Spatial computing, beyond the hype
Freya Clarke
Strategist
What Apple Vision Pro could mean for developers and for brands.
Throughout the 21st century, we have seen how the consolidation and development of new technologies has influenced eras and decades—and the culture and society of the people living in them. In the late 20th century, computers became an everyday part of the home. In the nineties and into the early noughties, the Internet boom allowed global audiences to connect in new ways to inspire endless creative possibilities. By the 2010s, social media’s impact on human communication was becoming undeniable—specifically in the new opportunities it gave brands and audiences to interact with each other.
The question is, will the 2020s be remembered for spatial computing? It feels lofty to say that the Apple Vision Pro is the one piece of hardware that we’ll look back on as the invention that sparked the mass uptake of AR devices. However, it feels unwise to underestimate how much it could really change our world.
What makes the Apple Vision Pro different from the rest?
VR and AR headsets are nothing new. But as Poppins CEO, Maani says:
"From experiences that are clunky or create a sense of disconnection from reality, to the downright failures. Not a single one of the previous attempts at creating a mixed reality wearable has managed to achieve the level of quality and refinement as the Vision Pro."
What Apple displayed so successfully at the Worldwide Developers Conference this week is their ability to push existing technology and package it in the most accessible way for the public. The Vision Pro allows users to shift between the augmented world and the real world, flawlessly. It’s designed with comfort and natural use in mind. And, of course as expected with any Apple product, the interactions are seamless, the interface is stunning, and it’s the most beautifully crafted headset in the market.
Sam, VP of Product and Delivery and Matt, Technical Director, both agree that the interface of the Vision Pro is a huge step forward for headset hardware. The ways the Vision Pro utilises audio and voice technology, spatial gesture controls and the screen design itself—specifically, the eye tracking technology—are nothing short of phenomenal. As our Software Engineer, Phil, adds:
"Psychologically, physically, it’s so different from looking down at a device. It’s amazing how you can be so immersed in a different world one moment and snap back to your real environment in an instant. Just the fact that you’re able to see people’s eyes through the device is a big step in the right direction."
What does this mean for developers and technologists?
Vision Pro is not only providing a new space of exploration for users, but for developers too. Alongside Xcode, visionOS apps are going to be created with the all-new Reality Composer Pro, specifically designed for preparing and previewing 3D assets for visionOS apps. But the most exciting part of their announcement for developers, as our Technical Director would agree, is the fact that Apple partnered with Unity to build visionOS. In particular, the deep integration with Unity’s new PolySpatial technology alongside the use of familiar Unity tools gives existing Unity developers a strong head start when it comes to developing future apps for this technology. This is a real testament to how serious Apple is in providing the right tools for developers to build high quality apps, faster. Poppins has started working with the beta releases for Unity and VisionOS and we can’t wait to show you what we’re creating.
The move towards third party tools also shows that immersive content sits at the heart of spatial computing. Because without engaging content to watch, play or use, this hardware would be useless. And the truly game-changing thing about the Vision Pro, what makes it really powerful, is the fact that it has the potential to become an incredible platform for countless applications in an instant. App Store integration means unimaginable experiences will be available on the Vision Pro as soon as new and existing apps are optimised for spatial computing. And the more accessible this process is for developers, the more spectacular all of this content can be.
What does it mean for brands?
The future of marketing using AR is hyper-targeted, personalised, contextual and spatial. In plain English, new technology will help us to create advertising that changes depending on who’s looking at it, what they need, where they are, and multiple other factors; the time of year, the time of day, the weather and so on. The Apple Vision Pro can help us get to that future, and do so much more.
For brands, it means there is no limit to the new experiences they could create for, and with, their audiences. Go to a pop-up from home? Try on virtual garments at your desk? Swim in a fizzy drinks can? Be at a festival on your commute? With the Vision Pro, why not? It opens up new possibilities for how we build websites and social media content, how we make GIFs and videos, and how we approach branding and marketing as a whole.
What will things be like a decade from now?
At Monday night’s WWDC, by introducing the Vision Pro, Apple was able to reintroduce AR as a maturing sector ready for mass adoption. Their major competitive advantage as a technology leader has always been their obsessive focus on design; quietly developing groundbreaking technology while countless others entered the market with underwhelming offers. This technology marries hardware and software to produce a seriously impressive addition to the existing Apple line of products and services. It will undoubtedly have an impact beyond what we can currently imagine.
But as mind blowing as ‘day one’ of the spatial computing revolution is, all of us here at Poppins can’t wait to see how things will develop in five to ten years. Thinking back to the very first iPhone really opens our eyes to how much slicker this technology can get, how many more experiences it can help us to create, and how much more common it can become. What’s truly exciting for us is a future where we can think back to this day and laugh at how of-its-time the Apple Vision Pro has become.
If anything you've read here piques your interest, we'd love to hear from you at hello@poppins.agency