When Apple's headset launches, it will do more than Oculus

AppleInsider

Apple will be including many different features in its inbound mixed reality headset, with it expected to offer many elements in its first incarnation that other headsets don't provide.

AppleInsider render of the forthcoming Apple VR headset

The Apple VR and AR headset is expected to land at WWDC in June and become the center of attention. While speculation has largely centered around its hardware capabilities, it seems that its list of features and functions could be just as expansive.

On Tuesday, a report claimed Apple was working on a number of different apps for the headset. In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman expands the software features list considerably.

The first and most important on the list is that the headset will be able to run "most of Apple's existing iPad apps in mixed reality," including Books, Camera, Contacts, FaceTime, Files, Freeform, Home, Mail, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari, Stocks, TV, and Weather.

A new Wellness app will use immersive graphics and calming sounds to focus on meditation. A VR-focused Fitness+ will be included for headset-based workouts, though this apparently won't be available until later on.

The headset will also apparently be able to run "hundreds of thousands" of current third-party iPad apps available from the App Store. The developers may need to make "minimal modifications" for compatibility, but many may need "no extra work" to run.

However, Apple will apparently launch a software development kit and a Mac-based headset simulator at WWDC, to help developers create new apps and services for xrOS, the supposed name for the headset's operating system.

Apple will also include videoconferencing and meeting rooms with realistic avatars, "ideally making users feel like they're interacting in the same space." Freeform will gain new collaboration tools, too.

A big focus on gaming is expected, complete with "top-tier titles" from third parties.

On the video side, users can watch media while immersed in a virtual environment, like a desert. A new portal will be offered to watch sports in virtual reality, part of its push into streaming live games.

To help with Mac-based productivity, the headset will be usable as an external monitor for a connected Mac, similar to a feature provided by Meta's Horizon Workrooms.

As for operating the headset itself, the report claims several methods will be available, including eye tracking and hand gestures, as well as Siri. It will also be feasible for other peripherals to be connected, such as a keyboard, or for controls to be available on other Apple devices, like an iPhone.

Read on AppleInsider

hexclock

Sitting center ice in a virtual arena watching a game 7 overtime playoff game would be pretty cool. 

macxpress

Of course Apple is going to do something better than everyone else. When was the last time Apple entered a space and just did what everyone else was doing? It changed the MP3 player space, the smartphone space, tablet space, arguably the computer space, and smartwatch space. It did that by doing things others weren't doing and did it better than everyone else in the space, causing them to go back to the drawing board and at least match what Apple did. Apple thinks about the future and prepares its products for the future, even if its late to the space which it typically is. 

This will do things others may not even been thinking of, or didn't have the capability or capacity to bring it to market. 

neoncat

I'm not going to argue for or against the success of an Apple headset, but despite the cheerleading of people like Cook, Carmack, and Zuckerberg for years and years, the pathway for consumer relevance of AR/VR feels far less assured than the examples you mention, Macxpress. Consider your use-case, Hexclock: Sure, very cool idea. Worth $3000 to you? Really? Really?

palegolas

I think it'll be like the Apple TV. Very satisfied users, with a small market share.
Sounds like they'll be introducing a Matrix world, which we will be sucked into, and probably never wanna leave. Sometimes I even end up watching the Apple TV screensavers, just watching the beauty of the world. Apple is great at producing these beautiful experiences. But it's dangerous territory to tread. 1984 hello.

darkvader

neoncat said:

I'm not going to argue for or against the success of an Apple headset, but despite the cheerleading of people like Cook, Carmack, and Zuckerberg for years and years, the pathway for consumer relevance of AR/VR feels far less assured than the examples you mention, Macxpress. Consider your use-case, Hexclock: Sure, very cool idea. Worth $3000 to you? Really? Really?

Sure, it's worth $30.00 to me.  Oh, you seem to have left out the decimal point, btw.

jas99

palegolas said:

I think it'll be like the Apple TV. Very satisfied users, with a small market share.
Sounds like they'll be introducing a Matrix world, which we will be sucked into, and probably never wanna leave. Sometimes I even end up watching the Apple TV screensavers, just watching the beauty of the world. Apple is great at producing these beautiful experiences. But it's dangerous territory to tread. 1984 hello.

