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AR isn’t a technology in search of a problem. It’s solving a problem, one of them is allowing you to bring 5 screens without hauling 5 screens.

by m3kw9 2y ago

gjsman-1000 2y ago
Not really. Even on Apple Vision Pro, the text quality is lower than native pixels and less comfortable to read. In addition, it turns out that five screens isn’t as useful when there’s only one you, who can do only one thing at a time. It saves a few clicks for most, not much more; and certainly not enough convenience to wear a brick on your head. If people found multiple screens so useful that it’s worth lugging an extra bag around, external 13” monitors should be bestsellers.
- user_7832 2y ago
  > If people found multiple screens so useful that it’s worth lugging an extra bag around, external 13” monitors should be bestsellers. While I mostly agree... I partially disagree. IMO, the problem isn't so much about screens not proving to be helpful - but about good screens. Here in The Netherlands it's very common to find assistants/secretaries having multiple monitors. Heck, (some of?) the staff at the court in The Hague have curved ultrawide monitors. Evidently people recognize the benefits of screen real estate. The big problem, IMO, is that "standard" portable screens - 99% of which are 16:9 - are simply not tall enough. My 13.5" FW13 screen (3:2 ratio) is about as tall as a 15" 16:9 screen, but is much smaller than a 15" laptop. Windows particularly is excellent/terrible at having a ton of horizontal bars, making usable vertical height terribly little. Why would someone bring another monitor to see more bars?
  - gjsman-1000 2y ago
    I don’t know what to tell you, but an Apple Vision Pro isn’t going to help you. Right now, the individual pixels are about the size of a human blood cell(!), and yet, the panels for each eye are not quite 4K. Not quite 4K, for your entire FOV. As iFixit notes, for a virtual desktop inside that FOV, forget about it looking anything like a good 4K monitor. The Vision Pro can have 3,386 PPI and it’s still no monitor substitute. https://www.ifixit.com/News/90409/vision-pro-teardown-part-2-whats-the-display-resolution?srsltid=AfmBOooSVMxmLrAUD1i5JEZ_5LR7nSNo3TMxUW6UblYK8Wp7vhqeK2QG https://www.ifixit.com/News/90409/vision-pro-teardown-part-2...
    - user_7832 2y ago
      Just to clarify, I wasn’t commenting so much on the AVP than on small monitors often being shitty in general. It’s probably also a mini rant- my ideal monitor would probably be 1:1 lol.
  - crooked-v 2y ago
    > curved ultrawide monitors I have a 32:9 curved ultrawide monitor that I bought for games but has ended up invaluable for work (software dev). It's nigh perfect to divide into 3-4 full-size panes and gives enough space to have 6+ documents open and easily readable simultaneously, in a way I think would take three separate monitors to awkwardly emulate otherwise (and even then you'd lose the benefit of being able to go from 3 to 4 main groupings and back as needed). The downside is, of course, the thing weighs over 30 pounds and is completely ungainly. Good luck setting it up or moving it without two people.
- leptons 2y ago
  >In addition, it turns out that five screens isn’t as useful when there’s only one you, This is nonsense. I have essentially 6 screens on my desk, it it absolutely is very useful. Just because you can't imagine it being useful doesn't mean other people can't or don't take advantage of the extra screen real estate. That said, I'd never use a VR/AR headset strapped to my face 8 hours a day to replace my 6 high-resolution screens. And I don't need to move my screens from place to place. If I'm not at home, that mean's I'm doing something else that isn't working, and that's a good thing.
  - gjsman-1000 2y ago
    I'm not saying it isn't useful, but refer to my original post: > It’s technology in search of a problem. There are legitimate problems it solves, but they are always elusively niche. 6 screens is "elusively niche." It will never be a mass-market attraction that convinces people to strap on a headset.
bdcravens 2y ago
Is it really bringing 5 screens? Most of the apps I've seen tend to be gimicky apps that I wouldn't commit to a single screen. Some of which I wouldn't even have maximized to access via Cmd+Tab. Even if they're all useful, most users typically never use beyond 2-3 screens, and you typically don't look at more than 2 via AR anyways. Instead of virtual desktops, you put apps in spaces where you have to redirect your attention.
butlike 2y ago
What a UI failure to require 5 screens for optimal use.

