[709]

I wonder if the WWDC invite is hinting at a AR/VR headset preview? Kind of a 'scanning' wave thingy going on. 🤔

[drewprops]

That's bananas.


...

[psmith2.0]

It reminds me more of their little rainbow pavilion/stage area in the center of campus (inside the ring building).

[PB PM]

Apples AI, Siri 2.0

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by chucker See, but when Steve introduced the iPad at $499, there was no comparable product. Windows convertible laptops existed, but were a lot more money and also kind of garbage. Android tablets didn't exist yet, I think. (I think the Xoom launched about a year later?) With VR headsets, Oculus, Vive, PlayStation VR, and others are already around. And they all cost… less.

Comparable specs to rumors (dual 4k, standalone, untethered, etc), or is this another Chromebook vs. MacBook Pro comparison?

[chucker]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 It reminds me more of their little rainbow pavilion/stage area in the center of campus (inside the ring building).

Indeed.

Whoever is doing these is clearly having fun with people trying to read a lot into them. If that team even knows what gets presented at the event (and there's a good case to be made that there's absolutely no reason they would need to know!), it could be both: a nod to Apple Park's rainbow pavilion*, and a hint at a wavy-looking product.

Plausible deniability…

Originally Posted by Kickaha Comparable specs to rumors (dual 4k, standalone, untethered, etc), or is this another Chromebook vs. MacBook Pro comparison?

Well, like I said, Apple's thing is looking to be a premium version. But it's a premium version of a market that's already kind of not very big, and seems to have fizzled compared to hype from the early Oculus Rift days.

So I don't think specs alone will be able to justify the price. The software experience will have to be really good.

(I also don't think "external battery pack" jives with "untethered".)

*) Did the blowhard who spelt color with a "u" come up with that spelling? This is wrong in French and makes no sense in English. If you're gonna pretend to be French, spell it "pavillon" and "couleur".

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by chucker (I also don't think "external battery pack" jives with "untethered".)

Untethered as in not required to be attached to another device to operate. External battery pack is clunky, but also may be a bit of a blessing. The weight of an Oculus is fine for the amount of battery life it has. A buddy has an extended battery pack headstrap for it, and neck fatigue sets in before the battery dies. Any device that is intended for day-long wear is going to have to be as light as possible, and an all-day battery pack doesn't jive with that.

Optimal? Nah. Clunky? Yup. Going to be the focus of mockery? You betcha. Still may be a better solution for the intended use case. One can argue the applicability and necessity of that requirement, but if that's the goal, a non-head-mounted battery is likely a better option.

I mean hell, "You all kept bitching about wanting replaceable batteries, well *here you go assholes*!" XD

[drewprops]

Um, speaking of wavy, is the Apple-branded modem finally ready?


...

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by drewprops Um, speaking of wavy, is the Apple-branded modem finally ready? ...

IIRC, the last rumour I saw posted said something about 2024-2025.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by PB PM IIRC, the last rumour I saw posted said something about 2024-2025.

Yup. https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/14...eyeing-orders/

Until then, you'll have to make do with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fw_ptyy9GM.

[psmith2.0]

I don't even know if I believe any of this. I think it's just talked about and assumed that must be something happening. I don't know.

As people above have said, 35+ years ago, personal computers where big, bulky, goofy-looking and expensive. But they had a purpose (even pre-Internet).

Is this silly shit any sort of "must have" in order to go through life/the world? I don't know, I'm asking. I can't name anything I'm less interested in, being completely honest. I was always interested in the newest Mac releases and, up to a point, new iPhones and whatnot. This product? I'm not the target crowd. I'm not on social media, I don't game, I don't shop online. I don't do any of the stuff most 40-and-under folks do with their phones/devices in 2023 (absolutely live on them, nonstop, 24/7). I check the weather, prowl around Safari, text/FaceTime my hotter friends and occasionally make a phone call. Oh, and I make/keep Notes. My entire life is in my Notes app. If Apple ever does away with that, I'm in a world of hurt.

I've yet to see one article or YouTube dork piece that's "made it move" re: this AR/VR stuff. I keep waiting for that thing that causes me to get the way I was in early January 2007 re: the just-unveiled iPhone. Please just let someone, anyone, other than Tim do the unveiling/introduction. Man couldn't sell a ham sandwich to a hobo.

