Steve Troughton-SmithMay 5, 2024

One thing Apple doesn't seem to be cognizant of is that once developers flip the bozo bit on a platform, they never come back — it's a death spiral. That's the danger visionOS faces with its current strategy.

You know what other platform launched with half-finished/emulated system apps and no content? Windows 8. And Microsoft literally paid third-party developers to come onboard, sent them devices, gave them all the support they needed, even ported their apps for them, yet it still didn't work

Show threadFrank ReiffMay 5, 2024
@stroughtonsmith I think visionOS is already dead.
Show threadMarkVMay 5, 2024
@frankreiff @stroughtonsmith I think it's really too early to tell. There's definitely issues and shortcomings, but 90% of what people typically list as their main gripes can be fixed in 2 or 3 iterations on the OS and the hardware. If Apple can make this thing good enough for consumers to buy, I assume developers will follow.
Show threadFrank ReiffMay 6, 2024

@markv @stroughtonsmith I think the problems of the Vision Pro go way past “gripes”: besides minor gripes like being WAY too expensive and WAY too heavy, which perhaps could be fixed, the truly big one is Apple’s structural inability to make the right calls:

- in the absence of a new killer app, target towards exercise, games and media consumption

- make the platform viable by financing the first wave of apps, games & content

- bring third parties on board as partners

Show threadamonduinMay 6, 2024
@frankreiff @markv @stroughtonsmith As long as it is more difficult to put on and take off the VisionPro than it is to just pick up and put down an iPhone or iPad it is going to struggle.
A headset like the VisionPro or Meta Quest is always going to face large ergonomic hurdles that are likely to limit the number of viable use cases for the product.
Professional use cases are likely to be found but until they get this into glasses I can’t see it gaining widespread mainstream traction.
Show threadamonduin
@frankreiff @markv @stroughtonsmith If you live alone I suspect this device is more appealing than those of us who have others in the house we want to share things with. Even with SharePlay I’d rather experience a movie together with others directly rather than mediated by a headset.
Edit: I want to be able to look over, share a laugh, share a smile, lean in and whisper a comment. These are all things that you can’t really do well in a headset.
May 6, 2024 at 2:26pmWeb