[Brendinooo]

Commentary feels a bit lazy. Seems to operate on the assumption that it's not different than previous AR/VR offerings in any way.

If they can find a million people to watch movies on flights and/or use it as a monitor replacement, and if it works well for those use cases, then Apple will net $3.5B of revenue and have a solid foundation to build on. I don't think the first generation needs to do a whole lot more than that.

[dorkwood]

I’ve heard the flights thing mentioned a few times now. Is that an angle they’re actively pushing?

For what it’s worth, I once brought my Quest on a flight. But when it came time to put it on, I couldn’t bring myself to to do it. The idea of becoming a spectacle while simultaneously shutting myself off from everyone around me felt embarrassing.

[Brendinooo]

Yeah, the one ad they showed at the end of the keynote had someone on a plane using the digital crown to increase the immersion while watching a movie.

[theshrike79]

The Vision doesn't "shut you off", you can set the immersion level however you wish.

And what is the issue with shutting other people off on a plane? Do you want to actively engage with strangers on a plane?

[dorkwood]

I'm talking purely from an emotional perspective. It felt deeply embarrassing to me, and I was wondering about why that was.

Now I think about it, I have no problem wearing an eye mask and headphones, so maybe the shutting-myself-off point isn't accurate after all. Maybe it was more about being different to everyone else.

Have you worn a headset on a plane before? Did you feel any aversion to putting it on? Maybe we're just wired differently.

[adabyron]

I don't read Vice but a while ago I noticed every article that's been pushed my way from them has been a lazy take on tech, specifically AI.

I had to ban the publisher from one of my news readers because every single day was a new Vice article with a low quality article on AI being the end of the world. I'm fine with that opinion but not a daily new article with no substance.

[bilekas]

> Commentary feels a bit lazy. Seems to operate on the assumption that it's not different than previous AR/VR offerings in any way.

Quite typical for vice to be fair. What I find most interesting are the reviews from people who have actually tried it and are really impressed, especially those who would normally be skeptical of VR&AR.

Nobody has said this is a 'game changer' just that they seem to be giving the attention to detail that Apple are known for and for those who HAVE actually tried it, it seems it might actually pay off.

An aside : As for the pricing, it's almost redundant these days to comment on Apple's pricing.

[arcatech]

It can be the most technically impressive AR/VR device in existence (and it truly sounds like it is), but that doesn't change the fact that it feels goofy and out-of-touch and has no real long term future.

I really don't think people need to try the device to form the opinion that a future with people walking around with expensive goggles on their face (recording 3D videos of their kids during birthday parties) isn't really a good one.

[willio58]

Agreed. It's like they could have written this before the device was announced.

The first iPhone wasn't the first touchscreen smart phone, but it was the first one that was truly appealing to the masses. We've seen the impressive sales numbers for the quest, now we just have to see if Apple can beat them. My money is on Apple beating Meta for multiple reasons.

[89vision]

Agreed. First adopters will buy it, give feedback, and then Apple will iterate. Just like the first iphone

[neom]

The article can be summed up as:

It's expensive.

This is a bullshit device nobody will use because nobody wants VR/AR.

It's technically extremely impressive.

It's expensive.

Nobody will use this except super rich bored people and tech bros.

It's expensive.

[gjsman-1000]

> Nobody will use this except super rich bored people and tech bros. It's expensive.

Funny how we are so used to groundbreaking tech being so "cheap" now. Remember when the Apple II launched at about $6,200 for the base model after inflation? Heck, the Atari 2600 cost almost $1,000 today after inflation.

Also, if you want to know how scary the inflation is, here's why your Nintendo Switch still costs $299 new: $299 in 2017 is about $369 today. You had a $70 price cut you didn't even notice.

[neom]

Adjusted for inflation: the original iPhone cost $720 in 2007, the average cell phone cost in 2007 was around $130... When the iPhone came out it was insanely expensive for "normal people"

https://www.marketingdive.com/ex/mobilemarketer/cms/news/res... (2007 prices)

[Atlas22]

The Federal Reserve: Don't worry my friend, its all just transitory due to <insert latest event>. *Slaps side of money printer* These babies can print us out of any hole!

[Invictus0]

Is the flight use case real? Are people going to feel comfortable playing sound from an un-enclosed speaker with people sitting an inch away? The battery life is only 2 hours, so any flight longer than New York to Charlotte is going to require you to have multiple batteries or some other entertainment device. 2 hours isn't even long enough to watch movies.

[mmcclure]

I keep seeing people mention the battery life as the total blocker for the flight use case, but I honestly don’t remember the last flight I was on > 2 hours that didn’t have outlets available.

[pzo]

It's not sure though if you will be able to to charge device while using simultaneously. On all pictures I have seen cable was using priopertary connector and on the other end soldered to battery. Battery though has extra Usb-c port for charging.

Very dump design in my opinion. They finally learned the lesson with macbook chargers that those cables used to break after a while and started producing this days detachable usbc cable with braided coating.

