The future is 'space computing' not the 'metaverse'! This is not a word game, it's Apple's values

During the launch of the mixed reality headset Vision Pro, Apple never mentioned the "metaverse", instead focusing on a new concept-"spatial computing."

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced at the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC): "This is the first Apple product that you can see the world through rather than just seeing it."

"Just like the Mac led us into the era of personal computing and the iPhone led us into the era of mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will lead us into the era of spatial computing. "

What is spatial computing?

Simply put, spatial computing refers to the integration of the digital world and the real world to create a new immersive experience for users.

Imagine the APP and menu bar floating in mid-air. To put it another way: this is equivalent to setting up a background in the real world, and then arranging, adapting and utilizing the APP according to your own needs and preferences. Of course, the virtual part can only be seen through the lens.

The same goes for Vision Pro.

The launch of Vision Pro marks Apple’s entry into the mixed reality field.

But unlike Meta and other competitors that chose virtual reality (VR), Apple chose to go the augmented reality (AR) route.

For some people, there is almost no difference between virtual reality and augmented reality, and "spatial computing" is just a word game played by Apple.

But for Apple, Augmented reality may represent the next important historical stage in humanity’s relationship with the digital world.

Apple does not advocate a fully immersive digital space such as the "Metaverse", nor does it want to create a virtual world to escape reality.

Vision Pro is the best proof of this view. The headset is designed and developed for short-term gaming, content consumption and communication.

Users can watch movies, browse photo albums, play games, and video chat with friends through avatars through Vision Pro, while maintaining contact with the real world.

Beyond that, the launch show featured a flat screen that people watched on a head-mounted display while playing arcade games, rather than a truly immersive VR experience. This seems to emphasize that Apple cares more about the augmented reality experience.

In fact, Mark Gurman, a reporter for Bloomberg who follows Apple, confirmed this idea very early.

He wrote in a report early last year: "I have been told directly that the idea that users can escape into a completely virtual world-such as they can enter the (virtual) future vision of Meta Platforms/Facebook world) - it is Apple’s restricted area.”

Cook himself has also talked about this topic.

In September 2016, he told "Good Morning America" ​​that he preferred augmented reality, "because it allows us all to sit down and be in the moment and talk to each other and also see something else."

Last year, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of global marketing, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he would never use the word “Metaverse”.

In other words, in Apple's perception, the future is the world of "space computing", not the so-called "metaverse".

Right now, although the price of up to US$3,500 is enough to dissuade most ordinary consumers, many users said after experiencing the real machine: It smells really good! There’s a reason why it’s expensive! Enter another world! Experience the future!

Whether the future belongs to "space computing" or "metaverse" may not be verified until Vision Pro is actually launched.

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