Experts' interpretation of Apple Vision Pro is ridiculously wrong

This article mainly discusses the Vision Pro headset launched by Apple and the development trend of virtual reality technology. The author believes that the development of virtual reality technology is often accompanied by the process of technological means deceiving the senses, and mentions the importance of dizziness in the experience. It is recommended for people who are interested in virtual reality and technological innovation.

Behind the extraordinary experience, technology often deceives human senses. As a non-natural product, the more it can deceive human senses, the higher its technological content is. This is true for artificial sweeteners, and it is also true for AR/VR/MR.

Since technology that deceives the senses can be seen through by the human body, it often causes dizziness. The essence of dizziness lies in the inconsistency between the senses and the body and brain. This is true for the uncanny valley effect, and it is also true for AR dizziness.

Judging from the user experience trend, glasses and head-mounted displays will inevitably become the next important explosion point, but no one knows when the industry will mature. In comparison, Google Glass is somewhat born at the wrong time.

By the way, once glasses and head-mounted displays mature, user experience innovation will enter the era of brain-computer interfaces.

Although the virtual reality industry has been clamoring for so many years and the industry cycle has fluctuated several times, Apple's headset has finally arrived. That is Vison Pro.

Image via Apple

There have been many articles analyzing the innovative breakthroughs in technology and products in the market, so I will not go into details here. I will mainly talk about my views on the following aspects:

01 External power supply - exactly where the possibilities lie

Since Vision Pro requires a lot of computing and has two built-in chips, it obviously needs a certain amount of power to support it. However, if the battery is placed in the headset, it will obviously increase the weight of the product and make it uncomfortable for users to wear. Therefore, Apple adopted an external power supply method for product design.

The design of the external power supply is an unexpected but reasonable compromise, but it has also been criticized by many technology enthusiasts. Carrying an external power supply seems useless and does not look that cool. Netizens complained that it has lost the "design soul".

I see it the exact opposite.

The Vision Pro external power supply reminds me of the Mewtwo device in "Cyberpunk 2077". Through one interface, people can enter the Mewtwo system, and through different interfaces, they can enter different Mewtwo systems and have different user experiences.

Image from Cyberpunk 2077

I think the external power cord is certainly a compromise in battery design, but it also retains the possibility of connecting to other devices - that power cord can not only be connected to a power source, but also to other hardware devices that can power supply, allowing people to have different virtual reality experiences.

For example, in the future, cinemas may provide different power interfaces, on the one hand to power Vision Pro, and on the other hand to allow users' devices to enter the cinema system for a unique viewing experience.

Imagine further, perhaps in the future, different user scenarios will provide a Vision Pro power interface to connect to a system optimized for that scenario.

In this way, virtual and reality are truly connected. The power interface is not only a power supply port, but also an entrance to a content system. It truly realizes the Internet of Things experience and comprehensively innovates the online and offline interactive experience.

02 Product price - obviously not the key issue

Vision Pro is priced at $3,499, or about 25,000 RMB, which discourages most consumers. But mature users should know that prices will continue to drop as the industry matures, and black technology products are not meant for the general public, but for a small number of early adopters.

Just like electric cars, the early owners of the distinguished blue Tesla cars were often either rich or noble. The total price of a Tesla car was often hundreds of thousands of yuan. At that time, Tesla was still a niche toy, but now, the price of Tesla has reached more than 200,000 yuan, making it a public means of transportation.

Therefore, price is never the key point, the key point is the construction of the entire business ecosystem and industrial supply chain, and Apple undoubtedly has a huge advantage in this regard. However, the development process of Vison Pro from a "niche toy" to a "mass tool" will probably take a lot of time to settle.

I believe that after the official release of Vision Pro, the consumers of the first two or three generations of products will not be mass consumers, but a small number of early adopters who are actually not sensitive to product prices. Frankly speaking, when a Mac Pro costs US$6,999 (about RMB 50,000) today, the price of Vision Pro at US$3,499 does not seem so outrageous.

At the same time, you should know that Vision Pro will replace some of the demand for high-definition monitors, TVs, and home theaters. Even a cost-effective brand like Xiaomi sells an 82-inch TV product for 29,999 yuan.

