The one good thing about Apple's high-end ski goggles
Apple just unveiled their ski goggles for the super-rich: Apple Vision Pro, priced at $3499, to be available in early 2024. If you're done reading all the "Here's why you should be using ChatGPT for your event strategy" posts, you can now happily move on to "Here's why every event marketer needs a VR Strategy" posts. Happy days!
Allow me to clarify my position on VR before moving on to the one thing I like about the Apple Vision Pro:
A VR tech company sent me an Oculus Quest2 at the height of the pandemic, and I've tested it extensively. I've attended events in (or on? at? through?) it, using many different VR event platforms available. They were weirdly fresh, generally poorly executed, and mostly fun experiences. I even saw a fight once! (between human attendees, that is)
Leaving aside all the obvious problems (of overall bad UX, the discomfort of carrying a box on your head, and short battery life), what we have in VR is the closest approximation of face-to-face co-presence we can achieve technologically today. Even so, it frustratingly is light years away from the real thing, and we should not even spend time comparing the two.
This being said, if the current generation of VR is the Nokia 3310, this post won't age well when the iPhones of the world come out. For clarity, I don't think the Vision Pro is the iPhone of VR yet. Speaking of which, here's the one thing that stands out for me in this device:
Apple’s ski goggles
If you're like me, you might have thought that the Vision Pro is a see-through device, and people in the room can see your face through it. Well, you're mistaken. That isn't your face, that is a screen projecting your face, and I like it!
It scans your face in detail, creates a realistic 3D model of it, and recreates your face in real-time using eye and facial expression tracking. This hyperrealistic (Apple's terminology) model is then used to represent you in calls, and part of it is projected on the front visor, creating the see-through effect. It's the redefinition of what an Avatar is. Very, very cool.
While I'm still not convinced of the need or use case for a pricey device like this, I appreciate what Apple is trying to do to create a more immersive experience and make virtual face-to-face closer to becoming a reality. It is a strong recognition of the importance placed on face-to-face by the world's most valuable (tech) company.
For an event industry view on face-to-face: read my article on why Face-to-face is the king of human interaction and Hyve’s recent report on the same subject.
As we move from the Nokia 3310's towards the iPhones of VR, more devices will mimic face-to-face better and in more innovative ways than this one. There sure will come a tipping point where it'll be virtually (no pun intended) indistinguishable from an actual person in a video call, maybe even further.
We, the event industry, shall be watching closely.