4 ms·

I wonder what would say average people of 19 century when offered to ride a car. Book reading was also not mainstream just as recently. Utility beats everything

I wonder what would say average people of 19 century when offered to ride a car. Book reading was also not mainstream just as recently. Utility beats everything though. Is there utility in ar/vr glasses? Are you enjoying reading and typing from your small screen with your neck turned to the ground? With a friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket 20 times a day. How could it not be obvious?

checkyoursudo 3y ago
If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses, then you might see more broad adoption. But right now headgear is uncomfortable for work. Even ignoring the weight, if you balance headgear for one position (looking straight ahead) then it is unbalanced for any other tilted position, and it's not like you gain freedom of movement. If anything, you lose some freedom of movement. Plus, taking the gear on and off is (in my experience) more burdensome than getting my phone out of my pocket. I'd love it if the tech gets there someday, but it's not yet clear how it does. The utility benefit still has to outweigh the bodily detriment.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses I think the most important aspect of this is that such glasses don't introduce a separation between you and the rest of the world. If people using AR are disconnected from interacting with others in real life (which seems very likely), then there will be a social cost for using it on the regular. I think this, more than any other single thing, is what will keep AR in the realm of niche applications. The similar problem with smart phones is already one that people complain about a lot. AR would only make it worse.
twelve40 3y ago
> friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket it's a quick (and mostly accepted) way to tune out, for example, while standing in a line or something. Yes, many people overdo it, but imagine popping on your VR helmet for a second in a social setting.
nradov 3y ago
Average people in developed countries in the 19th century were accustomed to riding in trains and horse carriages. A car wasn't fundamentally much different for passengers.
borroka 3y ago
It is a common trap to think that because an unlikely and successful technology--at the time, now obvious--has become mainstream, all (currently) unlikely technologies will inevitably become mainstream. But it is a way of looking at history that only confirms the biases we may have. Instead, it would be more useful and accurate, both descriptively and prescriptively, to look at life and technology from a statistical perspective.

checkyoursudo 3y ago

If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses, then you might see more broad adoption. But right now headgear is uncomfortable for work. Even ignoring the weight, if you balance headgear for one position (looking straight ahead) then it is unbalanced for any other tilted position, and it's not like you gain freedom of movement. If anything, you lose some freedom of movement. Plus, taking the gear on and off is (in my experience) more burdensome than getting my phone out of my pocket. I'd love it if the tech gets there someday, but it's not yet clear how it does. The utility benefit still has to outweigh the bodily detriment.

JohnFen 3y ago
> If VR/AR glasses become no more burdensome than eyeglasses I think the most important aspect of this is that such glasses don't introduce a separation between you and the rest of the world. If people using AR are disconnected from interacting with others in real life (which seems very likely), then there will be a social cost for using it on the regular. I think this, more than any other single thing, is what will keep AR in the realm of niche applications. The similar problem with smart phones is already one that people complain about a lot. AR would only make it worse.

twelve40 3y ago

> friction of getting your phone in and out of your pocket it's a quick (and mostly accepted) way to tune out, for example, while standing in a line or something. Yes, many people overdo it, but imagine popping on your VR helmet for a second in a social setting.

nradov 3y ago

Average people in developed countries in the 19th century were accustomed to riding in trains and horse carriages. A car wasn't fundamentally much different for passengers.

borroka 3y ago

It is a common trap to think that because an unlikely and successful technology--at the time, now obvious--has become mainstream, all (currently) unlikely technologies will inevitably become mainstream. But it is a way of looking at history that only confirms the biases we may have. Instead, it would be more useful and accurate, both descriptively and prescriptively, to look at life and technology from a statistical perspective.