2023-09-11 03:00:00
Reacting immediately following the event to pass judgment on Apple’s launch of Vision Pro, the new mixed reality headset, was not the right time. The technology is simply too nascent and its limitations still too apparent for us to be able to draw definitive conclusions on the long-term future of this device. But let’s try to give a trend.
By the end of the event, the full video of Apple’s WWDC conference had been viewed 10 million times on YouTube, and the Vision Pro presentation video had been viewed 6 million times. Add in their own self-hosted videos and the number probably goes into the millions more. Thus, Apple remains unique in its ability to create a global event.
Apple also took the opportunity to reinvent a new lexical field in order to clearly differentiate itself from its competitors: “window” for a 2D application, “volume” for an augmented reality experience and “space” for a reality-like 3D immersion. Virtual. Obviously, the word “metaverse” was never uttered: already too overused for Apple!
A breakthrough product to replace the iPhone
Apple’s Vision Pro is a remarkable piece that might revolutionize consumer technology, but its high starting price ($3,499) will make it unaffordable for most consumers and businesses. Although it is designed to be fun and games, its true value lies in the productivity experience that has yet to be invented.
However, there are challenges switching between multiple screens, glancing here and there, looking away for long periods of time when you have a screen attached to your head. In short, this technology is still far from versions that look more like ski masks than prescription glasses.
Create the uses of tomorrow, not those of the moment
Spatial computing is therefore a new and promising platform, but it will take time for its potential to be fully exploited. The iPhone is the example of a trajectory to follow: despite modest beginnings, effective use cases such as group chats, reservations, short videos, meetings or mobile payments make people not hesitate no longer spending $1,500 on an iPhone today compared to just $499 at its launch, considered shocking at the time. Doesn’t that remind you of anything?
So the device doesn’t have a flagship app yet, but developers now have the rest of the year to create new experiences in Vision Pro.
Early adopters will buy it, but it will be a niche device for a while. Still, brands and marketers need to pay attention. Apple is putting things together, and the product seems more accessible and useful than what we’ve seen from others so far.
Meta is often more comfortable in the role of plagiarizer than innovator (latest example with Threads, Twitter copycat) but he should not be given free rein in the field of talents and the construction of uses. Microsoft with its HoloLens, Snap with its “AR Shows” and finally, Tencent with its VR hardware plans do not seem to be in a hurry to release their product.
Apple’s message is therefore clear: following desktop and mobile computing, the next great technological era will be that of spatial computing and Vision Pro will be the successor to the iPhone as a product that monopolizes our daily lives.
The Cassandras will still be out
Despite the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs, most tech journalists were unimpressed with the product due to technological limitations such as limited battery life, a cord that sticks out the back, heavy weight for extended wear, and the need to navigate with hands and Siri (better solution than the gamepad).
Yes, the Cassandras will probably spend the next few years predicting doom and disgrace for the product. It’s a story we’ve experienced many times before. Wasn’t the Apple Watch a product doomed to failure following the death of Steve Jobs? It sells more than 50 million units per year, and its turnover is now higher than that of the entire Swiss watch industry combined.
Yes, by their transformative nature, Apple products take several years to become mass products.
With more than a month of hindsight since the event, the big question remains whether this will really change the trajectory of spatial computing, which has continued to disappoint since its beginnings. Will Apple’s Vision Pro and subsequent versions become a popular and influential way to experience entertainment, work, and the world? The beginnings are promising and if any tech player can succeed in this quest, it is Apple.
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