Apple Vision Pro: Nerd Helmet or True Technological Breakthrough?

I am an early adopter of new technology. Some would call me a techno-fool, and they wouldn't be far off the mark. I had a brick-size (Motorola) portable cell phone that plugged into my car's cigarette lighter back in the 80s, and spent stupid money on some of the first HDTVs in the late 90s. Yes, like a fanboy I stood in line for the first Apple iPhone. But I will probably wait to plunk down serious money ($3500) for the new Apple Vision Pro headset announced this week. It has remarkable potential, but my gut is telling me to wait for prices to come down, and see how bundled software evolves and improves over time.

The interface seems almost magical. You navigate by using your hands, eyes and voice. Apple says: "With Vision Pro, you have an infinite canvas that transforms how you use the apps you love. Arrange apps anywhere and scale them to the perfect size, making the workspace of your dreams a reality." OK, that sounds good, but I'm still not sure how navigating apps in a 3-D world will work. It's hard to convey the user experience in a flat, 2-D format (like this post). Sorry about that.

The eye-candy potential for Apple's new uber-gadget is considerable. Watching a movie or streaming a show in something beyond 4K sounds like a potentially great experience, but part of the joy of watching great content is sharing it with others in real time. Would everyone have to be wearing Apple Vision headsets to do that?

Interacting with colleagues in the office (or at home) or family members on the other side of the planet may be enhanced with these headsets, but it remains to be seen if the experience is worth the hassle. According to Apple: "Vision Pro makes it easy to collaborate and connect wherever you are. FaceTime video tiles are life-size, and as new people join, the call simply expands in your room. Within FaceTime, you can also use apps to collaborate with colleagues on the same documents simultaneously." Yep, it may be the next best thing to being there.

Of all the features and functionality, this one made me sit up a little straighter and take notice. An ability to record 3-D photos and videos? Apple claims: "Vision Pro is Apple’s first 3D camera. You can capture magical spatial photos and spatial videos in 3D, then relive those cherished moments like never before with immersive Spatial Audio. Your existing library of photos and videos looks incredible at remarkable scale. And panoramas wrap around you — making you feel like you’re standing right where you took them." Again, I need to try before I even daydream about buying this device, but you now have my full, complete and undivided attention.

The reviews are coming in and most of them are positive. A few negatives: the price (at $3500 this contraption will initially be a play-thing for rich people). If history is a guide prices will come down quickly as Apple Vision Pro becomes more mainstream. And the battery only lasts about 2 hours on a charge. The other option is to leave it plugged in, which seems sub-optimal to me.

I will suspend my skepticism and keep an open mind. It would be unwise to bet against Apple. But we've been down this road before: Google Glass and Meta's Occulus, to name a few devices that sounded promising but never quite caught on. And yet, this gizmo seems to have real promise. Click here to get a much better sense of what Apple Vision Pro can do. Having a demo in the nearest Apple Store may help people "get it". I will stand in line to test this thing out when the time comes.

Maybe down the road version 12.4 will work on contact lenses or fancy sunglasses? Stick around, the future looks 3-D, immersive and pretty 'dang cool.

I wonder what Steve Jobs would think?