WWDC 2023 June 5th (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

There will always be cheaper options, but it's almost assured that nobody will make anything that simply works as well as Apple's.

 

[Mark Booth]

Personally, I'd just wait. First to see what the actual uptake is. Secondly, it won't be long before Apple's competitors have the same hand gesture tech at 1/3 the.price.

The lack of physical controllers is the only thing particularly groundbreaking about this VR/AR headset.

Since Apple has patented (pending) the Vision Pro's technological innovations, and Apple has a large bevy of lawyers ready to sue any violators, I have my doubts about how quickly potential competitors will successfully duplicate Apple's hand gestures.

The Apple of 2023 has a crap ton more money compared to the Apple of 2007.

Mark

 

[JohnRice]

The Apple of 2023 has a crap ton more money compared to the Apple of 2007.

Mark

Apple has money and lawyers? Who knew?

 

[Edwin-S]

Since Apple has patented (pending) the Vision Pro's technological innovations, and Apple has a large bevy of lawyers ready to sue any violators, I have my doubts about how quickly potential competitors will successfully duplicate Apple's hand gestures.

The Apple of 2023 has a crap ton more money compared to the Apple of 2007.

Mark

Companies like Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, etc are hardly minnows or without money. They have lawyers as well.

I'm pretty sure they have engineers rhat will be able to figure it out, so Apple has no case. It is not like IR cameras were invented by Apple.

Regardless, the uptake of the device is going to be the deciding factor. Will enough of Apple's consumer base be willing to spend 3500 bucks on a set of VR goggles that Apple has presented no strong use case for.

Even the reviewers waxing on about how great these goggles are keep noting that Apple hasn't presented any stronger case for using these things than any other VR/AR company such as Meta. Nothing they presented is any different than any other VR company presented long before Apple.

Still, you may be right. Apple does seem to have a unique set of customers that don't mind having their pockets emptied for a silver logo of a partially eaten Apple.

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[DaveF]

My initial thought is that if I knew I'd have the travel schedule the next five years I had the prior five years, I'd be tempted to buy a Vision Pro. And then I remember it has a two hour battery life and is competely inadequate for for its touted use on airplanes, where I need 5-6 hours to fly cross country. This is part of my frustration in grappline with understanding this announcement: the bullshit aspects of Apple's promotion of the Vision Pro. it's got "Concept Car" or "Vaporware" vibes to it, actual hardware notwithstanding. You can use it on that airplane, so long as you're only flying regional flights that are about two hours long. But this use case is for any business traveler clearly targeting the exhausting experience of 5+ hour cross country flights or 8+ hour international flights. Where you really want to escape and shut out the experience of being stuck on the plane. And don't @me about "plug it into the plane power" because like in-flight wifi you can't trust they'll work.

But also The Vision Pro is amazing, per every first-hand report. It might finally be the path towards usable AR / VR headset.

Yes, it's expensive. Meh. It's not Gold Apple Watch Expensive. The whinging about a $3500 price on a home-theater forum drives me bonkers. It costs less than the three-year old used projector I bought. It costs way less than the NZ7 I'd like to buy. It costs less than a good TV. It costs less than a every new AV processor worth buying right now. It's expensive-laptop money. I can't just splurge on it. But it's affordable if I seriously wanted it.

I'm reminded of the iPad launch. I got it. That was going to be an amazing future. It was going to change how we used computers. It was going to replace computers. It waso going to be our computer. Nope. It's a big iPhone. A marvelous 10" screen with a marvelous 10 hour battery life for watching Netflix in airports and planes and hotels; great for surfing the web in bed at night. But wasn't and still isn't "Pro". Apple can't figure out the iPad.

And this is even more challenging than the iPad. Can Apple figure it out? Is this really our computer in the near term?

Or is it just the latest best way to watch Netflix ever, so long as you're only watching a single episode of Stranger Things?

I'm optimistic and pessimistic. I wish I had the cash to splurge on this. But there's no way this replaces my projector or iPad or even iMac any time soon.

 

[Sam Posten]

Looks like you are hung up on minutia. “Yeah it’s a sports car but it’s only got a 6 gallon tank!”

It’s not a mindset I share. I try to look at things holistically. On the whole it’s not a first gen device for me but neither the battery life nor the tethered power packs bother me.

 

[Edwin-S]

Yes, it's expensive. Meh. It's not Gold Apple Watch Expensive. The whinging about a $3500 price on a home-theater forum drives me bonkers. It costs less than the three-year old used projector I bought. It costs way less than the NZ7 I'd like to buy. It costs less than a good TV. It costs less than a every new AV processor worth buying right now. It's expensive-laptop money. I can't just splurge on it. But it's affordable if I seriously wanted it.

Whining about 3500 US on HTF? People were whining on here about having to pay a few dollars extra for the 3D on TVs because they said they wouldn't use it. They were complaining about having to wear glasses that weighed all of a few ounces and were a lot less isolationg than VR helmets are.

I'd be tempted to buy this except for one thing....it is an Apple product. Apple is virtually bereft of the one thing this thing would get used for the most in the average home.........games...... and I don't expect that to change any time soon, no matter what Apple says..

You have to sell units to get game developers to develop for your system and this already has a strike against it at 3500 bucks (4700 if you are in Canada).

I don't know about you but a 4700 dollar headset from a company ,whose computing division only still exists because of the overwhelming use of Apple computers in film and audio editing, just doesn't seem like a good investment.

