Apple Vision Pro headset: the perfect reading device?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by afv011

It will sell because it's Apple and there are people who have their wallet ready even before it's announced, but I'm sceptical this is anything but a fad. At this price this is not a device for the masses and unlike phones, this has a much narrower use case. I'd expect the main use for these to be gaming, but that doesn't seem to be how this is advertised, more like a consumption device. Then there is the creepy factor to this as well.

Even if it fails as a VR Headset, it could succeed as a TV.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if it fails as a VR Headset, it could succeed as a TV.

... For single people.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if it fails as a VR Headset, it could succeed as a TV.

At that money you could tile the entire room with TVs.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Even if it fails as a VR Headset, it could succeed as a TV.

Watching TV is usually a communal thing, you do it with family or friends, and this is the opposite. So while it can have its uses, maybe as they showed while on a long flight, I think expecting people to use this as a generic TV replacement is misplaced.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by afv011

Watching TV is usually a communal thing, you do it with family or friends, and this is the opposite. So while it can have its uses, maybe as they showed while on a long flight, I think expecting people to use this as a generic TV replacement is misplaced.

With SharePlay you can watch with up to 33 people (with or without Vision Pro).

There are certainly large numbers of solitary people. It would be an elegant alternative to finding room for a 50"+ HDTV in a small studio apartment as well. And use it for other things as well.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by tomsem

With SharePlay you can watch with up to 33 people (with or without Vision Pro).

There are certainly large numbers of solitary people. It would be an elegant alternative to finding room for a 50"+ HDTV in a small studio apartment as well. And use it for other things as well.

Yes, shareplay at 3,5K a pop, let's do that instead of sitting all on the sofa and socialize

The way you describe it sounds to me like "well, we made this, let's see if we can figure out what we could use it for".

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by afv011

Yes, shareplay at 3,5K a pop, let's do that instead of sitting all on the sofa and socialize

The way you describe it sounds to me like "well, we made this, let's see if we can figure out what we could use it for".

To a large extent I think that is the case.

Apple has been working on this thing for 7 years, and watched everybody else pretty much fail at selling things like this. They know what they're getting into, and are betting that the key is to start with a high bar spec-wise, to make sure it can handle whatever developers can come up with. Maybe they aren't even making the usual cost margin at $3500.

It's up to developers to make the use cases and experiences that will entice people to get one.

It doesn't ship for 9 months or so. I think that is partly because they know they'll need to make software adjustments while working with developers.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by tomsem

With SharePlay you can watch with up to 33 people (with or without Vision Pro).

There are certainly large numbers of solitary people. It would be an elegant alternative to finding room for a 50"+ HDTV in a small studio apartment as well. And use it for other things as well.

You can already do this sort of thing now with an Oculus Quest 2 and the Bigscreen app. And it's only $300. I've done just that and it can be fun but setup is involved compared to just flicking on the TV. But it still only makes sense to do it watching a movie without another real person in the room.

Yes, the Vision Pro has better displays and it should solve the "where is my drink?" problem of the Oculus Quest but it is over ten times the cost. I really can't see it replacing too many TV sets.

[HLS]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Lots of people. Think of what a lot of people spend on a TV. The Vision Pro is supposed to be really good for watching TV.

I spent absolutely nothing on my TV on a force will spend all that money for just a headset

[tomsem]

I've been playing with Vision OS SDK.

The simulator is a little rough, but you can run live versions of Safari, News, FreeForm, Calendar, Maps, Files, and Photos (Books app thumbnail shows on Compatible Apps folder thumbnail, but it is not actually there when you open that up).

Screenshot is reading with read.amazon.com.

[tomsem]

Turns out there is a Kindle app for visionOS. But I cannot figure out how to install in the simulator, as it does not have an App Store right now, and Apple has not seen fit to send me a prototype Vision Pro.

[OtinG]

I wonder what effect long term use on a regular basis will have on a person’s vision?

Will “goggle head” become a new buzzword in the medical profession for those who turn face and head into an oddly disfigured shape due to wearing these too long and too frequent?

Will psychology identify a new social disorder wherein couch potatoes with a goggle addiction turn even more antisocial to the point of not remembering how to get along with others? No wait, that already happened because of social media…



Seriously though, I can see where these things would be beneficial in science and many industrial uses. I can imagine it would be possible for a surgeon to wear them and perform remote surgery, for example.

[tomsem]

It appears pretty much all iOS and iPad apps will be available on visionOS. The App Store will be showing up in the SDK simulator in the next update or two. It will be interesting to track visionOS specific features that appear in next few months in said apps.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tomsem

It appears pretty much all iOS and iPad apps will be available on visionOS. The App Store will be showing up in the SDK simulator in the next update or two. It will be interesting to track visionOS specific features that appear in next few months in said apps.

Don't hold your breath...most iPadOS apps still won't even run on macOS. Apple is full of hot air, typical BS marketing we see across the industry. With iPadOS apps they left it up to the developers to adapt their iPadOS apps to run in macOS. If Apple leaves it up to the developers to adapt their iOS and iPadOS apps to run in visionOS, I wouldn't expect very many to appear anytime soon. If I were an iOS and/or iPadOS developer I would view visionOS as another Newton, and thus I would drag my feet to see just how big (or incredibly small) that market will become. At the price range of this headset I suspect their will be an issue with sales, and I doubt very many beyond hardcore gamers who never date will buy it. Even if some within the scientific community adopt it, there will likely be very few purchases therein. I think it might be a terrific gadget, but I suspect its cost will doom it to failure.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Don't hold your breath...most iPadOS apps still won't even run on macOS. Apple is full of hot air, typical BS marketing we see across the industry. With iPadOS apps they left it up to the developers to adapt their iPadOS apps to run in macOS. If Apple leaves it up to the developers to adapt their iOS and iPadOS apps to run in visionOS, I wouldn't expect very many to appear anytime soon.

Why are you blaming Apple for the lack of developer support in porting their apps? Would you prefer Apple to strong arm the developers, and force all iOS apps to run on macOS?