Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, many of those in the technology community have imagined a future state of, if not quasi-successor to, the Internet – called the “Metaverse”. Metverse is a vision of the future networking that sounds fantastical. The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space[1] including the sum of all virtual worlds and the Internet. The idea is to create a space similar to the internet, but one that users (via digital avatars) can walk around inside of and where they can interact with one another in real time. Keeping it simple, the metaverse is a potentially vast three-dimensional online world where people can meet up and interact virtually.
The metaverse was originally conceived as the setting for dystopian science fiction novels, where virtual universes provide an escape from crumbling societies. Now, the idea has transformed into a moonshot goal for Silicon Valley, and become a favorite talking point among startups, venture capitalists and tech giants. Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of miles away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach.
Tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet. Although the full vision for the Metaverse remains hard to define, seemingly fantastical, and decades away, the pieces have started to feel very real. Metaverse has become the newest macro-goal for many of the world’s tech giants. Big companies joining the discussion now may simply want to reassure investors that they won’t miss out on what could be the next big thing, or that their investments in VR, which has yet to gain broad commercial appeal, will eventually pay off.
‘Metaverse’: the next internet revolution? article tells that metaverse is the stuff of science-fiction: the term was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash”, in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world.
Facebook Wants Us to Live in the Metaverse. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg “What is the metaverse? It’s a virtual environment where you can be present with people in digital spaces. You can kind of think of this as an embodied internet that you’re inside of rather than just looking at.” Metaverse vision was the driver behind Facebook’s purchase of Oculus VR and its newly announced Horizon virtual world/meeting space, among many, many other projects, such as AR glasses and brain-to-machine communications. In a high-tech plan to Facebookify the world advertisements will likely be a key source of revenue in the metaverse, just as they are for the company today.
Term Metaverse was created by sci-fi author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 dystopian novel “Snow Crash” to describe a virtual space where people interact with one another through user-controlled avatars. That “Snow Crash” novel coined the terms “Metaverse” and “Avatar”.
Venture capitalist Matthew Ball has also written extensively on what he believes are the main attributes of a metaverse: a full-functioning economy, real-time persistence (no pausing), and interoperability of digital “belongings” such as clothing across multiple platforms. Experts working in the space tend to agree on a few key aspects of the metaverse, including the idea that users will experience a sense of “embodiment” or “presence.”. Read more at The Metaverse: What It Is, Where to Find it, Who Will Build It, and Fortnite and Big Tech has its eyes set on the metaverse. Here’s what that means
Proponents of the metaverse say there could eventually be huge business potential — a whole new platform on which to sell digital goods and services. If metaverse could be properly realized and catches on some future year, it is believed that metaverse would revolutionize not just the infrastructure layer of the digital world, but also much of the physical one, as well as all the services and platforms atop them, how they work, and what they sell. It is believed that verifiable, immutable ownership of digital goods and currency will be an essential component of the metaverse.
Did you hear? Facebook Inc. is going to become a metaverse company. At least that’s the story its management wants everyone to believe after a flurry of interviews and announcements over the past couple of weeks. Zuckerberg is turning trillion-dollar Facebook into a ‘metaverse’ company, he tells investors article tells that after release of Facebook’s earnings CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a moment to zoom out and wax on the company’s future goals, specifically calling out his ambitions to turn Facebook into “a metaverse company.”
Some pieces of the metaverse already exist. Services like Fortnite, an online game in which users can compete, socialize and build virtual worlds with millions of other players, can give users an early sense of how it will work. And some people have already spent thousands of dollars on virtual homes, staking out their piece of metaverse real estate.
Who will be big if metaverse catches on. Bloomberg article Who Will Win the Metaverse? Not Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook article claims the social networking giant and its CEO have vast ambitions to dominate the next big thing in computing, but other tech giants are in a better position to turn the hype into reality. Facebook’s actual track record on VR tells a story that has not been very promising. The two critical components needed for companies to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise from any potential metaverse are advanced semiconductors and software tools. Facebook is not strong on either front.
There are many other companies with Metaverse visions. For example Oculus’s technology has been surpassed by smaller competitors such as Valve Index, which offers better fidelity. Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella said last week that his company is working on building the “enterprise metaverse.” Epic Games announced a $1 billion funding round in April to support its metaverse ambitions. Companies like graphics chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) and gaming platform Roblox (RBLX) are also playing Metaverse game.
Despite the current hype cycle, the idea is still amorphous, and a fully functioning metaverse is probably years and billions of dollars away — if it happens at all. Another question is are we emotionally evolved enough for it? There is a host of concerns about how the metaverse could be used or exploited. “Are we safe to start interacting at a more person-to-person level, or are the a**holes still going to ruin it for everybody?” “If you can now replace somebody’s entire reality with an alternate reality, you can make them believe almost anything,”
Keep in mind that the metaverse is a relatively old idea that seems to gain momentum every few years, only to fade from the conversation in lieu of more immediate opportunities. Though “Fortnite” and “Roblox” are often described as precursors to the Metaverse, the most significant precursor to the Metaverse is the internet itself.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Hands-on with Meta’s Quest 3 prototype: lighter, thinner, faster, and with better video pass-through than the Quest 2, but the VR displays have similar clarity — This week, I go hands-on with Meta’s yet-to-be-announced Quest 3 and explain how it may be the biggest challenger to Apple’s new headset.
A First Look at the Headset That Could Be Apple’s Biggest Competition
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-05-28/meta-quest-3-real-life-hands-on-how-it-compares-to-apple-mixed-reality-headset-li7h3suy
This week, I go hands-on with Meta’s yet-to-be-announced Quest 3 and explain how it may be the biggest challenger to Apple’s new headset. Also: The first major iOS 17 details emerge, Apple extends its supply agreement with Broadcom, and a tap-to-pay executive departs.