[PB PM]

VR/AR is kind of meh right now unless you are really hard core into gaming.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Oh, and I make/keep Notes. My entire life is in my Notes app. If Apple ever does away with that, I'm in a world of hurt.

I don't think they will — I know one of the devs on that team, and it seems alive and well. It's one of the hidden successes; a seemingly simple app that actually does a lot of things (such as checklists, and syncing across devices) and… IME, works quite well.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 I keep waiting for that thing that causes me to get the way I was in early January 2007 re: the just-unveiled iPhone.

I vaguely remember being worried before the iPhone intro because it sounded like a mythical, inevitably-crummy does-it-all device. (I don't remember what we called them then. …consolidated? Drawing a blank. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?)

But the iPhone wasn't… just an iPod plus a phone. It was a mobile computer done really well. Even Steve seemed slightly surprised just how far that gets you.

Was the Apple Watch that, but for watches? For fitness trackers? Maybe, sort of.

Will Apple Reality be that for VR headsets? Maybe, but I'm not sure what VR headsets need is to be better. Perhaps they'll always be very niche and weird no matter what.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Please just let someone, anyone, other than Tim do the unveiling/introduction. Man couldn't sell a ham sandwich to a hobo.

I doubt he'll do more than hand off to someone.

[dglow]

Originally Posted by chucker Will Apple Reality be that for VR headsets? Maybe, but I'm not sure what VR headsets need is to be better. Perhaps they'll always be very niche and weird no matter what.

If Reality is just a VR headset, probably not. But it's going to be AR/MR/XR – real-world detection and mapping with synthetic visuals overlaid and integrated.
And if Apple can really nail that integration – as in high-refresh, low-latency, buttery-smooth nail it? – then it's going to feel absolutely magical.

It won't be for everyone, but a lot of someones will probably want to try it.

[drewprops]

We should all realize by now that computer technology matures far faster than we anticipate. Today's clunky stuff will ultimately become elegant and ubiquitous, if it is not superseded by something disruptive.

I was surprised that I was surprised by the experience of trying out an Oculus rig. It's really kind of fun, and watching a brief immersive documentary demonstrated to me that it's not necessarily a trick pony.


...

[chucker]

Originally Posted by dglow If Reality is just a VR headset, probably not. But it's going to be AR/MR/XR – real-world detection and mapping with synthetic visuals overlaid and integrated. And if Apple can really nail that integration – as in high-refresh, low-latency, buttery-smooth nail it? – then it's going to feel absolutely magical. It won't be for everyone, but a lot of someones will probably want to try it.

Well, if we go another five years down the road and we're not talking a VR headset but AR glasses, which Apple is supposedly doing as a second phase, sure. If my glasses were slightly thicker/heavier but offered a heads-up display, coupled with some really good, unobtrusive UI? Could be good.

(Yeah, I know… a dial on the headset to switch between AR and VR. We'll see, I guess…)

[dglow]

I think of the difference between the OG iPhone (2007) and the iPhone 4s. The experience was night & day. Compared to the original, the 4s sported a retina display, had performance to burn (first dual-core CPU), and an industrial design considered among the iPhone's finest.

So, sure, if Apple had only waited five years they could have wowed the world with the speedy, beautiful, steel & glass 4s instead of the pokey, soapbar-like original iPhone.

But then, if they'd waited all that time they might not have delivered the 4s at all. And in that time Android could very well have run away with the market, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by dglow I think of the difference between the OG iPhone (2007) and the iPhone 4s. The experience was night & day. Compared to the original, the 4s sported a retina display, had performance to burn (first dual-core CPU), and an industrial design considered among the iPhone's finest.

Yeah. The 3GS also added video, and the 4 added a front-facing camera. (That's right: selfies were flat-out impossible in the first three iPhones. Hard to believe from today's perspective.)

Originally Posted by dglow So, sure, if Apple had only waited five years they could have wowed with world with the speedy, beautiful, steel & glass 4s instead of the pokey, soapbar-like original iPhone. But then, if they'd waited all that time they might not have delivered the 4s at all. And in that time Android could very well have run away with the market, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Yup.

