The tech media has long been anti-Apple for a variety of reasons. If there is any possible way to portray Apple in a negative light, they will sniff it out. But even knowing that, I was still amazed in the last couple of months to see how the tech press has changed their tune to maintain a negative slant on Apple’s new Vision Pro headset.The tech media has long been anti-Apple for a variety of reasons. If there is any possible way to portray Apple in a negative light, they will sniff it out. But even knowing that, I was still amazed in the last couple of months to see how the tech press has changed their tune to maintain a negative slant on Apple’s new Vision Pro headset.
In the weeks leading up to the Vision Pro launch, the stories were all about “Who wants this?” or “Will people actually want to wear these big clunky things?”. Tech journalists were all primed to declare the Vision Pro dead on arrival due to an underwhelming experience that was uncomfortable.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. After tech journalists actually got to use the Vision Pro they saw what all the hype was about. Apple blew their minds with a virtual reality experience that was unmatched by anyone else in the AR/VR world. And the operating system had design sophistication that was truly futuristic and had a wow factor that left them speechless. The Vision Pro was for real and it was most certainly NOT underwhelming.
Tech journalists saw right away that this product was going to appeal to people so much that it was only a matter of time before it hit critical mass. Regardless of how big or clunky it was today, they could see that this is where the future is going to be. So all the tech coverage shifted away from “underwhelming dud” to “will addicting the masses to alternate reality be bad for society?”.
Now, there are think pieces everywhere pontificating on the ramifications of avoiding the real world. They are reminiscent of 1950’s parents lamenting the rise of Elvis Presley moving his hips to rot the minds of American teenagers.
Another negative slant that I’ve seen is discussing the low sales numbers or high return rate of the Vision Pro. However, I’d argue that Apple fully expected this to be the case and the Vision Pro is performing right about where they want. Apple priced this device at $3,500+ for a reason. Yes, it’s expensive to manufacture but that’s not all.
I don’t think Apple wants this product to hit critical mass yet. They are still in the process of figuring out how best to sell and service this market. And software is still deep in development for the Vision Pro. I would liken the Vision Pro’s 2024 to a restaurant which is staging a soft opening to a limited number of customers while they work the kinks out prior to the big Grand Opening.
In hindsight, the launch of the Vision Pro will be hailed as a pivotal point in human technological advancement. Prior to the 21st century, technology was about moving people or packages from point A to point B as quickly as possible. The railroad, the automobile, and the airplane tamed the planet and were mankind’s crowning achievement until the end of the 20th century.
But we’ve entered a new era. One in which bringing the world to you is more important than bringing you to the world. It’s cheaper and much…much more efficient. And connecting people who are not nearby has much more social change potential than the automobile or airplane could ever achieve.
Yes, the Vision Pro is big and heavy and unwieldy with a wired battery. But even now, you can see it’s a glimpse into the future of mankind. And it’s more exciting than anything I’ve see yet in my lifetime.
Oh, and did you hear this week that Apple announced that they’re cancelling their Apple Car project? Yeah, I’d say that Apple is fully on board with the idea that bringing the world to you is where the 21st century is going to be.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. After tech journalists actually got to use the Vision Pro they saw what all the hype was about. Apple blew their minds with a virtual reality experience that was unmatched by anyone else in the AR/VR world. And the operating system had design sophistication that was truly futuristic and had a wow factor that left them speechless. The Vision Pro was for real and it was most certainly NOT underwhelming.
Tech journalists saw right away that this product was going to appeal to people so much that it was only a matter of time before it hit critical mass. Regardless of how big or clunky it was today, they could see that this is where the future is going to be. So all the tech coverage shifted away from “underwhelming dud” to “will addicting the masses to alternate reality be bad for society?”.
Now, there are think pieces everywhere pontificating on the ramifications of avoiding the real world. They are reminiscent of 1950’s parents lamenting the rise of Elvis Presley moving his hips to rot the minds of American teenagers.
Another negative slant that I’ve seen is discussing the low sales numbers or high return rate of the Vision Pro. However, I’d argue that Apple fully expected this to be the case and the Vision Pro is performing right about where they want. Apple priced this device at $3,500+ for a reason. Yes, it’s expensive to manufacture but that’s not all.
I don’t think Apple wants this product to hit critical mass yet. They are still in the process of figuring out how best to sell and service this market. And software is still deep in development for the Vision Pro. I would liken the Vision Pro’s 2024 to a restaurant which is staging a soft opening to a limited number of customers while they work the kinks out prior to the big Grand Opening.
In hindsight, the launch of the Vision Pro will be hailed as a pivotal point in human technological advancement. Prior to the 21st century, technology was about moving people or packages from point A to point B as quickly as possible. The railroad, the automobile, and the airplane tamed the planet and were mankind’s crowning achievement until the end of the 20th century.
But we’ve entered a new era. One in which bringing the world to you is more important than bringing you to the world. It’s cheaper and much…much more efficient. And connecting people who are not nearby has much more social change potential than the automobile or airplane could ever achieve.
Yes, the Vision Pro is big and heavy and unwieldy with a wired battery. But even now, you can see it’s a glimpse into the future of mankind. And it’s more exciting than anything I’ve see yet in my lifetime.
Oh, and did you hear this week that Apple announced that they’re cancelling their Apple Car project? Yeah, I’d say that Apple is fully on board with the idea that bringing the world to you is where the 21st century is going to be.
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