Last week in Power On: A look at the key Apple executives responsible for the company’s upcoming headset.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/05/29/open-source-ar-hack-chat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An empty office may have led to legless avatars.
THERE’S AN INTERESTING THEORY ABOUT WHY ZUCKERBERG WASTED BILLIONS ON THE METAVERSE
https://futurism.com/the-byte/metaverse-mark-zuckerberg-spending-theory
THIS COULD EXPLAIN A LOT.
Hardly Knew Ye
With the metaverse seemingly dead and buried, the question remains: why, exactly, did investors fall for it in the first place?
In a searing editorial for New York Magazine, tech columnist John Herrman offered a simple explanation not only for why Facebook (er, Meta) CEO Mark Zuckerberg went all-in on his capital-M Metaverse, but also why so many execs and investors seemed to follow suit.
The answer, in short, lies in the world-changing COVID-19 pandemic — and specifically, in the executive-level backlash to employees seeming to be empowered by their ability to work from home, which was, as the virus raged pre-vaccine, the only way to keep the world going.
While AI fever dreams do appear to have killed the metaverse, they are, at least, more substantial than the farcical virtual reality worlds into which Zuckerberg and others have sunk so many billions of dollars.
“From one executive to an audience of other executives, the metaverse — at least Zuck’s take on it — offered a vision of the future in which everything was different but also pretty much the same: a disruptive technology that maintained the basic order of things, and where you once again knew what your employees were up to, even if they were just avatars,” the columnist excoriated.
The metaverse differed from other baldly exec-serving schemes in just how little, even in 2021, it seemed to provide to “anyone but executives.”
“It felt uncanny and hollow, and when people stopped talking about it so much, nobody who wasn’t directly invested seemed to care,” Herrman wrote. “It’s true that Silicon Valley has shifted its attention to AI, but what really killed the metaverse was workers returning to the office.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/06/02/chatting-about-the-state-of-hacker-friendly-ar-gear/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/06/02/hackaday-prize-2023-lask4-watches-those-finger-wiggles/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pelastavatko Applen ihmelasit Varjon?
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15051-pelastavatko-applen-ihmelasit-varjon
Apple esitteli eilen joukon uusia tuotteita WWDC 2023 -tapahtumassaan, mutta odotetuin uutuus oli ilman muuta Vision Pro -lasit, joiden tehtävät on mullistaa virtuaali- ja lisätyn todellisuuden markkinat. Mikäli Apple siinä onnistuu, se voisi olla onnenpotku myös suomalaiselle Varjolle.
IDC:n mukaan AR/VR-laseja myytiin viime vuonna 9 miljoonaa kappaletta. Määrä on 21 prosenttia pienempi kuin edellisvuonna, joten voidaan sanoa, että markkina on ollut pettymys. Meta kaappasi markkinoista 80 prosenttia, mutta totuus on, että kuluttajat eivät ole innostuneet virtuaalilaseista.
Applen lasit ovat yhtiölle tuttuun tyyliin raudaltaan hämmästyttävät. Lasien mekaaniseen suunnitteluun on kulutettu paljon aikaa. Panta näyttää paksulta, mutta on Applen mukaan hengittävä ja hyvinistuva. Lasien reunus blokkaa kaiken ympäröivän valon. Akku riittää kahden tunnin käyttöön, mutta laseja voi käyttää myös piuhaan kytkettynä.
Laseja ohjataan Applen ensimmäisen ”tilallisen” käyttöjärjestelmän avulla. VisionOS-alustaa pyörittää läppäreistä tuttu M2-prosessori, kamerat heijastavat kummallekin silmälle 4K-näkymää ja kymmenkunta anturia tulkitsee käsieleitä.
Lasien avulla käyttäjä voi ottaa FaceTime-puheluita, joissa ruutu leijuu ilmassa. Virtuaalisen työpöydän avulla voidaan ohjata Mac-tietokoneen ja iPadin sovelluksia. Käyttöliittymä näyttää MacOS:stä tai iPadista tutulta, paitsi että kuvakkeet leijuvat ilmassa.
Kummassakin OLED-paneelissa on 23 miljoonaa pikseliä. Kyse ei ole ihan fotorealistisesta kuvasta Varjon tapaan, mutta silti ollaan jo aika lähellä. Mutta Varjollakin toivotaan, että Visio Pro -lasit ovat massiivisesta 3500 dollarin hinnastaan huolimatta hitti, kun ne tulevat ensi vuonna markkinoille.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Seamlessly blends the real world and the virtual world”.
Vision Pro: Apple’s new augmented reality headset unveiled
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65809408?at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_format=link&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_origin=BBC_News&at_link_id=0F964022-03E6-11EE-B0C3-F4D4FF7C7F44&at_link_type=web_link&at_medium=social&at_ptr_name=facebook_page
Apple has unveiled a much-anticipated augmented reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, in its first major hardware launch for almost a decade.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the new headset “seamlessly blends the real world and the virtual world”.
The tech firm also announced its latest iPhone operating system, as well as updates to MacBook Air.
The headset has a two-hour battery life, costs $3,499 (£2,849) and will be released early next year in the US.
The cost is considerably higher than virtual reality headsets currently on the market. Last week Meta announced its Quest 3 – which costs $499.
Apple said little about generative artificial intelligence – the buzzy technology that is the talk of Silicon Valley.
The company’s share price fell slightly during the announcement, made at a developer’s conference at Apple Park, the company’s headquarters, in Cupertino, California.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The mixed-reality headset, which will run on a spatial operating system, could push Apple to a $3 trillion valuation depending on first-year sales. https://ie.social/V1o1Y
Tomi Engdahl says:
Speaking on “Good Morning America,” Apple CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged that Apple Vision Pro will be too expensive for many, but says the cost is because of the “mind-blowing” engineering in it.