AR isn’t a technology in search of a problem. It’s solving a problem, one of them is allowing you to bring 5 screens without hauling 5 screens.

by m3kw9 2y ago

AR isn’t a technology in search of a problem. It’s solving a problem, one of them is allowing you to bring 5 screens without hauling 5 screens.

gjsman-1000 2y ago

Not really. Even on Apple Vision Pro, the text quality is lower than native pixels and less comfortable to read. In addition, it turns out that five screens isn’t as useful when there’s only one you, who can do only one thing at a time. It saves a few clicks for most, not much more; and certainly not enough convenience to wear a brick on your head. If people found multiple screens so useful that it’s worth lugging an extra bag around, external 13” monitors should be bestsellers.

user_7832 2y ago
> If people found multiple screens so useful that it’s worth lugging an extra bag around, external 13” monitors should be bestsellers. While I mostly agree... I partially disagree. IMO, the problem isn't so much about screens not proving to be helpful - but about good screens. Here in The Netherlands it's very common to find assistants/secretaries having multiple monitors. Heck, (some of?) the staff at the court in The Hague have curved ultrawide monitors. Evidently people recognize the benefits of screen real estate. The big problem, IMO, is that "standard" portable screens - 99% of which are 16:9 - are simply not tall enough. My 13.5" FW13 screen (3:2 ratio) is about as tall as a 15" 16:9 screen, but is much smaller than a 15" laptop. Windows particularly is excellent/terrible at having a ton of horizontal bars, making usable vertical height terribly little. Why would someone bring another monitor to see more bars?
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  I don’t know what to tell you, but an Apple Vision Pro isn’t going to help you. Right now, the individual pixels are about the size of a human blood cell(!), and yet, the panels for each eye are not quite 4K. Not quite 4K, for your entire FOV. As iFixit notes, for a virtual desktop inside that FOV, forget about it looking anything like a good 4K monitor. The Vision Pro can have 3,386 PPI and it’s still no monitor substitute. https://www.ifixit.com/News/90409/vision-pro-teardown-part-2-whats-the-display-resolution?srsltid=AfmBOooSVMxmLrAUD1i5JEZ_5LR7nSNo3TMxUW6UblYK8Wp7vhqeK2QG https://www.ifixit.com/News/90409/vision-pro-teardown-part-2...
  - user_7832 2y ago
    Just to clarify, I wasn’t commenting so much on the AVP than on small monitors often being shitty in general. It’s probably also a mini rant- my ideal monitor would probably be 1:1 lol.
- crooked-v 2y ago
  > curved ultrawide monitors I have a 32:9 curved ultrawide monitor that I bought for games but has ended up invaluable for work (software dev). It's nigh perfect to divide into 3-4 full-size panes and gives enough space to have 6+ documents open and easily readable simultaneously, in a way I think would take three separate monitors to awkwardly emulate otherwise (and even then you'd lose the benefit of being able to go from 3 to 4 main groupings and back as needed). The downside is, of course, the thing weighs over 30 pounds and is completely ungainly. Good luck setting it up or moving it without two people.
leptons 2y ago
>In addition, it turns out that five screens isn’t as useful when there’s only one you, This is nonsense. I have essentially 6 screens on my desk, it it absolutely is very useful. Just because you can't imagine it being useful doesn't mean other people can't or don't take advantage of the extra screen real estate. That said, I'd never use a VR/AR headset strapped to my face 8 hours a day to replace my 6 high-resolution screens. And I don't need to move my screens from place to place. If I'm not at home, that mean's I'm doing something else that isn't working, and that's a good thing.
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  I'm not saying it isn't useful, but refer to my original post: > It’s technology in search of a problem. There are legitimate problems it solves, but they are always elusively niche. 6 screens is "elusively niche." It will never be a mass-market attraction that convinces people to strap on a headset.

bdcravens 2y ago

Is it really bringing 5 screens? Most of the apps I've seen tend to be gimicky apps that I wouldn't commit to a single screen. Some of which I wouldn't even have maximized to access via Cmd+Tab. Even if they're all useful, most users typically never use beyond 2-3 screens, and you typically don't look at more than 2 via AR anyways. Instead of virtual desktops, you put apps in spaces where you have to redirect your attention.

butlike 2y ago

What a UI failure to require 5 screens for optimal use.