After years of rumors, leaks, and probably delays Apple has shared their new VR headset, or should we say their Spatial Computer, and it looks amazing! In typical Apple fashion the hardware is top notch, it borrows great ideas from a number of industry innovators, yet takes such a well thought out approach that it will redefine the VR/AR space, and be copied by the competitors in no time. We have studied the WWDC announcement as well as a ton of discussions from folks like Norm @ Tested, Road to VR, and of course Voices of VR. Here are my takeaways!

Apple’s excellent marketing was in full affect, I can imagine the positioning and training that everyone at Apple has gone through to get all the talking points correct. I imagine it went something like this:

Don’t call it the metaverse!

It’s a Spatial computer not a headset

Those are Spatial photos and videos not 360 photos/videos

The mix of immersion (VR) and world interaction (AR) is very interesting. Let’s call this device what it is, a VR headset with pass through. It is not an AR device like the Magic Leap, but how Apple mixed the two technologies together was an excellent move.

Front Facing Display

This is kinda genius. Someone at Apple realized a big blocker to VR has been the isolation of putting on a headset. This is true for the person wearing the device as well as the folks around that person. In addition, as was learned by the Google Glass folks, some way of showing the world what the viewer is doing is important. For example, the front display can change when recording a photo or video. This is a key stepping stone for the public at large to become more accustomed to devices that are always recording the world. This will be copied by competitors ASAP.

No controllers!

Yes!!! As I wrote previously controllers are a lose, and hand tracking is the future. Unfortunately a certain game centered VR company made game controllers such a standard in the industry that the entire method of interacting with VR has been dictated by holding two big button orgies in both hands. It took the engineers at Apple to stand up to this, it will be painful as devs will need to learn to leverage this new model, but for activities outside of games it will be a big win. We feel this reinforces our belief that VR is much more than gaming, and all indications are that Apple’s hand tracking is very reliable and revolutionary. This will be copied by competitors as well.

Passive Use versus Active Use

You should notice in all the demos that users were sitting at a desk or couch. So much so that some thought this device will not support 6DOF. It definitely does, as was demonstrated during the dinosaur demo where users were encouraged to walk around the 3D dinosaur. But, it emphasizes how Apple imagines this device to be used, we like to call this passive viewing. We love passive viewing as demonstrated by the large amount of hours surfing YouTube. This is in contrast to the gamer view where VR has to involve running around in a highly active manner. 360 photos and videos will be the primary creative medium for VR passive use.

Price

It is great to see a company showing the actual price of their device, and we wish more companies would be this honest. This device is a hardware beast, two entirely custom Apple processors, a slew of cameras and depth sensors, three displays (left eye, right eye, front display), and cutting edge headphones with surround technology. It’s expensive hardware! Don’t compare this to a cheaper product that is subsidized by selling your identity. Compared to other headsets with similar features and displays, like professional headsets from Varjo for example, the price is what it is. We have to look no further than the current iPhone to see how “high price” is relative! Who would have thought that a smart phone would cost more than one thousand dollars, but that is today’s reality. Most folks will lease/finance this device like their current iPhone.

Summary

Haters are going to hate This could never be more true than when reading the comments from all the reviews. So much negativity in general, but we believe this will be the device that all the competitors copy. We for sure can’t wait to get our hands on one!