After the initial hype (with Apple showing some nice fake videos…), it seems that now things are much more quiet about the Vision Pro. I’m sure they are going to fail, like all the previous attemps on VR “failed”, or at least they failed as a mass consumer product.
People do not want immersive experiences, or they do not want these experiences all the time. Books like “Neuromancer” or “Ready Player One” portray a society were all the computers use VR interfaces, but I think that is still not possible with the technology we have in 2024. Even if it becomes possible someday, people may not embrace it.
3D interfaces in computers are not comfortable, and all attempts to develop these kinds of interfaces have failed. Humans have been using paper, a “2D” medium, for thousands of years; that is why it’s so easy for us to interact with 2D screens on mobile phones or tablets.
We observed the evolution of past interface design trends, such as skeuomorphism, transforming into clean visual languages characterized by simplified interfaces, as exemplified by material design. The natural environment of these interfaces is 2D.
And additionally, there are other factors like the weight or the low resolution of the screens and the cameras (yes, it’s one of the biggest in the market, but it still cannot replace a real monitor, and it’s going to guarantee you dizziness when you try to read text).
There are still some niches where VR is a success, mainly those gaming related (and of course porn), but Apple is not good at any of those.
I remember some VR/AR memorable failures, the Vision Pro will soon join the list: