Katie Notopoulos, Journalist: We played around with the Apple Vision Pro glasses and learned a few things about them.
Jordan Hart, Journalist: This is a great way to bridge the virtual world with the real world. You can have all your apps on it. For example, right now I have a browser tab open about 2 inches from my face, and I’m standing on a New York City street. And when I turn that knob at the top, everyone just kind of disappears. I’m on a sand dune with Twitter in the background.
Katie: I would like to be there.
Jordan: It’s warmer where I am. Now I’ll be back. Hi Katie.
Katie: Hey. Are you worried about tripping on the sidewalk? Should I warn you?
Jordan: I can’t see my feet very well.
Katie: Watch out for the car!
project: Have you seen it?
Jordan: no.
Katie: There was a car heading there.
Jordan: I know. I have to turn around.
Katie: It’s a bit dangerous.
Jordan: I know.
Katie: You can’t see everything, can you?
Jordan: The field of view is a bit limited.
I have a tab open where I can see people “walking through” Twitter.
Katie: We have the green light, we can go.
Jordan: Great, let’s go.
Katie: My name is Katie Notopoulos and I’m a journalist at Business Insider. I’m with Jordan Hart, a tech trends journalist. We’re going to talk about Apple’s Vision Pro glasses.
Jordan: Let’s get started.
Katie: The color changed to blue.
Jordan: You’re looking at my “eyes” now. The device tracks my eye and hand movements. So my eyes act like a cursor. What I’m looking at is highlighted and I can select it by tapping my fingers like this. The device has 12 cameras and six microphones. So it works as it should. I like watching movies and series. This is hard for me because I like to do it in the company. I comment to my friends what I think and we all watch the same thing, so I felt a bit isolated. Working with goggles on all day is like something out of a sci-fi movie. However, it’s very convenient to be able to see all the windows I need or want to look out of throughout the day. This has really improved my work from home experience.
Katie: What was fun or helpful other than watching videos and doing work?
Jordan: I was cooking at home, so it was really nice to be able to see the timer, the playlist, the text messages, and also to be able to see my hands and what I was doing. It was a bit hard to focus on tasks that required fine motor skills, like cutting. I wanted to look at my hands and what I was doing. It was hard to focus on the real world and get away from the virtual world.
Katie: And you don’t have to touch your iPhone or iPad with dirty hands from handling raw chicken.
Jordan: Yes, this is a big plus. I am someone who always washes my hands after touching anything in the kitchen. My point is that Apple really thought about spatial processing.
Katie: So why is Apple selling this device? And what is “spatial processing”?
Jordan: It brings together what you love about your iPhone, iPad, or Mac into a device that’s in tune with the world around you. That’s what spatial processing is. I can look at you and… Hello. There’s an Apple window right next to you.
Katie: It would be great if I had them too and we could look at the same screen.
Jordan: That would be really cool.
Katie: We’ll both be in virtual reality. My ultimate dream is to be able to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Someone could be wearing goggles and I could be at home watching someone out in the world do something interesting. It sounds really pathetic when I say that out loud.
Jordan: I understand that.
Katie: I just want to stay home and ask someone to do something interesting. It’s sad. What’s your phone number?
Jordan: here we are.
Katie: It looks weird.
Jordan: I can imagine that.
Katie: It’s like I’m talking to a ghost.
Jordan: I look much older. I noticed it right away.
Katie: Your avatar looks 20+ years old.
Jordan: The good thing is that I can see you perfectly well. You look normal. It’s like regular FaceTime. You’re floating in a sea of my windows. But you’re yourself. I, on the other hand, am a ghost, but hopefully I look reasonably good.
Katie: Oh my. What is currently missing from the Vision Pro glasses?
Jordan: For me, the most important thing is the apps. I need YouTube and Netflix. I expect the company to wait to gauge the hype and people’s willingness to buy the Vision Pro before investing in apps. However, that’s a bit of a stretch, because these are the apps I need to have on the Vision Pro if I’m going to buy these glasses instead of others.
Katie: Well, should I hang up?
Jordan: Do this and I’ll float away… Did you see my hand floating?
Katie: Oh, they are.
Jordan: It looks terrible.
Katie: They are not related to you.
Jordan: I’m worse than a sim now. I’m like an emoji.
Katie: It’s really funny. What is the battery life?
Jordan: This battery is connected to the Vision Pro. If it is off, your headset will be disabled. If you put them on, you will not see anything. Only after connecting the battery does the device start working. Therefore, it must be enabled. It is enough for two and a half hours of active use. You can use it while it is connected. The battery has a socket for charging. You can plug the charger into a wall socket and you can sit, although perhaps close to the wall, and continue to use the goggles.
Katie: Do the glasses weigh a lot?
Jordan: It’s almost the same as the 12-inch iPad Pro. It’s an iPad, but you can wear it on your face. It gets a bit annoying after a while. I got a really bad headache when I first put the glasses on. It’s like eye training, you really have to focus. You can’t scroll around mindlessly like you do on a laptop.
Katie: So you couldn’t work in it for eight hours?
Jordan: Probably not.
Katie: It would be uncomfortable.
Jordan: I might need a nap at lunch to rest my eyes. They should definitely work on making it lighter if they want people to use it for long hours.
Katie: Do you think wearing goggles isolates you from others?
Jordan: A little bit like that. People don’t see what I see and they can’t share that experience with me. I have to do it myself. It’s distracting when you’re talking. It’s not a device that works as well with others as I would like it to.
Katie: I’ve heard a lot of people are really excited about these glasses. I know a guy who is passionate about all things Apple. He was excited to get the glasses but tried them on for a while and decided to return them.
Jordan: I imagine the average consumer could return them. I was happy with them for the first 48 hours, but after a week I had already done everything possible. The possibilities of the Vision Pro are endless.
Katie: Big tech companies are now focusing on AR, VR and spatial processing solutions.
Jordan: It’s profitable for them. These companies are looking for ways to be the first at something and have real expertise in that area. If the technology catches on, people love it, and the company becomes the godfather of it, then they’ve won the race.
Katie: What is this technology supposed to replace?
Jordan: The great thing is that it’s not supposed to replace anything, but at the same time it’s supposed to replace everything. Goggles has something like an iPhone or iPad, but it’s a completely different way of using the same apps we know and love.
Katie: I’ve been testing the glasses for a week. What’s your verdict?
Jordan: Apple is on the right track. Do I think Glasses should cost $3,500 now? I don’t think so. People are rationing their spending so that every dollar is worth one use of something. I don’t know if I’d use Glasses 3,500 times.
Katie: At this price, the machine should wash dishes, be a computer, and do laundry.
Jordan: Tax settlement.
Katie: Leads me around.
Jordan: People probably used to say the same thing about computers. Knowing Apple they will improve the glasses and who knows? Maybe one day we will all be in the Vision Pro world.
Katie: I have one question. Can I wear it? Jordan: Of course. I love how you react to this.
Katie: Helps.
Jordan: This is hard for me because I wonder what you see.
Translated by: Piotr Nalazek
“Prone to fits of apathy. Introvert. Award-winning internet evangelist. Extreme beer expert.”