Tim Cook: Apple Vision Pro tech is mindblowing, and will be too expensive for many
https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/06/06/tim-cook-apple-vision-pro-tech-is-mindblowing-and-will-be-too-expensive-for-many
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/100059516290428/posts/pfbid02dzhskD8KvRuoHWLdfCogj8HjYJSQpqrCzGiDqnuY8msD9pWpsryffUW4LVbXgjVzl/
We’ve never met. We’ve never talked. And still, I feel confident telling you that the Vision Pro isn’t for you.
If you know one thing about the headset, it’s probably the fact that it’s $3,500. When the one thing most people know about a product is its price, that product is almost certainly prohibitively expensive. The Vision Pro certainly is.
It’s a fact everyone in the media (ourselves certainly included) ran with. Apple is a consumer company that makes consumer products for consumers. Sure, the company has been known for its premium pricing for several decades now, but $3,500 isn’t a consumer price. The Vision Pro isn’t a consumer product.
Read more from Brian Heater on why the Apple Vision Pro isn’t for you here:
Sorry, but Apple’s Vision Pro isn’t for you
https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/06/sorry-but-apples-vision-pro-isnt-for-you/?fbclid=IwAR1XowyEbq8bUpMoS2DqJWsqmq1lQLvDkyhMyBzVZCQdBx5I_WXEVVsPjyg&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cDovL20uZmFjZWJvb2suY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFyhoib2PNlPxyMB1w5oVmphXHRHcI4B7eqzK5A5el8gLD8f4trziG_bNpRgtkmWTHOMQflswKLK2bQNOXuRIIm7hsKQM89E-p4GGLAiwmAPaC26SN_4UOxmHIp_irOoVrxgJyTXlwIXJbNZGQ9FLXJle07bRmohYzs7BaUDqG6M
Apple is a consumer company that makes consumer products for consumers. Sure, the company has been known for its premium pricing for several decades now, but $3,500 isn’t a consumer price. The Vision Pro isn’t a consumer product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:
Hands-on with the Apple Vision Pro, which seems to be a genuine leapfrog in XR capability and execution, offering near-perfect eye tracking and gesture control
First impressions: Yes, Apple Vision Pro works and yes, it’s good
https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/05/first-impressions-yes-apple-vision-pro-works-and-yes-its-good/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGVjaG1lbWUuY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIar-RBA7QScU1_mR8XkM9TNNWf2oRZby4CKNuMrD4J24XaP8hpOxmLdauwuz9uoFrZrbEACA-gz9_Vlq9ajQP6DFrcYVBAIYiCw4QYyFstu7vyqZldImdctesUKRGhiZT7RdHGHhtLFsah3ymZDCrXbpRg34w35cbrn0uxPEt0R
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Verge:
Apple acquires Los Angeles-based Mira, which makes AR headsets for companies and the US military; the startup had raised ~$17M and was once advised by Jony Ive — Apple has acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based AR startup that makes headsets for other companies and the US military …
Apple has bought an AR headset startup called Mira
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/6/23751350/apple-mira-ar-headset-startup
/ If you’ve ridden the Mario Kart ride at Nintendo World theme parks recently, you’ve used one of Mira’s headsets. The startup also has contracts with the US military.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple Vision Pro may take at least five years before it’s seen as an iPhone alternative, let alone a product killer, as Apple still needs to address its quirks
Apple Heralds the Post-iPhone Era, But Getting There Will Take Years
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-06-06/apple-vision-pro-a-post-mac-iphone-and-ipad-future-with-new-visionos-and-apps#xj4y7vzkg
Hey everyone, it’s Mark. Apple introduced the Vision Pro on Monday at WWDC, looking to an era beyond the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company also rolled out a new high-power computer chip, three new Macs and software updates across its main devices.
Last week in Power On: Apple’s long-awaited next big thing is nearly here.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“What does it say about a device when a CEO refuses to use it on launch day?”
APPLE EXECS SEEM TERRIFIED OF BEING PHOTOGRAPHED WEARING DORKY AR HEADSET
https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-execs-terrified-photographed-ar-headset?fbclid=IwAR2GxW1c6-_0CZiHpwzGF8_HWQ0qSAugCzeon8G_VzEgmwC3kiQCIHi5I6M
Dorky Goggles
Apple launched its next big thing, a scuba goggles-like mixed-reality headset called Vision Pro, with soaring music and rapturous speeches during a flashy event on Monday.
But avid Apple watchers noticed that the company execs were never seen, let alone photographed, wearing the device, leading to speculation on social media that they were embarrassed to be seen with an odd-looking pair of animated eyes, a bizarre feature of the new headset.
Models in the company’s presentation video were shown extensively wearing the $3,499 headset. In a segment for “Good Morning America” earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook presented the odd-looking googles to co-host Robin Roberts, who took them for a spin — but curiously, Cook never put them on himself.
“Unless I missed something, it is very curious to me why there are no photos of Tim Cook or other Apple executives actually wearing the Vision Pro,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vision Pro: Apple’s new augmented reality headset unveiled
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65809408
Apple has unveiled a much-anticipated augmented reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, in its first major hardware launch for almost a decade.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the new headset “seamlessly blends the real world and the virtual world”.
The tech firm also announced its latest iPhone operating system, as well as updates to MacBook Air.
The headset has a two-hour battery life, costs $3,499 (£2,849) and will be released early next year in the US.
Tomi Engdahl says:
APPLE’S NEW AR HEADSET SCANS YOUR EYEBALLS TO UNLOCK
https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-ar-headset-scans-eyeballs-unlock
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s newest headset is a technological leap far beyond its competitors—but it’s still not clear what it’s for.
