By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
To gauge public interest in Apple's Vision Pro, its advanced and expensive VR headset, which launched in the UK and Europe on Friday, I visited an Apple store. Historically, people camped outside Apple stores overnight for new products. However, on Friday morning at the central London branch, only a small group, mainly men, awaited the store opening. This shift partly reflects the trend towards pre orders and raises the ongoing question, can VR headsets transcend tech enthusiasts to become mainstream?
Apple aims to make the Vision Pro mainstream by enhancing everyday activities. Home videos become 3D like, panoramic photos surround you, and Apple promotes this as "spatial content." Despite these innovations, the Vision Pro’s hefty £3,499 price tag is a significant barrier.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, has been in the VR market longer and is closely observing Apple’s approach. At a recent Meta Quest 3 demo, the team emphasized multi tasking capabilities, such as using multiple screens simultaneously. Their latest ad depicts a man using the Quest 3 to follow video instructions while assembling a crib, highlighting its practical applications. Crucially, the Quest 3 costs under £500, making it a more accessible option.
The VR market is crowded, with numerous headsets available, yet none have achieved widespread adoption. IDC predicts fewer than 500,000 Vision Pro units will sell this year. Meta’s Quest, though in the market longer, has sold around 20 million units globally, far from the ubiquity of tablets or mobile phones. According to George Jijiashvili from Omdia, many VR devices are abandoned due to limited engaging content, creating a cycle where lack of content reduces interest, which in turn discourages content development.
Alan Boyce, founder of DragonfiAR, suggests early Vision Pro adopters will need patience for content development, whereas the Quest 3 already boasts a robust game library and virtual desktop capabilities. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo notes that Apple's slow start isn't unusual, even the iPhone took time to gain traction, becoming mainstream with the advent of the App Store and its myriad valuable apps.
The physical experience of using VR headsets is another consideration. Both Apple and Meta use "passthrough" technology for mixed reality, blending real and virtual worlds. Despite advances making headsets lighter, wearing half a kilogram on your face still feels unnatural. VR sickness, while improved, remains an issue for some users. Developers employ various strategies, like teleportation or arm swinging movements in games, to mitigate this.
Tech companies are optimistic about their products and the future of mixed reality. Meta’s vision for a virtual world, the Metaverse, represents this ambition. Ultimately, something will replace smartphones, and VR headsets could evolve into more glasses like devices or even brain implants. As Mr. Jijiashvili points out, current headsets are too heavy and awkward for the mass market.
Some companies are already working on sleeker alternatives, like Viture and XReal, which produce high idelity screen sunglasses. Melissa Brown from Meta believes the Quest 3 could eventually replace smartphones, though Meta’s PR later clarified that new tech generations coexist with older ones, much like phones and computers do now.
In the Apple store on London’s Regent Street, the scene did not suggest an imminent VR revolution. The first customer I encountered was there for a charger and was surprised by the staff's applause. However, several others left with Vision Pro purchases, raising the question of how many more will follow.
