Given the volume of AVP sales so far, I get not wanting to produce a native AVP app right away, but considering Youtube (and Netflix) can be used in AVP Safari, it seemed strange to me that both those companies didn't at least allow the iPad app to run out of the gate.

Speaking of Youtube, I've looked at a few of the AVP reviews there (in particular Marques Brownlee), and I have to say I am way more impressed with AVP than I thought I'd be. (What really helps is the fact that one can screen record the AVP visuals, so you get a pretty good idea of what the wearer sees).

hmlongco said:

roundaboutnow said:

Given the volume of AVP sales so far, I get not wanting to produce a native AVP app right away, but considering Youtube (and Netflix) can be used in AVP Safari, it seemed strange to me that both those companies didn't at least allow the iPad app to run out of the gate.

Speaking of Youtube, I've looked at a few of the AVP reviews there (in particular Marques Brownlee), and I have to say I am way more impressed with AVP than I thought I'd be. (What really helps is the fact that one can screen record the AVP visuals, so you get a pretty good idea of what the wearer sees).

One thing to remember what watching those screen recordings is that AVP foveates the display, spending extra cycles to make sure the area of the screen you're looking at is razor sharp and such, not spending extra cycles on the parts of the screen you're NOT looking at.

So some screenshots and recordings can look blurry, unless you're looking at the same area where the wearer was looking.

Yes, I noticed the foveated rendering. It was actually pointed out by Brownlee too. (I had actually anticipated a few years back when rumors of Apples AR/VR interests started surfacing that foveated rendering would be helpful--if not required--to reduce demands on the processing system).

nubus said:

VictorMortimer said:

Also, what's with everybody wanting soundbars?  I've never understood it.  I've got REAL speakers, with actual separation.  I haven't done the overhead channels, but I've got front left, right, and center, rear left and right, and a reasonably large sub.  You're never going to get that from a 3' long plastic box with tiny speakers.

Soundbars are for those happy about AirPods and Sonos. I have both and a rather large Beosound Shape setup. But going back to cables? No way!

The idea of a camera in a soundbar is stupid as the position is too low. Dell XPS had the Chin Cam for years. No way Apple will deliver that kind of experience.

A camera in a soundbar would not automatically be too low if you consider how many TVs are wall mounted with the bottom edge 36-48" off the floor. In the conference room example I mentioned above, it's done all the time. Wall mounted TVs at that height are also quite common in residential applications.

And if your TV is on a low table, it would not be too terribly difficult to figure out how to mount a camera/soundbar above the TV...

I have seen on a few occasions a charging cable being made available to passengers in a Uber or Lyft car. I think I used one once a few years ago, but when I first heard about these hacking cables, never again will I plug into a cable in a ride-share or in public phone charging facilities. 

Also, the article and some of the comments here suggest that the price will deter some people, but as the article states, "it's a tool for professionals." Well, there are enough of these "professionals" out there that put card skimming devices on ATM and gas pumps or who use key fob relay devices to break into your car. To them, less than a couple hundred bucks is no big deal. So while it's probably true that most of us don't need to be overly concerned, especially as long as we're being diligent, there's still plenty to be concerned about. The fact that some "low level scammers" would be deterred is no comfort.

danox said:

Apps do need to ask a user's permission other than a camera company like Blackmagic Design or similar companies like Nikon or Sony or maybe companies in the medical area down the road? But open season for Google, Meta, Microsoft, Spotify no way.

Microphones and other sensitive sensors should also be off limits without the user's permission.

It's one thing requiring the user grants permission, but how do you ask the subject(s) for permission?

With cameras, I suppose it is obvious that your picture is being taken, but regardless, the camera manufacturers never had to deal with permission. Only if you're a commercial photographer or possibly just being polite would one ask permission. (Not to say hidden cameras aren't a thing).

With an XR device, it's harder to tell when one's image is being captured by the wearer of the device. As I understand it, having the wearer's "fake" eyes displayed on the AVP signals that the subject's image is being captured, but could an app developer capture images without any external notification? This is kinda tricky. I'm guessing Apple was trying to avoid the "glasshole" reputation put upon Google glasses wearers.