This Is What It’s Like To Use Apple’s New Vision Pro Mixed-Reality Headset
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnpaczkowski/2023/06/07/this-is-what-its-like-to-use-apples-new-vision-pro-mixed-reality-headset/?sh=45a30da939e4&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainFB&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1u5UpJNiOJOPwbnW4yX6UZb03Vd4KaMxh0txkXhHm_aMu9_Wg2ww5vxH8
Apple’s newest headset is a technological leap far beyond its competitors—but it’s still not clear what it’s for.
Apple definitely has something with its new Vision Pro mixed reality headset. I’m just not quite sure what it is — and I’m not certain Apple is either.
That was my big takeaway from Monday’s Apple event and a hands-on demo with the company’s first major new product in nearly a decade, and a pioneering foray into the new world of spatial computing that CEO Tim Cook is staking his legacy on.
After about 30 minutes with the device, I can say that this is the most surprise and delight I’ve felt in playing with a new Apple product since AirPods. The Vision Pro is hands down the best XR/VR/AR experience I’ve ever had. Nothing comes close; everything that came before feels like a parade of developer betas. Yes, it is far more expensive than the Meta Quest and other hardware like it, but the experience Vision Pro provides obliterates the ones they offer. The Meta Quest might as well be a Happy Meal toy now.
But even though I was wildly impressed by my experience using the Vision Pro, it’s not clear where this latest Apple innovation and the “spatial computing” that it pioneers is taking us.
Here’s the thing: all of the advantages of Apple’s previous innovations were obvious. Before Apple put 1000 songs in my pocket, it was a pain to manage my gigantic CD collection. I loved every step of the path that saw my work-issued cinderblock of a laptop become a slim piece of hardware you could slip into a Manila envelope. All those things made my life and the lives of many transformatively better. They made my kid’s lives better, though they will never truly understand this because they were born into a world where many things truly “just work.” And to be clear, things absolutely did not just work for a long time. With this device, Apple has gotten the closest yet to making mixed reality work. The difference between its past breakthroughs is this, though: I don’t know why I need it to.
The hardware is … sick.
My demo (which was tightly orchestrated and accompanied by a human guide) was scheduled for an hour and 15 minutes, far longer than any Apple demo I’ve ever attended. I was certain that was because setup would take at least 30 minutes. It took under five, total. Two Face ID-esque scans, and something akin to a peripheral vision tracking exercise to essentially tether the interface to my eyes, and I was good to go. (I wear contacts and did not require additional calibration for glasses.)
The user interface — particularly the eye tracking — was, quite frankly, stunning. You can easily, intuitively look at an app icon with your eyes, pinch your fingers together with a hand resting on your thigh and launch an app. You can drag an app across your field of vision in much the same way Tom Cruise did in Minority Report. Yes, there is a learning curve, but not much of one. It is easy to be accurate; I was prepared for a bit of struggle and frustration; I had none. But I was also left wondering why I would want to do any of it with goggles strapped to my face when I can already accomplish all these things on my iPhone and Macbook.
Visuals and the displays that render them are stunning. Apple’s monomaniacal attention to detail has made everything (at least the stuff in the demo) beautiful and, crucially, legible. Text is easy to read. Images are beautiful and beautifully detailed. Visuals and the displays that render them are stunning. Window transparencies are elegant.
Apple was right. You cannot appreciate the 3D photo/video capabilities of this thing without wearing it.
With the Vision Pro, $3500 is the price of early adoption, which early adopters and Apple well know. (I don’t get the name either.)
Yes, it does look like an expensive pair of ski goggles. There are only so many form factors you can use when cramming enough camera, display and onboard processing power to put a realistic dinosaur in your living room. And there’s a good reason why Tim Cook did not wear it on stage! Did you really think Apple comms was going to risk Cook creating a new tech CEO dystopia meme? I am sure they were quite happy to leave that to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
But most of all, it’s unclear what people will regularly use it for. I see how this could be a workplace collaboration tool — it’s intuitive, easy and generally slick, but I’m not sure why I would. There’s a hurdle here and it’s not technological, it’s social. Are we really going to wear this at work? Would we wear it while working from home? Do I really want to be the first guy on the plane to put this thing on my face?
Honestly, I have absolutely no idea.
There are many questions like these to be answered and a 30 minute demo hardly provides enough experience to begin considering them. I think the BIG question here, and the one I’m most interested in hearing answered, is: what problems does the Vision Pro solve? What needs does it fill?
It’s a platform, Apple insists. I agree. But a platform for what? Games seems to be the obvious application, but my demo noticeably didn’t feature one (perhaps it wasn’t ready to). Work applications? I’m not sure why I need goggles when I have my MacBook. Movies? I could turn a room in my house into a private theater for the same amount of money.
And so the big question remains: How are we really going to use this thing? And more importantly, how are they?
Tomi Engdahl says:
A closer look at Apple’s Vision Pro keyboard and other controls / A developer session explores how users’ eyes and hands will be the primary ways of controlling the headset, which also supports physical and virtual keyboards, voice, and game controllers.
A closer look at Apple’s Vision Pro keyboard and other controls / A developer session explores how users’ eyes and hands will be the primary ways of controlling the headset, which also supports physical and virtual keyboards, voice, and game controllers.
A closer look at Apple’s Vision Pro keyboard and other controls / A developer session explores how users’ eyes and hands will be the primary ways of controlling the headset, which also supports physical and virtual keyboards, voice, and game controllers.
