Virtual Reality

[Asura]

They won’t just yet because the technology to make a mainstream consumer product like this doesn’t exist/only exists in labs.

All the VR headsets are going to have eye tracking the next time around; research has come along and many of the problems have been solved.

It's going to really help VR because it helps with foveated rendering, plus it allows VR tech to be used by people with movement disabilities.

The problem is that it's very easy for FB to know where you're looking at with an ad, whether you read it, for how long, and whether your eyes are open... Like those channel 4 streaming ads which pause if you alt-tab.

[Cassius_Smoke]

All the VR headsets are going to have eye tracking the next time around; research has come along and many of the problems have been solved.

It's going to really help VR because it helps with foveated rendering, plus it allows VR tech to be used by people with movement disabilities.

The problem is that it's very easy for FB to know where you're looking at with an ad, whether you read it, for how long, and whether your eyes are open... Like those channel 4 streaming ads which pause if you alt-tab.

It's going to be like Black Mirror were it plays a high pitch sound if you look away.

[Asura]

It's going to be like Black Mirror were it plays a high pitch sound if you look away.

Thing is, people are joking about this, but it's not the big horrifying Black Mirror things.

It's that FB, who know your age, gender, height and body movement metrics, will also be able to measure your attention span, and how your attention wavers, and create algorithms that quietly cross-index these things, which will help them find ways to make ads as effective as possible, ideally without you realising it.

So it's not so much about forcing you to watch ads; it's about making sure you watch them (and really watch and take them in, not just "have them onscreen for a sec") without having to force you.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Thing is, people are joking about this, but it's not the big horrifying Black Mirror things.

It's that FB, who know your age, gender, height and body movement metrics, will also be able to measure your attention span, and how your attention wavers, and create algorithms that quietly cross-index these things, which will help them find ways to make ads as effective as possible, ideally without you realising it.

So it's not so much about forcing you to watch ads; it's about making sure you watch them (and really watch and take them in, not just "have them onscreen for a sec") without having to force you.

It's probably an inevitability to be honest. If corporations make the changes slowly enough and effectively enough we would just accept it without given consent.

[wakka]

Yeah I’m not saying an apple vr headset would be perfect, just that all the things that people find awkward about vr I reckon they’d solve e.g. it’d be wireless, and light, and you’d be able to hear what’s going on around you and easily look ‘through’ the headset without taking it off. You just know they wouldn’t make one that didn’t solve all those issues. I don’t think they will though.

I agree. Also, they make money from selling hardware and services, not through data and advertising. They've made a virtue of that with moves like the recent restrictions on data sharing between apps, which has stymied Facebook ad tracking on iOS.

There's lots of evidence that they're at an advanced stage with their VR/MR headset. Leaks originally came via The Information which is a pretty reliable source:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/23/22346564/apple-mixed-vr-virtual-augmented-reality-headset-light-ming-chi-kuo

The bad news is, the price is rumoured to be extreme initially. Hololens $3000 type range :/

[Asura]

The bad news is, the price is rumoured to be extreme initially. Hololens $3000 type range :/

Honestly, part of me would be over the moon if they made a premium price headset, because that means they would be (shock) making money by selling the damn thing, up-front. Maybe garnishing sales on its AppStore. But that's it.

[wakka]

Apple will 100% be looking to make a huge margin on the hardware. That's their primary model. And they'll also garnish the apps for 30% on top of that, natch. It definitely wouldn't be driven by data/ad sales, as so much of how they brand themselves now is as privacy champions. Besides, it's just not how they make money elsewhere in their business.

I'm fine with the idea of it being a premium price. 1k or even 1500 I could even see myself considering. But three grand would just be out of the question for the vast majority of people, myself included.

Still, it's all leaks and rumours at this stage, so who knows what will happen.

[Neon Ignition]

Unless it's your annual phone upgrade Apple feel irrelevant to pretty much anything else going on in the tech space. Hugely successful but lazy AF.

[Brad]

What!?
They just abandoned Intel architecture for their computers because intel have been resting on their laurels, and made a laptop with a 15-18 hour battery life, put in an intel -> arm wedge with no perceivable performance impact and resulted in a £1000 passively cooled silent laptop that outperforms a £2000 dell xps. How is that lazy?

[MartyG]

Yeah, but can it run Crysis?

[wakka]

Love 'em or hate 'em, they're one of the most influential companies in tech. If they release their VR headset, it will have a marked impact on the space.

[Brad]

Apple are far from perfect but credit where it's due. They have made tech work where others couldn't or didn't several times in their history. Some of the stuff they do is definitely divisive. We made the macbook air this thin! Erm, ok. I don't need it that thin; I'd rather have it twice as thick but with an ethernet port and a couple more USBs. Look how thin out iPhone is! Again, make it thicker with a better battery please.

[MartyG]

Making the batteries more easily replaceable would be a first step, not just Apple guilty of that tho, should be in all consumer electronics - I've never done an iPhone replacement, but have on several iPods, Sony Xperias and Google Pixels. With later iPod nanos your chances of it working again afterwards are slim as the device.

[Neon Ignition]

Definitely hate 'em. It's been years since I've owned Apple stuff and it wasn't even a conscious shift away but the longer I'm away the more irritating their products and the zombie cult around them is. The idea of them putting out a VR headset given the inevitable costs, software and game support makes Facebook seem inoffensive.

For All Mankind though... I give them that one, that's damned good money spent.

[Dogg Thang]

makes Facebook seem inoffensive.

Nothing should make Facebook seem inoffensive.

Apple have many issues (stupid costs for things like a stand rank right up there, along with their self-destructive cables) and some things I'm not a fan of (Macs frustrate me) but on the flip side I adore the iPad and it's about a million times better than any other tablet I've tried. Admittedly I haven't tried all that many but they were all Android and all terrible by comparison. iPads are pricy but if I was to work it out on a daily cost considering the amount of use I get from it, it would actually be very little.

But I don't think yet that Apple will be responsible for undoing democracy and that's a big plus for me when I choose my consumer electronic devices.

Anyway, whether it's Apple or anyone else, the Oculus needs way more competition.