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

[wdwmagic]

I think that AR will eventually see regular, widespread use -- I'm less convinced that VR will ever be more than a niche (at least until technology has progressed far, far beyond anything we are remotely close to being able to make today).



I've also used the Vision Pro, and while the tech is impressive and a step up, it still has the same fundamental problem as other headsets. It just doesn't offer much that can't be done (and often done better) with existing, cheaper products (this is where the Mac comparison falls apart).

Until a company is able to come up with software etc. that offers a better experience for everyday use/regular tasks than a computer (or even smart phone/tablet for some things) it's not going to become a mainstream, daily use product.

That was my biggest takeaway from using it -- that even Apple hasn't yet figured out a way to make it actually appealing for general use or an improvement over existing tech for most tasks. A laptop is an easier/better solution for most of what the Vision Pro offers (there are obviously some exceptions to this).

While sales would surely go up if the price was reduced, I think actual usage wouldn't be significantly different than prior headsets. It would be used occasionally but mostly gathering dust for the majority of buyers.

I think at the moment it lacks a lot of use cases, but even in this first generation, the movie watching experience is astonishing. The 3D IMax size screen in your own space is quite incredible to see. As a first generation product it is quite something, but it is clear to me that this is where the future is. Apple will get it to the point where it delivers a must-have experience IMO, and of course the price will come down.

 

[monothingie]

There will be a day when A/VR is good enough, light enough, and cheap enough to be a general consumer 'must have.'

This is apparently, not that day.

A/VR like the vision pro has been around for years for industrial purposes at that price point or greater. And those who use it love it. But that doesn't make it a general consumer product.

Yet.

Wearables are hit or miss. We are almost a decade into smart watches and only 12% of Americans wear a smart watch or a fitness tracker. Note that this includes less advanced hardware than devices in the same category of Apple Watch. In terms of adoption that number has peaked.

Wearables like Apple's Vision Pro will always be a premium product commanding top dollar only because Apple does not make low-end hardware. So I really don't see any movement in terms of price point for the top end. That isn't to say there will be lower cost variants from others, but given the infancy of the technology the widespread adoption may be while away.

Also Apple as the current leader in the field needs to also make the business case for pursuing it. If there is no developed ecosystem or profitable path forward they won't do it. Products like Apple TV and Home Pod were a toy projects that Apple didn't take seriously until they were leapfrogged by others and had to play catchup.

 

[Tha Realest]

100% agree.

For context: I visited this when it opened, some 30+ years ago. Despite wild advances in gaming, graphics, and tech portability, I still feel like VR hasn’t kept pace, and hasn’t managed to connect successfully with consumers.

VIRTUAL GAMES LACK REAL THRILLS

Awhile back, my wife and I and two friends, on a post-dinner lark, decided to travel down to North Pier and try our hands at a game our hand/eye-coordinated sons had highly touted: the pricey, virt…

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Remember when they were hyping up this Star Wars Galaxy Edge VR experience at Disney Springs a while back...

Well, now it's on sale for $14....

 

[Mireille]

I think at the moment it lacks a lot of use cases, but even in this first generation, the movie watching experience is astonishing. The 3D IMax size screen in your own space is quite incredible to see. As a first generation product it is quite something, but it is clear to me that this is where the future is. Apple will get it to the point where it delivers a must-have experience IMO, and of course the price will come down.

Maybe a great solo experience, but like 3D TVs, requiring powered viewing devices (3D glasses/goggles) does not make for a particularly pleasing group activity. It seems to me that AR, at least as currently presented, is, possibly inadvertently, isolating and asocial. Personally, I enjoy VR (sort of, I haven't used my Quest in over a year) but see no appeal in AR. It's solving a problem that doesn't really exist. I'm sure it's neat, but when Apple stores are selling a handful a week after the initial big release, I'd hedge my bets. Many people saw crypto, NFTs, and the metaverse as the absolute future and that died pretty quickly. I kinda prefer real life without the clutter of AR. But then, I'm not a huge user of my phone, either. And you have to know they're going to plaster your AR view with ads eventually. No thanks.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Sorry, call me an old man, but the world needs less technology like this, not more. VR and AR, like cellphones, promise connection but have only added more reasons to isolate and keep to ourselves while glued to a screen. I already hate how much time needs to be spent in WDW planning on my phone. Let's not bring in headsets and VR. I like clouds and nature, thank you very much!