A closer look at Apple’s Vision Pro keyboard and other controls / A developer session explores how users’ eyes and hands will be the primary ways of controlling the headset, which also supports physical and virtual keyboards, voice, and game controllers.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/8/23753618/apple-vision-pro-virtual-keyboard-controls-wwdc-2023
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2600net/permalink/3622015348021564/
I can see both sides of the argument for this VR. The idea of strapping a screen to our faces has been tried for decades and each time the experience has never taken off because people still care about how they look wearing these things. They look anti social. TV screens have always been able to the job reasonably already – I think apple know Metas cheap VRs have bombed so just want to Try the top end of the market, but unless we can get VR that feeds us regularly, allows us to use the bathroom and pay our bills I don’t see how this can be ever a thing anyone really wants.
Zuckerberg’s Apple Vision Pro hot take just gave him a Ballmer iPhone moment
https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/06/09/zuckerbergs-apple-vision-pro-hot-take-just-gave-him-a-ballmer-iphone-moment?fbclid=IwAR2SQJ6u3ehPiX-MekgVXi7RDFMyp1_fzFba6hEQmtTA7NPTogvPsIJC3_4
On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg chimed in with his thoughts about the Apple Vision Pro, and they’re oddly reminiscent of how Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer slammed the iPhone for being useless and of no value to customers.
On the one hand, it’s good for the head of a rival company not to seem all that worried about an incoming competitive product. On the other hand, executives that have dismissed something of Apple’s for the last 20 years has historically ended very poorly.
Just ask Microsoft’s former CEO, Steve Ballmer.
Back in 2007, following Steve Jobs’s unveiling of the original iPhone, Ballmer laughed a little at Apple’s “expensive” smartphone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silmälaseja tarvitsevat Apple Vision Pro -käyttäjät saattavat joutua maksamaan satojen eurojen lisähinnan – ja myös isopäiset
https://muropaketti.com/tietotekniikka/tietotekniikkauutiset/silmalaseja-tarvitsevat-apple-vision-pro-kayttajat-joutuvat-saattavat-joutua-maksamaan-satojen-eurojen-lisahinnan-ja-myos-isopaiset/
Apple julkisti vastikään lisätyn todellisuuden Vision Pro -lasinsa kovien lupausten saattelemana.
Tulevan tuotteen hankinta on melkoisen kallista, sillä sen hinta on 3 499 dollaria (noin 3 265 euroa). Silmälaseja käyttävät joutuvat irvistämään vielä kovemmin, sillä he saattavat joutua maksamaan lisähintaa.
Huhun mukaan Apple tekee yhteistyötä Zeissin kanssa, joka tekisi reseptin ja käyttäjän näkökyvyn perusteella muokatut linssit tuotteeseen.
Bloombergin Mark Gurmanin mukaan yksilölliset linssit maksaisivat 300-600 dollaria, eli vähintään useita satoja euroja. Hinta voisi nousta näin 4000 dollarin liepeille.
Isolla päällä siunatut saattavat hekin joutua kaivamaan taskunpohjiaan, sillä huhutusti isompi pääpanta saattaa maksaa enemmän kuin vakiopanta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“That’s the future we’re driving towards — with everyone in the floating chairs, drinking their food out of straws, and constant 24/7 entertainment.”
JACK DORSEY SAYS VR WILL TURN US INTO THE BLOB PEOPLE FROM “WALL-E”
https://futurism.com/the-byte/jack-dorsey-vr-blob-people-wall-e?fbclid=IwAR11Z3Mit36RcCmsJIxNx_dhNoAXnRWx7qKX8nfhjLqrcQ8tBQVXe-vxo_8
“THAT’S THE FUTURE WE’RE DRIVING TOWARDS — WITH EVERYONE IN THE FLOATING CHAIRS, DRINKING THEIR FOOD OUT OF STRAWS, AND CONSTANT 24/7 ENTERTAINMENT.”
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey isn’t very optimistic about our near future.
In a recent interview with YouTube news channel Breaking Points, Dorsey said that he’s worried we’ll all turn into the blobby people being carted around on hovering recliners, a dystopian vision depicted in the Pixar animation classic “WALL-E.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
He’s working on an upgrade to make it so you can’t remove the headset until the game is over. https://www.iflscience.com/if-you-die-in-the-game-you-die-in-real-life-oculus-rift-creator-unveils-new-vr-headset-66102
Tomi Engdahl says:
Step into Valve’s immersive Nokia Arena use case! This project showcases the potential of Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies as well as Valve’s creativity and results-driven marketing to inspire demanding audiences.
Read more about Valve’s immersive marketing for Nokia!
https://www.valve.fi/en/news/valve-brings-silver-boi-home?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=News%3A+E3+silver+NOKIA+clip+2+%7C+Traffic+%7C+Video+%7C+Lifetime+35+eur+%7C+15-6-2023&hsa_acc=575744539302880&hsa_cam=23854718998320213&hsa_grp=23854718998300213&hsa_ad=23854718998310213&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3&fbclid=IwAR0RsfygnN3DWRQ2XLuBWx15d3fcSTBJqZy1OvN395PmW47uA-hsvvfh6b8_aem_th_Af0S4YIKcV52oBtTxeUSVhj1DiwpWTnFjvibqcOJNeoY1_4eQSN5q4mqTew-V2C7frWI_K_DP4uH4RW9qOsZ7Ymo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Epic releases MetaHuman Animator, which lets Unreal Engine users capture a facial performance with an iPhone and apply the animation to a character in “minutes”
Epic’s latest tool can animate hyperrealistic MetaHumans with an iPhone
/ MetaHuman Animator lets Unreal Engine users quickly capture a performance and apply the resulting animation to a MetaHuman character. Epic claims the process can be completed in ‘minutes.’
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/15/23761852/epic-games-metahuman-animator-performance-capture-iphone
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Heaney / UploadVR:
Meta rolls out the Quest v55 update, boosting the Quest 2 and Pro maximum clock speeds by up to 19% for the GPU and 26% for the CPU, as Quest 3 preps for launch — The Quest v55 update brings the promised CPU & GPU clock speed increases for Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
Quest v55 Delivers The Promised Quest 2 & Pro Performance Boost And More
https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-v55-update-performance-boost/
The Quest v55 update brings the promised CPU & GPU clock speed increases for Quest 2 and Quest Pro.
