3 ms·

I can't really grasp how enormous this project is. 5000 patents filed from Apple is crazy, and looking at the thing with all of these new both pieces of hardwa

I can't really grasp how enormous this project is. 5000 patents filed from Apple is crazy, and looking at the thing with all of these new both pieces of hardware and concepts, wow. How many people have been working on this, and for how long? The other threads here seems to have missed just how "huge" a projects this is. Is this also the lead up to the Apple car, or some other ecosystem?

rmm 3y ago
Exactly. I know many people are upset that this will lead to patent soup resulting in less innovation or competition, which may very well be the case, but it shows also how much they haven’t just put high res glasses and a fast chip in a headset, but really tried to push the limits and leap past everyone with their first offering
Dalewyn 3y ago
>The other threads here seems to have missed just how "huge" a projects this is. The other threads are busy jumping on the Hate Apple bandwagon, is what it is. I have my own criticism of Apple's VR goggle, specifically that its form factor (albeit necessitated by today's technologies) drags the whole thing down in both the luxury/fashion and usage factors. But if I put that aside, the technology and innovative thoughts crammed into that thing is potentially groundbreakingly amazing if the marketing is truthful and accurate. Even the $3500 price tag, which yes is bloody expensive, doesn't sound unreasonable given most other "cheaper" VR goggles still require a mothership costing about the same anyway. I wish Apple success here, because the VR industry needs someone to come in and kickstart it back to something interesting and worthy of attention. ...I also admit I wouldn't mind seeing all the haters getting put out to dry for their noisy trouble, but maybe that's beside the point. :V
- lrvick 3y ago
  Most of us Apple Haters are not opposed to this type of technology existing. We are opposed to technology with this much potential for abuse being solely controlled by a profit maximizing patent troll. When the tech is open source and I can control what it does, then sign me up.
  - theshrike79 3y ago
    Apple has always maximised profits on selling hardware and getting a cut from software. They've never gotten any profits from selling targeted user data. Mobile gaming marketing units are _still_ butt-hurt about Apple's randomised user/device IDs that prevent them from tracking where users came from and downloaded their game. FB and Android tracking still works perfectly, but those users are less valuable because they don't spend money.
    - lrvick 3y ago
      Apple gets profits from locking users into their ecosystems. Google and Facebook play the same game. I find them just as evil.
- theshrike79 3y ago
  My theory (and many others') is that the high price tag is a feature and on purpose. Enough companies have tried the cheapo approach and failed. Even mid-price ones are still niche devices. Apple went full-on to Varjo[0]-levels of tech inside the headset. Now developers have 6-9 months to bring their A game. Then Apple can see what kind of applications and use-cases stick and start figuring out what parts of the Vision Pro they can downgrade or leave out to make a Vision Regular, which will come out in 2-4 years along with Vision Pro 2. [0] https://varjo.com https://varjo.com
- rickdeckard 3y ago
  > I wish Apple success here, because the VR industry needs someone to come in and kickstart it back to something interesting and worthy of attention. XR has the potential to be the next general computing platform after the PC and the Smartphone. This might be controversial, but I believe what the VR industry would need most is for the giants to agree that collaboration for a wide open ecosystem yields the best result for everyone. Unfortunately we may have another company here which is not interested in such a direction at all. What we get instead is the biggest giant of them all forcing through it alone with yet-another closed ecosystem in expectation of taking full domination of the market and all its innovation. But this time it's the player with the highest chances of success.
rickdeckard 3y ago
If you're a billion dollar company, you invest alot in multiple trajectories of the possible future, because you don't want to end up not being ready when the market shifts (like Nokia for example) and being forced to pay royalty to your competitors just to stay in the market. Now imagine you're a trillion dollar company.
- passion__desire 3y ago
  How is one company able to hush all its employees and contractors on the details of such a monumental effort? It's like trying to build a pyramid in secret.
  - 0x0000000 3y ago
    Respect, "all-in" mindset, realizing that blowing the lid gains you nothing but 5 minutes of fame, and then losing your lucrative job at the most valuable company in the world.
  - KaiserPro 3y ago
    It wasn't that well hushed, there were persistent rumours for years. After all it was the running joke that apple were going to launch a VR headset each WWDC.
  - rickdeckard 3y ago
    By separating Research & Development of the fundamentals from the Development of the product (on top of having NDA's of course). People and Media are not so much interested in technology research, and without a product it's also often too abstract to understand. If a company makes no publications or speeches at conferences, they can often work for YEARS without any special measureas and not getting noticed... The product itself they then likely developed with the same business-practices to secrecy as an iPhone.
  - sumedh 3y ago
    > How is one company able to hush all its employees Not all employees are working on top secret projects, those who do very few get the overall picture, they just work on some individual features.

