Intro
There’s been much coverage of Apple’s new headset, and it’s exciting it really is, but I don’t think I need to rehash what is already done on other publications. I want to share some thoughts on what Apple’s announcement means for small business.
Why am I qualified? Not only do we work hand in hand with small businesses using Apple products everyday at Foojee, but about 18 months ago we did an experiment with our team. We bought a meta quest 2 headset for everyone so we could see first hand what this special computing era might look like.
So we have context on what Apple just revealed, and how our fellow small businesses should be thinking about this.
Observations
Apple’s Vision Pro and what this really is, their Vision platform as a whole, is from the ground up a staggering difference from other headset plays you’ve seen from Meta, PlayStation, and others. It’s almost embarrassing. Comparing them side by side, Meta’s Quest 2 is like an App Store with mostly gimmicks and a few useful things. The Vision Pro is an entire operating system with email, calendaring, communication built into its core. Meta may say theirs is the complete picture, but pales in comparison to Apple’s Vision OS. I’m of the opinion that the operating system visionOS will be the equivalent of macOS in 30 years.
Think about it. MacOS is 40 years old. It’s changed drastically, but it’s still been iterations over four decades of technological improvements. VisionOS is a new parallel operating system for this new spacial way of interacting with compute.
The Vision Pro introduces the next method of computer interface, like we've seen in movies for years. For example, the Mac introduced the mouse, then the iPhone introduced the finger as the interface method. AirPods brought voice. And now, with the Apple Vision Pro, it’s your eyes. That’s right, there are no controllers, and the experience is entirely driven by where you look, with some help of hand gestures. Another thing that Meta cut corners: they send two plastic controllers in the box that they expect you to use.
This is less about what Vision Pro means for small business, and more about what does computing in a 3D space mean for business? Theoretically speaking, this is limitless, and it’s a brand new computing platform like the web was in the 90s for businesses, and smartphones changed how we did work in the 2000s. What Apple just announced isn’t just an app or two that’s cool. Apple announced an entire operating system that apps like Zoom, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Dropbox, Cisco, and the thousands of apps you use will be using for the next several decades.
So let’s bring it down to now. How fast will we see this impact? Honestly, it’s going to be slow. Not just because of the $3,500 price tag either. Think about how long it took you to get your first iPhone after it was released in 2007. It’s going to take an equal amount of time for apps to become useful for small businesses. We’re not waiting on Apple here, we’re waiting on the apps your currently using. Like your case management apps for law firms, or EMRs for medical practices.
The good news is that when you get your hands on one next year most apps on the App Store will run on the Vision Pro. They may not necessarily have new features, but Apple stated that the app itself will run and work just with your eyes and hands navigating. It’s up to each independent app developer to enhance the app to take advantage of specific 3D or spacial features.
It’s a super exciting dawn of computing, right alongside incredible AI advancement we’ve seen in the past few months with ChatGPT. So as small businesses, we’ll be looking for ways to leverage specific jobs that we do everyday. It’ll take some time, and I think it's going to be fun to watch. But a killer reason to get this is probably not to do emails and spreadsheets.
What’s an example of one that may be beneficial? Video calls. Having several apps open on the screen at once, mimicking multiple computer displays.
Questions
Will businesses be able to manage this through existing MDM security functions?
Will the Files app be available? How quickly will google drive and one drive be fully functional. You know companies like box and Dropbox will be immediately functional.
Predictions
We will see people walking down the street with this. And it is going to look dumb. Really. But I think this is only a matter of time before it's common place, just like people wearing AirPods, or more recently people wearing face masks. You do you.
Businesses in specific industries will buy these in pallets. For the right job like construction or simulated training and education, this couldn't come out fast enough. And so will those of us who like the latest stuff. But it's going to be a decade before you see your dental hygienist wearing these down the hallway.
Why so fast? Apps are already available to run. There is no chicken and egg problem here. On day 1 businesses can use zoom, Teams, their Mac, and keynote.
What questions do you have for Apple? What predictions do you have? We’d love to hear!