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Journalism of Courage
Tim Cook had “one more thing” to announce as the Apple WWDC 2023 keynote came towards its fag end, having zipped through scores of announcements small and big. The ‘one more thing’ was not a surprise as it would have been during his predecessor Steve Jobs’ times, but the world was waiting to see how Apple’s vision will pan out. And for even those who were sceptical, the Apple Vision Pro, I’m sure, changes their perception of what could happen next in the world of personal computing. In fact, that is exactly what Apple launched, a new personal computer, one that does not need screens like we have been used to, but one that takes the familiar experiences of iPhones and Macs to a virtual world using a headset that can be controlled with your eyes and hands.
AR and VR devices are not really new; the first such device I reviewed was over a decade back and came from HP. Over the past few years, a lot of companies have thought of this as the future — HTC bet its bottom dollar on the Vive, maybe a decade too early; Mark Zuckerberg is so convinced that he named his company Meta to start its avatar in the Metaverse. Apple is taking no such risks.
Apple’s vision for the Vision Pro is as the next device in the Apple ecosystem. And it takes the ecosystem along though Apple has announced a new VisionOS for the device. Apple claims all the apps you are used to will work there, so will messaging and FaceTime. It will not blindfold and release users into a virtual world where everything is new. On the contrary, they will find themselves in a world where the experiences they are so familiar with can be scaled up and enjoyed in solitude. This is personal computing in the real sense. It is about your space, your time, and your experience, even as Vision Pro opens up new ways to collaborate.
But then Vision Pro is not a segue into a new lonely world where you are left to socialise with avatars. In fact, unlike any of its predecessors, this device takes the concept of mixed reality seriously. It keeps a window to the real world open at all times. So much so that if someone comes near you, Apple’s EyeSight technology will ensure they will see your eyes and maybe even have a natural conversation. You can do other things as you use the VisionPro… unimaginable with any of the other VR devices we have seen so far.
Users can browse using Safari, chat using Messages, listen to Apple Music or watch a new show on Disney, while you are in a plane or even taking your dog to the park. For those who think they want this experience for work, Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Trackpad are compatible. For others, they just need gestures and eye controls to navigate along with voice commands and dictation. The headset itself has some controls, like a dial that reminds one of the Apple Watch, but there is no fiddling with the controls. Everything is so natural… or at least so it seems.
While Apple makes it all look so simple, this is top-end tech. The fact that some 5000 patents have gone into the making of the hardware is proof of that. And it has also taken years. It is almost as if Apple started working on this when the first Oculus devices were showcased, but perfected it before it thought it was ready to be released. Even now the launch date is for next year. That is trademark Apple caution. And with a device like this, it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are betting your Siri on this.
The price is not for everyone. But Apple is suggesting that this experience is what you will get when you invest in large 4K screens and home theatre rigs and that is maybe the price offset a lot of users will look at. So the big demand might come from the entertainment consumption space where people are now seeking the next big thing. Interestingly, Apple did not talk about gaming much with this device.
Apple’s vision for Vision Pro is as a new surface for the experiences it has hooked its users to over the years. It is not a new experience that will take time to grow on users and could well be rejected. It is just a new computing device, a new surface (or the lack of it) to experience familiar things. Unlike Meta, Apple does not conjure up new worlds and avatars… it just breathes new life and scale to experiences we are used to. And that familiarity built into this new cutting-edge product could well be why this might just click as an idea.