Steve knew when to ship. iPhone 2G / iOS 1.0 was mocked for not having copy & paste, 3G, etc., but people were missing the point: Apple had built a platform upon which they could iterate fast. Meanwhile, Nokia's/Blackberry's/Microsoft's lead turned out to be temporary, because they were much slower to iterate.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by chucker Yeah. The 3GS also added video, and the 4 added a front-facing camera. (That's right: selfies were flat-out impossible in the first three iPhones. Hard to believe from today's perspective.)

I don't know how some folks I know even survived. I know a woman with an iPhone something-or-ther (one of the post-X full-face/no-button models) and all she has in her photo library are pics of herself, her own damn face. I find such narcissism ugly as can be. And she's a supremely attractive woman (think Tombstone era Dana Delany, with shorter, choppy hair) I've known for about a decade. But seeing that side of her, instantly made her ugly/superficial to me.

Generation Look-At-Me...ugh, no thanks. Give me a modest, unassuming person, every time. People who know they're "hot" just aren't.

Better work to develop some sort of brain or personality because if an illness or accident takes your face, you're positively screwed. And I'm gonna laugh my head off.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Brad I'll buck the trend and say $3000 is low-balling it. With all the Apple taxes included, I'm expecting to see a $4000 model.

Whatever it is, my guess is that it'll be completely ridiculous and out-of-touch. It's Apple.

[drewprops]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is preparing to release the new VR headset as an experimental device, priced at USD$3K.


...

[psmith2.0]

Then it’ll experimentally fail.

I wouldn’t/couldn’t drop $3K on the snazziest Mac ever. Sure not about to for a product with “point and laugh/beat me up” written all over it. That’s a tall order. Do many people have $3,000 to blow on such a thing? I know maybe 1-2, tops. They already buy a new $1,000 flagship iPhone every autumn, so I know they’ll be on this like a monkey on a banana.

Then again, I might be Ballmer and Dvorak re: iPhone in 2007. Infamously, and hilariously, wrong/off-the-mark and failing to see the obvious. The teen/twentysomething “influencer” crowd certainly won’t skip it, and all those who worship at their altar (and who have a dedicated room in their house to store/display their sneakers or sunglasses) aren’t gonna be caught without one.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about under-30 types with a big presence on social media…they buy EVERYTHING. It’s almost like they have to!

[PB PM]

$3k.

I mean the hardcore Apple fanboys will buy a set, but normal people will .

[psmith2.0]

I don't know, $3,000 is quite a bit for something the first time out of the gate, unproven/untested. That's a very tall order in my eyes. But everything Apple puts out is always twice as much as I'd ever expect/assume it to be, so what do I know? They sell mice for $99 and keyboards for $199, for crying out loud. $3,000 is probably dead on.

Too bad the only guy who could make that seem normal and a "bargain", and something you HAVE to overcome to own one, has been dead for over 10 years. Because if there's ever been a time/need for some of that mind-altering, hypnotizing RDF, this would be it.

Shit, he'd have ME wanting one, after he was done rolling it out/demoing it.

I never wanted something so much in my life as I did an iPhone, after that January 2007 introduction at MWSF. That was the longest 6-7 months in my life! I saved, and counted the days, leading up to June.

[PB PM]

Apple’s had all kinds of strange products over the years, that Hifi boom box thing, and the hardcore fanboys eat it up. Yes that wasn’t $3k, but it was overpriced for what it was. While it’s a lot for most people, for those with more money than sense, it’s a drop in the bucket.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 I But everything Apple puts out is always twice as much as I'd ever expect/assume it to be, so what do I know? They sell mice for $99 and keyboards for $199, for crying out loud. $3,000 is probably dead on.

To be fair it’s hard to get a decent keyboard or mouse for under $100 (each) most of the sub $99 stuff is trash.

[chucker]

People spend twenty times that on a car, so…

[Frank777]

I'm sure the glasses have a compelling use case, at least from a certain point of view.

If Apple put Zuckerberg's metaverse ideas through their product refinement engine and added in some special sauce of their own, I'm sure they've come up with something class-leading. And the $3K leak is probably inflated to lower expectations for WWDC.