This isn’t dangerous at all. It’s not like 1984. This has nothing to do with a totalitarian future. 

It’s a liberating, immersive, flexible tool that allows creative people to do whatever the want to with it.

Stop the fear mongering; it’s ridiculous.

macxpress

JP234 said:

Already human relationships are suffering because one party decides that playing games or answering a phone call or text is more important than being present for the person in the room.

Already male adolescents from affluent white families are buying assault rifles and going on killing sprees, due in part to losing the ability to distinguish real human suffering from a digital depiction of mayhem like Fortnite.

Now we're supposed to believe that blocking our senses of sight and sound from the world around us will make this all better somehow, instead of exacerbating our disconnection from each other?

Sure it's tiresome to hear, especially if you don't want to believe it. But truth doesn't require anyone to believe it. It's just the truth.

You forgot the /s in your post....

blurpbleepbloop

I would think that Apple is going to introduce this thing with Craig Federighi appearing with some oversized headset that he then peals off to reveal the slim profile of Apple’s offering.
I’ll be so sad if this isn’t the case.

radarthekat

JP234 said:

I asked ChatGPT:

"Is there potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors?"

Its answer was:

"Yes, there is a potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors. As with any new technology, there are risks associated with its use, and AR/VR headsets are no exception.

One potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of privacy. These devices have the potential to collect a significant amount of personal data, including images of individuals and their surroundings. Bad actors could potentially use this data for nefarious purposes, such as identity theft, stalking, or other forms of harassment.

Another potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of cybercrime. These devices are connected to the internet, and bad actors could potentially use them to gain access to sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data.

Additionally, there is a risk that bad actors could use AR/VR headsets to create and disseminate misleading or harmful content. For example, they could create deepfake videos that appear to be real but are actually completely fabricated.

Overall, it is important for individuals and organizations to be aware of these risks and take steps to mitigate them, such as using strong passwords, limiting access to personal data, and being cautious about the content they view and share through AR/VR headsets.

Maybe your question should have been,

ChatGPT:

"Is there potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors in ways unique to AR/VR headsets?"

Japhey

JP234 said:

I asked ChatGPT:

"Is there potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors?"

Its answer was:

"Yes, there is a potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors. As with any new technology, there are risks associated with its use, and AR/VR headsets are no exception.

One potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of privacy. These devices have the potential to collect a significant amount of personal data, including images of individuals and their surroundings. Bad actors could potentially use this data for nefarious purposes, such as identity theft, stalking, or other forms of harassment.

Another potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of cybercrime. These devices are connected to the internet, and bad actors could potentially use them to gain access to sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data.

Additionally, there is a risk that bad actors could use AR/VR headsets to create and disseminate misleading or harmful content. For example, they could create deepfake videos that appear to be real but are actually completely fabricated.

Overall, it is important for individuals and organizations to be aware of these risks and take steps to mitigate them, such as using strong passwords, limiting access to personal data, and being cautious about the content they view and share through AR/VR headsets.

Literally every single thing human beings have ever invented has the potential to be misused by bad actors. Enough of your fear mongering. And I know it might be a bitter pill to swallow, but boomers will have absolutely no say in whether these devices ultimately succeed, no matter how loudly you keep repeating yourselves. 

Japhey

blurpbleepbloop said:

I would think that Apple is going to introduce this thing with Craig Federighi appearing with some oversized headset that he then peals off to reveal the slim profile of Apple’s offering.
I’ll be so sad if this isn’t the case.

Like an oculus quest? Then, instead of a mic drop…

Japhey

hexclock said:

Sitting center ice in a virtual arena watching a game 7 overtime playoff game would be pretty cool. 

