Looks like I was right. In the last Mac Address video we talked to some experts about the future
of what an Apple headset would look like and it looks like that vision is becoming a reality.
Without the new Vision Pro headset, Apple's WWDC announcement would have been exciting enough.
A new CPU, Mac hardware, and loads of new software features. But with the new Vision Pro headset,
is this announcement one for the history of books like the iPhone was?
I would argue no. And it's not actually because of what Apple announced with the Vision Pro.
It's how they announced it. What I wanted is a live keynote and what we got is another
pre-produced infomercial. Before Apple would produce a whole performance on stage to demo
all the new hardware and software features they've been working on. And they were great.
Steve Jobs was especially good at these. But COVID put a stop to those three years ago.
And they need to come back.
Apple's Vision Pro headset announcement looked a lot more like a future concept video by Microsoft
from 2009, even if this is about an actual product we're expecting next year. With a live demo on
stage, Apple would have had to show how the Vision Pro actually works in the real world. It's very
interesting how they've brought together eye tracking and hand tracking sensors to create a
physical connection with the virtual world. But we never saw a single person actually do it in real
time. I am, however, impressed by the hardware Apple showcased. The micro OLED screen sounds amazing
and the processor and sensor array are impressive. And that eye shield screen is cooler than I was
expecting but still very awkward. I'm curious what it'll be like to be around someone who is using
it because those eyes will be disconcerting. And that digital persona avatar you create by
scanning your face for FaceTime calls is in the Uncanny Valley. There's also the idea of taking
3D photos of your kids and looking at them in the future. It's cool but also gives me black
mirror vibes. Remember that early episode? Do you really want to wear a screen over your eyes
in those precious moments? I mean, I guess people do that with their iPhones at concerts anyway.
In the months leading up to this announcement, I was really skeptical about Apple releasing an
ARVR headset. But after talking to people and trying out other headsets in our last video,
I feel a lot better about the concept. And it's gratifying to know that Apple's vision of the
headset matches what we discovered. At $3,500 though, I don't see the take rate being high. For
those concerned that this is the starting price and it will only get higher like the iPhone has
over the last 16 years, consider that this is called the Vision Pro. Meaning that Apple could
release a less expensive non-pro vision headset at some point. The Vision Pro though is a concept
to guide us into the future. It's a concept that shows us the bleeding edge of this technology
today. It's awkward. Yes, but remember what the first cell phones were like? They were in suitcases
and attached to cars. Yes, you couldn't take your cell phone out of the car. People literally paid a
monthly plan to have a car phone.
What we wanted was a super-sized MacBook Air and we got it. I'm not a big fan of large laptops,
but I can appreciate how people would like to have a 15 inch screen on their MacBook Air.
And not since the iBook has the mainstream laptop from Apple being available in a larger form factor.
Meaning if you wanted more real estate, you'd have to shell it over $2,500 for a MacBook Pro.
Not anymore. At $1,300, the price to entry for a regular person who wants a computer to do it all
has gone down significantly. Not to mention the $100 price drop for the 13 inch model 2.
The M2 MacBook Air is looking a lot more compelling this time around. And weirdly,
the M1 MacBook Air remains at $1,000, which I guess tells you how good it was if they're not
lowering the price almost three years after its release. We also wanted a Mac Pro and we got that
too! Last year, I had such a tepid reaction to the Mac Studio that I filmed myself using it on the
beach just to process those thoughts. Real professionals need PCIe slots for the expansion
cards essential to their work. If they had a Mac Studio, they'd have to deal with Thunderbolt
dongles strewn all over their desk. The new Mac Pro has six empty PCIe slots to fill to your heart's
content. There are actually a grand total of eight slots inside, but two are taken up by IO,
which includes eight Thunderbolt 4 ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports. But that's fine because there's no
such thing as a graphics card anymore at Apple. 76 GPU cores you will use instead.
Finally, what I wanted was a year where we didn't get new features in our OS updates and
instead reliability. And what we got is as close to that as possible. With iPad OS, for instance,
Apple focused on a lock screen like the one the iPhone got last year and smart PDF editing.
Even multiple timers. We truly live in an age of wonders. Though a calculator would have been nice
too. What I really want for the iPhone is a dial to search context, but instead we got
context posters that you can set up so people see a nice or not so nice picture of you when you call
them. Fun fact, I've been doing this multi-year project where I take portraits of my friends
with a film camera so they look beautiful when they call me. This will undo all my hard work.
I like how there's a standby mode when you dock it on a MagSafe stand that you can make
animated stickers by pulling out objects from your live photos and that you can name drop an
air drop like a Samsung by holding the phones close together. And they will still transfer
over the internet when the phones go apart. But I'm running out of time and I haven't even talked
about the Apple Watch. Those scroll up widgets will have me using the simpler faces now, especially
because it means quick access to timers and playback controls. There's also a new focus on
mental health with mood trackings and questionnaires. It has the potential to be a good thing, but I
don't know if this is a substitute for real mental health care. Like the ECG app added to the Apple
Watch a few years ago, expectations should be very limited in terms of what this can do for your
health. There's always so much in every WWDC. AirPods are even getting software update attention
now to these days. Apple as a company has grown to epic proportions and so with all the products
and services to support and improve upon it can be dizzying to keep up with it all. And by the
start of next year, there will be one more thing if it actually works. Thanks for affirming last
week's Mac Address. If you're excited about the new Apple headset, give this video a like. And if
you're curious how it's going to work, you might as well subscribe. Now in the comments, let me know
what your thoughts on this year's WWDC were, what features stood out to you, what hardware you're
going to use. I'm curious.