I had some additional thoughts that didn’t quite figure into the impressions model of the previous post. I finally got the chance to rewatch it and there are some tidbits and omissions that I think were very interesting. Sometimes it really is just about what they DON’T tell you. Apple is mysterious like that sometimes…

• Rewatching the video, it is suggested that the Vision Pro LightSeal is swappable for different sizes (Link). I wonder how this will work. Of course this being the low yield product it is, the obvious answer is that the Headset may strongly suggest a fitting at an Apple Store.
• The headband looks like it will simply be the most comfortable one ever shipped on a stock headset device. Also appearing to come in different sizes or even different variations (Link). Perhaps we will see other first party designs or a third party market will spring up to accommodate different tastes.
• Interestingly, there is no overhead strap. It makes sense given the lightness but also to save you from the dreaded reverse mohawk that one often gets from wearing their Quest.
• Digital Crown has quietly become one of Apple’s great tactile control interfaces in the vein of the click wheel and mute switch. Its inclusion is always a pleasure and I see signs it is now being adopted in software as well. The new Final Cut for iPad has a half circle software click wheel that pops out to assist with fine tune adjustments.
• No specs provided regarding storage size but given that the price is described as ‘starting’ at $3499, I think its safe to say that there will be higher storage configurations.
• No field of view (FOV) info either. Although I cant imagine it being bad. If Apple wants us to use this to watch big screen movies or work for hours with our laptop screens, they simply cannot constrain the peripheral vision or it will be worse than just working in real life.
• There is no mention of a carrying case or any accessory for that matter. Accessories are alluded to, different straps, different face pads, but none in sight. Even in product shots, the Vision Pro rests on the table open to the elements. I wonder if this is so Apple can focus the energy and attention around pitching the platform
• External battery is a unique choice, the connector on the Headset side looks similar to the iMac cable but seems new. I wonder if the cable is detachable on the battery side. On initial inspection I would expect not.
• When I first heard the rumors that the battery was going to be a separate unit, I thought that it was the least Apple-like thing I have ever heard. However, after using the Magic Leap at CES which also takes the approach of trying to move as much weight off the head as possible, I am fully on board. The difference in head comfort is night and day.
• Notably, one thing Apple did not omit was the price. I had a thought that since this was clearly nowhere near production and with the focus being firmly on the platform, Apple may want to be more mysterious with the price to let hype build a bit. After all, that is what Apple did with the Apple Watch teasing the price announcement out for months.
• A release of early next year is quite interesting as rumor was that Apple was hoping to get this in before the holidays. It seems the reality of scaling production on what is likely to be the most complex piece of hardware Apple has ever shipped means that this will likely hit in Q1 of next year instead.

One final thought which may be controversial. I had this thought during the event that there is a philosophical difference between Apple and the rest of the industry. Today, Apple brought a computing platform to a console fight. In comparison, everything we have seen before has been essentially designed and geared to gamers who plug their headset into powerful rigs in their den and immerse themselves. The Vision Pro is a stab at what the future of general computing might look like. To become a real platform, this industry needs to push past gaming into the fields of productivity and communications. My money is on Apple for being the one to convince us.

I skipped the last hour of the event. What did I miss?

They used a shimmery effect for the transitions that is super cool. More subtle but no less impressive compared to the drone heavy shots of previous events. Apple events have always the best production value and this event marks a new high point in quality.

Impressions:

MacBook Air 15 inch

• Same I/O and design as the 13
• $1299 (1199 Education
• 13 inch M2 Air now $100 cheaper at $1099
• Funny to think any other event, a 15 inch MacBook Air would carry the show but this year it feels like something they are trying to get out of the way

Mac Studio

• M2 Max refresh
• I understand wanting to put the new chip in the best light but still comparing the system with Intel based systems is like comparing a Ferrari with a tricycle

M2 Ultra Chip

• It’s 2 M2 Max glued together
• I like how Intel is struggling to scale their designs while Apple Chip team is just like “haha double it”
• Supports 6 Pro Display XDRs
• For who? Who needs 6 Pro Display XDR? Forget the headset, the most expensive thing Apple announced today is the theoretical 6 Pro Display XDR set up.

