I find it interesting that they announced a product that won’t be available for nine months at least. More importantly it won’t be released until after the Fall product announcements. Why didn’t they wait until then to announce it? Was it all the buzz going around? Or just wanting to get people excited so they won’t look at what others come up with between now and then?
Because it’s the developer conference, and developers need to program apps for it before the actual release. And because consumers are going to need to start saving for it now at $3,500+
Remember folks, this is just an early prototype of the eventual "Apple iGlasses". This one built for programmers and developers to get their hands on something that works before they roll out the final product, which will look more like a pair of Ray-Ban's and you will wear all day! Maybe in five or six years.
1) They've moved away from i-naming scheme. 2) We are not 5 or 6 years away from getting an M-series chip (or any of the other HW) into something the size and weight of a pay of Ray-Bans.
In 1963 we were not 5-6 years away from landing on the moon.
Of course we were. Untess you're a conspiracy theorist, we landed there in 1969.
In 2017 we were not 5-6 from this device or a Mac Pro like they showed yesterday.
Clearly we were, and it was obvious since we already had the same SoC in a much smaller Mac Studio. All they did was effectively get PCIe slots in the chassis from the previous Mac Pro.
Or a camera like what it on the iPhone 14.
Sure it was as it's just a iteration.
Come to think about it, Apple does still seem to see a lot of iMacs, iPhones, and iCloud services these days.
Huh? Was that sentence suppose to say something?
Outside of your beyond ridiculous comparisons the bottom line is that your suggestions that VR goggles could be the size and weight of a pair of Ray-Bans in half a decade without anything to back up that projection is not just silly, but downright stupid. These aren't stand-alone AR glasses like Google Glass, but offer a fully immersive VR experience. Even if the tech could reasonably shrink to fit everything inside of a pair of lightweight sunglasses in a handful of years (again, it can't), you're still missing the fundamental issue with making a VR headset that is open around the sides, top and bottom as is the case with a pair of Ray-Bans.
Actually the limiting factor will be physics. The Vision Pro extends a fair distance in front of the face not merely because there’s a lot of stuff in there, but because they have to mount the displays a minimum distance from the eyes, and that distance is farther than a pair of sunglasses sit in front of a wearer’s eyes. So it may never be able to be incorporated into a pair of glasses. Google Glass did something different. This level of immersion isn’t likely to be doable closer to the eyes.
I’m mostly looking forward to seeing / helping to develop assistive tech for people with disabilities on this platform. Eye-gaze controls and selection activation can be a godsend for people with motor control problems (please find a way to finalize a selection with something other than a hand gesture).
Selections-to-speech will be easy. Selections-to environmental controls will be a cinch, and much more.
A very primitive precursor to the capability you are thinking about was created by my first startup. We developed a headset to replace the mouse on the original 1984 Mac, to allow quadriplegics to use the computer. The headset used three ultrasonic transducers, along with one in the base station, to detect end measure head motions. Even when you glance with your eyes from one place on screen to another, your head almost imperceptibly moves, and the most sensitive of the three settings on our device would easily pick this up and move the mouse cursor to exactly what you looked at. Customers swore it was reading their minds.
To click, we initially created a bite switch, but then we developed a, much preferred by our customers, puff switch. Along with a screen keyboard, you could fully operate a Mac with just your head. We called the product HeadMaster.
A customer in Australia, a bedridden quadriplegic, used it to write his biography. He sent us a signed copy, signed by holding a pen in his mouth. There were tears in our offices that day.
Johnny Wilder, from the band Heatwave, was another customer. From his Wiki entry…
On February 24, 1979, a van broadsided Wilder's car, paralyzing him from the neck down and hospitalizing him for a year.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Wilder went on to record albums with the group, as well as an album with his brother entitled Sound of Soul in 1989. Referring to his music he stated "The music that I'm doing is my way of giving thanks to God for being alive". All accomplished using the HeadMaster product we developed.