This vision pro battery looks like has similar low quality white cable that is not braided and cannot be removed from battery or even rolled for storage like in old macbook chargers

Hope they will change it and allow to use any power bank or charge from power outlet or macbook.

Would be nice also their power bank has Magsafe port for charging iphone as emergency

[theshrike79]

> It's not sure though if you will be able to to charge device while using simultaneously.

At least MKBHD said in his video that this is possible.

And I'm like 99% sure that they'll come up with a Vision -> USB-C cable later on, so you can either plug it in to your computer, a bigger power bank or directly to a charger.

[cascades42]

AC power is becoming more common on flights, and I speculate that you will be able to use Bluetooth headphones.

Otherwise, yeah probably a multiple battery solution.

I don't really see myself caring about the movies during a flight use case.

For working during a flight, I'd greatly prefer the Vision Pro, as I am easily distracted by my surroundings and would value the improved ergonomics over being hunched over a laptop (I'm flying in coach). And for reading PDFs and web browsing, ergonomics again seem superior to a smartphone or tablet.

[Tagbert]

In that video, she was wearing AirPods Pro under the headset for private listening.

She might have to plug into the USB port for power or bring a second battery pack for longer viewing.

[htag]

1. This really depends on how much sound leaks out. The original earpods were designed to leak a little bit of sound but were still used in airplanes.

2. I take a lot of 4 hour flights. I see people use steam decks on them all the time, even though their batteries don't hold for the whole flight.

3. I don't know the answer, but I wonder what the largest battery you could bring onto a flight is, and how long that would extend the Vision Pro's battery life.

[allenu]

The thing is, people already use their laptops to watch movies... or they use the in-flight entertainment. Why bother strapping on a headset when you have a solution already?

[cycrutchfield]

Most airplane seats have power plugs nowadays

[herbturbo]

The person on the plane in the WWDC vid had airpods in. I guess they pair.

[charcircuit]

>If they can find a million people to watch movies on flights and/or use it as a monitor replacement

A million people who are willing to pay ~12 times more than a Quest 2 and 7 times more than a Quest 3 when those devices also can let you watch movies or use them as a monitor replacement.

[Brendinooo]

This idea assumes that the Vision Pro offers the same experience as those devices.

My iPhone can let me watch movies and can be a monitor replacement, but it's bad at those things, so I don't do it.

I snooped around a bit online for something along the lines of "VR headset as a monitor replacement" - I'm not seeing any kind of consensus that these devices are up to the job.

If Apple's product is, then it's a game changer. It seems like they've put serious effort into some of the core problems: headset weight, refresh rates, AR concerns, pixelation. If that all sums up to be something that can be worn all day, then maybe people will see it as 7 times more valuable than a Quest 3.

A little under two-thirds of Americans have one Apple product, how good is the Quest at integrating into that ecosystem?

[charcircuit]

>the Vision Pro offers the same experience as those devices.

It doesn't have to be the same it just has to be good enough that the increased price of the Vision Pro isn't worth it.

>I'm not seeing any kind of consensus that these devices are up to the job.

You are not going to get a consensus even with the Vision Pro. There will be people who find wearing a headset to be inconvenient. I have used Immersed to use a Quest Pro as a screen replacement and I found it fine. Most people who work in VR use either Immersed or Horizon Workrooms from what I've seen and you will be able to find testimonials from proper who successfully use them as screen replacements.

>A little under two-thirds of Americans have one Apple product, how good is the Quest at integrating into that ecosystem?

It depends on what you mean. There is a Quest app that you can use to control your headset, cast your headset to, and sync notifications from your phone to your headset.

>headset weight

The headset weight doesn't sound special.

>refresh rates

90/96 Hz. The Quest Pro is at 90 Hz and the Quest 2 supports up to 120 Hz

>AR concerns

The Quest 3 will be improving the MR capabilities on the Quest side.

>pixelation

Pixelation isn't really a problem in VR. There is SDE which means your optics are too sharp and there is blur which means your optics are too blurry or the displays are too low resolution.

[Fricken]

A non-lazy rebuttal would include a description of the hypothetical killer app that Vision could support. Apple's got nuthin'. I got nuthin'. Nobody else has anything convincing either.

[pzo]

It doesn't need to have killer app - Apple watch doesn't have killer but still sells well. Playststion or any other console also doesn't have killer app - they are just for entertainment. Oculus mostly focuses on entertainment right now.

For people who are blind the whole device is a killer app, can help reading book or newspaper, help with navigation on the street and warn about danger. Easier for them to find just this goggle computer than phone or computer, eye tracking as mouse probsbly easier to use than mouse.

Even Steven Hawking wouldnt mind using such a device.

[Brendinooo]

I dunno, did anyone talk about a hypothetical Uber or Shazam the day after the iPhone launch?

That said, I think that if I can wear this for 8-10 hours, it would be an amazing monitor. That's the killer app. I sit by myself at home so the weird social interaction stuff isn't a part of the mix there. (I don't want to pay $3500 for it, but I'm not exactly an early adopter in general.)