Apple is halting its next high-end Vision in favor of something cheaper (arstechnica.com)
from jeffw@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 03:33
https://lemmy.world/post/16689100

#technology

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 19 Jun 2024 03:35 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


A report by tech news site The Information suggests that Apple is shifting its augmented reality priorities.

Apple had originally intended to present this headset alongside the Vision Pro, similar to the models available in each iPhone release.

The more affordable model would likely have fewer cameras, smaller speakers, and weigh less, though Apple has struggled to bring down the cost of the unit’s displays.

The Information cites current and former Meta employees in describing how the company had killed plans for its own higher-end headset in January 2023, but it then began work on a new premium model five months after Apple’s Vision Pro debut.

The Vision Pro will launch in China, Japan, Australia, and many European countries later this month.

The Information’s sources suggest that Apple has produced roughly 500,000 Vision Pro headsets and will not make significantly more, despite the entry of these new markets.


The original article contains 260 words, the summary contains 148 words. Saved 43%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

BassaForte@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 06:43 next collapse

Apple? Yeah right lmao.

magic_lobster_party@kbin.run on 19 Jun 2024 07:23 next collapse

Cheaper for them to make.

Thekingoflorda@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 07:34 next collapse

It goes from wildly expensive to slightly less wildly expensive.

ramble81@lemm.ee on 19 Jun 2024 16:48 collapse

Yup. They’ve already anchored it. They could drop if $1K and people would think it’s a steal but it’s still wildly absurd.

DrCake@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 07:51 next collapse

It only says “cheaper” not “cheap”

Eggyhead@kbin.run on 19 Jun 2024 15:59 collapse

Even if Apple cuts the price in half, it'll still be a hard pill to swallow.

aeronmelon@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 09:00 next collapse

Playing out the same way as the HomePod. Over engineered and expensive, doesn’t sell as well as they thought it would, R&D halts and reboots the product line with something much cheaper and easier to make.

Instead of Apple Vision Pro 2, expect an ‘Air’ model.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jun 2024 16:17 collapse

I have to say though, that I have the Homepod mini, and I absolutely can’t fucking stand it.

ripcord@lemmy.world on 20 Jun 2024 02:29 next collapse

What is wrong with it?

fishpen0@lemmy.world on 20 Jun 2024 13:44 next collapse

For me it’s that arbitrarily not pairing them gives a higher end experience than pairing them. You can play music over multiple by just selecting them all when you air play. The only difference is the lack to stereo, which if you have them all over your house you wouldn’t want anyway.

Meanwhile if you do pair them, then it’s stereo only. So if they are placed around the room, then arbitrarily you can’t hear some notes or vocals out of both speakers. Plus if you use Siri, for some reason only the left speaker speaks. We have an open concept kitchen and had one speaker in the counter and one in the living room on the tv stand and it was just overwhelmingly stupid to have only the speaker in the kitchen speak back.

It’s also stupid I can’t buy a single big home pod and pair it with 2-4 minis to make a 7.1 surround. Or even just pair more than 2 minis.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 15:11 collapse

The fact that I can’t get Siri to speak at a higher volume. She’ll do it when I directly tell her, then immediately reduce her volume again. Sometimes Siri seems to be in a fog with no idea what’s going on. Sometimes it just turns on on its own or starts playing music. I wanted it to be my dedicated speaker for my Mac mini, but it reverts back to trying to play sound through my monitor every time I restart the computer. It’s also constantly prompting me to play stuff on it, even though I almost never want to do this as I have an Apple TV and good sound system in the same room that I use for that.

aeronmelon@lemmy.world on 20 Jun 2024 13:26 collapse

The mini is less prone to failure as the original, but I’ve heard a lot of people say that the sound is not that good.

Snapz@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 14:46 next collapse

“Okay… You win. We heard you loud and clear on pricing, so the new AFFORDABLE (I mean as far as we know - what’s a gallon of milk cost these days anyways? Like $27?) Apple iPod VR is only $2000!! Wow. What a real savings. You’re welcome. Brave. Also, minor thing, it doesn’t come with internal or external screens. But of course, you can purchase an additional subscription to unlock the ability to consume the audio of select limited content at 50% audio volume compared to original model!”

Made your daddy proud… Proud.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jun 2024 16:19 collapse

Well, at least they got the price of milk right!

Snapz@lemmy.world on 20 Jun 2024 16:24 collapse

Yeah, I mean, what kind of monster doesn’t take the time to tune in and just listen to their vacation home’s maintenance staff when they drone on and on about meaningless bullshit like that? I’m a man of the people. I get it.

jol@discuss.tchncs.de on 19 Jun 2024 16:11 next collapse

I honestly think k if they released an “Apple Vision S” with half the screen resolution, no battery (cable only, bring your own power), and no useless external screen, they could sell it like hot cakes for 2k$

barsquid@lemmy.world on 20 Jun 2024 12:49 collapse

It needs to be a standard connection and work with multiple host OSes before I would consider one, I’m not sure Apple is into that. Having the S version you describe would still be miles better than $3,500 for a non-upgradable smart monitor.

jol@discuss.tchncs.de on 20 Jun 2024 13:52 collapse

Sure, totally. As someone outside the apple walled garden I have no interest in buying it. But if it would interact with other systems, perhaps.

jaschen@lemm.ee on 19 Jun 2024 16:15 next collapse

Without the ability to watch porn on it, it will not be mainstream. They are the Betamax of the DVD wars.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jun 2024 16:18 next collapse

Allow me to interject kind sir/madam/other, but I do believe you mean to say the VHS wars

jaschen@lemm.ee on 19 Jun 2024 18:11 next collapse

My bad!