rmm 3y ago

Exactly. I know many people are upset that this will lead to patent soup resulting in less innovation or competition, which may very well be the case, but it shows also how much they haven’t just put high res glasses and a fast chip in a headset, but really tried to push the limits and leap past everyone with their first offering

Dalewyn 3y ago

>The other threads here seems to have missed just how "huge" a projects this is. The other threads are busy jumping on the Hate Apple bandwagon, is what it is. I have my own criticism of Apple's VR goggle, specifically that its form factor (albeit necessitated by today's technologies) drags the whole thing down in both the luxury/fashion and usage factors. But if I put that aside, the technology and innovative thoughts crammed into that thing is potentially groundbreakingly amazing if the marketing is truthful and accurate. Even the $3500 price tag, which yes is bloody expensive, doesn't sound unreasonable given most other "cheaper" VR goggles still require a mothership costing about the same anyway. I wish Apple success here, because the VR industry needs someone to come in and kickstart it back to something interesting and worthy of attention. ...I also admit I wouldn't mind seeing all the haters getting put out to dry for their noisy trouble, but maybe that's beside the point. :V

lrvick 3y ago
Most of us Apple Haters are not opposed to this type of technology existing. We are opposed to technology with this much potential for abuse being solely controlled by a profit maximizing patent troll. When the tech is open source and I can control what it does, then sign me up.
- theshrike79 3y ago
  Apple has always maximised profits on selling hardware and getting a cut from software. They've never gotten any profits from selling targeted user data. Mobile gaming marketing units are _still_ butt-hurt about Apple's randomised user/device IDs that prevent them from tracking where users came from and downloaded their game. FB and Android tracking still works perfectly, but those users are less valuable because they don't spend money.
  - lrvick 3y ago
    Apple gets profits from locking users into their ecosystems. Google and Facebook play the same game. I find them just as evil.
theshrike79 3y ago
My theory (and many others') is that the high price tag is a feature and on purpose. Enough companies have tried the cheapo approach and failed. Even mid-price ones are still niche devices. Apple went full-on to Varjo[0]-levels of tech inside the headset. Now developers have 6-9 months to bring their A game. Then Apple can see what kind of applications and use-cases stick and start figuring out what parts of the Vision Pro they can downgrade or leave out to make a Vision Regular, which will come out in 2-4 years along with Vision Pro 2. [0] https://varjo.com https://varjo.com
rickdeckard 3y ago
> I wish Apple success here, because the VR industry needs someone to come in and kickstart it back to something interesting and worthy of attention. XR has the potential to be the next general computing platform after the PC and the Smartphone. This might be controversial, but I believe what the VR industry would need most is for the giants to agree that collaboration for a wide open ecosystem yields the best result for everyone. Unfortunately we may have another company here which is not interested in such a direction at all. What we get instead is the biggest giant of them all forcing through it alone with yet-another closed ecosystem in expectation of taking full domination of the market and all its innovation. But this time it's the player with the highest chances of success.

rickdeckard 3y ago

If you're a billion dollar company, you invest alot in multiple trajectories of the possible future, because you don't want to end up not being ready when the market shifts (like Nokia for example) and being forced to pay royalty to your competitors just to stay in the market. Now imagine you're a trillion dollar company.

passion__desire 3y ago
How is one company able to hush all its employees and contractors on the details of such a monumental effort? It's like trying to build a pyramid in secret.
- 0x0000000 3y ago
  Respect, "all-in" mindset, realizing that blowing the lid gains you nothing but 5 minutes of fame, and then losing your lucrative job at the most valuable company in the world.
- KaiserPro 3y ago
  It wasn't that well hushed, there were persistent rumours for years. After all it was the running joke that apple were going to launch a VR headset each WWDC.
- rickdeckard 3y ago
  By separating Research & Development of the fundamentals from the Development of the product (on top of having NDA's of course). People and Media are not so much interested in technology research, and without a product it's also often too abstract to understand. If a company makes no publications or speeches at conferences, they can often work for YEARS without any special measureas and not getting noticed... The product itself they then likely developed with the same business-practices to secrecy as an iPhone.
- sumedh 3y ago
  > How is one company able to hush all its employees Not all employees are working on top secret projects, those who do very few get the overall picture, they just work on some individual features.