JungleGeorgeJun 2, 2023
Steve Troughton-Smith
I am completely convinced that AR-style extended reality is the thing that can someday replace desktop computing for a lot of people, if it is not hobbled by poor management and ecosystem decisions before it gets there. Keep your physical keyboard and trackpad, but virtualize your monitors and your macOS environment. If Apple's headset really is on a path, however many years away, towards becoming traditional glasses, this all seems inevitable. Perhaps eventually you won't even need the glasses
Jun 2, 2023 at 2:50amIvory for Mac
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithJun 2, 2023
There is so much room for xrOS to grow; software no longer confined to a little aluminum and glass box you carry with you, or sit on your desk. There really is nothing else out there in the space anywhere good enough to be your next primary computing platform, just tasteless tech demos and crummy UI playgrounds, filled with jank and despair, plus some admittedly fun games-players. Even as 'merely’ an iPad-for-your-face, an Apple XR headset has such a potential lead over everything else
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithJun 2, 2023
You know what I don't want to see from an xrOS demo? Some arty experimental music track visualized in 3D 😂 Nor cute little animals running round my room, nor any of the other dumb smoke and mirror tech demo things everybody else has relied on in lieu of actual content. Show me a real OS, with real apps, with real ways for it all to fit into my life; a fully armed and operational Apple-powered app and content ecosystem
Show threadRyanJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith Nah, give me the ability to share my heartbeat any day of the week 🤣
Show threadJames ThomsonJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith As soon as I get a headset, I’ll be doing enough stupid 3D stuff for everybody 😉
Show threadZack KatzJun 2, 2023
@jamesthomson @stroughtonsmith Now I want to roll huge dice that bounce off my walls and ceiling. 🎲🎲🎲🎲🎲
Show threadJames ThomsonJun 2, 2023
@zackkatz @stroughtonsmith I mean, there is already a hidden AR mode in Dice 🙂
Show threadZack KatzJun 2, 2023
@jamesthomson @stroughtonsmith Yes! Those ducks and bananas will really pop when they’re 3D and I’m, like, _in_ the scene.
Show threadMatt GoddenJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith Show me a demo of a Mac connected to a 3D Printer, so I can model in VR, then go direct to instantiation. Show me OpenBrush, and Kodon - tools I already use in VR to get actual work done, that can’t be done on a flat 2D screen. Stereoscopic 3D, Volume, Depth, and Scale are the paradigm.
Show threadJeffJun 2, 2023

@stroughtonsmith Showing Uber or Lyft, with your car somewhere off in the distance approaching. Or maybe even just widgets running in the corners like on the Watch.

If they can fit the guys of an Apple Watch Ultra into regular looking glasses, LOTS of people would buy them. We’ll probably see the face huggers, though.

Show threadMichael KnepprathJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith amen
Show threadD. Griffin JonesJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I agree with you generally… but all they have to do to get me on board is call it iTunes Visualizer VR
Show threadBill VinsonJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I think this is why I am so negative on the headset right now. I know it's step one toward something possibly useful, but based on what has been rumored, this first product doesn't yet sound useful and I'm frustrated with the idea of it stealing engineering resources away from other platforms at Apple I do care about. That all being said, I'd love for Apple to blow me away with a very cool introduction that shows something truly unique today.
Show threadmr. intarwebsJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I think this is how they’ll ultimately justify the $$$ pricing for high end models. It may be pitched as a replacement for the laptop/desktop, not an add-on, and therefore will be priced like a MacBook Pro.
Show threadGene GoykhmanJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I really appreciate your enthusiasm and optimism for this upcoming technology. It’s a welcome balance to a lot of the dismissive negativity I see elsewhere.
Show threadChris PirilloJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith ...I've earmarked budget for one, but I hope it doesn't slide into gimmickry within weeks.
Show threadDanielJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I think it’s a lack of imagination to force 2D rectangle into XR.
It should feel and be more of 3D UX.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithJun 2, 2023
@danielinoa 2D content will be important thousands of years into the future. The idea that everything needs to be ported to 3D, because reasons, is nonsense. The stuff that will benefit from 3D will be 3D
Show threadJerry JonesJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith @danielinoa I also think there’s _fairly_ “easy” treatments you could apply to 2D elements to give them some depth. Not sure if that would make them _good_, but I could see a path to a bit of character and whimsy.
Show threadCaspar FairhallJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith It would be disappointing if it simply reproduced the macOS interface, though. There’s something really bizarre about the idea of simulating a screen that was originally made to simulate a physical desk. I think the thing would be to bring back physical, spatial metaphors — but with all the potential that AR has.
Show threadRich AestheticJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith agreed, but they really really gotta make sure the monitors don't jiggle when turning one's head too quickly or whatever.
Show threadNikhil NigadeJun 2, 2023

@stroughtonsmith Here’s what I'm thinking xrOS would be like: an extension to macOS, tvOS and iOS/iPadOS.

It won't be its separate thing for sometime.

It will instead augment (AR) and extend (VR) current experiences, tethered (desktop) and untethered (mobile). Maybe even add continuity and handoff to the mix to make it seamless.

Show threadTodd Heberlein (social)Jun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I was thinking a compact keyboard & trackpad plus headset might make a nice travel package.
Show threadJosh WoldJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith this is amazing! I’d pay for this immediately.
Show threadTomáš SlížJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I hate the virtual keyboard idea btw. I don’t believe that’s the better future for typing.
Show threadSteve Troughton-SmithJun 2, 2023
@tomas …which is why I said physical keyboard
Show threadTomáš SlížJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith Sorry, I missed it 👍
Show threadSean ReillyJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith what do you think are the odds that this will be able to run Xcode/terminal and replace a laptop? That'd be worth £3k with no further convincing. A huge virtual display and ability to use existing bluetooth keyboards/trackpads is 🤩 even without the AR/VR gimmicks.
Show threadSean ReillyJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith in other words, I think you're absolutely right that it would be the ideal future, but I'll also be amazed if Apple doesn't neuter it with an iOS-style locked down system.
Show threadFlorian WeidnerJun 2, 2023
@[email protected], I see how enticing it is to simply transport wd screens into our 3d world but it can only be the first step - I think AR can do so much more than just display floating windows.
Show threadJohn EllenichJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I really hope they focus on mouse, keyboard, and virtual display support. The rumored displays are pretty much there resolution-wise to make this possible.
Show threadAnneTheWriterJun 2, 2023

@stroughtonsmith
While some folks have interpreted my ideas to be a #SciFi story idea, when I've mentioned it in the past, it wasn't (although it could be used as one):

Contact lenses used for displays, and nail polish used for sensors to interact with the software/internet. You can even type if you prefer a keyboard to a pen, because the nails are all polished with the #nanotech that interprets your finger motions to be typing. Or you can use a pen to write on air. It's all the same idea.

The only reason this probably won't be aggressively researched in the near future as real #tech, imo, is because so much of it would require feminine adornments. The #TechIndustry is very male-oriented and not comfortable with wearing nail polish.

Show threadSumocat 🐈‍⬛Jun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I am likewise convinced, but I have come around to thinking of it as *augmenting* the computing experience. Replace more elements, yes. But AR is about enhancing what is physically present. I feel that is more in line with Tim Cook’s AR mantra.
Show threadKyle NazarioJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith I’ll look goofy as hell in a VR helmet but I work from home. Only my pets will know 😄
Show threadJohn DavisJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith if the frame rate, colors and ppi are good then this will be way less expensive than buying monitors.
Show threadPhilippJun 2, 2023
@stroughtonsmith this is the one thing that could sell the headset to me.