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jun 2024 20:14 next collapse

And Beta was the superior format, but they didn’t market it well IIRC

jaschen@lemm.ee on 20 Jun 2024 01:17 collapse

It was slightly before my time. It was pretty much over by the time I was using it.

cRazi_man@lemm.ee on 19 Jun 2024 20:54 collapse

It works better the way you said it, if you really want to drive the point that this will be a dead duck for sure.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 17:58 collapse

To be fair, there was also the HD-DVD and BluRay war, so they could be talking about two separate wars. Probably not, but that’s how I choose to interpret it.

booly@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 18:38 collapse

For what it’s worth, that particular format war, the format backed by more porn studios (HD-DVD) actually lost to the one with less porn backing (Blu-ray). Personally I think that the PS3 tipped things over the edge.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 18:49 collapse

That’s too bad, porn companies generally have pretty good taste in tech. Also:

Disney and Fox were both impressed by the extra DRM (BD+ and region coding) that the Blu-ray Disc format provided on paper.

So it came down to DRM and the PS3.

olicvb@lemmy.ca on 19 Jun 2024 17:01 next collapse

you can’t watch porn on the apple vision headsets?

jaschen@lemm.ee on 19 Jun 2024 18:10 collapse

Not 3D porn. Just regular like you’re looking at a monitor.

olicvb@lemmy.ca on 19 Jun 2024 18:24 next collapse

okay, yea porn apps are not going to be allowed on the appstore. Does Oculus even have any in their store?

For either headsets you can still go through Steam link though, or sideload 'em

jaschen@lemm.ee on 20 Jun 2024 01:15 collapse

It’s based on Android. So you basically sideload it by going to the 3D porn’s website. So ya. 3d porn is great.

Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 19 Jun 2024 21:23 collapse

I don’t watch porn, but you’d better believe I downloaded some 35GB 3D pron when I got my Index. If I DID watch porn, it would be the only kind I would ever watch. Incredible.

jaschen@lemm.ee on 20 Jun 2024 01:18 collapse

Apple is playing a losing game not allowing porn.

Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 20 Jun 2024 03:30 next collapse

Hella agree, I understand it’s complicated… but if I was into pron and it worked, what better a device?! I trust it’s more secure than Facebook shit, and it doesn’t need to be tethered to a computer strong enough to render a more-than-4k video that’s like 20-40GB?! While it’s still too expensive, the customer base would be WAY HIGHER.

I say this as a windows/linux user that uses an iPhone and iPad because their mobile devices are stellar. I’d never get a Vision Pro but they’re really missing out on a huge market of horny peeps

jaschen@lemm.ee on 20 Jun 2024 03:48 collapse

I agree with you on almost everything. I don’t trust Apple or any big corp that sole(or soul) purpose is profits.

I trust the USPS more than Apple.

It’s ok to watch porn.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 17:59 collapse

Yup, Apple shouldn’t be deciding what I can and cannot watch on my screens.

Kolanaki@yiffit.net on 21 Jun 2024 03:31 collapse

I’m confused… Does the Vision Pro not have a web browser?

jaschen@lemm.ee on 21 Jun 2024 03:52 collapse

Yes it does, but it isn’t immersive. It’s basically the same as looking at a screen. 3D basically makes you the center of the porn. Put your face closer to the boobies. Look at the clock on the wall?

I remember seeing a 3D porn video where a mosquito let it on the male actor’s thigh and he proceeds to kill it. It was awesome.

Kolanaki@yiffit.net on 21 Jun 2024 09:51 collapse

For $3500 and no VR porn, might as well just have real sex. 🤷🏻‍♂️

jaschen@lemm.ee on 22 Jun 2024 01:27 collapse

It’s cheaper to fly to Thailand and have legal sex and still be under 3500.

Linkerbaan@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 2024 21:19 next collapse

Their mini OLED screen is an absolute gamechanger but damn that thing must be expensive.

Also if the battery is already external I don’t see why they didn’t put the processing off the headset too. The thing is way too heavy.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 20 Jun 2024 18:03 collapse

Cool. Big screen VR is cheaper and lighter, that’s your competition.

JustARaccoon@lemmy.world on 21 Jun 2024 01:06 next collapse

I’d argue you can go much cheaper. Also their real competitor in terms of standalone hmds is Meta, not beyond. Beyond is a niche pc only product, not a standalone experience with social potential.

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jun 2024 01:08 collapse

Isn’t that what the high end Vision is for? I would think a lower end model would target a different audience instead of just being cheaper and crappier.

JustARaccoon@lemmy.world on 21 Jun 2024 01:31 collapse

Don’t see why that’d be the case, they might focus on it being a lighter model or something that also happens to have lower specs

sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works on 21 Jun 2024 03:20 collapse

It’s certainly possible, but they wouldn’t want it to cannibalize sales for the premium product.

I guess we’ll see though.

Kolanaki@yiffit.net on 21 Jun 2024 03:28 collapse

Oh shit! I saw a video of something totally unrelated the other day, but it involved using a drone and one of these headsets. I assumed it was just for the drone he had and more or less just a cheap head mounted display and not an actual VR headset. I want one… 🤤