 

[wdwmagic]

Maybe a great solo experience, but like 3D TVs, requiring powered viewing devices (3D glasses/goggles) does not make for a particularly pleasing group activity. It seems to me that AR, at least as currently presented, is, possibly inadvertently, isolating and asocial. Personally, I enjoy VR (sort of, I haven't used my Quest in over a year) but see no appeal in AR. It's solving a problem that doesn't really exist. I'm sure it's neat, but when Apple stores are selling a handful a week after the initial big release, I'd hedge my bets. Many people saw crypto, NFTs, and the metaverse as the absolute future and that died pretty quickly. I kinda prefer real life without the clutter of AR. But then, I'm not a huge user of my phone, either. And you have to know they're going to plaster your AR view with ads eventually. No thanks.

I think it will very quickly become a very social experience. The possilbity of watching movies with people you know whether they are in the same room as you or across the world is very real. Vision Pro already has personas, which are very realistic animated versions of the user, which will very likely to be used in these scenarios.

Even now on Vision Pro, FaceTime calls are significantly better than on any other device. The other person is life-size in front of you.

So I think while in its first version, Vision Pro is a solo experience, it won't be long before it becomes very much a shared experience.

 

[Mireille]

I think it will very quickly become a very social experience. The possilbity of watching movies with people you know whether they are in the same room as you or across the world is very real. Vision Pro already has personas, which are very realistic animated versions of the user, which will very likely to be used in these scenarios.

Even now on Vision Pro, FaceTime calls are significantly better than on any other device. The other person is life-size in front of you.

So I think while in its first version, Vision Pro is a solo experience, it won't be long before it becomes very much a shared experience.

I've never made a video call except for work reasons and now I have tape over the camera on my work computer. Absolutely don't see the appeal of FaceTime, so that may be another reason I don't care. And it's not really their face if they're on Vision Pro, right? A scanned face with generated animation, isn't it?

 

[wdwmagic]

I've never made a video call except for work reasons and now I have tape over the camera on my work computer. Absolutely don't see the appeal of FaceTime, so that may be another reason I don't care. And it's not really their face if they're on Vision Pro, right? A scanned face with generated animation, isn't it?

Yes its an animation, but it will get to the point fairly soon where it is indistinguishable from a camera view of the real face.

FaceTime and other video calls systems are indispensable for people connecting with others when apart. You may not use it, a heck of a lot of people do it every single day.

 

[marni1971]

FaceTime and other video calls systems are indispensable for people connecting with others when apart.

Absolutely. Be it with my mum from Hong Kong Disneyland, or every single weekend with my dad. The future has arrived

 

[Mireille]

Yes its an animation, but it will get to the point fairly soon where it is indistinguishable from a camera view of the real face.

FaceTime and other video calls systems are indispensable for people connecting with others when apart. You may not use it, a heck of a lot of people do it every single day.

I'm gonna guess it's partly a generational thing, then. I'm Gen X and I work in tech. Gimme computers, tablets, phones. AR? By the time it's "indispensable," I'll be all too dispensable. And I'm fine with that. I'm already well into the "no figs left to give" stage of my life.

 

[wdwmagic]

I'm gonna guess it's partly a generational thing, then. I'm Gen X and I work in tech. Gimme computers, tablets, phones. AR? By the time it's "indispensable," I'll be all too dispensable. And I'm fine with that. I'm already well into the "no figs left to give" stage of my life.

I think this technology spans generations. I'm Gen X, and having used it, I can see its going to be a huge deal in the future.

It is a technology that is incredibly simple to use, and has a huge potential to make life better, regardless of age.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think at the moment it lacks a lot of use cases, but even in this first generation, the movie watching experience is astonishing. The 3D IMax size screen in your own space is quite incredible to see. As a first generation product it is quite something, but it is clear to me that this is where the future is. Apple will get it to the point where it delivers a must-have experience IMO, and of course the price will come down.

Yes, the movie screen is quite cool (that's one of the exceptions) but as you mentioned, it just doesn't have enough use cases at the moment. That has to be overcome -- or they have to be so cheap that it's worth having even if you're only going to use it a few times a month -- for it to get widespread adoption.

