Disney, VR/AR, and Apple's WWDC 2023

[DopeyRunner]

Hard to say but it would seem pretty sleazy for Iger to be talking about the need to cut billions while simultaneously investing in a platform that isn't even projected to break a million users in its first year.

I mean, there's no reason Disney couldn't have joined the fold after it was a successful product when the customers were actually there to use it, right?

It feels like having Disney there was more valuable to Apple than the other way around... or at least it should have been but I guess it depends on how much ego played in all of that, eh?

I actually see this more of the other way around, and it seems to go back to the “ties” bob had with Steve. It could also be similar to the iwatch announcement that showed Mickey and Minnie watch faces. Apple and Disney have partnered together for a number of announcements, so it would seem a bit off for them to partner with anyone else. They having plenty of their own content with TV+ that they arguably didn’t need an announcement parter, so I see this more as a “helping a friend” type of action.

I think this shows that Disney is “trying new things”, and this would serve as some positive (not sure how much weight) news to help offset the focus on cost reduction efforts and the general negative sentiment lately.

 

[networkpro]

Apple and Disney have partnered together for a number of announcements, so it would seem a bit off for them to partner with anyone else. They having plenty of their own content with TV+ that they arguably didn’t need an announcement parter, so I see this more as a “helping a friend” type of action.

I see this in a different light as Apple TV+ content is quite different than other streaming services. "Pretty touchy feelie emotive drama" stuff. There's stuff that I enjoy on it, but there's a lot that's just not what I would ever watch. I think it was an attempt for Apple to show that there's "other than Apple" content available for that platform.

 

[DopeyRunner]

I see this in a different light as Apple TV+ content is quite different than other streaming services. "Pretty touchy feelie emotive drama" stuff. There's stuff that I enjoy on it, but there's a lot that's just not what I would ever watch. I think it was an attempt for Apple to show that there's "other than Apple" content available for that platform.

Could be a bit of both. From my perspective, bobby didn’t really do anything for Apple, but I also will be the first to admit that I never have liked him, so it may be my bias coming out.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

I see this in a different light as Apple TV+ content is quite different than other streaming services. "Pretty touchy feelie emotive drama" stuff. There's stuff that I enjoy on it, but there's a lot that's just not what I would ever watch. I think it was an attempt for Apple to show that there's "other than Apple" content available for that platform.

Off topic but with the writer's strike, the new content will start to dry up, I highly recommend "For All Mankind" on AppleTV+ and they got the next season done right before the strike.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Okay, I'm curious what your arbitrary reason is for disqualifying the roughly 100 models of phones released between 2003 and 2006 running various versions of Windows Mobile.

... Or the various PalmOS phones that released as early as 2002?

I literally said "PDAs existed."

 

[Trauma]

Hands-on with Apple Vision Pro: This is not a VR headset – Ars Technica

For those who would rather read about it than watch a YouTube video.

 

[networkpro]

Off topic but with the writer's strike, the new content will start to dry up, I highly recommend "For All Mankind" on AppleTV+ and they got the next season done right before the strike.

I watched up to last season and enjoyed it. I also liked Foundation. I watched all of See and still am wondering ?

 

[willf]

Okay, I'm curious what your arbitrary reason is for disqualifying the roughly 100 models of phones released between 2003 and 2006 running various versions of Windows Mobile.

... Or the various PalmOS phones that released as early as 2002?

A) Completely different UX paradigm. Styluses and hard buttons.
B) Near-zero penetration outside of business. Virtually no consumers bought them outside of über-nerds (and I say that as one).
C) This is subjective and largely an extension of point B but... they were awful.

The short version is this: Apple virtually never invents a product category. They just consistently make the first *nice* one that people actually enjoy using. In this case that involved such drastic differences in every aspect of the experience that for all intents and purposes, they invented the modern smartphone. All other phones now work the same way the first iPhone did.

 

[willf]

Personally I'm bullish. I strongly suspect that this is going to be immensely popular *over time*. The tech will improve, the price will come down, and people discover new ways to use it. I don't think there's going to be a singular killer app, I think people will simply discover that a wide variety of activities simply are *better* in visionOS. But really, we're all just speculating until this drops in the wild and people can start messing with it.

 

[Andrew C]

Personally I'm bullish. I strongly suspect that this is going to be immensely popular *over time*. The tech will improve, the price will come down, and people discover new ways to use it. I don't think there's going to be a singular killer app, I think people will simply discover that a wide variety of activities simply are *better* in visionOS. But really, we're all just speculating until this drops in the wild and people can start messing with it.

