Apple is betting the farm on a VR headset

[pbsmooth]

Chunky bit of kit. The fact Apple hasn’t let journalists take their own pictures and none of those supplied include the battery pack - note the cable - is a bit fishy. Interesting but can’t see it being a mainstream thing for a long time if ever.

 

[xenon]

Modern manufacturing is bananas. You can see where that $3500 goes. Also you can see why it's so heavy (heavier than the Meta headsets). Great big chunk of milled aluminium! Replace that with GRP pronto!

I see that YouTube, Netflix and Spotify won't have apps for launch (and they won't let you use their iPad apps). Not a good look.

What's GRP?

 

[Kid_Eternity]

This ad for the Vision Pro is brilliant:

Pretty crazy to see this stuff, Apple are the only company that can make manufacturing look interesting...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Modern manufacturing is bananas. You can see where that $3500 goes. Also you can see why it's so heavy (heavier than the Meta headsets). Great big chunk of milled aluminium! Replace that with GRP pronto!

I see that YouTube, Netflix and Spotify won't have apps for launch (and they won't let you use their iPad apps). Not a good look.

Very weird decision, Apple has both music and streaming so why cede that market so easily?

 

[TopCat]

What's GRP?

Glass reinforced plastic

 

[ska invita]

Pretty crazy to see this stuff, Apple are the only company that can make manufacturing look interesting...

just missing the suicide nets in the factory

 

[Crispy]

Very weird decision, Apple has both music and streaming so why cede that market so easily?

Apple's not stopping them - The companies aren't bothering, probably because the market will be tiny.
If I was Apple, I'd have paid them whatever it took.

 

[editor]

Chunky bit of kit. The fact Apple hasn’t let journalists take their own pictures and none of those supplied include the battery pack - note the cable - is a bit fishy. Interesting but can’t see it being a mainstream thing for a long time if ever.

Looks ridiculous. Who the fuck wants to walk about with that hefty chunk of uber-expensive glass and sweaty plastic stuck to your face? And the shit battery life makes it even less likely it's going to hit the mainstream.

Google Glass - for all its many shortcomings - looked far more elegant.

 

[editor]

For the same reason a Mac is nicer to use than a PC, an iPhone is nicer to use than an Android.

You know, I'd rather take the opinion of a super respected reviewer.
TL;DR - you're wrong

 

[Crispy]

Who the fuck wants to walk about with that hefty chunk of uber-expensive glass and sweaty plastic stuck to your face?

It's not for walking around. It won't even let you move above a (quite low) speed before hiding all apps and doing passthrough only, and a warning message saying "stop moving around so fast!" or similar. Comparing it to Google Glass is like comparing an iphone to a basic nokia. Same broad category, but very different capabilities.

I'm sure I said upthread already, the concept is very intruiging to me. When I'm working I want as much screen space as possible. More monitors is nice but there's a reasonable limit, especially at home. I'd love to stick something on my head and have computing workspace wherever I look. The work I do is all in 3D so that would make it incredible. I've tried it with my Vive and it's clunky as hell but you can just smell the promise of how good it would be if done properly. Regardless of my specific use case it's still a useful way of having a dozen spreadhseets open at once on separate "screens"

Will it go mainstream? This specific model? No, certainly not. The second or third? Maybe. It will take a revolution in display technology though. The "regular OLED screen and big fat lenses" design cannot get any smaller or much lighter. They need some sort of laser wave optical nanoguide collimator star trek sounding bollocks that doesn't take up so much room.

 

[editor]

It's not for walking around. It won't even let you move above a (quite low) speed before hiding all apps and doing passthrough only, and a warning message saying "stop moving around so fast!" or similar. Comparing it to Google Glass is like comparing an iphone to a basic nokia. Same broad category, but very different capabilities.

I'm sure I said upthread already, the concept is very intruiging to me. When I'm working I want as much screen space as possible. More monitors is nice but there's a reasonable limit, especially at home. I'd love to stick something on my head and have computing workspace wherever I look. The work I do is all in 3D so that would make it incredible. I've tried it with my Vive and it's clunky as hell but you can just smell the promise of how good it would be if done properly. Regardless of my specific use case it's still a useful way of having a dozen spreadhseets open at once on separate "screens"

Will it go mainstream? This specific model? No, certainly not. The second or third? Maybe. It will take a revolution in display technology though. The "regular OLED screen and big fat lenses" design cannot get any smaller or much lighter. They need some sort of laser wave optical nanoguide collimator star trek sounding bollocks that doesn't take up so much room.

