In a deep dive with Matthew Ball, CEO of Epyllion and author of "Building the Spatial Internet," the conversation navigates the current state of the metaverse. Ball reflects on the discrepancies between early hype and today's reality, discussing the potential of the Apple Vision Pro and its implications for mainstream adoption. He explores the evolving landscape of immersive technologies and the complex issues surrounding interoperability and the digital goods market. The talk is a candid look at the future of a 3D internet.
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insights INSIGHT
Book Revision
Matthew Ball's book, "The Metaverse," has been significantly revised and expanded.
The new title, "Building the Spatial Internet," reflects a more grounded approach.
insights INSIGHT
Vision Pro Limitations
Apple's Vision Pro, despite being advanced, highlights the limitations of current VR/AR technology.
Mainstream adoption of HMDs is still far off, despite significant investment.
insights INSIGHT
Meta's AR Shift
Meta's shift towards AR glasses like Ray-Bans indicates a move to more accessible augmented reality experiences.
This acknowledges that fully immersive VR is not yet mainstream.
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This book by Matthew Ball provides a definitive account of the Metaverse, a persistent and interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds that will serve as the gateway to most online experiences and underpin much of the physical world. Ball explains the technologies necessary to build the Metaverse, addresses governance challenges, and predicts its impact on various industries and society. He also discusses the role of Web3, blockchains, NFTs, and the enormous infrastructure investments required. The book offers a clear and authoritative view on the future of the internet and its potential to revolutionize every aspect of life[2][3][4].
The Metaverse
And How It Will Revolutionize Everything
Matthew Ball
This book by Matthew Ball provides a definitive account of the Metaverse, a persistent and interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds that will serve as the gateway to most online experiences and underpin much of the physical world. Ball explains the technologies necessary to build the Metaverse, addresses governance challenges, and predicts its impact on various industries and society. He also discusses the role of Web3, blockchains, NFTs, and the enormous infrastructure investments required. The book offers a clear and authoritative view on the future of the internet and its potential to revolutionize every aspect of life[2][3][4].
This week I’m talking to Matthew Ball, who was last on the show in 2022 to talk about his book “The Metaverse: How it Will Revolutionize Everything.” It’s 2024 and it’s safe to say that has not happened yet. But Matt’s still on the case — in fact he just released an almost complete update of the book, now with the much more sober title, “Building the Spatial Internet.”
Matt and I talked a lot about where the previous metaverse hype cycle landed us, and what there is to learn from these boom and bust waves. We talked about the Apple Vision Pro quite a bit; if you read or watched my review when it came out, you’ll know I think the Vision Pro is almost an end point for one set of technologies. I wanted to know if Matt felt the same and what needs to happen to make all of this more mainstream and accessible.
Links:
Fully revised and updated edition to the “The Metaverse” | W.W. Norton
Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not | The Verge
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