Mac Pro

• Only comes in M2 Ultra config
• With the launch of Mac Pro with M2 Max, /r/apple can finally consolidate around just getting mad about Siri, yet another 50% performance improvement as a result of M2 Ultra! Apple Chip Team truly unmatched
• $6999

iOS 17

• Personalized contact posters - I know it’s most likely you have to accept changes like how contact photos work but imagine if you could set your poster to a dick pic and call your friends at work
• Live subtitled Voicemail - neat feature. Now you can read all about your cars extended warranty as the voicemail comes in
• Prerecorded facetime messages
• Making iMessage Stickers is super neat, I will totally be making stickers of my friends most unflattering pictures for convenient use
• Tap each others phone to share contacts, files, and sync video playback. Neat!
• AirDrop is one of the best features of iOS, nice to see it is getting some solid improvements
• Improved keyboard with better user learning and talk to type - much ducking needed
• StandBy - I wonder if we are seeing a precursor interface to a HomePod with display
• iOS 17 is a feature packed release. 35 min into this thing and we have 2 macs and iOS done. Gee I wonder what could be happening
• Tidbits: No more Hey Siri, just Siri, Swipe to reply in iMessage

IPadOS 17

• Craig catching that iPad and sending it off without looking has me feeling some kind of way…
• Interactable widgets - Finally!
• IOS style Wallpaper - Finally!
• They did seem to do quite a few iPad only features
• ‘We truly live in an age of wonders’ - Thanks Craig for acknowledging the dawn of the multiple timers era at Apple
• Health App on iPad
• Big Improvements on PDF, Adding field detection and autofill is such a good quality of life improvement
• Feels like this release is really for bringing iOS features to iPad OS

MacOS Sonoma

• Apple TV style screensavers - Anybody who has an Apple TV knows that these videos are truly beautiful, nice to see them make an appearance in Mac
• Desktop Widgets - Neat!
• Presenter Overlay - The implementation with the 3D effect is actually quite nice
• Safari - Nice privacy features, custom profiles, and WebApps - Neat!

MacOS Gaming

• Game Mode - prioritized performance and lower latency
• Rumors suggested that Kojima was going to be coming but I think a lot of people were hoping for something completely new, not a reissue of Death Stranding
• I know we all would like for things to happen faster but it’s clear Apple has been on a steady march to becoming a stronger gaming platform for the last couple of years now. This is going to be a very long journey

Audio & Home

• Craig stop, I’ll catch feelings
• AirPods Adaptive Audio - Apple’s strengths have always been in their transparency modes so it is nice to see that with the strength of software they are able to do interesting things like pick and choose what to hear
• AirPlay For Hotels that joins you to WIFI - Super nice quality of life feature
• SharePlay for Car - Now I can subtly insert police siren sounds into the car to spice up the driving experience
• Apple TV Facetime

Watch OS 10

• The announcement video is just gorgeous
• This is a fairly big redesign
• Widgets are back in a big way, WatchOS 1 fans rejoice
• Power user features for cyclists
• Solid updates across the built in apps
• Screen distance is such a neat novel feature. It’s for kids? I am a kid now
• Less than an hour and a half into it and we’re basically done with all platform updates. Imagine if Tim is like “What an amazing day, we’re giving everyone an hour back, thanks for coming”

THE THING THAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

• TIM is here GET HYPE
• !!!!!ONE MORE THING!!!!!!! It’s been a while since we heard that phrase

Vision Pro

• Rumors of the front facing display are true. I know there was some debate on this. Like a lot of other things Apple releases, the real implementation looks way less silly than people think it would.
• Floating iPad apps everywhere & Virtual keyboard
• “Spatial Computing,” “Spatial Interface,” Spatial-everything
• Interface is somewhat reminiscent of Apple Watch
• They are really pitching this as an AR experience. I think that maybe Apple would prefer you to think of this as a transparent glass rather than a pass through
• EyeSight to show your eyes and the software to help blend virtual environments and people is such an Apple way to address isolation in VR
• All the standard apps are here. This is an iPad on your face, folks
• Lot of demos of people just walking around their house with these on. You can almost see the transparent lens glasses Apple wants to turn this into with iteration
• 3D Camera feature is so neat, can’t wait to try this. But I am not wearing this with my family to the park
• Disney video was clearly done without having actually had access to how the Apple Vision Pro
• Optic ID to unlock the headset

Vision Pro Design

• Finally, Apple has managed to source another British fella to replace Jony for the voice over
• Single piece of laminated glass on front, Digital Crown to control immersion
• 12 cameras, 5 sensors, 6 microphones
• AirPods Max vibe to this design
• Active cooling - You just know that the engineering team struggled to try to be able to engineer this thing to not need it. Something to improve on in V2
• All day use when plugged in 2 hours on attached battery - not bad
• MicroOLED - 23 million pixels - that’s 64 pixels in the space of 1 iPhone pixel
• Audio Ray Tracing: Using sensors to adapt audio to reflect the configuration of the room. That’s such a specific innovation just to attain a slight increase in audio immersion I love it
• M2 chip + a new R1 chip for real time sensor processing
• Front sensors that make a 3D digital persona for facetime calls
• Filed over 5000 patents while engineering this headset

Price

• That’s right, this thing so big it deserves its own section
• $3499: early next year
• My wallet just cried out in pain
• I’m not going to make a judgement for you on if its worth. People blow this much on a trip or on their custom PC. If this is something so good you end up being able to use this every day and it brings joy to your life or makes you more productive, then who’s to say that it’s not money well spent?