Definitely. Imagine 10-15 years down the road when they will put cameras onto football (or hockey) helmets. Then you will be able to watch an entire game from your favorite players’ point of view. That’s the type of radical experience this technology will eventually bring to us. 

badmonk

Agree beyond the commonly held things that AR/VR will be used for, spectator sports has the potential to be the sleeper application.  And in terms of price (if it truly is going to be $3000 who knows?), people routinely spends thousands of dollars on things like Hamilton tickets, season passes, bowl tickets, purses, truck and car modifications, airline tickets, NFTs, collectibles not to mention beta autopilot software from someone’s cult leader ($15,000).

From my generation X perspective, I am concerned about the socialization problems of Generation Z and this is the biggest issue.

At least we will have other tech discussions about things other than large language AI systems.

hexclock

neoncat said:

Macxpress. Consider your use-case, Hexclock: Sure, very cool idea. Worth $3000 to you? Really? Really?

Of course not! Im just a lowly blue collar worker after all.

palegolas

jas99 said:

palegolas said:

I think it'll be like the Apple TV. Very satisfied users, with a small market share.
Sounds like they'll be introducing a Matrix world, which we will be sucked into, and probably never wanna leave. Sometimes I even end up watching the Apple TV screensavers, just watching the beauty of the world. Apple is great at producing these beautiful experiences. But it's dangerous territory to tread. 1984 hello.

This isn’t dangerous at all. It’s not like 1984. This has nothing to do with a totalitarian future. 

It’s a liberating, immersive, flexible tool that allows creative people to do whatever the want to with it.

Stop the fear mongering; it’s ridiculous.

I don't think foreseeing risks is ridiculous at all. Exploitation and "VR-holism" will happen whether we foresee it or not. Let's say a certain percentage of the users will be using VR/MR/AR, this liberating, immersive, flexible tool, for creativity… and another percentage will be using it to consume. I'll assume the split to be 0/100% rounded to the nearest integer. And since the vast majority of the users will be on the consumer side, they will be the target of every developer, well intended or malicious alike. And even the well intending developers will get users hooked because this all-immersive technology is much more powerful than other mediums.

I've been working with HTC Vive a couple of times at some different conferences. I have been the artist, the crazy dude, displaying what can be done with VR, in a few tech conferences. Both on stage and during conferences lasting for a few days. Once in the VR world, I get kinda disconnected. And in there I can create everything. It's liberating and immersive. And before I know it, I have lost track of the world going on outside. It only took me a day to realise that I actually didn't see a reason to leave the VR environment. And the software I was using wasn't even that good.

Let's say Meta creates the most compelling social network VR app for adults, Roblox creates the most compelling VR app for kids, Apple creates the most compelling lifestyle app for health aware target audience. I would assume that Meta and Roblox does everything to keep the users hooked, and Apple does this "perfect lifestyle with perfect lighting, beautiful mentors and no flaws " vibe that they've started to employ in their presentations in the last couple of years... I think there's reason to stay on the alert.

Once you take off the visor and see the real world with flaws and all, I think a lot of people will prefer to stay in "the matrix". And THAT'S why I think VR is a dangerous territory to tread. The 1984 reference is bad enough, but I'm not that afraid to be under totalitarian surveillance… Google and everyone else does that already, so we're already there.

Anyhow, I'm SUPER EXCITED about this. As an artist I'm of course wondering what kind of tools they'll be investing in. I know for instance that Apple has helped in optimising Blender for Apple Silicon. Could we see a Blender demonstrated on day one? Might be difficult to have kept an open source platform completely secret?

MacPro

macxpress said:

Of course Apple is going to do something better than everyone else. When was the last time Apple entered a space and just did what everyone else was doing? It changed the MP3 player space, the smartphone space, tablet space, arguably the computer space, and smartwatch space. It did that by doing things others weren't doing and did it better than everyone else in the space, causing them to go back to the drawing board and at least match what Apple did. Apple thinks about the future and prepares its products for the future, even if its late to the space which it typically is. 

This will do things others may not even been thinking of, or didn't have the capability or capacity to bring it to market. 

