I’m just gonna get this off my chest here.
I don’t think VR is the next big thing and I don’t think it will be the success everyone seems to be saying it will be.
@philbowell I memorialized the same thought in my Journal about 2-1/2 hours ahead of you. Great minds … or are we just cynics about media hype?
@pimoore @ReaderJohn @philbowell In the end, I expect AI will be similar to Google. It might become common and ubiquitous, but limited in applicability.
@philbowell I see it's back in the news again, which is funny as I don't think I've heard much hype about VR since the pandemic. I was listening to a Christian rave about the possibility of having "virtual in person gatherings" and how this would help deal with how our attention spans have got shorter due to smart devices: but that ignores that virtual in person experiences aren't as attention grabbing as your screen rapidly changing between different bits of information to grab your attention (and that currently it's less engaging and worse when people talk over each other etc) than regular in person experiences. It's funny because I think it was about 10 years ago when oculus started and there was a lot of hype of how smartphone tech made this so close to mainstream adoption...and yet here we still are.
@KyleEssary @pimoore @ReaderJohn I agree Kyle. I expect it to be a supplement to many things, but not especially helpful.
@ChrisJWilson ha, I remember hearing similar things in the pandemic and then witnessing people quickly realising in person is better. I think this is the third time we've had a VR hype train and it never goes much further than a new headset which people get tired of. The same will happen with Apple's if it's released this year.
@philbowell I'd bet you are right. I can see the appeal of a pair of literally glasses size object that then create multiple virtual screens you can work on (instead of needing actual screen). But you'd need something so small and lightweight for that to be worth it. Did you hear this week's ATP? I think the comparison to the newton is possible very accurate; this will be a device that has some interesting takes (I hope!) but ultimate isn't great and is waiting for something big before it can find its place. And like the iPad, that place won't be as huge or transformative as most pundits expect/hope.
@ChrisJWilson I don't listen to ATP but I've heard others mention the Newton comparison, makes sense to me. I can also see the appeal of a pair of glasses like you say but the tech is so far away I think other methods of computing will become more prominent. I think ambient computing and tighter integration between devices we already have in the home/office will be more effective.
@philbowell Agreed. As a niche entertainment product, and in some business situations, perhaps. But not mainstream.
@philbowell I think it will be like 3D cinema. They try to introduce that now and again and it gets a lot of attention then disappears again due to indifference.