$3,500 for THAT?! – Emi S
Last week, Apple dropped a trailer for their new product, the Apple Vision Pro, that is set to be released in the US in 2024. And yes, its current expected retail price is $3,500. Apple have proclaimed that ‘the era of spatial computing is here’, bringing us a glorified VR headset.. that you can see out of? It’s supposed to be a desktop-like setup that floats in your reality, combining the world of your laptop with, well, your world. You use your eyes as a mouse, flick your hand to scroll, and dictate using your voice.
With the conversation increasing over AI’s role in society, it is no surprise that many fear the ever more autonomous presence of technology in our lives. In a bid to reduce this, Apple have clearly branded the Vision Pro as a ‘mixed reality’ headset, rather than a ‘virtual reality’ one. Throughout the trailer, they reeeeaalllly seem to stress this point, as if to say ‘this this is a positive development, look, we can still see in real life!’ To be fair, everyone in the trailer looks like they’re in an episode of Black Mirror, so I can really see why people are calling this a borderline dystopian development.
One function that Apple boasts is your ability to be more productive and more efficient with Apple Vision Pro. Multiple tabs floating in mid-air, as large as you want. However, its purpose becomes a bit more muddy when Apple explain that you can connect your MacBook to the headset, ‘turning a 13-inch screen into a giant display.’ Cool.. but why? What was wrong with your 13-inch display?
Okay, as an avid cinephile, this does look quite appealing. You can adjust the screen as big as you want, have surround sound audio, and even change your environment (so it is a VR headset..?). But nevertheless, you could buy a bigger telly and just close the curtains? Or support your local cinema? It’s cool and all, I just feel like it might bring up a few issues, and that’s just in the entertainment sector.
In conclusion, very cool – I would love to watch films on a display like that – but it does seem a bit isolating. And a bit purposeless. Especially for $3,500.
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