Below is one of our advertisements, which we had initially named the View Control System, before pivoting from the general market it was aimed at to the disabled market. Another advertisement, which I’m not able to find online all these years later, had the tagline, If You Can Move Your Head, You Can Move Your World.
The epilogue to this story is that the founder of Personics, a man who grew up a few blocks from Steve Jobs and knew him as an adult during the early Apple era, suffered a stroke in 2017, has limited use of one arm and is very much looking forward to this product.
His message to me yesterday,
“I am very excited about vision pro after watching a few videos on cnet. Should be great for me with my condition.” I’m thinking I’ll gift him one on the day it becomes available to order.
I think people overlook a simple function on this machine: 3D movie making. Just look at iPhone which function everyone uses everyday: taking pictures and making videos. You don’t need a killer apps, Apple just need to create a YouTube like website to host all the homemade 3D movies so people can watch and feel immersed into other lives. Remember this old movie from 1995: Strange Days? That’s all Apple needs to make everyone wants 1. Example: roller coaster ride in First person view. Like all the reviewers said they watched a demo movie and they feel like they are in the movie with them. That’s the KILLER app.
Someone else can be the first person to ride on a rollercoaster with a $3500 hat on.
Remember folks, this is just an early prototype of the eventual "Apple iGlasses". This one built for programmers and developers to get their hands on something that works before they roll out the final product, which will look more like a pair of Ray-Ban's and you will wear all day! Maybe in five or six years.
More like 10 years. But still, they will only provide AR, and not VR. Those wonderful cinematic experiences that were demoed won't be possible on glasses.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
The connection to the headset strap looks more than magnetic. It looks like magnets help guide the connected to the right spot and the user then turns it 90°. That turn looks like it locks it into place for a strong connection.
The connection to the battery looks either friction fit or spring engaged, like the Lightning connector.
Since the battery has a USBC port, that looks like how you charge the battery and how you can use the device while plugged in for long periods of time.
I suppose you can daisy chain a battery to the battery, but yes, I bet eventually there will be interchangeability with 3rd party batteries and cords.
While I am impressed by the technical and see its practicality, it’s still a niche market at the present. Give it a few years and maybe it will be come more mainstream, but even then, it won’t be an iPhone or even an iPad. The biggest benefiters of this product as I see it as of now will be businesses, especially amusement parks and arcades (like Dave and Busters).
The Apple Vision Pro is a Mac computer, the smallest and most powerful that Apple has made to date (for its size), it’s just in a different form factor. When do you think of it that way for what you get it is worth 3500 dollars, because that is in fact, what it is a very powerful laptop/desktop Mac.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
The connection to the headset strap looks more than magnetic. It looks like magnets help guide the connected to the right spot and the user then turns it 90°. That turn looks like it locks it into place for a strong connection.
The connection to the battery looks either friction fit or spring engaged, like the Lightning connector.
Since the battery has a USBC port, that looks like how you charge the battery and how you can use the device while plugged in for long periods of time.
I suppose you can daisy chain a battery to the battery, but yes, I bet eventually there will be interchangeability with 3rd party batteries and cords.
I'm guessing by the size it's magnetic, which would help you connect a new cable if you're doing it with the headset still attached, but it also looks like it has a physical locking mechanism that is held in place with the weight of the cable. Based on the image, the magnets line up the dots and then you rotate it clockwise 1/8th of a turn to lock it in place.
At first I thought, good, I only use glasses for reading, not distance. So I shouldn’t need the Zeiss add-ons. Then I thought, wait, you’re not REALLY looking in the distance—just virtually. You’re really looking at something (a tiny screen) about an inch away from your eye. How can anybody focus on that? Guess I’ll have to wait for a try-on/fitting session at my local Apple Store next year to find out whether I’ll need the lenses or not. Wondering how much they’ll add to the cost.
People speculating on the ins and outs of the battery pack:
You can also plug Vision Pro into the wall. My guess is that most people, most of the time will use them like that. I know I will.
Looks like the battery has a USB-C port for power in, so why not hook additional/3rd party to that port?