I really hope you're wrong.

 

[MagicRat]

Meh…VR is for basement dwellers and message board aficionados. I am not saying I am Mr. Social but what family of 5 sits in a room together with goggles on? The only thing worse is perusing one’s social media account with them on your face.

 

[Trauma]

Meh…VR is for basement dwellers and message board aficionados. I am not saying I am Mr. Social but what family of 5 sits in a room together with goggles on? The only thing worse is perusing one’s social media account with them on your face.

Anyone see any irony in this post ?

 

[MagicRat]

Anyone see any irony in this post ?

Wow you are really quick, that was the intent. You must have put your googles down

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Cell phones existed, obviously. PDAs existed.

The thing that we think of as a modern-day "smartphone" debuted with the iPhone.

I had a blackberry when the Iphone was announced. The "smartphone" most certainly did not debut with the iPhone, Apple just took it mainstream.

 

[Trauma]

Wow you are really quick, that was the intent. You must have put your googles down

I did a long time ago. I played some game called beat saber or something where you slash some stuff with a sword.

That was fun for 8 minutes

Now my VR collects dust.

That’s why this headset has to show me something to interest me.

 

[Indy_UK]

This headset from Apple is AR though not VR which people seem to be talking about

 

[UNCgolf]

I'm not understanding your point. You do understand that newer headsets like this one DO offer AR/MR experiences, right?

Like, with spatial tracking, it'll be possible for you to watch your movie and fold your laundry because the headset will be able to see the objects in your foreground and based on the distance you've set the "screen" in front of you, cut them out from it?

I didn't see Apple demo anything like this (although the ability is there as shown with how it can cast environmental shadows on virtual objects) but Meta already has.

So it sounds like you're saying the old hardware isn't going to catch on but the newer devices probably will?

I was talking about VR vs. AR/MR because they are very different things. There are still people who think full VR is the future of everything, and that's never made much sense. AR/MR will eventually become a daily use product for the average person; VR will not.

The really hardcore VR aficionados don't seem able to grasp that not everyone loves it the way they do -- it gets tiring reading/hearing variations of "well once you've tried it you'll understand", while ignoring all of the people who have tried it and don't agree with them. I have tried VR (in multiple formats) and it's fun, but it's not something I'd ever want to use regularly.

As I said in the last sentence of the post you quoted, that's not an issue for this Apple product because it isn't solely a VR headset.

 

[Trauma]

I was talking about VR vs. AR/MR because they are very different things. There are still people who think full VR is the future of everything, and that's never made much sense. AR/MR will eventually become a daily use product for the average person; VR will not.

The really hardcore VR aficionados don't seem able to grasp that not everyone loves it the way they do -- it gets tiring reading variations of "well once you've tried it you'll understand", while ignoring all of the people who have tried it and don't agree with them.

As I said in the last sentence of the post you quoted, that's not an issue for this Apple product because it isn't a VR headset.

I’ve tried it I still don’t understand.

It comes across as a fun gimmick.

 

[MrPromey]

I literally said "PDAs existed."

Except PDAs were literally not phones.

Those things that had all the features of a PDA that could make phone calls? Those were called.... drum roll... PHONES.

 

[MrPromey]

I literally said "PDAs existed."

A) Completely different UX paradigm. Styluses and hard buttons.
B) Near-zero penetration outside of business. Virtually no consumers bought them outside of über-nerds (and I say that as one).
C) This is subjective and largely an extension of point B but... they were awful.

The short version is this: Apple virtually never invents a product category. They just consistently make the first *nice* one that people actually enjoy using. In this case that involved such drastic differences in every aspect of the experience that for all intents and purposes, they invented the modern smartphone. All other phones now work the same way the first iPhone did.

So besides the fact that the term "smart phone" was in use for devices nearly a decade prior to the sale of iPhones and besides the fact that other phones with cellular coverage existed that had more real functionality than the original iPhone when it launched (as a smart phone, according to Apple) a year before its app store (the app store that Steve Jobs never wanted to open, btw*), we're now looking back and saying nothing that wasn't an iPhone or a clone of an iPhone can be called a smart phone?

That's some serious revisionist history.

And in relation to how we got to talking about this, from the Vision Pro, it's a weird game of No True Scotsman at this point for the case Capt. was trying to make.

*He originally had no intention of opening the phone up enough for third party apps and was instead, trying to sell a load of crap where people would make web apps that would only run through Safari.