Apple Vision Pro: Revolution or Disappointment?
Apple has announced its new Vision Pro headset, which it claims is the world's most advanced consumer electronics device, that will revolutionize computing the same way the Mac and the iPhone did before. But is it really? Or is it just another (very nice) VR headset - with a hefty price tag, a limited battery life and no purpose?
The Vision Pro boasts an array of cameras and sensors, a pair of high-resolution micro-OLED displays, and spatial audio. The specs are truly impressive and they will undoubtedly enable a superior experience to the competing products in the market.
However, the Vision Pro suffers from a lack of compelling content and use cases. Apple has shown some demos of apps, entertainment, and photos and videos on the device, but none of them seem to offer anything that can't be done better on a smartphone, tablet, or TV. It showed nothing that hasn’t been available on other VR headsets for years.
Worse the announcement clearly relied overwhelmingly on pretty CGI rather than showcasing any real live demonstrations. And they were not even pushing the boundaries. Apple refer to the divide as AR but there was no augmented reality being shown. A few floating displays - but no interaction with the real world. The Magic Leap launched with similar videos but they actually showed what an augmented reality could look like. Apples vision so far seems to be just: strap this to your head and you can have a really big virtual screen floating in front of you… Again something VR headsets have been able to do for a decade. Sure Apple will enable the 100s of thousands of apps to be ported to the new platform. But I can’t imagine something sadder than playing Candy Crush on the Vision Pro.
I can’t imagine something sadder than playing Candy Crush on the Vision Pro.
If that is not the use case then what is?
- Watching movies (alone)?
- Watching movies on the airplane? I could see myself doing that maybe, but I’m already doing that on the screen in front of me or my iPad…
- Looking at Photos?
- FaceTime (where people see a digital image of your face instead of your real one)?
- Gaming? Probably the most promising use-case for VR right now and easily the least emphasized by Apple - inexplicable
- Walking around creeping people out with your fake eyes displayed on the outside of the device? Seriously someone needs to get fired for those
- Taking photos/videos of your children? Who wants to play with their kids while wearing this on their face??? Apple actually showed someone wearing it for their child's birthday...
And then you realize that you can already do all of these things on VR headsets available today - for a fraction of the cost the cost. Where is the revolution? If you strip away the flashy buzzwords and marketing footage, what is left? Unsurprisingly there were leaks before the event that the teams inside Apple felt the launch was rushed and the device not ready...
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The Vision Pro is a device that is out of touch with the needs and wants of consumers. It is a device that fails to live up to Steve Jobs legacy.?
Tim Cook launched is famously a huge believer in AR (much like his nemesis Mark Zuckerberg), but he seems to have launched the product against all the principles that made Jobs successful in his day. Jobs had the uncanny ability to see through technological advancements to the customer use-case. Famously not selling a media player with a hard-drive, but “1,000 songs in your pocketâ€. The Vision Pro lacks such a clear message. It lacks a clear use case. It is innovation for the sake of innovation. Chasing the technological marvel without asking “why?â€. Apple has lost its essence - its customer-centricity.
Steve Jobs said "one of the things I've always found is that?you've got to start with the customer experience and work backwards for the technology"
The Vision Pro embodies the polar opposite of that mantra.
Apple's vision for the future is vague and uninspiring. The company launched a new product line today that claims to be innovative and groundbreaking, but fails to show any clear purpose or customer need. Apple seems to have lost its direction and is relying on empty buzzwords and flashy presentations to mask its lack of substance and vision.
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CEO at ModusCX | Customer Centric Management Consultancy
1 å¹´This is a compelling use case for AR (from google I/o 2022)
CEO at ModusCX | Customer Centric Management Consultancy
1 年The HoloLens from Microsoft was actually AR at least. Not just floating screens. They also demonstrated it on stage…
Investing @ Draper | Columbia MBA
1 å¹´Following on the comment, Apple has consistently shown over the years perfecting the art of market timing. Not necessarily creating new innovations but redefining them by providing superior user and customer experiences cementing itself as a brand that customers crave! The iPod was not the first ever MP3 player. The iPhone was hardly the first ever mobile phone. The Airpods were not the first wireless bluetooth earphones. Each of them has been a huge success. Airpods in particular reached revenues of?$23.05 billion in 2020 - this is more revenue than Twitter, Spotify and Square combined! Apple has already crafted the art of wearables through Airpods and Apple Watch. Whilst it still seems far off, exponential technologies quickly gain momentum, and we perceive changes linearly. On that note, I think its too early too judge. I think Apple will seek to activate early adopter for this first version, VR/AR + Apple lovers, and relentlessly learn from them to make new iterations for mass market cheaper and better. PS: Next time you visit one of their stores or get support check out the surveys! Apple loves feedback! PS2: The Spatial Web is a great little book on AR/VR and so called Web3.
Customer Experience, Design & Digital Transformation for sustainable business growth.
1 å¹´My views based on my limited understanding of #ar and #vr - When the very first mobile phone was launched 1973 this was the exact same reaction of the industry - too bulky bad experience + too expensive for mass adoption, today our lives revolve around this device and several ecosystems being built around it. Having said that Apple not the first company to launch AR VR device - I would say the current use case is for businesses before it hits critical mass and becomes affordable by economies of scale. The device will evolve with time and will take multiple forms and variations for different cohorts of use cases. This is just the beginning ??