Image from Xiaomi Mall official website

So, whether the price of Vision Pro is expensive or not actually depends on what products you compare it with. For example, when the iPhone came out, it was also very expensive among mobile phones, but it actually ushered in the era of smart phones. An iPhone replaced many user needs for MP3, MP4, card cameras, etc. Users no longer need to buy MP3 and other products specifically, so overall it is still cost-effective.

Whether from the perspective of industry development speed or user demand substitution, the current high price of Vision Pro will not be an important reason limiting product penetration.

03 User scenario - the "embarrassment syndrome" problem is unfounded

What is the real factor that limits product penetration? Many people in the industry believe it is the user scenario. The reason is that it is best for users to be alone or in an indoor space when wearing a head-mounted display device, otherwise it will be too embarrassing.

It is precisely because people feel embarrassed to wear headphones and they look very strange that the product will not be as widely penetrated as mobile phones.

This objection is typical, but unfortunately, it is also extremely wrong.

Photos of early telephone use

In fact, when mobile phones first appeared, using them was also very embarrassing, because you had to talk to the air on the street, which would attract strange looks from passers-by. Of course, in that era, mobile phones became a symbol of status and wealth.

When wireless pagers (BP machines) first came out, using them was also very embarrassing, because you had to deal with the sudden beeping sound, which seemed a bit different and out of place;

It can even be said that when AirPods, one of the few products of Apple that has received good reviews in the industry in recent years, was first released, it was also considered very embarrassing for users. When users used AirPods to make calls, they did not hold the phone to answer the call, but spoke to the air, which seemed very strange. There were also a lot of jokes about this at the time.

But the result is obvious. Embarrassment is only a by-product of the process of establishing product usage habits, and is not a key factor hindering the penetration of product scenarios. Mobile phones, wireless pagers, and wireless Bluetooth headsets later became popular mass products.

On the other hand, embarrassment syndrome can give users a sense of vanity, making them appear different from others and strengthening their social persona labels.

Just like your friends only know that you have a new iPhone when you buy a new color of iPhone, whether it is a big brother or Vision Pro, it can express that you own it more directly. This is a kind of social show-off in itself, and can also strengthen everyone's perception of the user's personality.

I think that as long as the user's product usage habits do not violate public order and morality, the problem of embarrassment is not the key to scene penetration. As more and more users form product usage habits and society forms an overall understanding of product usage habits, the problem of embarrassment will naturally be solved. Nowadays, if you wear a wireless Bluetooth headset and make a phone call on the street, I believe that not many people will look at you strangely.

04 Offline transformation - offline experience will be upgraded again

The first thing that Vision Pro will change, in addition to home entertainment equipment (such as TVs, home theaters, home projectors, etc.), will obviously have a significant impact on offline audio-visual entertainment, the most typical of which is movie theaters.

Of course, I don’t think Vision Pro will eliminate movie theaters, because movie theaters are not only entertainment spaces, but also social and dating spaces. Movie entertainment is only part of the reason for the existence of movie theaters. But if Vision Pro becomes a popular product, it will obviously transform the form of movie theaters.

As I said in the first point of this article, cinemas may provide unique copyright content, scene system interfaces, more experiential seats and simulated spaces, connecting online and offline, virtual and real. With more simulated equipment and environment, the "full-real Internet" can be realized first in cinemas, just like the movie "Inception", it can "cheat" the real senses of the human body to the greatest extent, making people feel both real and illusory.

The picture is from the movie "Inception"

Let me open my mind a little. I think that among the "five senses", the most difficult to simulate is actually the sense of touch. If the sense of touch problem can be solved, then a "super-simulation" experience can be achieved. The future solution to the sense of touch problem may be to fill a box or space with some small particles, and achieve various tactile simulation experiences by controlling the movement of the particles. For example, if you pick up a branch in the virtual world, then in that space, the touch of the particles and your hand will simulate the sense of picking up the branch.

In short, the core of offline scenes lies in the social interaction between people. Unless all the "five senses" simulation problems are truly solved, offline social interaction cannot be replaced, and that era is still far away from us now.

Author: Zhuoran

Source: WeChat public account "Spread Gymnastics (ID: chuanboticao)"