re: #65 Mattand

Quick two cents on the Apple headset conversation:

You can pretty much substitute “Macintosh” for “Apple Vision Pro” in every complaint/criticism/mockery you’re seeing right now, and you basically have every dig leveled at the original 128K Mac from 1984.

It took a while but PCs in general and Macs in particular eventually found their footing. People shit all over the watch for the first year or two as well, until they were able to fine tune their message on it.

And, yeah, I know: look at the Newton. Pobody’s nerfect, LOL.

I’m a three decade Apple customer, and have no intention of getting this thing: too expensive and doesn’t solve any immediate problems. That said, I wouldn’t count Apple out on this. It’s entirely possible we’ll be wearing smart glasses that are direct descendants of what Apple’s doing now.

Or this could be the thing that destroys them. There: all bases covered.

TL:DR I own an AVP and it is awesome for reasons I had not anticipated. It is an historic device, like the 128K Mac.

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I actually own an Apple Vision Pro and, just turning 68, I think I also fit into the old people demographic. You have to really use one for a period of time to get it I think. And some may never (just like the CLI vs GUI views with the original 128K Mac) If you are a visual learner, the AVP willastound you.

I think it is the Mac of an entirely new way to interact with a computer. Like the original 128K, it is expensive, with seemingly little to recommend it. But I bought the original after I saw a demo where they simply selected part of a picture and moved it. Astounding. I knew computers would never be the same.

Let me give some personal insights:

1. Proper fit is everything. Many people think they have to tighten the hell out of it, when simply moving the back strap up or down until pressure is equalized makes all the difference. I have worn the AVP sitting in my chair for more than 4 hours with no discomfort, either on my head or neck.

1a: I have inserts to correct my vision. On my eyes, this corrects near vision but things far away are a little blurry. But since almost everything is close, this is not bothersome. It is totally unotieable on videos which are just amazingly crisp. BUt I can see how anyone with a complex Prescription could be hampered.

2. Post-processed 3D movies are not really worth it. They obviously split the 3d dimension into planes, so that most everything moves left-right, up-down wth little comnig to or away from you. Pre-processed 3D movies, on the other hand, are amazing. It almost allows me to watch Avatar and ignore all the colonialism because it is so immersive. Apple’s own Immersive viseos are the same and I am looking forward to more coming from Apple. The short soccer highlights they dropped were amazing and I hope that someday they could put together a live event (my guess is that this will only work for people with big streaming pipes)

3. But watching regular movies is more amazing than I ever expected. I can watch the movie in an immersive theater on a wide screen (HBO lets me watch it in the Game of Thrones throne room while Disney+ gives me even more choices) that extends across my entire field of view, where I can change my location from front to middle to back of the floor or balcony. My brain quickly forgets I am sitting in my chair and I get into that dreamlike state that a real movie provides. It is amazing to raise my hand to check the time and see my arm and Apple watch be placed into this immersive theater. ANd not have to be interrupted by people around me. (But, as I mention below, I think it will not be too hard for many people with an AVP to watch a movie while all sitting in the same “theater”. We just need network effects of multple AVP owners to allow this to happen)

4. And, unexpectedly, watching a regular TV show is one of the more incredible experiences. Last night I set up the immersive Mt. Hood or Haleakula at night time, and then watched episodes of “Fallout”. I really cannot tell if it is ust an amazing show or if the AVP ehnaces it so much as to make it astounding. It seems like I am right there, geting involved in the video on a level I never have before for any TV program. I completely lost the immersive bacground and only see the Wasteland, the Ghoul, etc. Remember when we watched TVs from 13 inches away. Now we can to that wihout worrying about radiation. I love watching action TV shows on the AVP (Reacher was just amazing). This is an experience like no other. Watching them on a 56 inch screen in the living room now seems to…small.

5. Using my eyes to highlight things and my fingers to select is every bit as revolutionary as a mouse. I think this is technology we will see elsewhere.

6. The battery is big and heavy. But I can put it in a pocket, even plugged and forget about it.

6a. Get a very comfortable chair, While immersed you are not as likely to move as much.

7. Something I have not seen anywhere, and could be a killer some day, is that Apple’s Keynote app is now integrated with AVP. So, instead of doing a virtual rehearsal, with a display and next up screen showing the time, on m laptop, I can give my talk standing on a stage, looking out at an audience (I imagine it is the Steve Jobs auditorium), with a ceiling to floor display behind me. I can turn to look at the screen and see what it shows the audience as well as keeping my display and next-up screen in front of me. I can point at a part of the huge screen and a red dot appears for me to highlight, just like a real laser pointer. I can then turn back to address the audience. I can rehearse a speech in a totally realistic fashion, but without the applause :-(. They also have an immersive background inside a conference room, with a table and chairs around it. I can stand at the front or the back of the room to give my talk (Don’t walk around yet since I would likely trip over something). Think what will happen when the network effects get big enough, and enough people have AVP provided by the company, for the chairs to be populated with immersive avatars of your coworkers, just like a real meeting (Facetime will likely easily allow this). And they can ask questions. Or applaud. I think that this could be a killer use but it does require enough people to have the AVP.

No computer today looks like a 128K Mac but all of them show a direct lineage to its innovative approaches. I think AVP will do the same. As for me, it is cheaper than a 128K Mac and does things I still find amazing. Like the original Mac, it will take some time for its ideas to penetrate, and the final products may not look exactly like it. But I firmly believe it is more Mac than Newton in its historical reach.