It's not even that it's not feasible. The entire idea is stupid. VR makes a lot of sense in entertainment and AR will one day be really great for small things like showing map directions and notifications but the concept of a virtual computer controlled by waving your hands around is just silly. It will never make sense.

I think you’re missing the point. Both are true. It is both leaps forward, but still bad.

Just because something is “best in class” doesn’t mean it’s not a piece of shit.

The Vision Pro is the best example of video passthrough and hand/eye tracking that has ever been produced, but they're also insufficient for it to be a seamless experience.

This isn't really the problem, I think. MKBHD touched on this but this system doesn't seem to have a killer app. There's a bunch of stuff you can do with it, but which of those things can be done better than just using a computer?

Gaming is the big one but apple doesn't care about that so what else is there? It would be good for virtual walkthroughs of a home you're considering buying. Or at an architects office to show off the experience of a new building. But...cheaper VR headsets can already do all of that.

So what actually task can this do better than anything else?

They're not contradictory. All other headsets' passthrough is just so bad that even though the Apple headset isn't good it's still way ahead of them.

The biggest problem I see from these kind of devices is: you're isolating yourself. For example, it looks very cool that you can see a movie with a similar experience to a theatre, but you're completely isolated using it. I don't see a family, each with one of these devices on, watching a movie on the couch at the same time. It's complicated enough when people have their smartphones out while eating with others...

That doesn't mean that it hasn't its uses, but it's more limited than what the try to sell to you. You're by yourself when you're using this device, even if you can see others.

One thing I give Apple credit for is keeping ads out of the primary operating system. I've got an Apple TV and a Google TV (I refuse to use it's full name). Apple TV is just a grid of Apps whereas the Google homescreen immediately hits you with an ad for a show on a streaming service you might not even have. Even the Google remote has dedicated buttons for Netflix and YouTube and I'm not a Netflix subscriber.

I guess it's the difference between Apple being a hardware/software company and Google being an advertising company.

There will be ads everywhere.

Too late.

I'm always reminded of this video when I think about just how bad AR could be. But then again, it could be pretty cool if we can only keep control over our tech.

https://youtu.be/YJg02ivYzSs

What happened to the anger people had toward Google Glass and the feeling that people wearing them would be recording everything around them basically all the time?

People feel that way all the time now, so AR glasses no longer seem as intrusive to most people.

I don't think these glasses are intended for general public use right now. I know big businesses that want them for manufacturing quality control but outside that what is the point of AR?

I think the biggest difference compared to all previous endeavors is that VR/AR devices are still this thing that collects dust in the corner even among the biggest enthusiasts.

Most people had some form of portable music player (like Walkman) long before iPod was a thing.

Every household had been equipped with phones long before Apple made iPhone. Cellphones were also a huge deal before iPhone.

Watches are old as time (pun intended). Fitness trackers was also a big thing before Apple Watch.

VR/AR? Most people don’t really care - despite multiple efforts from all the biggest tech companies. Is a more premium Oculus from Apple the solution? I guess time will tell, but I have doubts.

What a weird thing to get hung up on.