I still see it topping out as a secondary device, more along the lines of a tablet than a laptop or a smart phone. There will be some people who use it as a replacement for those products (just like there are people who use iPads instead of laptops), but I think they'll be the minority.

 

[Mireille]

I think this technology spans generations. I'm Gen X, and having used it, I can see its going to be a huge deal in the future.

It is a technology that is incredibly simple to use, and has a huge potential to make life better, regardless of age.

I guess I'm more skeptical of technology under the current profit motivations. COULD it be used to make life better? Yeah. But mostly it will be used to make money. The internet itself is going to pot due to the terrible economics of tech companies. You WILL be seeing ads in everything. They WILL make you give over all your data to get any use and STILL charge money for the privilege. Unless there is some sort of economic revolution, I'm highly dubious of anything new coming from major tech companies. Maybe Apple less than Google or Meta or Microsoft, but not by much. There is a term coined by Cory Doctorow on how technology is being actively ruined by economic drivers which I will not use here, but I'm too jaded to look forward to any innovations without reservation at this point. I envy your optimism but I feel it's misplaced.

 

[wdwmagic]

I guess I'm more skeptical of technology under the current profit motivations. COULD it be used to make life better? Yeah. But mostly it will be used to make money. The internet itself is going to pot due to the terrible economics of tech companies. You WILL be seeing ads in everything. They WILL make you give over all your data to get any use and STILL charge money for the privilege. Unless there is some sort of economic revolution, I'm highly dubious of anything new coming from major tech companies. Maybe Apple less than Google or Meta or Microsoft, but not by much. There is a term coined by Cory Doctorow on how technology is being actively ruined by economic drivers which I will not use here, but I'm too jaded to look forward to any innovations without reservation at this point. I envy your optimism but I feel it's misplaced.

I agree that Amazon and Google will advertise the heck out of it, but Apple does not. They really have no history of doing that on any of their devices/services, and they are very serious about privacy. I do not see that changing. Apple seem to be happy to make money from hardware and services, more so than ads.

 

[wdwmagic]

Yes, the movie screen is quite cool (that's one of the exceptions) but as you mentioned, it just doesn't have enough use cases at the moment. That has to be overcome -- or they have to be so cheap that it's worth having even if you're only going to use it a few times a month -- for it to get widespread adoption.

I still see it topping out as a secondary device, more along the lines of a tablet than a laptop or a smart phone. There will be some people who use it as a replacement for those products (just like there are people who use iPads instead of laptops), but I think they'll be the minority.

I really don't think those that have not used it realize quite how good the movie experience is. It delivers the black levels of a top end OLED TV, with the screen size of IMAX. All in a device that costs $3500. Aside from the fact that it's a single user, home cinema companies supplying projectors, and even actual movie theaters should be very afraid. As soon as Apple brings the social aspect to the movie viewing, and gets the price down, it will be a killer app.

 

[Trauma]

I did a demo of the Vision Pro. Just an expensive gimmick. Completely useless for 98% of the general public.

Even the meta quest is only good for a couple of weeks then it collects dust. At least that costs substantially less.

No surprise this failed the tech is FAR away from being practical.

 

[Trauma]

I really don't think those that have not used it realize quite how good the movie experience is. It delivers the black levels of a top end OLED TV, with the screen size of IMAX. All in a device that costs $3500. Aside from the fact that it's a single user, home cinema companies supplying projectors, and even actual movie theaters should be very afraid. As soon as Apple brings the social aspect to the movie viewing, and gets the price down, it will be a killer app.

Yeah but who is watching movies by themselves ?

That’s something I don’t think I’ve done even once in my life.

 

[JD80]

I've never made a video call except for work reasons and now I have tape over the camera on my work computer. Absolutely don't see the appeal of FaceTime, so that may be another reason I don't care. And it's not really their face if they're on Vision Pro, right? A scanned face with generated animation, isn't it?

If it's not a work call, I make video calls with everyone that is a friend or family.

 

[JD80]

Yeah but who is watching movies by themselves ?

That’s something I don’t think I’ve done even once in my life.

Pretty sure no one in the world has ever watched a movie/show or played a game by themselves on a tv. True.