Apple 🤝 The Metaverse

Howdy from Durham,

Apple doesn’t launch entirely new products often.

In fact, their last new product was the Apple Watch back in 2014.

That changed on Monday with the official announcement of their AR headset, “Vision Pro.”

Let’s dive into quick-hits from their product launch this past week.

Science fiction becomes reality.

On Monday, Apple unveiled their entry into augmented reality with the release of Apple Vision Pro.

Turns out that the rumored product renderings that I included in “AI Stole the Metaverse’s Moment” were pretty spot on because they look a whole lot like expensive ski goggles (with 4k lenses).

Here are my 3 favorite quotes from Apple CEO, Tim Cook, on the new product:

• “It’s the first Apple product that you look through and not at.”

• “Vision Pro is a new type of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world.”

• “In the same way that Mac introduced us to personal computing and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing.”

Apple’s word choice is always intentional. Instead of referring to this immersive experience as the “metaverse,” Cook and co. repeatedly called this new frontier “spatial computing” - perhaps making it more approachable to existing Apple users.

9min video showcasing the design + functionality of Apple Vision Pro.

Here’s how Apple Vision Pro differs from the headsets already on the market:

• Design - a glass window allows people to see the Vision Pro user’s eyes, connecting them to the people and physical space around them.

• Price - whereas competitors, such as Oculus, sell headsets for $300-$400, Apple’s Vision Pro comes in ~10x more expensive at $3,500.

• Control - there are no handheld devices to control the interface. All actions are completed through hand motion, eyesight, and verbal commands.

• Familiarity - you have access to the core Apple apps that you already know and love (FaceTime, iMessage, Keynote, Pages, Calendar, Notes, Photos, Safari) but with larger displays within your physical environment.

• Interoperability - seamless connection across existing Apple devices. This means your iCloud files will sink automatically with your headset, and you can even use Vision Pro to project a larger version of your MacBook (as if your entire living room were a second monitor).

Worldwide Developers Conference presentation where Vision Pro was announced. Skip to 1:20:48 for Tim Cook’s unveiling of the headset.

Here’s how Matthew Ball - author of the book The Metaverse - predicted the impact that headsets would have on entertainment:

• In his 2022 book, Ball stated that entertainment would become much more interactive with VR/AR headsets. He illustrated this with a hypothetical example on Marvel characters. Instead of just watching a movie, Ball made the case that a headset user could team up with a superhero, like Ironman, to go on an immersive mission together.

• As if the mouse had read the very book that Ball wrote, Disney CEO Bob Iger participated in Apple’s event on Monday. He gave the audience a sneak peak of what Disney+ would look like on Vision Pro. This included immersive experiences with Disney brands such as ESPN, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic, and - you guessed it - Marvel.

  

  Screenshot of Disney+ on Vision Pro (taken from WWDC presentation). Get ready for your entertainment to be integrated with your living space.

Here’s my take on the first iteration of Apple Vision Pro:

Apple is releasing what is essentially a minimum viable product before it’s fully ready. For example, a 2hr charge on a wired battery pack isn’t a great headset experience. Yet, by releasing the headset now, third party developers can get their hands on it and build new ideas. Meanwhile, Apple will collect data from early adopters to improve their core app experiences.

It is no coincidence that Apple released Vision Pro at the Worldwide Developers Conference. In fact, this iteration isn’t about the users at all. Sure, some early adopters will bear the $3500 price tag and extract some value, but ultimately this product release is about capturing the attention of developers so that they start building.

In addition to trying to reel in third party developers, Apple will also work diligently to create a sense of FOMO through their core apps (FaceTime, iMessage) so that you’ll feel social pressure if you’re using a headset that isn’t Apple (i.e. AR/VR will have some version of the classic blue vs. green text bubbles).

What Apple is betting on: even if this first iteration doesn’t reach widespread market adoption, the software development seeds planted now will hopefully result in an App Store so robust that, once the hardware is improved + the cost is lowered 2-3 iterations from now, Apple will have achieved market dominance (or so they hope).

One last thing on social pressure + purchasing patterns: lets return to the blue/green text bubble example. Apple is going to try and turn Oculus & others into the Android of AR/VR where we socially shame folks who don’t communicate with us spatially using Apple products. After all, the main reason most folks wouldn’t dare leave iPhone is because of the blue text bubble.

What I’m paying attention to:

We need more street cafes where strangers become our friends; where we talk without a zoom link, calendar invite, or agenda; where there’s a bit more understanding of one another; where our collective problems seem a little less daunting and their solutions a tad more plausible.

Thanks for reading

What are your thoughts on Apple Vision Pro? Would you try it out?

Reply and let me know,

Josh

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