I keep playing with the Apple Vision Pro. Like virtually every other product I’ve bought because I wanted to know about it (rather than actually needing it), I’ve used it enough to get the idea and, like everyone else, to admire Apple’s technical prowess.
But I’ve begun to think differently about Vision Pro because I have also been wearing the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer glasses. Neither product is one I need or want. Some people think the future will arrive when the former fits into the latter. That will never happen; but I bet that the Ray-Ban glasses are going to become a useful product sooner than the Vision Pro.
Don’t get me wrong, the Vision Pro establishes a benchmark to compare any other “face computer” against, the obvious comparison being Meta’s Quest (Pro $1000 or 3 $500). Interestingly, for as much as $3000 more, you still get a VR headset, albeit with key advancements like see through glasses and hand gestures for control. And I’m sure Apple will follow a path over the next 5-10 years that will make it less expensive and more comfortable.
I don’t want that. Instead, I want enough more in the Ray-Ban glasses that I can see data displayed on the glass in the glasses along with the audio and data-streaming it already had. That will be useful. I wouldn’t just buy that; I would use it.
One way to do that would be to federate different products. I haven’t got my Humane AI Pin yet, but I’ve read the reviews and know I won’t be using it. But just imagine an AI pin working with improved Ray-Ban glasses with wireless broadband internet access. Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2024/04/24/why-ai-pins-are-the-wrong-form-factor-for-wearable-ai-devices/?sh=26fa9a7e8cb3
When I saw apple push AirPods (wireless earbuds), I foresaw an ecosystem that allowed for a light pair of glasses that could use iPhone for compute, AirPods for sound, leaving only visuals for the glasses. What an incredible advantage that would be, given that the main problem for face- or head-based computing is size, weight, and social intrusion.
If rumors are to be believed, much of the design team agreed with the vision of focusing on such lightweight glasses, but Tim Cook pushed the full headset to get a product to market sooner. I don't know if this is the case. I do believe Apple is on to something with Spatial Computing, but we could be ten years from mainstream especially given the shift in focus to AI by just about everyone. Eager to see what Apple does in iOS 18 with AI.