Apple’s next big thing is finally here. The much-anticipated Vision Pro generated a frenzy of hype at WWDC on Monday, most of which dwelt on the features and specifications of the mixed reality headset. But that myopic cover reflected the wrong frame of mind to think about the device.
Forget VR, AR or XR. Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t use any of these terms in his drop-the-mic presentation. Yes, the Vision Pro represents an exceedingly impressive technology package: Apple has said it has filed over 5,000 patents in connection with its development. But that narrow view will likely lead to disappointment and the conclusion that Apple’s market opportunities, especially with a $3,499 price tag, are limited: a niche product meant for only the few.
Seen with the broader lens it deserves, however, the Apple Vision Pro represents far more the dawn of an entirely new kind of transformative technology and mass-market opportunity that Cook has termed spatial computing. Spatial computing is essentially the Minority Report movie come to life, three-dimensional computing separated from the confines of physical flat screens. And the Vision Pro is just a teaser of what is sure to come in the years to come, as the form factor of products shifts from high-end, yet still claustrophobic ski goggles, to something more fashionable and lightweight – think goggles. Ralph Lauren.
It will take years for this transition to happen, but Apple will eventually get there. And when Cook and his Cupertino-based crew finally build it, we’ll absolutely arrive, excitedly, at their three-dimensional, virtual Field of Dreams.
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On Monday, I joined a small group of top executives and experts in immersive technology, media and entertainment handpicked by metaverse expert Bob Cooney (XR’s PT Barnum, in all the best ways) on a beach in Malibu to witness the long-awaited Apple launch event. The overall vibe was electric as it unfolded live. What began with a collective energy of anticipation ended with rabid applause of congratulations and excitement for what Apple had built.
Surveying the scene and continuing to process Tim Cook’s demo, Evan Helda, principal spatial computing specialist at Amazon Web Services, reflected on what we had seen with a sense of awe: We’ve just experienced a life change. pivotal moment in the history of technology.
Pierre-Stuart Rostain, head of partnerships at the European VRDays Foundation, who had flown all the way from Holland to participate, agreed: It’s not a headset. It’s a space computer. Those who missed it missed the point, he added.
Yes, the consensus among this group of XR experts was that Apple Vision Pro version 1 is intended to appeal to a limited audience of early adopters, the loyal ones who will buy anything with an Apple logo on it. Its $3,499 price tag drew audible gasps from even this affluent, tech-savvy audience. CAA Chief Metaverse Officer Joanna Popper joked that the version 1 sticker shock was intentional so that everyone has time to save their money for versions 2, 3 and beyond.
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Many others pointed out that the players were almost an afterthought in Cook’s presentation. Longtime gaming expert Amy Allison, who is also a board member of Women In Games International, summed up the likely general reaction from the gaming community: I expected the least, and I got it.
But serial tech entrepreneur Nanea Reeves, CEO of Tripp, a startup focused on creating immersive, mood-altering experiences, underlined the real long-term opportunity at stake here. Space computing will be as big as mobile, she said without hesitation. Ultimately, edge delivery, battery-free use, dynamic vision correction, and an everyday eyewear-like form factor will lead to that coveted mass adoption she thinks.
They’re exactly the kind of transformative possibilities of that acronym soup of VR, AR, and XR that caused Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg to distance himself from the toxic name of his original creations and embrace the highly meta Meta. But even if Apple wasn’t first to market, it’s one that virtually everyone at the Malibu rally believes will eventually capture.
This is Apple MO, after all. It’s usually not the first. But it’s typically the most successful in both execution and mass adoption. Case in point the iPhone – not the first smartphone – nor the iPod before it.
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As we all left the Cooneys IRL event, an overall experience that also included award-winning gourmet food and wine tastings from Sonomas’ award-winning Halleck Vineyard, Amazons Helda summed up what that meant for those in attendance.
Everyone here has engaged their careers in an engaging way — roughly 10 years of our careers, he said. And finally Cook gave them the big reward they’ve been waiting for.
We’re going to call it spatial computing today, he told me. And Apple nailed it.
And yes, as Steve Jobs would have said: one more thing. What did it really mean that Bob Iger was there in Cupertino to share the stage with Cook?
Content brought Disney and Apple closer together once: After selling Pixar to Disney, Jobs served on the company’s board of directors until his death in 2011, after which Iger joined Apple’s board and was there remained until 2019. Disney’s support was key as iTunes expanded into TV sales. and the companies remained close under Cook. Talk of an Apple-Disney combination only resumed after Iger returned to his CEO role last year.
So sure, Disney’s space entertainment content is cool. But the Disney company’s move to Apple Park sounds even better. This is spatial thinking.
For those of you interested in learning more, visit the Peters studio Creative Media at creativemedia.biz and follow him on Twitter @pcsathy.
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