The rumor mills had been abuzz for years, wild with claims that Apple’s new VR headset would have an external screen showing the wearer’s eyes. Ridiculous!
The 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference kicked into high gear right off the bat with announcements for software and hardware. And when it should have wrapped up, Tim Cook returned to the screen with “One more thing…”
There it was, packed with sensors, a cable knit headband, and yup, an external screen to display the wearer’s eyes… The Apple Vision Pro. (But they glossed over that it really wasn’t their eyes but a 3D rendering of said features.)
I had expectations and after a recent conversation with my friend Scott (who was next to me in line for the release of the iPhone in 2007) we both agreed, whatever notions we might’ve had, Apple surpassed them.
Thing is? I honestly am not as excited about the hardware as I am the new “spatial” OS.
Interaction with eye tracking, hand gestures and voice is the game changer in my mind and for this I am terribly excited. Plus I look forward to the soft, translucent interface to trickle back down to our traditional screens.
It wasn’t all pretty. There was a segment with a father wearing the headset and recording a 3D video of kids at a birthday party… It was hilariously weird, but I shrugged it off… I super hope the next phone can capture such dimensional experiences.
Like the launch of the iPhone, this feels like another major shift in interaction — it’s very first gen, but goodness, it packs a lot in.
So very exciting.
