Apple Vision Pro: Will it Replace Phones in the Future?
Mondo Admin / 12-03-2024 / Tech
Can you imagine parting ways with your smartphone forever? Well, that future might here sooner than you think. And guess who's ready to shake things up? None other than Apple with its first-ever mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro.
Yes, it will require you to swap a handheld device for a wearable that you strap around your head and over your eyes, but that’s what the future looks like, right? I mean, movies like Ready Player One have been preparing us for this moment for years.
So, join us as we attempt to answer the question that has intrigued humankind for the past few months: Will the Apple Vision Pro replace phones in the future?
A very spatial device
But first, what even is the Apple Vision Pro? Let’s see if Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, can shed some light. Speaking at the launch event in June last year, he stated:
“Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and the iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing."
Spatial computing? Now, we have more questions than answers.
An immersive interactive mash-up
To get a better understanding of the Apple Vision Pro, it’s key to understand Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). These two technologies blend the digital world with your physical surroundings – and this is the essence of the device.
- VR creates computer-generated 3D environments that may resemble the real world or be entirely fantastical
- AR overlays digital information onto the real world, enhancing it with computer-generated elements
In other words, VR creates a completely immersive simulated environment, like a virtual tour of a home, while AR provides information, graphics, or interactive elements on top of real-world objects, like visualising furniture in your home before purchasing it or catching Pokémon in your backyard.
Let the immersion begin
At this early stage, the Vision Pro tilts more towards a VR headset, but its goal is to integrate far more AR technology, where all types of apps transcend physical screens, creating a computing experience that always surrounds us, both in the physical and virtual worlds. So, as Tim Cook said, “spatial computing”.
But if you were to get your hands on this device today, there's so much to love, like interacting with Apple’s most-used apps using your eye movements, voice, or hand gestures. You’ll be able to enjoy an immersive experience watching movies, embarking on virtual tours, connecting with loved ones via FaceTime, playing games and capturing spatial videos or photos using the 3D camera.
99 problems & a smartphone ain't one
Before we attempt to answer whether the Apple Vision Pro will replace phones in the future, let’s just say – 'future' is the keyword here. Currently, it isn't snatching the smartphone crown. If it were, these are all the problems you’d have to live with:
- You may need to take out a loan or file for bankruptcy because the device come in at a budget-busting $3,499.
- You’ll need to stay glued to your charging port because the battery lasts for only two hours.
- If you decide to go out, you won’t have the convenience of tucking it away in your pocket or bag.
- Even if you’re doing simple tasks, like sending a message or rejecting a call from a salesperson, you still need to wear the device.
- It’s quite heavy, so you may feel a little uncomfortable after a while.
Apple’s playing the long game
With all those problems, you'll be crying for your smartphone in a matter of minutes. However, as the technology improves over time, we’ll expect to see:
- A better battery life.
- Enhanced designs for all-day wear (likely one that leans towards a smart-glasses design without losing the immersive element).
- Improved accessibility, affordability and availability to a broader, more diverse audience.
But perhaps most importantly, psychological and emotional factors need to shift. Right now, most people can’t imagine moving away from a handheld device to a VR/AR headset. It may bring about feelings of awkwardness, disconnection with the real world and uneasiness as you filter your vision through a device. It’s simply not accepted by society to use a primary device, let alone one that's literally attached to your body. But a shift in the collective mindset can change this. It's a long game and it looks like Apple is definitely willing to play.
Anything is possible when a $3 trillion company has a vision
Finally, it’s time to answer the question. Will the Apple Vision Pro replace smartphones in the future? To that, we say … maybe, possibly, potentially! Sorry for the anti-climax, but it's too soon to definitively say yes or no. If any company is going to be a major disruptor, convincing more than 80% of the world to look up from their phones and into a headset, it's undoubtedly the world’s first $3 trillion company! Apple has the time, the resources and the ingenuity to make it happen.
It could be a gradual takeover, where VR/AR headsets (or glasses) first replace tablets as the go-to entertainment devices. But as the technology, designs, price and accessibility improve, it could replace smartphones too.
The smartphone villain era
Looking ahead; the smartphone can’t reign supreme forever. Surely, we’ll eventually ditch 6-inch displays for one that uses the real world as a canvas. This could truly be the next big technological leap, and the Apple Vision Pro looks likely to be the catalyst. Imagine the endless possibilities.