There is another wrinkle to this.  Apple, directly or from patent filings, signals years in advance what new directions they may be going in with a new product.  Others then rush into that space to get a product out before Apple.  Later when Apple releases its long-planned product, are said by the media to have been late to the market.

williamh

Once and for all, the AR goggle is not going to cost $3,000.  That is just Apple's technique for making the actual price seem like a bargain.  They've done just this in the past.

My guess is that it will cost $1499.   Maybe $1,999 but I doubt that.

Japhey

JP234 said:

Japhey said:

JP234 said:

I asked ChatGPT:

"Is there potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors?"

Its answer was:

"Yes, there is a potential for AR/VR headsets to be misused by bad actors. As with any new technology, there are risks associated with its use, and AR/VR headsets are no exception.

One potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of privacy. These devices have the potential to collect a significant amount of personal data, including images of individuals and their surroundings. Bad actors could potentially use this data for nefarious purposes, such as identity theft, stalking, or other forms of harassment.

Another potential misuse of AR/VR headsets is in the area of cybercrime. These devices are connected to the internet, and bad actors could potentially use them to gain access to sensitive information, such as passwords or financial data.

Additionally, there is a risk that bad actors could use AR/VR headsets to create and disseminate misleading or harmful content. For example, they could create deepfake videos that appear to be real but are actually completely fabricated.

Overall, it is important for individuals and organizations to be aware of these risks and take steps to mitigate them, such as using strong passwords, limiting access to personal data, and being cautious about the content they view and share through AR/VR headsets.

Literally every single thing human beings have ever invented has the potential to be misused by bad actors. Enough of your fear mongering. And I know it might be a bitter pill to swallow, but boomers will have absolutely no say in whether these devices ultimately succeed, no matter how loudly you keep repeating yourselves. 

Boomers run this country, pal. We always get what we want, when we want it. Hell, I'm spending your FICA withholding right now! Have fun moving from your parents' basement to your childrens' basement!

If the alphabet soup after us could get themselves off the couch and to the polling place, y'all might get a slice, too. Not holding my breath…

Please hold your breath. Please. 

I told you the pill would be bitter, but did you really think you would live forever? I’ll ignore your entitled rant because I generally feel sorry for all the boomers who can’t face the writing on the wall…the party is over. It will be the rest of society that decides whether Ar/Vr is a viable enough technology to invest their time and money in. You literally trip over your own feet trying to scream to anyone who’ll listen how these are not for you. So, if these aren’t for you, then why get so offended by someone pointing out the obvious fact that we alphabets are the ones who will get to decide? 

Ever hear of the “pig in the python”? The tail awaits.

Sorry, not sorry. 

Japhey

JP234 said:

Japhey said:

hexclock said:

Sitting center ice in a virtual arena watching a game 7 overtime playoff game would be pretty cool. 

Definitely. Imagine 10-15 years down the road when they will put cameras onto football (or hockey) helmets. Then you will be able to watch an entire game from your favorite players’ point of view. That’s the type of radical experience this technology will eventually bring to us. 

Now with more haptic feedback! Experience TBI just like an NFL/NHL pro!

Sigh. 

macxpress

MacPro said:

macxpress said:

Of course Apple is going to do something better than everyone else. When was the last time Apple entered a space and just did what everyone else was doing? It changed the MP3 player space, the smartphone space, tablet space, arguably the computer space, and smartwatch space. It did that by doing things others weren't doing and did it better than everyone else in the space, causing them to go back to the drawing board and at least match what Apple did. Apple thinks about the future and prepares its products for the future, even if its late to the space which it typically is. 

This will do things others may not even been thinking of, or didn't have the capability or capacity to bring it to market. 

There is another wrinkle to this.  Apple, directly or from patent filings, signals years in advance what new directions they may be going in with a new product.  Others then rush into that space to get a product out before Apple.  Later when Apple releases its long-planned product, are said by the media to have been late to the market.

Absolutely! So many times companies fail to realize it doesn't matter in the end who did it first...it matters who did it best. First doesn't mean best if its half-assed and doesn't think ahead.