The Quest OS dynamically adjusts the CPU and GPU clock frequencies to give apps the performance they need without wasting battery when they don’t need it.
In December, Meta increased Quest 2’s maximum GPU clock speed by 7% in a software update. In v55, the company is increasing it by a further 19%, and also increasing the maximum CPU clock speed by 26%.
Quest 2′s maximum GPU frequency should now be around 625 Mhz. For comparison, Pico 4 uses the same chipset and its maximum was 587 Mhz as of November.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
How Apple is readying the Vision Pro to ship in 2024 and a look at its Mac plans, including upgrading its lineup to M3 and early work on a 30″-or-larger iMac — After debuting the Vision Pro, Apple is working on finishing up the device’s software, expanding testing and finalizing the rollout strategy.
Apple Has Finally Unveiled the Vision Pro. Here’s What It’s Launching Next
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-06-25/apple-2023-and-2024-road-map-iphone-15-m3-macs-ipad-air-vision-pro-headset-ljbftjwx
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Heaney / UploadVR:
Report: Google canceled its “Iris” AR glasses project earlier in 2023 to focus on creating AR software platforms to license to headset manufacturers — Google reportedly killed its glasses hardware project. — Business Insider’s Hugh Langley cites “three people familiar with the matter” …
Google Reportedly Killed Its AR Glasses, Will Focus On Android For Third Party Hardware
https://www.uploadvr.com/google-killed-project-iris-android-xr-samsung/
Google reportedly killed its glasses hardware project.
Business Insider’s Hugh Langley cites “three people familiar with the matter” as saying the hardware, which resembled standard glasses, was canceled earlier this year amid the mass layoffs at Google and the departure of Google’s AR/VR chief Clay Bavor.
The report suggests the canceled glasses emerged from Google’s 2020 acquisition of North. An early version reportedly “closely resembled” North’s product Focals, and the glasses Google publicly showed last year for live translation were apparently a more recent version.
Those glasses didn’t appear to have any kind of tracking cameras though, and the “simulated point of view” showed a head-locked overlay. So it’s unclear whether Google’s canceled glasses were actually full AR, or just smart HUD glasses of the kind Meta reportedly plans to ship with Luxottica in 2025.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uploadvr.com/google-killed-project-iris-android-xr-samsung/
Langley reports Google is now focused on providing the software platform for other companies’ hardware products instead: Android “XR” for headsets and Android “micro XR” for glasses. XR is a catch-all term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.
In February Samsung officially announced it was working on an XR headset, with Google handling “the software”.
Apple reportedly postponed its full AR glasses “indefinitely” earlier this year, but Meta reportedly plans to ship full AR glasses in 2027 and seed an early prototype to developers as soon as next year.
https://www.uploadvr.com/apple-shelves-ar-glasses-but-plans-cheaper-headset/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.neowin.net/news/meta-allows-10-year-old-kids-to-use-its-quest-vr-headset/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Financial Times:
Sources: Apple has cut Vision Pro production plans from 1M to less than 400K units in 2024 due to manufacturing problems
https://www.ft.com/content/b6f06bde-17b0-4886-b465-b561212c96a9
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näihin museoihin pääsee virtuaalisesti – tee taidekierros puhelimella ilmaiseksi
Museot ovat lähteneet taistoon kotona aikaa viettävien tylsistymistä vastaan.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/digiuutiset/a/9fdb5434-db82-4d27-99e5-ef4299bd71b7
Tomi Engdahl says:
Buying Apple’s Vision Pro headset could require an appointment and a face scan / Apple’s $3,499 headset may be available by appointment only.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/7/23786865/apple-vision-pro-headset-store-retail-face-scan?fbclid=IwAR3QIsUcfjxYmcylV3TPEYOZRDEYsl6O8bVT6075FEYNv_pDr9Z7D7rq0nw
Apple is planning to sell its $3,499 Vision Pro headset on an appointment-only basis at launch, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. According to Gurman, Apple will create designated sections where customers can try on the headset in its stores, with the first ones appearing at stores in major areas like New York and Los Angeles.
Apple will reportedly ask in-store buyers to schedule an appointment to purchase the Vision Pro, similar to the rollout of the first Apple Watch in 2015. During the appointment, Gurman says Apple will ensure that the Vision Pro fits the wearer and also outfit the device with prescription lens inserts if needed. Gurman says Apple Stores will need to keep “hundreds or thousands of lenses” in stock as a result.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2023/07/10/add-peripheral-lighting-to-improve-vr-immersion/
Tomi Engdahl says:
”En voi taata, että olen oikeassa” – Mark Zuckerbergin hillitön riski on maksanut jo 40 miljardia dollaria https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000009746215.html
Metaversumi-hanke on syönyt käsittämättömän paljon rahaa, mutta sijoittajat näyttävät antavan sen Mark Zuckerbergille anteeksi.
METAN perustajan ja toimitusjohtajan Mark Zuckerbergin jopa pakkomielteeksi luonnehdittu suurhanke metaverse eli metaversumi on ylittänyt jonkinlaisen merkkipaalun.
Business Insiderin mukaan metaversumin taustalla oleva yksikkö Reality Labs on nyt tehnyt tappiota jo yli 40 miljardia dollaria eli noin 36 miljardia euroa.
Tietoturvayhtiö WithSecuren tutkimusjohtaja Mikko Hyppönen esitti keväällä arvauksen, miksi Meta on ollut valmis kaatamaan metaversumiin miljardikaupalla rahaa. Syy kytkeytyy Metan ostaman Oculus-yhtiön virtuaalilaseihin, joilla metaversumia on määrä käyttää. Metan tavoitteena voi olla lukea käyttäjien verkkokalvoja näillä laseilla.
