#1386: Chatting about Apple Vision Pro with fxpodcast’s Mike Seymour
Apr 24, 2024
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Mike Seymour, co-founder of fxguide, discusses the Apple Vision Pro, comparing it to the Quest, potential killer apps, and future developments. They touch on productivity, media consumption, upcoming product announcements, and industry events. The conversation explores digital human creation, Apple's impact on XR, educational app development for ultrasound scanning, immersive 3D spatial videos, limitations in gaming, and innovative technologies for multi-user experiences.
Apple Vision Pro shows promise for various applications beyond developer kit status, focusing on productivity tools and screen replacement.
Exploration of human-computer interaction through digital humans offers unique interactions and insights.
Spatial 3D videos in Apple Vision Pro enhance educational engagement and retention, suitable for various content applications.
Deep dives
Apple Vision Pro Potential Applications
The Apple Vision Pro, while currently considered more of a developer kit, shows promise for various applications. One potential focus lies in enterprise or training uses due to its versatility and capabilities. The device is viewed as primarily a productivity tool or screen replacement, with the potential for long-term impact as developers explore its possibilities.
Exploring Human-Computer Interaction Through Digital Humans
The discussion delves into the exploration of human-computer interaction through digital humans. Research focuses on creating a more human interface for computers, with digital humans providing a unique interaction experience. The conversation highlights how people engage differently when faced with realistic digital representations, emphasizing the benefits and insights gained from such interactions.
The Evolution of Spatial Computing and Content Consumption
The Apple Vision Pro introduces high-quality immersive experiences, such as watching 3D movies and immersive videos. It offers impressive resolution and eye-tracking capabilities, enhancing media consumption experiences. Content consumption, especially in live event scenarios like sports, is seen as a potential turning point, with sports experiences viewed as compelling content that could drive wider adoption.
Enhancing Engagement Through Spatial 3D Videos
Spatial 3D videos have proven to significantly increase engagement and retention levels in educational settings compared to traditional lectures or videos. The immersive nature of spatial 3D videos encourages active participation and deeper learning experiences, leading to enhanced knowledge retention even after several months. This heightened level of engagement can be particularly beneficial in educational applications, corporate communications, safety videos, and other content where improved retention is crucial.
Challenges and Potential Improvements in Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro presents a mix of impressive features and ergonomic challenges. While the device excels in resolution, immersion, and eye tracking precision, its ergonomics and usability have faced criticism, with concerns over front-heaviness, uncomfortable wear, and limited sharing capabilities. Additionally, the device store's search functionality needs enhancement for better app discovery. Despite these drawbacks, the integration of accessibility features from Apple's design philosophy sets the Vision Pro apart in the XR market, offering unmatched accessibility for users and developers.
The contributing editor and co-founder of fxguide Mike Seymour invited me onto his fxpodcast to share some of my thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro, the ecosystem differences between the Quest and Vision Pro, the potential for different killer apps, and where we see it going in the future. This is a rebroadcast of fxpodast episode #368, but with some additional context about Seymour's work with digital humans as well as the training application that he's developing on the Apple Vision Pro.
I still see the Vision Pro primarily as a developer kit, but there are certainly many productivity & screen replacement as well as media consumption use cases. I'm hoping to do some more coverage of the Vision Pro here soon, including airing an interview with Resolution Games' Tommy Palm about their development of the Game Room application produced by Apple.
Apple announced yesterday that they'll be announcing some new products on May 7th likely including the Apple Pencil 3 given Tim Cook's X/Twitter post saying "Pencil us in for May 7! ✏️ #AppleEvent, and also "revamped versions of the iPad Pro and Air, according to people familiar with the matter" per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. I expect more Apple Vision Pro updates and news to be given at WWDC on June 10-14, and a first-look at how the broader XR industry is adopting the Apple Vision Pro at Augmented World Expo (AWE) on June 18-20, which I unfortunately will not be able to attend due to a family medical situation.
This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.
Music: Fatality
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