Someone will sell "Vision Pro compatible" battery packs on Amazon and Temu regardless of the connector type. China's manufacturers have cloned just about every other accessory in the Apple ecosystem.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
The EU won’t be seeing the Apple Vision Pro until 2025 or 2026, thank God, when Apple is designing, something like this, that takes it to the next level, who cares about the cable, and if because Apple took it to the next level, they have to come up with a different I/O connection, then so be it.
At first I thought, good, I only use glasses for reading, not distance. So I shouldn’t need the Zeiss add-ons. Then I thought, wait, you’re not REALLY looking in the distance—just virtually. You’re really looking at something (a tiny screen) about an inch away from your eye. How can anybody focus on that? Guess I’ll have to wait for a try-on/fitting session at my local Apple Store next year to find out whether I’ll need the lenses or not. Wondering how much they’ll add to the cost.
I have the same problem, and it probably is going to cost the same as getting a new pair of glasses, however, I did notice some of the You Tubers, who got a chance to use the Vision pro wore glasses and had to take them off to test out the system.
Is Apple Vision Pro a see through glasses or is it a solid goggles with 2 4K displays? I cannot tell if the front is actually a display or a see through. Or is it transparent OLED?
Is Apple Vision Pro a see through glasses or is it a solid goggles with 2 4K displays? I cannot tell if the front is actually a display or a see through. Or is it transparent OLED?
There is an outer screen that projects a render of you to the outside world.
I think it does the job quite well (at least in the promo video) and is one of my favourite, non-core features.
Wish the cord used a USB-C interface to connect to the battery. Then third-party batteries or multiple Apple batteries could be use.
Or perhaps that's the point, maybe the battery has to meet certain specs?
Either way seems strange to have a fixed cord length...yeah it may reach my pocket but can I put it on the desk? Actually, the more I think about it this would be a good use case for the magsafe charging connector on the battery side.
I wonder if they thought that using MagSafe or a usb-c connection might make the unit prone to too many unwanted disconnects, since the cord could easily be snagged on something if the user was moving around. Or maybe placing a magnetic coil right where your brain is located wasn’t a good idea.
We stick electromagnets in our ears every time we put in AirPods or any other buds. The cord can be snagged now and with a permanently connected cable, the chances are greater the cord or the batter can be damaged. As it stands now, if the cord or the battery battery get damgaged the entire unit has to be replaced. Since this is pre-release hardware, I'm hoping the final product will have a USB-C connection allowing 3rd party power. It would also make it better for replacing potentially damaged cords or batteries.
Air pods coils are tiny, while the headset is a pretty powerful computer, but your point is well taken. I guess either method has its pros and cons.
Comments
During the 1980s and 1990s, Wilder went on to record albums with the group, as well as an album with his brother entitled Sound of Soul in 1989. Referring to his music he stated "The music that I'm doing is my way of giving thanks to God for being alive". All accomplished using the HeadMaster product we developed.
Below is one of our advertisements, which we had initially named the View Control System, before pivoting from the general market it was aimed at to the disabled market. Another advertisement, which I’m not able to find online all these years later, had the tagline, If You Can Move Your Head, You Can Move Your World.
The epilogue to this story is that the founder of Personics, a man who grew up a few blocks from Steve Jobs and knew him as an adult during the early Apple era, suffered a stroke in 2017, has limited use of one arm and is very much looking forward to this product.
His message to me yesterday,
“I am very excited about vision pro after watching a few videos on cnet. Should be great for me with my condition.” I’m thinking I’ll gift him one on the day it becomes available to order.
Life has a way of circling back around.
Since the battery has a USBC port, that looks like how you charge the battery and how you can use the device while plugged in for long periods of time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9FjQBqkUBk Wall Street Journal 4-5 minutes in, watch Becky…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKCaIHAIg70. A speechless, YouTuber after using the Apple Vision Pro.
There is an outer screen that projects a render of you to the outside world.
I think it does the job quite well (at least in the promo video) and is one of my favourite, non-core features.