thousands of dollars on a renovation, it'd make
       | sense to rent a headset for a few weeks while you decide on
       | everything. And since there's a strong purchase intent, you can
       | sell real stuff (floors, tiles, furniture) through the app as
       | well.
        
         | esafak wrote:
         | Matterport without their camera, which also sells for $3000.
        
         | alanwreath wrote:
         | I am assuming this is temporary but I believe there is a
         | limitation for how far you can walk with the device on, which
         | seems to limit this type of app (I can't see this limitation
         | persisting though )
        
           | Tagbert wrote:
           | I think that limitation is in VR mode where you are limited
           | to a couple of meters. I don't think AR has that limitation
           | and this idea sounds like an AR experience.
        
         | ingenieros wrote:
         | You won't be able to move more than 1 meter with this device.
         | https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline...
         | 
         | If a person moves more than about a meter, the system
         | automatically makes all displayed content translucent to help
         | them navigate their surroundings.
         | 
         | When a fully immersive experience starts, the system defines an
         | invisible zone that extends 1.5 meters from the initial
         | position of the wearer's head. If their head moves outside of
         | that zone, the experience automatically stops and passthrough
         | returns to help people avoid colliding with objects in their
         | physical surroundings.
         | 
         | The system can stop an immersive experience when people get too
         | close to a physical object or when they move too quickly.
        
           | martythemaniak wrote:
           | That's a fine limitation. You can stand in one spot of your
           | room and browse and look, move to another spot, see how it
           | looks from that angle etc. Obviously you still want to
           | account for all the stuff that's currently in the space
           | you're in.
        
             | ingenieros wrote:
             | If I'm understanding Apple's documentation correctly it
             | seems like the app would automatically shutdown every
             | single time you move to a new location. If this is the case
             | then it would make for terrible UX having to reboot
             | constantly just to get a full scan of the house as you
             | envision.
        
         | matt_s wrote:
         | Sounds like a neat application of the technology. This use case
         | isn't a tipping point for someone to spend $3500 on a device to
         | imagine their space. If someone has that level of disposable
         | money they are probably hiring an interior designer to
         | redecorate.
        
           | econonut wrote:
           | Similar idea is for an interior design company to own the
           | device and bring it out to your home after they've planned
           | out your rooms. Same idea works for landscaping companies,
           | custom home builders, etc. Clients can 'experience' the new
           | design before committing to the designer's vision.
        
         | vulcan01 wrote:
         | A few years back, Lowe's tested their "Hologram Experience"
         | using Microsoft's Hololens. I think it was only for kitchen
         | remodeling.
         | 
         | https://www.retaildive.com/news/lowes-microsoft-expand-holol...
        
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