I just don't think that many people are going to want to have big, heavy VR glasses stuck to their head at home or anywhere else.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I just don't think that many people are going to want to have big, heavy VR glasses stuck to their head at home or anywhere else.

You've met gamers right?

 

[Santino]

You know, I'd rather take the opinion of a super respected reviewer.
TL;DR - you're wrong

No one's asking you to take anyone's opinion.

 

[Crispy]

I just don't think that many people are going to want to have big, heavy VR glasses stuck to their head at home or anywhere else.

Me neither. Give it time though.



is to

as

is to whatever it is that will actually go mainstream in this category.

I can only presume that Apple (and all of the rest of them) has alternative display technology in the lab, cos this form factor is a dead end and they'd be mad to build an entire ecosystem around it.

What's exciting to me about the VP is that they've actually thought hard about how the UI works. It's not a mac screen or an ipad floating in space. The version of this that catches on will not run windows or macos or android as we know it, so it's really good to see someone have a proper crack at it and figure out what works.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Me neither. Give it time though.

View attachment 409110

is to

as

is to whatever it is that will actually go mainstream in this category.

I can only presume that Apple (and all of the rest of them) has alternative display technology in the lab, cos this form factor is a dead end and they'd be mad to build an entire ecosystem around it.

What's exciting to me about the VP is that they've actually thought hard about how the UI works. It's not a mac screen or an ipad floating in space. The version of this that catches on will not run windows or macos or android as we know it, so it's really good to see someone have a proper crack at it and figure out what works.

I mean I've been waiting since I had a go on something like this in the 90s. I guess I can wait another decade...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Apple's not stopping them - The companies aren't bothering, probably because the market will be tiny.
If I was Apple, I'd have paid them whatever it took.

I know, it’s still ceding the market. And Disney are committing, just seems odd…

 

[8ball]

I just don't think that many people are going to want to have big, heavy VR glasses stuck to their head at home or anywhere else.

Several people on here have small, light ones that they play games and stuff on.

I have one a few feet from where I’m sat. I’ll probably get a text in a bit telling me someone is invading my castle…

Edit here it is:



/poorly concealed excuse to show off my gold Converse

Edit2: mutual ignore pact totally slipped my mind, sorry

 

[pbsmooth]

I think assuming it will go mainstream because it’s Apple is a stretch. They’ve made plenty of false steps too. Like releasing this now for example
They want the next iPhone but doesn’t mean anyone knows what it is. Google glass etc.

 

[newme]

Several people on here have small, light ones that they play games and stuff on.

I have one a few feet from where I’m sat. I’ll probably get a text in a bit telling me someone is invading my castle…

I used my quest 2 yesterday a load for games and I've added straps and balanced the front load with a battery on the back so it's comfy and no neck strain. Also ran fine for 5 hours with no issues and 50% left on the battery pack and the quest fully charged.

Got to say that was stood up, which kinda transfers for sit stand desks for AR like the quest 3. Saw someone using it for having a HUD over an engine fix of some kind with instructions.

If they can make it like Google glass form factor instead of a full on headset I could see it being very useful. I'm not walking around wearing this thing but some people have mapped some multi level stuff within houses and gardens that looks great. Having a floating display has a lot of potential uses. If I'm trying to say do a garden project and want to map a above ground pool, decking, some raised beds etc and I can just import the design from idk amazon and try it out to fit and see how it looks that would be far better then messing about with tape measures.

Then when I turns up scan the qr and floating instructions, line up the kit and it recognises it and shows how things should fit and where. Hell if I can map my house then tag items it could show me where they were last. Where's my 10mm socket, shows last seen about to roll under something in the shed.

 

[8ball]

I used my quest 2 yesterday a load for games and I've added straps and balanced the front load with a battery on the back so it's comfy and no neck strain. Also ran fine for 5 hours with no issues and 50% left on the battery pack and the quest fully charged.

