vision pro-dictions

2 min read

apple vision pro tech

Yesterday Apple announced the new Vision Pro spatial computer (aka headset). One of the things I do at my job is kind of try to predict the future, or at least imagine how to get ahead of it so we can make the right moves today. With that, I've been assembling some predictions (most of which I assume will be proven wrong very quickly) on how I think the Vision Pro will change the current state of product, experiences and technology.

They are:

  • This new platform is gonna bring a new monetization strategy with it. This isn’t the place for 99¢ apps, especially when every user has shown their willingness to spend and user base is small. Pricing will look more like Mac apps, or perhaps higher. Subscriptions will be the norm, or perhaps pay per hour/day for certain kinds of apps.

  • Entertainment is obviously a big part of this and VR events (court-side sports & front-row concerts) could be a game-changer. It has the chance to be a big disruptor to live sports so I’m predicting a Ticketmaster-like entity might sell expensive per-event ticketed access so VR doesn’t undercut in-person.

  • Streamers like Netflix and Disney are going to add VR/AR content to their libraries but put it behind a higher tier plan. Apple will raise the price of Apple TV+ but will still have some of the cheapest access to VR content and it will all be Vision Pro exclusive.

  • Zeiss lenses are going to be expensive for people who need them. DTC third parties like Warby Parker will probably replicate something pretty equivalent very quickly.

  • 3D photos and videos will be more interesting and more used than Live Photos, but not by much. 3D photos and videos will also be in a new Apple format that is not widely supported for a while.

If I think of more, I'll probably update this post. And if any of them are every confirmed or disproven I'll try to remember and update those too.