– Verkkokalvot eivät valehtele. Niistä huomaa heti, kun näemme [virtuaalimaailmassa] jotain mitä rakastamme tai vihaamme, Hyppönen sanoi.
Hyppönen muistutti, että Facebookin bisnes on luoda meistä profiileja ja myydä niitä mainostajille. Tällä tavalla käyttäjistä olisi mahdollista saada varmasti paikkaansa pitävää biometristä tietoa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/ilmiselvaa-jalkikateen-nain-apple-kehitti-vision-pro-virtuaalilasejaan-vuosien-ajan-kirkkaassa-paivanvalossa/5d341dda-1f0a-4f9b-9836-0296ca7110ef
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meta Hit With Trifecta Of Fails: Metaverse, Smart Glasses, Threads
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/meta-hit-trifecta-fails-metaverse-smart-glasses-threads?fbclid=IwAR2tCsrMFSm286xS7Ull9y5cHhwejguwj-VDeDD4sl_11rigvCrgS3ywM6Q
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/08/09/why-vr-as-monitor-replacement-is-likely-to-be-terrible-for-a-while-yet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/08/10/weird-lens-allows-light-field-passthrough-for-vr-headset/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15186-nokia-360-asteen-metaverse-videoita-voi-laehettaeae-reaaliajassa
Nokia, TPG Telecom ja MediaTek ovat demonneet esittelevät 360 asteen videolähetyksiä 5G-linkin yli. Reaaliaikainen 360videon siirto vaatii paljon kaistaa, mutta Nokian kantoaaltojen yhdistäminen uplinkissä mahdollisti tämän.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/08/08/laajennettu-todellisuus-tehostaa-tuotekehitysprosessia-ja-huoltoliiketoimintaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Metaverses are flopping – hard – says Gartner
Clunky, costly, literally sickening data silos just aren’t better than the real world
https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/28/metaverse_adoption_slow_gartner/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/15/microsoft_windows_11_holographic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/07/09/enhance-vr-immersion-by-shoehorning-an-ambilight-into-a-headset/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2023/08/25/virtuaalitodellisuus-tuo-hyotya-teatteriesityksiin/
Tulevaisuudessa suomalaisteatterin katsoja voi valita jopa oman roolinsa ja näytellä virtuaalitodellisuudessa muiden VR-videolla mukana olevien kanssa. Uuden teknologian hyödyntämistä kartoitettiin suomalaisessa Kokemusten talo -teatterihankkeessa. Euroopan aluerahaston tukemassa hankkeessa oli mukana neljä suomalaista ammattikorkeakoulua.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alex Blake / Digital Trends:
An interview with Apple executives Susan Prescott and Steve Sinclair on building apps for the Vision Pro and how Apple is trying to lure developers to make apps — Apple’s Vision Pro headset hasn’t launched yet, but already it’s become one of the most hotly debated devices on the planet.
Exclusive: How Apple inspired creators to take a risk on its $3,500 Vision Pro
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apple-vision-pro-developers-interview/
Apple’s Vision Pro headset hasn’t launched yet, but already it’s become one of the most hotly debated devices on the planet. Whether you think it’s the most exciting gadget in years or a potebtial waste of time and money, chances are Apple has got you talking about it.
The company has a lot riding on its first new product category since the Apple Watch, but it clearly can’t succeed if developers aren’t interested in building apps for it. After all, opening the Vision Pro’s app store to the sound of crickets chirping wouldn’t leave a good impression.
Apple, though, is supremely confident that won’t happen, and strongly believes developers are going to flock to its groundbreaking new device. In an exclusive interview, the firm told me exactly what it’s been doing to sell developers on Vision Pro, and why customers are going to love it.
In the weeks after Apple unveiled the Vision Pro headset at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023, there were reports that the device’s developer labs — where app creators could work directly with Apple to bring their ideas closer to a finished product — were sparsely attended, suggesting a collective shrug of the shoulders from the developer community.
Apple insists, however, that devs are even more excited for the product than the company expected. The company has seen “extremely high, three-digit customer satisfaction for the labs that we’ve run so far,” says Prescott, using a creative way to imply universally positive feedback.
Similarly, Sinclair told us that “the number of SDK downloads has exceeded our expectations,” referring to the software development kit Apple has provided to anyone wanting to build an app on the headset’s operating system, visionOS. Both Apple reps are convinced that Vision Pro has been very popular among developers.
A new computing era?
Apple is not the first company to attempt an extended reality (XR) headset. Many other companies have tried to capture the public’s imagination with their devices, but so far no one has achieved the kind of breakout success that would make these headsets a mainstream fixture.
XR headsets remain largely niche products, and industry analysts have predicted that Vision Pro will sell in far lower quantities than Apple’s flagship products like the iPhone and the Mac in its first few years. Have fears of a small-scale userbase concerned developers?
“Not at all,” says Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games, a company that has been making XR games for years. “I feel very convinced that Apple coming into this market segment is going to be monumental,” he explains, comparing the dawn of Vision Pro to the early stages of the computer era in the 1980s.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Eran Orr, Miki Levy, and Xavi Oromi of XRHealth, an outfit specializing in XR apps made for the health care industry. They told me that “XR devices are now where smartphones were 20 years ago, but in the next 20 years,it will be the main device that all of us will use.” As such, they had no hesitation about working on Apple’s headset.
But if Vision Pro is going to be a success, it can’t just rely on a bevy of enthusiastic developers captivated by the novelty of a new Apple device. Once the new product smell wears off, Apple will have to continue to attract app makers to its platform.
“Designing and developing Blackbox for [augmented reality] is still a huge challenge, but being able to build it all in Swift and with iOS frameworks I’m already familiar with closed the intimidation gap enough for me to dive in,” he said.