Got to say that was stood up, which kinda transfers for sit stand desks for AR like the quest 3. Saw someone using it for having a HUD over an engine fix of some kind with instructions.

If they can make it like Google glass form factor instead of a full on headset I could see it being very useful. I'm not walking around wearing this thing but some people have mapped some multi level stuff within houses and gardens that looks great. Having a floating display has a lot of potential uses. If I'm trying to say do a garden project and want to map a above ground pool, decking, some raised beds etc and I can just import the design from idk amazon and try it out to fit and see how it looks that would be far better then messing about with tape measures.

Then when I turns up scan the qr and floating instructions, line up the kit and it recognises it and shows how things should fit and where. Hell if I can map my house then tag items it could show me where they were last. Where's my 10mm socket, shows last seen about to roll under something in the shed.

I always think of far more pedestrian uses for this kind of tech - like having a portion of road light up when you need to make the next turn, or a having a big flashing arrow in the sky pointing to where your friend is when you’re at a festival/demo/whatever and can’t find them.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I always think of far more pedestrian uses for this kind of tech - like having a portion of road light up when you need to make the next turn, or a having a big flashing arrow in the sky pointing to where your friend is when you’re at a festival/demo/whatever and can’t find them.

From my understanding the camera tech will need to improve massively. I don't your meant to use AR/MR at any kind of speed and it struggles with low light.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I think assuming it will go mainstream because it’s Apple is a stretch. They’ve made plenty of false steps too. Like releasing this now for example
They want the next iPhone but doesn’t mean anyone knows what it is. Google glass etc.

I think they need to get something out there, even if it doesn't get wide spread adoption for people to start playing with the tech.

Needs to be a lot better and a lot cheaper I think to go mainstream

 

[newme]

From my understanding the camera tech will need to improve massively. I don't your meant to use AR/MR at any kind of speed and it struggles with low light.

For car use I'd assume it would need the cars cameras and integrated GPS. Just showing a maps display in front of the windscreen on a see through display would be better than looking down or across at a phone or other device would be an improvement though.

 

[8ball]

From my understanding the camera tech will need to improve massively. I don't your meant to use AR/MR at any kind of speed and it struggles with low light.

Yes, though I expect the image for such usage will be more like HUD style projection than viewing the environment on a screen like with a Quest 3.

 

[newme]

I always think of far more pedestrian uses for this kind of tech - like having a portion of road light up when you need to make the next turn, or a having a big flashing arrow in the sky pointing to where your friend is when you’re at a festival/demo/whatever and can’t find them.

I mean you can do location sharing now and use that so having it show where that device is located seems possible just based off that.

 

[8ball]

I mean you can do location sharing now and use that so having it show where that device is located seems possible just based off that.

Yeah, that part could be done quite easily with a phone AR app now.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

For car use I'd assume it would need the cars cameras and integrated GPS. Just showing a maps display in front of the windscreen on a see through display would be better than looking down or across at a phone or other device would be an improvement though.

Yes, though I expect the image for such usage will be more like HUD style projection than viewing the environment on a screen like with a Quest 3.

I had a loan focus last year that had a HUD. It popped up when you turned it on, rather then on the windscreen itself, but it was very cool.

 

[Silas Loom]

I don’t understand why HUD isn’t ubiquitous. Viewing MPH and driving directions without taking your eyes away from the road is fantastic and surely improves safety significantly.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I don’t understand why HUD isn’t ubiquitous. Viewing MPH and driving directions without taking your eyes away from the road is fantastic and surely improves safety significantly.

Car tech is always a bit behind. I'm suppressed it took as long as it did for almost all cars to have a decent system that integrates with your phone as it doesn't add a huge cost to the total.

 

[newme]

I had a loan focus last year that had a HUD. It popped up when you turned it on, rather then on the windscreen itself, but it was very cool.

Yeh putting it on the windscreen would be horrendous, imagine the cost of a replacement from a chip. It being protected inside the car makes way more sense.

I don’t understand why HUD isn’t ubiquitous. Viewing MPH and driving directions without taking your eyes away from the road is fantastic and surely improves safety significantly.

Cost, we have clear screens now but it's not cheap. You can get all kinds of things but it's pricey. Our yaris with absolutely none of it was affordable. The hud alone would probably cost the same as the car value lol.