Last Week in AVP #54: More One Year Reviews with the Vision Pro, New Vision Pro Protective Cover Aperture, One-of-a-kind Kendrick Lamar Experience and more!
Hereās the big question: Does the Vision Pro represent a product thatās on a pathway to the future of computing, or is it a dead end?
The Vision Pro represents something inevitable: At some point, we will wear things over our eyes that annotate the world around us. The Vision Pro is Appleās first attempt to create a product that will lead in that direction. Itās big, clumsy, and expensive because thatās the best anyone can do right now. Thatās okay, so long as this is just the beginning of a longer process of evolution.
I donāt know if Appleās vision of āspatial computing,ā of a multi-windowed gestural interface, will be the final form such a device will take, or if itāll be more of a voice-guided interface, or if everything will be intuited by an AI whoās tracking your eyes and monitoring your heart rate, or what. I do think itās a fruitful path to explore for now, but there will probably come a time when Apple has to decide if the spatial computer that does everything an iPad, iPhone, or Mac can do is the same product as the wearable appliance that annotates your world as you walk around in it. That might be two products, or it might be that only one of those is a product people want.
As Apple Vision Pro Turns One, Here's What's Next (macrumors)
Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro launch, which means Apple's $3,500 AR/VR headset has now been available to consumers for a full 365 days.
Over the course of the last year, we've seen numerous reports suggesting that the Vision Pro isn't selling well, which is not a surprise given its high price point. Apple CEO Tim Cookdescribed the Vision Pro as an "early-adopter product" for people who want to have tomorrow's technology today," and the most recent rumors suggest that it might be out of production already.
In October, The Information said that Apple was winding down production of the Vision Pro, with plans to stop making it at the end of 2024. Apple has enough supply to meet demand for now, because Apple apparently plans to make a new version of the Vision Pro as soon as this year.
Today dbrand, in collaboration with Kyle Goodrich, launched a new Vision Pro protective cover called Aperture. The accessory does something functional: protects Vision Proās front display without obstructing any of Appleās many, many cameras and sensors.
dbrand has a good reason for its Vision Pro coverās design
Appleās Vision Pro ships with a lot in the box, including a protective cover for the front display.
The trouble is, that cover is only meant to be used when the Vision Pro isnāt.
It works well for keeping Vision Proās outer display pristine while sitting idle, but any time you want to actually use the spatial computer, you have to remove that protective cover.
TouchDesk transforms your desk into an infinite, tactile canvas (source)
TouchDesk transforms your desk into an infinite, tactile canvas. As someone who loves to doodle, it feels natural, smooth, and magical.
Save to iCloud. Pick up anytime. Available now on the visionOS App Store for free!
Is Vision Pro Worth Buying in 2025? Our No-nonsense Recommendation (roadtovr)
Who should buy Vision Pro?
Like Apple CEO Tim Cook has said, Vision Pro is a glimpse into the future that you can get today. But looking through that time machine costs a pretty penny. If youāre someone with money to burn and a love for the latest tech, thereās probably no other product on the market today that can deliver the āwow this feels like the futureā moments that Vision Pro can.
I just discovered a Vision Pro app thatās yet another example of how INSANE online shopping will be in the future! Sure, the app may not be perfect, and I might not be the target audience for this specific use case, but itās still an impressive showcase of how personalized advertising for clothing, jewelry, and accessories can be when projected directly onto the customer.
Just in time for the @AppleMusic #SuperBowlLIX halftime show, we have a HUMBLE. drop in Synth Riders, hitting Feb 6:
A unique, one-of-a-kind Kendrick Lamar Experience!
Itās playable first in #AVP Synth Riders on @applearcade!
https://apple.co/SynthRiders
Apple Vision Pro Work Feature Could Transform Productivity and Collaboration (source)
The Apple Vision Pro is Appleās first foray into mixed reality, combining augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to deliver immersive digital experiences. Built with advanced optics, multiple cameras, and the powerful M2 chip, the headset is designed to merge the digital and physical worlds seamlessly.
With productivity in mind, Apple has equipped the Vision Pro with tools that allow users to create expansive virtual workspaces. This Apple Vision Pro work feature provides users with limitless screens, improved multitasking capabilities, and enhanced collaboration tools, positioning the device as a potential game changer for modern work environments.
The idea for this app was pretty simple - to visualize everyone's child fantasy and turn your space into the playground, or an action movie set :]
Technically it was rather straightforward, but required detecting and treating different surfaces with different materials, and adding some flame particles on top of that :]
Apple Invents a Hand Controller for Apple Vision Pro with a Shapeable Lanyard (source)
Last Thursday, the U.S. Patent Office published a patent application of Apple's that relates to Input devices for computer systems. More specifically, it relates to a head-mounted device (HMD) and a handheld controller for the HMD with a shapeable lanyard. It could be used as a pointing device, a game controller, a writing tool and much more.
Apple notes that a lanyard may be removably attached to the handheld input device. The lanyard may include visual markers, such as infrared light-emitting diodes and/or fiducials, that can be detected by an external camera and used to track a location, orientation, and/or motion of the lanyard.
For example, the lanyard may be fabric, and the visual markers may be incorporated into the fabric or attached to the fabric. The external camera may then take images of the visual markers, and image recognition may be used to track the visual markers and therefore to track the lanyard.
āSpatial VJā Event - Spatial Groove Party (source)
Attendees can also wear AVP to interactively change the space according to the music. There's also a switching view of the mirrored screen, which is fun even just to watch! @Kakiaraara @NEWVIEW_PROJECT
Launched my very first app for the Apple Vision Pro. It's a simple 3D musical instrument tuner. I wanted to try a radial interface instead of the flat tuner we're all used to. It would mean a lot to me if you tried it out and let me know what you think. Link below!
visionOS playground with component combinations (source)
The highLIGHT of my #visionOS playground š”
I added more components and systems and came up with an event system with which I can control values, like light intensity, when a given event happens
It's really fun to experiment with all kind of component combinations
Immersive Match Analysis with Apple Vision Pro (source)
Innovation from the Bottom-Up
It started with a hackathon for SAP engineers with the goal to create a prototype combining the power of immersive technology and SAP solutions. The SAP Sports One team won with a prototype unlocking the potential of spatial computing in football match preparation.
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Through an app on Apple Vision Pro, this prototype aims to empower teams to optimize their performanceāwhether itās preparing for the next big match or analyzing past performances. Timo Gross, head of Match Analysis for football club TSG Hoffenheim, believes thereās a huge potential in the simulation of game scenarios in immersive 3D. āThis enhances player training and tactical understanding,ā he said. āIn fact, I believe that this has the potential to pave the way for a new approach in player development, especially in the youth space.ā
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