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My 2 cents which is likely totally wrong: My theory is contingent on two assumptions (again they could be wrong) 1. Tim Cook is looking for a legacy product.

My 2 cents which is likely totally wrong: My theory is contingent on two assumptions (again they could be wrong) 1. Tim Cook is looking for a legacy product. His own chance at “one more thing” 2. Apple is currently often behind the innovator. Its goal is to improve and perfect consumer technology; recently rarely leading the charge themselves I think we are in an interesting “local minimum” of technology. It’s been a while since we have seen a completely groundbreaking product that changes the landscape of the industry. Every tech company is searching for the next product to help grow revenue. LLMs are the current hotness, but previously it was briefly VR thanks to Meta. Apple probably started the process of making the AVP once Zuck pivoted to making Meta a “VR Company”. Since this was a flash in the pan interest (for anyone other than VR enthusiasts), and Apple had yet to bring a product to market, they had to pivot from entertainment to “productivity” as the main use-case of the device. That’s where “spacial computing” was born. Since Tim Cook was searching for his legacy product, and because the Apple vision pro is legitimately impressive, they decided to move ahead with releasing it despite there being no market fit. My guess is we never see another version of the AVP and probably never hear about it again. I’m most likely totally wrong, but I wanted to share my prediction.

packetlost 2y ago
My personal hope is someone can figure out how to make reasonable HUD-like smart glasses with the new innovations in transparent OLED technology. It doesn't need a camera or microphone, just provide the missing always-on visual experience (we already have headphones with very good transparency) and integrate with the various other devices we have. The trouble will be the UI, though IMO you don't really need to interact with it directly, let it be an extension of the phone/watch/etc.
- wongarsu 2y ago
  So basically Google Glass with modern technology and without the social issues of having a camera pointed at everyone you talk to? I imagine it would be very successful if it's marketed as a sports product. See your current heart rate and movement speed without taking your eyes from the track, that kind of stuff.
- Jcowell 2y ago
  How would you interact with a HUD system if you can dismiss and activate HUD elements ? For the last sentence, at that point why not just interface with the watch and phone themselves if you’re already going to have to look at them to interact
asadotzler 2y ago
This is more correct than any speculation I've read on HN. h Cook desperately wants to be seen as more than a caretaker post-Jobs. His only success so far is making stockholders happy but "Best Bean Counter Ever" isn't an epitaph he wants so he's plowed tens of billions of dollars into the now dead Apple Car project and tens of billions into the Vision Pro. Cook's plan was for one or both of those products to cement his legacy as a product genius like Steve Jobs, but despite having cash resources Jobs could never even have dreamed, Cook's two big product initiatives are both a complete bust. The board made him pick between the Car and the Vision Pro and he picked the AVP because it was closer to market and aligned with his view on Apple's computing platform progression. Too bad for him both of his projects were awful ideas for Apple. Oh, and to the sycophants, Apple cranking out couple of successful iPhone accessories and services, nice to haves that compliment Steve Job's iPhone, does not make Tim Cook a product leader. It makes him minimally competent as business leader who didn't totally break Job's Apple organization immediately. Watch and Air Pods are accessories, like a keyboard or a monitor. No one celebrates Jobs because he shipped a decent mouse one time.
- samatman 2y ago
  > Oh, and to the sycophants Preemptively insulting people is not the sort of thing which is done by people who are secure in their own opinion.
- LordKeren 2y ago
  Calling Tim Cook “minimally competent” really gives away the ludicrous nature of this opinion.
threeseed 2y ago
> Tim Cook is looking for a legacy product You mean like the Apple Watch or AirPods which launched years after he became CEO. Or how about the Services business which is now 20% of their revenue.

packetlost 2y ago

My personal hope is someone can figure out how to make reasonable HUD-like smart glasses with the new innovations in transparent OLED technology. It doesn't need a camera or microphone, just provide the missing always-on visual experience (we already have headphones with very good transparency) and integrate with the various other devices we have. The trouble will be the UI, though IMO you don't really need to interact with it directly, let it be an extension of the phone/watch/etc.

wongarsu 2y ago
So basically Google Glass with modern technology and without the social issues of having a camera pointed at everyone you talk to? I imagine it would be very successful if it's marketed as a sports product. See your current heart rate and movement speed without taking your eyes from the track, that kind of stuff.
Jcowell 2y ago
How would you interact with a HUD system if you can dismiss and activate HUD elements ? For the last sentence, at that point why not just interface with the watch and phone themselves if you’re already going to have to look at them to interact

asadotzler 2y ago

This is more correct than any speculation I've read on HN. h Cook desperately wants to be seen as more than a caretaker post-Jobs. His only success so far is making stockholders happy but "Best Bean Counter Ever" isn't an epitaph he wants so he's plowed tens of billions of dollars into the now dead Apple Car project and tens of billions into the Vision Pro. Cook's plan was for one or both of those products to cement his legacy as a product genius like Steve Jobs, but despite having cash resources Jobs could never even have dreamed, Cook's two big product initiatives are both a complete bust. The board made him pick between the Car and the Vision Pro and he picked the AVP because it was closer to market and aligned with his view on Apple's computing platform progression. Too bad for him both of his projects were awful ideas for Apple. Oh, and to the sycophants, Apple cranking out couple of successful iPhone accessories and services, nice to haves that compliment Steve Job's iPhone, does not make Tim Cook a product leader. It makes him minimally competent as business leader who didn't totally break Job's Apple organization immediately. Watch and Air Pods are accessories, like a keyboard or a monitor. No one celebrates Jobs because he shipped a decent mouse one time.

samatman 2y ago
> Oh, and to the sycophants Preemptively insulting people is not the sort of thing which is done by people who are secure in their own opinion.
LordKeren 2y ago
Calling Tim Cook “minimally competent” really gives away the ludicrous nature of this opinion.

threeseed 2y ago

> Tim Cook is looking for a legacy product You mean like the Apple Watch or AirPods which launched years after he became CEO. Or how about the Services business which is now 20% of their revenue.