Here we go. Once again, Apple is trying to innovate and take all of our collective breaths away. Apple’s latest news comes with a big tech development in AR, and if anyone is going to do it right, it’s most likely Apple. Sure, AR has been around for a bit. In fact, I’ve even reviewed some pretty nifty AR glasses from Rokid that made me think this just might work. However, I believe a key question must be asked. Do we want this to be successful?
Hear me out. I’ve watched the digitization of America literally bring people together and then just as quickly tear them apart in the last 30+ years. I used to relish hanging out with my friends at sleepovers, crushing baddies on the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, N64 (the list goes on) etc. We were side by side, and those memories wash nostalgic happiness over my brain even while sitting here. Now, in the wave of social media, Netflix, and cell phones, I mostly watch people avoid each other. In public, it feels like 90% of people wear earbuds and stare blankly at screens just to avoid having to interact. It doesn’t feel human.
That’s not to say there isn’t a place for something like Apple Vision Pro. I mean it looks sweet. Okay wait – it looks sweet while looking through it. Otherwise, it makes people look completely stupid. It projects a giant screen in front of your face allowing for some pretty exciting and innovative experiences. It’s almost like having Jarvis available at any given time minus the indestructible suit. Also – again you don’t look cool. Your apps and docs are able to appear and be worked on right before your eyes. Crazy stuff.
In my experience with Rokid, the hype was much greater than the product. Once I had the glasses on for about an hour, I was pretty much done. Working from them didn’t feel as interactive, and things like typing were just clunky. Movies made me feel a tad dizzy, and frankly uncomfortable. I lay on my side on the couch to watch stuff. This is much easier without giant goggles attached to my head.
That being said, if anyone is going to do this right it’s Apple. I haven’t tried on the Apple Vision Pro set, but I bet they feel a lot more natural. The specs on the Apple Vision Pro are impressive (they even work with your airpods), and I can’t help but still want to try them out. The thing is, I don’t want them for work. I’ve tried other AR where it’s just not fun or natural to work with something on my face. Games? Okay, but we already have VR for that. Fitness? No thanks, the last thing I need is a pair of $3500 glorified ski goggles in my face while trying to get in shape.
Needless to say, I’m cynical on these. Any new piece of tech needs a killer app to work. We have movies, we have games, we have the ability to work on monitors. Unless Apple Vision Pro comes up with some killer piece of software unbeknownst to mankind, I don’t see these being a success. Perhaps I’ll eat these words in the future. I’m okay with that. In the meantime, I’m still waiting for some tech to actually bring people back together in the beauty of real life.
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