Apple was touting it for playing movies, 3D and otherwise, then a.person finds out that Disney (who is promising support ) has to specially format films for it to play them.

All those thing just equal massive strikes in adopting it: Apple, 3500/4700 dollars, zero gaming support and needing yet another.special formatting for films.

And the biggest strike against all of these devices, Apple's and other company's products) is they need to be virtually invisible for the mainstream to adopt them. Goggles, no matter how pretty and good they are don't qualify.

Augmented reality, virtual reality, spacial computing......call it what they want.......will not gain mainstream acceptance until someone invents the holodeck.

 

[Mark Booth]

Companies like Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, etc are hardly minnows or without money. They have lawyers as well.

I'm pretty sure they have engineers rhat will be able to figure it out, so Apple has no case. It is not like IR cameras were invented by Apple.

Regardless, the uptake of the device is going to be the deciding factor. Will enough of Apple's consumer base be willing to spend 3500 bucks on a set of VR goggles that Apple has presented no strong use case for.

Even the reviewers waxing on about how great these goggles are keep noting that Apple hasn't presented any stronger case for using these things than any other VR/AR company such as Meta. Nothing they presented is any different than any other VR company presented long before Apple.

Still, you may be right. Apple does seem to have a unique set of customers that don't mind having their pockets emptied for a silver logo of a partially eaten Apple.

I can assure you, after purchasing an Apple Vision Pro, my pockets will be FAR from empty.

There are PLENTY of people who can afford to drop $3,500 on this toy and not give it a second thought. And there's NOTHING wrong with Apple marketing to them.

Mark

 

[DaveF]

Looks like you are hung up on minutia. “Yeah it’s a sports car but it’s only got a 6 gallon tank!”

It’s not a mindset I share. I try to look at things holistically. On the whole it’s not a first gen device for me but neither the battery life nor the tethered power packs bother me.

What’s your holistic view? Other than battery life doesn’t matter, which I know you don’t actually believe.

 

[Sam Posten]

What’s your holistic view? Other than battery life doesn’t matter, which I know you don’t actually believe.

That this is a gen 1 product that is designed to start a halo effect. It is aimed at devs and industries especially manufacturing and government / military. It's a Veblen good designed to attract attention from the rich and tech obsessed, but will be viewed in the rear view as a very limited capability at a rough buy in price. The dummy ass tech press will find a million things to slag it for none of which will matter in the end.

If I was a consumer who has been looking at it for media consumption in a static location I'd note there are plenty of ways to easily get multiple hours of battery life while sitting, including inexpensive power banks. I play my laptops plugged in and I have battery packs for my switches and steam deck. On board power means naught to me. =) Media consumption in static location has attracted many many people here at HTF and beyond and they have been consistently disappointed in the resolution, lag, and limited functionality. I think this may be the product to blast past those, battery capacity be damned. But I reserve final judgement until testing it myself. I am not planning on buying one but we all know my track record of saying no and then jumping in.

Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I contain multitudes.

Finally I roll my eyes at the re-introduction of 3d movie playback. I dread the drumbeat of people who will insist that this product heralds the return of 3D movies in the home. I would bet against it but maybe I am wrong there. Time will tell.

 

[Edwin-S]

I can assure you, after purchasing an Apple Vision Pro, my pockets will be FAR from empty.

There are PLENTY of people who can afford to drop $3,500 on this toy and not give it a second thought. And there's NOTHING wrong with Apple marketing to them.

Mark

I'm referring to the average consumer of mass market electronics, not the 0.1% of us that hang out here. I could buy this thing for cash too and not be broke, but they would actually have to have software that is relevant to my life.

I watched that impression video. He brought up something that occurred to me the minute someone talked about a floating keyboard....no tactile feedback. It is bad enough I gave to use terrible touch keyboards on cell phones, but at least I can still feel something when I click a key. A disembodied keyboard with no tactile feedback would be even worse.

He also brought up that it was heavy. He wasn't sure if it would be comfortable to wear after half an hour of use. I can see that outer OLED screen being the first thing dropped; although, one positive about would be if you could gave a do not disturb sign scrolling across while you got some shut eye.

 

[Nelson Au]

I think that Mark Zuckerberg took a swipe at the Vision Pro:

Here’s what Mark Zuckerberg thinks about Apple’s Vision Pro

One takeaway: “it costs seven times more.”

www.theverge.com

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I think that Mark Zuckerberg took a swipe at the Vision Pro:

Here’s what Mark Zuckerberg thinks about Apple’s Vision Pro

One takeaway: “it costs seven times more.”

www.theverge.com

Of course, he did! One of my least favorite people.

 

[Nelson Au]

Ha, ha! Yes, I’m no fan of his either. I was curious to see this when the article came up in Apple News.

 

[Edwin-S]

I think that Mark Zuckerberg took a swipe at the Vision Pro:

Here’s what Mark Zuckerberg thinks about Apple’s Vision Pro

One takeaway: “it costs seven times more.”

www.theverge.com

Why wouldn't he? APPLE entering the VR/AR market makes them a competitor. It is his argument that I find bizarre though.

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[DaveF]

Does this belong in your new Apple gaming thread?

 

[Sam Posten]

If you insist

 

[DaveF]

Dan Moren (@[email protected])

It’s fun to have your industry’s discourse dominated by a thing that you haven’t used and probably won’t have access to for a couple years.

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