It's just the wrong time. We're experiencing an affordability crisis due to inflationary government overspending and insane western government policies are destabilizing whole countries. Oh, and we're about three steps away from a quasi-world war.

This isn't the time for Apple to pick up another 'hobby'. Make it better. Make a real, profound commitment to education locally and around the world. Empower parents. Build the wikipedia-like, best-in-class online school curriculum Steve Jobs envisioned. Release free architectural plans for new local schools based on the building model of Apple Park. Support online homeschooling models for both kids in rural areas, and kids trapped in failing urban schools.

University education is moving online, take it next level and vanquish the legacy brick and mortar outfits a la Apple Card.

Apple can help save the world, outside party politics. The Mac was about empowering people, the iPhone was about empowering people.

Public schools are great for teachers unions, but on average 21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate. That's a permanent underclass. Which some parties like, because it creates dependency on government programs.

Empower parents around the world to teach their kids, and make it better.

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by Frank777 This isn't the time for Apple to pick up another 'hobby'. Make it better. Make a real, profound commitment to education locally and around the world. Empower parents. Build the wikipedia-like, best-in-class online school curriculum Steve Jobs envisioned. Release free architectural plans for new local schools based on the building model of Apple Park. Support online homeschooling models for both kids in rural areas, and kids trapped in failing urban schools. Apple can help save the world, outside party politics. The Mac was about empowering people, the iPhone was about empowering people.

Apple doesn't care about any of those issues, they exist to make money. Empowering people? Get real. The Mac was about making money, and the iPhone was about making money. The VR head will be about making money too. Am I jaded and cynical, absolutely. Do I own a business and know that when it boils down to the bottom line, it's all about the money, yes.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by chucker People spend twenty times that on a car, so…

Depending on where you live and your work/school situation, a car is a must-have to many. And most aren’t paying that total price upfront, in one shot ($30,000 cash, etc.). And, properly maintained, it’s a 15+ year thing. This VR thing will be tied to OS/App development/support and probably borderline useless in 3-4 years. Nobody’s using an iPhone 3/4 at full power/capability/latest OS in 2023. But I can still drive my 2004 Toyota Solara just fine (all day yesterday, much of this afternoon, with my mom). New tires two months ago, oil change four days ago, AC and radio work great, smooth ride, good MPG, etc.

Apples and oranges, a car and some new Apple gizmo.

[dglow]

This is such a chicken-egg problem for Apple.

Unlike with the OG iPhone, today’s audience expects a fully fleshed-out software ecosystem from the jump. And that is near-impossible to deliver, even if Apple could land with a perfect OS, interface, and developer frameworks on day one – which they certainly won’t.

To cost: who will gladly pay thousands of $ for an “early adopter” device? At least two key groups: developers and online influencers.

For game devs, $3K is nothing compared to typical console development kits. For influencers who regularly buy expensive gear as means of generating content, the cost easily justifies itself.

If these rumors are correct and Apple clearly messages this device as “experimental” (I highly doubt they would use that term) or “early adopter” or something similar, and then further reinforces that message with a very high price and/or limited supply (or possibly even a carefully-managed limited-access program developer-kit style) then I can imagine it playing-out something like this…

At WWDC, via an astonishingly well-produced video keynote*, Apple casts its magic marketing spell and makes the headset an instant object of curiosity and desire and attention. Attention which they intend to sustain for the entire following year.

Hand-picked, elite developers are trotted-out with previews of their early accomplishments. Others get working the moment they receive devices, be that privately at WWDC or later in the fall.

Meanwhile, marketing goes all-in with Tech-Tubers – the usual suspects: MKBHD, iJustine, etc. These influencers and other online media will proceed to cover every OS update, every beta of a new app or game, breathlessly and in near-real time. Via this coverage, anyone who cares will have front-row seats to the evolution of the headset’s software and its ecosystem.

It will be an online media sensation. Nobody will gripe about the price because it isn’t a consumer device, just an object of desire.

And then, at some point, Apple will hold special events in their stores to give the public a chance to witness or even try the headset for themselves.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
* final prediction: the keynote isn’t just a pre-produced video, but features a surprise live element, showing off the hardware