There’s more that could be done, though. Palm believes that “Apple needs to continue to build tools and solutions that support them as the platform expands,” arguing that this is just important as the “big, important first steps” of building a strong relationship with both developers and consumers.
Orr, Levy, and Oromi of XRHealth have a more specific request: “If Apple had a grant for those developers that cannot afford to purchase a headset or a Mac, it would help not only the developer community, but also empower the world to create more potentially life-changing applications.”
McLeod agrees that hands-on time with a Vision Pro headset is vital for developers. “Apple should be doing their utmost to get as many developers as possible hardware, or at the very least into the labs,” he explains. “This is truly one of those things where you have to try it to get it — I don’t think you can be moved to build something truly great without that in-headset experience.”
Whether Apple does that remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the developers I spoke to are impressed with that they’ve experienced so far. That bodes well for Apple’s all-in gamble on extended reality.
Of course, these are all developers who are already working on apps for Vision Pro, and so are invested in the platform to some degree or another. The real ongoing test for Apple will be twofold: to convince even more developers to start building on visionOS, and to persuade ordinary folk that it’s worth dropping $3,499 on the type of device most of them have probably never tried before.
Success in either of those areas is by no means guaranteed,
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Heaney / UploadVR:
Report: Meta has partnered with LG to launch a new Quest Pro in 2025 to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro; Meta also plans to release a sub-$200 headset in 2024 — Meta is reportedly partnering with LG for future Quest Pro headsets. — In November last year South Korean news outlet SBS Biz reported Meta …
Meta Reportedly Partnering With LG For 2025 Quest Pro Successor
https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-quest-pro-2-lg-partnership-2025/
Meta is reportedly partnering with LG for future Quest Pro headsets.
In November last year South Korean news outlet SBS Biz reported Meta had entered talks with LG Display with the aim of securing OLED microdisplay supply for future headsets. Microdisplays have significantly higher pixel densities and thus can enable higher resolution more compact headsets.
A new report from another Korean news outlet, Maeil Business Newspaper, suggests this has now resulted in a much broader partnership with the LG Group, involving multiple of its subsidiaries, to build future Quest Pro headsets.
LG Electronics will reportedly handle production, using LG Display displays, LG Energy batteries, and other components from LG Innotek. The first product from the partnership is reportedly slated for 2025, priced at around $2000.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/04/see-some-of-the-stranger-vr-ideas-from-siggraph/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.io/project/190611-enhancer-mask-lite
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
How some doctors are using VR to help patients manage pain and to practice by simulating procedures, as medical schools insert the tech into their curriculums
Meta’s VR technology is helping to train surgeons and treat patients, though costs remain a hurdle
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/09/metas-vr-technology-is-helping-to-train-surgeons-and-treat-patients.html
Surgeons are using Meta’s Quest 2 to simulate procedures, allowing doctors to practice from home.
Virtual reality technologies have gained adoption in the area of pain management.
Medical schools are starting to insert VR into the curriculum.
Both doctors were wearing Meta
Quest 2 headsets as they walked through a 3D simulation of the surgery. The procedure, called a reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, can last around two hours and requires surgeons to carefully navigate around neurovascular structures and the lungs.
After the mock procedure, Shine took his headset home to practice. He did so roughly twice a day before the surgery.
While consumer VR remains a niche product and a massive money-burning venture for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the technology is proving to be valuable in certain corners of health care. Kettering Health Dayton is one of dozens of health systems in the U.S. working with emerging technologies like VR as one tool for helping doctors to train on and treat patients.
The broad category of “extended reality” includes fully immersive VR headsets like the Quest 2, and augmented reality (AR) devices, where the user can see a digital overlay on top of real-world surroundings.
Whether the nascent technology can ever be cost-effective across the medical industry is very much an open question, but early tests are showing the potential utility of VR in helping to improve health outcomes.
Meta, then known as Facebook, entered the market with the purchase of Oculus in 2014. Three years later, the company introduced its first stand-alone headset. In 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta, and Zuckerberg committed to spending billions, betting the metaverse would be “the next chapter for the internet.” Since the beginning of last year, Meta’s Reality Labs unit, which develops the company’s VR and AR, has lost over $21 billion.
Apple is preparing to enter the VR market, going after the higher-end user with the $3,500 Vision Pro that’s expected to debut early next year. Meta is slated to release the Meta Quest 3 as soon as next month.
An Apple spokesperson didn’t provide a comment on potential uses in health care and directed CNBC to an announcement in June regarding Vision Pro’s software developer kit. In that announcement, Jan Herzhoff, Elsevier Health’s president, is quoted as saying that her company’s Complete HeartX mixed reality offering ”will help prepare medical students for clinical practice by using hyper-realistic 3D models and animations that help them understand and visualize medical issues, such as ventricular fibrillation, and how to apply their knowledge with patients.”
Extended reality as treatment for patients
To date, one of the primary applications of VR in health care has been targeted at pain treatment.
“It’s very hard to keep track of pain when you’re in a fantastical cyberdelic world,” said Dr. Brennan Spiegel, director of health services research at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
Spiegel said that when someone is injured, there is both a physical and an emotional component to their pain. Those signals are sent to two different parts of the brain, and VR can serve to tamp down the signals in both regions.
“It’s training people how to modify their spotlight of attention so they can swing it away from the painful experiences,” Spiegel said. “Not just the physical, but the emotional experiences.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
How some doctors are using VR to help patients manage pain and to practice by simulating procedures, as medical schools insert the tech into their curriculums
Meta’s VR technology is helping to train surgeons and treat patients, though costs remain a hurdle
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/09/metas-vr-technology-is-helping-to-train-surgeons-and-treat-patients.html