My track record of blog posts that go a little against the grain (but which are later proven right) is pretty good. Early essays about Twitter and the App Store. But I’m wrong sometimes! I was wrong about AI. Ignored it for months, thinking it was a distraction. Maybe I’ll be wrong about Vision Pro.

@manton I don't think so. I see the device and think "why?" and "for what?" To me it feels like a product looking for a reason to exist, or a custom base to appeal to. ...or maybe I am showing my age?

@manton It’s been interesting listening to you and Daniel @danielpunkass sort through your views on the Vision Pro (and Rabbit, the AI pin, etc.). I’m feeling very positive about it opening up new possibilities (just as the AppleWatch has).

@the Thanks for listening! Having a recording of our old takes will be nice to look back on in 10 years. 🙂

@the @manton I look at it this way. In terms of cost, a new base-level M2 MBP is $1,200. A Studio Display is $1,600. Now, we know that this is more like an iPad than a Mac in terms of OS so an M2 iPad pro might be the better. But let's say you'r someone with the budget for a new computer and external display and you're going to spend the $2,800 for some portable Apple computer and the Studio Display.

Now compare. Just assume for the moment that the Vision Pro is a new kind of computer. That's it, it's a computer. It does computer things. You can use a bluetooth mouse, trackpad and keyboard when sitting at a desk just as you might with a Mac or iPad connected to the Studio Display. But for the price difference of $1,000 you're getting an unlimited number of displays of any size you want. That right there, that's what this is all about. You can go anywhere with one of the most powerful computers available and unlimited screens that can fill rooms, all in a form factor that fits in a backpack.

If you're someone that primarily works and uses a Mac, well, just as an iPad is less useful to you so too will this be less useful in that capacity. If you're someone for whom an iPad is or can be your computer this opens up to something quite remarkable.

And I'm just mostly thinking about it as a computer for the kinds of things I do with my iPad. Not even talking about how this would/could also replace the television for me. How much does a 72" TV cost?

This may not be practical as a TV/entertainment device in a family setting. But for single folks living/working alone, remotely, or even in certain office spaces, I could imagine this being a pretty fantastic computer.

@Denny Definitely. Whether it is expensive or not depends a lot on how you frame its purpose. 

@the Yep, case in point. In last week's Dalrymple Report podcast with Dave Mark, two long-time Apple users/podcasters/publishers, the two were discussing the storage space of 512GB and Jim asked "What would you even put on this thing?" They compared it to the AppleTV.

I think that says a lot about how many pundits/podcasters are thinking about it and framing it. They seem to be viewing it as, primarily, an entertainment gadget rather than as a powerful spatial computer. So right from the start, for many, it just seems like an over-priced one person gaming/entertainment device. And the few that do bring up using it for actual productive work sort of bring it up as a joke.

Me? If I had the budget and didn't have health issues that I think would get in the way (labrynthitis/vertigo) I'd investigate it as a possible devices for doing document design with Affinity Publisher and the various other things I currently do with the iPad such as spreadsheets and coding webites.

Side note, addition, I wonder too about use cases very few are bringing up: Travel without travel, tours, etc. Thinking of perhaps elderly or mobility impared people. What are the side cases where something like this becomes useful. Perhaps not primary but still beneficial for a smaller subset of the population. Pundits/tech folk go for the quick and obvious use cases that they want it for. I rarely see them think outside the box. Perhaps it's never a mass market device but it might still be very useful.

@Denny i've been thinking about virtual travel too. If carbon pricing ever truly happens, and I think things will be truly desperate before our politicians enact it at the levels needed, then virtual tours are going to be a cost-effective albeit less satisfying alternative.

Pundits/tech folk go for the quick and obvious use cases that they want it for. I rarely see them think outside the box.

Certainly I agree with this: most pundits are a waste of time. That's one of the reasons I enjoy listening to Core Intuition — @manton and @danielpunkass ’s thoughtfulness and readily-admitted uncertainty.

@Denny @manton I look at it this way: I can buy a new Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air, all for less than $3,500. They're tried-and-true computers. With 4 devices, I don't need a 5th. And as far as I know, the Vision Pro doesn't do anything those don't. It does the same things, just fancier or in some ways better (bigger portable displays). Could it replace some of those other devices? Maybe, but it's also apparently heavy on the head/uncomfortable before long, has a mere 2-hr battery life, and isolates you from others that may be around.

@manton Ideas follows similar rules as genes do in evolution. Because of genetic drift, it's not always the best ideas that win, especially if there are limited sources for ideas, as is the case with big tech companies. Consumers should be less brand-loyal, and more critical in their buying decisions, and tech "reporters" more transparent in their reporting, too.

@jasonmcfadden @manton The one practical use case I see is an ergonomic setup of monitors. It's at least compelling to me to imagine being in a comfortable chair and seeing the equivalent of 3 large monitors in front of me for work. I'm nowhere close to spending $3500 for that, even with some back and neck discomfort. But it's the only real scenario where I would have any interest beyond an expensive (and isolating) entertainment device.