Still, the use cases described in the article seem to be good examples of how allowing camera access could be a benefit. Hopefully there is a solution to this that provides both the privacy and utility associated with camera access.

VictorMortimer said:

Just what I need, another camera to tape over.

Also, what's with everybody wanting soundbars?  I've never understood it.  I've got REAL speakers, with actual separation.  I haven't done the overhead channels, but I've got front left, right, and center, rear left and right, and a reasonably large sub.  You're never going to get that from a 3' long plastic box with tiny speakers.

Soundbars can actually be pretty good, especially when mated with a separate subwoofer. They won't be as good as a set of quality separate speakers, but they are much less intrusive and are much easier to install. I emphasize "quality" on the separate speakers because I have been in rooms with crap separates--I will take a good soundbar+sub over these any day.

neoncat said:

rue said:

lordjohnwhorfin said:

The immersive videos are absolutely completely incredibly mind blowing.

Agreed! And I want to see something other than dionsaurs. Why not an immersive tour of Apple Park? Or Yosemite? Or a flight along the Monterry coast? Or to get really adventuresome an immersive view of Machu Picchu? The possibilites are endless. 

Or, you know, take a trip to those places instead of wearing a goofy face-mounted iPad for masturbatory sizzle reels. 

The success of the AVP will be in its ability to apply spatial concepts to everyday computing—expanding and improving the process of working with information. The recent stories of the AVP being used in operating rooms is a great example of this. Stupid 3D videos for the easily distracted? Come on now. What a waste of the technology. 

That first sentence is a pretty shitty response...

While it's true that for the price of AVP, you could take a trip to maybe one or two of those places, but not all of them. And while not a substitute for a real live experience, you probably could not duplicate the immersive views possible with AVP on your own (without significant additional expense), such as those that come from aerial views, underwater views, microscopic views, etc. And of course, the dinosaur content is pretty difficult to experience in real life! Personally, I love nature and science shows, and while the AVP is still a bit more than I want to pay, I would welcome as much immersive content in these categories as possible.

Also, while I agree that quite a lot of success of AVP will come from the applications to everyday computing, as Lordjohn replied, it's not either/or. I think the immersive content will be a huge part of its success.

I made this suggestion as an "open letter" to 3rd party manufacturers in the initial 12" MB post, but it really belongs in this thread...

 

---

I'm not crazy about needing dongles for I/O, but I do understand that a lot of personal-use types don't really need them.

 

For travel/business use, where connection to projectors/USB/wired ethernet is relatively common, I think there is an opportunity for some manufacturer to do a mobile integrated multi-I/O dock+power adapter here. Even the separate power adapter and multiple display dongles I carry for my 13" MBP takes a fair amount of space. Seems to me a unit somewhat bigger than a typical power adapter that does all these things would not be a big deal to always carry with you. (And hopefully it could be +/- $100).

 

So, how about it, 3rd party people? Kanex? Belkin? Sonnet? Anybody?

 

PS: maybe you could do a "mag-safe" style magnetic connector on the AC side like my deep fryer does:

Soli said:

nolamacguy said:

ah yes, lets shit on this....just because.

nonsense. Messages is also my most-used app, and i think it looks awesome and tons of fun. even my 74 yo dad likes to send iMessages with emoji, and we're going to have a lot of fun sending effects and whatnot.

iOS is doing pretty well on security -- so well that the FBI tried to force them to handle over their keys. so i feel pretty confident in Apple's ability to keep on doing a good job. 

I don't see the "just because" when people are giving very specific reasons why they don't like these enhancements; just as you at giving reasons why you like the enhancements.

Personally, I'm glad they did something, but it's not
of the markup and visual appeal for better and easier communication that I wanted. I hope I can disable most of these features are I'm not for pizzazz in my text bubbles. 

There is a certain amount of "me-too-ism" going on with the expanded iMessage visuals, but I am OK with it. When you look at what WeChat and Skype are doing with stickers, along with the Bitmoji keyboard, you can see that people are having fun with them. I find even business colleagues (albeit only those I am on familiar terms) make use of these. Obviously, you don't need to send them yourself. I'm not sure if you can refuse them from others though, but if you could, you might not "get" what the message is--and may have to explain why not.