In the future, it may replace mobile phones and personal computers. Experts say it's just a "big brother". Apple launches a hybrid reality headset, Steve Jobs | World | Big Brother

"One More Thing" is a common phrase used by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and every time this phrase appears, a new product will appear.

Early this morning Beijing time, Apple launched its first generation hybrid reality headset display device, Vision Pro. "We have been brewing for many years for this day, and I have been eagerly anticipating it myself," said the current CEO, Cook.

Kevin Kelly, the "Godfather of the Internet", said in the World in 5000 Days that smart glasses will be the "next revolution". Will Apple's Vision Pro play any role in this revolution?

Exploring the Interaction and Integration between the Digital World and the Physical World

"When you open Apple Vision Pro, you see your world and everything in it, your favorite applications are right in front of you, and now they are in your space." According to the official introduction, this is Apple's first space operating system in history, which can navigate with the eyes, click and scroll on the screen with your hands, and give commands with sound.

This is also the first 3D camera invented by Apple, which can capture photos and videos with extraordinary depth, "panoramic surround you."

In its official introduction, Vision Pro processes sensor data very quickly, "almost eliminating lag phenomena."

What gives people a mixed reality feeling is that when others are in the room, users can see them, and they can also see the user's eyes.

For Vision Pro, Yan Feng, professor of the Chinese Department of Fudan University and IT product commentator, commented on his WeChat official account and Weibo account, "witnessed the history, and finally saw the arrival of another one more thing moment in his lifetime."

In Yan Feng's view, its complexity far exceeds that of any VR/AR headset to date, as well as any personal computer device. At the same time, he also has "complex emotions": it looks bigger than previously anticipated; The battery life is only 2 hours, and it is still possible to use a separate battery attached to the belt

In his view, the future of Vision Pro itself is still uncertain, but it has ushered in a new era of computer human-computer interfaces.

Jiefang Daily's Shangguan News reporter interviewed Professor Zhao Xing, Dean of the Joint Research Institute on Metaverse and Virtual Real Interaction, Chief Expert of the Metaverse and Mathematical Intelligence Laboratory at East China Normal University, and Big Data Research Institute at Fudan University. In his view, Apple has been exploring the interaction and integration between the digital and physical worlds, from the first generation iPhone that redefined smartphones to the Vision Pro, which is now a hybrid reality interaction.

"The spatial computing it represents is expected to replace personal computing and mobile computing"

What life scenarios may Vision Pro's technological highlights change? What impact may it have on industries and society?

Professor Zhao Xing observed that Vision Pro has the following technological highlights: firstly, it adopts state-of-the-art augmented reality technology. For example, using a brand new R1 chip specifically to control perception, including inputs such as cameras, or having certain anti dizziness functions; Can replace non natural peripheral devices such as mice and keyboard controllers with eye contact; It is worth observing whether it can achieve immersive viewing with high-definition 4K on a large screen, and the experience is far beyond that of existing personal computers and televisions, and even whether it can challenge large cinemas in the future; Being able to place the physical world and virtual world in the same user's field of view, bridging the boundary between virtual and real interaction.

Secondly, it provides an integrated platform for work, study, entertainment, and social interaction. Apple has ported popular applications from iPhones and Mac computers to Vision Pro and launched a new VisionOS operating system, which can be used in conjunction with conference services such as Office and Zoom. It can even project a "metaverse" avatar of a real person's image and size into the application, and directly project Mac screen content into the air, potentially greatly improving the immersion and authenticity of remote video conferencing.

The official introduction of Apple states that the era of spatial computing has arrived. What is spatial computing? Zhao Xing said that space computing includes a series of theories, technologies, and tools for collecting, obtaining, processing, and interacting with three-dimensional multimodal data. In terms of specific applications, most current space computing application scenarios include three steps: using photogrammetry, LiDAR, and other technologies to capture objects in the physical world and abstract them into three-dimensional models; Analyze these three-dimensional models and their data in spatial dimensions; Incorporate human-computer interaction technology into digital content or engage in interaction between people and digital content. At present, artificial intelligence technologies including generative artificial intelligence and AIGC play an important role in spatial computing.

What impact will Vision Pro bring to the industry and society? Zhao Xing believes that it depicts the interaction mode between the virtual digital world and the real physical world, and points out the implementation path of virtual real interaction; Perhaps it will redefine the product forms of spatial computing and mixed reality, and provide a new generation of human-computer interaction product pool and industry chain form; It will become a "catfish" in the new generation information interaction device market and has great potential to become a key interaction device in the "metaverse".

Will Vision Pro replace mobile phones in the future? "I believe that it will not only replace mobile phones, but also personal computers. The spatial computing it represents is expected to replace personal and mobile computing." Zhao Xing also said, "Heating and battery life issues are inherent challenges for this type of hardware. Currently, Apple has not sought the best answer in this regard, and plug-in batteries are definitely not the ultimate solution. Currently, Vision Pro is still in the 'big brother' era."

Similar expanded real industries in China have a history of many years. According to data, the domestic XR equipment shipment in 2022 will be 1.1 million, including about 500000 Pico with ByteDance. "But this field has always lacked industry benchmarks and killer applications, and relevant domestic manufacturers are striving to become the OEM of Apple's MR devices." Zhao Xing said that China has the largest potential consumer group of XR devices in the world, and mobile Internet has proved that China also has the world's most high-quality and largest digital content creators and consumers, and the potential of related fields is visible to the naked eye.