Will AI make the Apple Vision Pro a success?

September 24, 2023

Yes, the Apple Vision Pro (VP) and the whole augmented reality (AR) industry of the future will depend on AI applications. The AR headsets will become the boombox "ghetto blasters" of the future. From the ski goggle design of 2023 to the invisible contact lenses design of the future, augmented reality (AR) vision sets are here to stay. 

History doesn't repeat itself. At least not exactly because the universe moves in only one direction without revisiting the past. However, the humans creating the future of humanity are not materially different from the humans that created the past. Therefore, it is smart to study human history to make predictions about what humans will do next.   

Apple's Vision Pro (VP) can be similar to the cassette tape boombox that was developed in the 1960s and became ubiquitous in the 1980s. AR vision can become the next big thing giving way to even more fascinating AR integrations in the future. AR vision sets powered by AI may become in the future what smartphones are today. 

In the coming decades, it is entirely predictable that humans will develop more powerful AR vision sets. Some vision sets will be bigger, covering not only the eyes, but the entire skull. Wearers will not only resemble a skier wearing goggles, but an athlete or worker wearing a helmet. Yes, you read it here. Computerized helmets with digital AR vision sets may be ubiquitous a few decades from now. Humans will also develop smaller AR vision sets. Compact sizes like normal eyeglasses and even practically invisible contact lenses are to be expected. 

Overall, humans are creating a fascinating digital future. Humanity will become more and more digital. This will one day help humans become fully digital AI creatures to escape the hunger games of "mother" nature and beat the sorrowful human condition. Humans have the imagination of gods, but are trapped in the bodies of primates subject to the rules of nature over organic life. A human cannot survive a few minutes without oxygen. Humans are constantly hungry. Humans need to poop, and live like monkeys wearing a suit. 

Humans are animals trapped by organic life. That is a fact, but is not destiny. Humans can do much better than that. Digitalization is perhaps the best way for humans to upgrade their existence out of animal shells into digital servers and robotic cases (like the Transformers). Humans will be getting closer to becoming the celestial creatures that they fancy themselves to be. That, however, will most likely take several centuries if not millennia. Humans will need tons of help from AI to speed up its understanding of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). In the meantime, let's get back to the Apple VP and how it reminds us of the cassette tape boombox.  

The Compact Cassette 

The "cassette tape" was invented by European company Philips in the 1960s. Its invention and subsequent adoption marked a significant shift in the world of audio recording, playback, and mobility or portability. 

Philips began the development of the Compact Cassette in 1960, and introduced it to the market in 1963 at the Berlin Radio Show. Philips's goal was to create a format that was compact and user-friendly, contrasting the larger reel-to-reel tapes which were more cumbersome and not as consumer-friendly. The result was a small, enclosed cartridge that protected the magnetic tape and could easily be inserted and ejected from a player. 

Philips did not pursue patent rights on the cassette format, and made the specifications available to other manufacturers free of charge. This decision significantly influenced the cassette's widespread adoption, as manufacturers globally could produce cassettes and players without facing licensing fees or legal challenges.

Initially, the cassette tape's sound quality was not on par with vinyl records or larger reel-to-reel tapes. However, its portability and ease of use made it perfect for dictation machines, early portable audio players, and eventually in-car audio systems. Over time, improvements in tape formulations and noise reduction technologies, such as Dolby Noise Reduction, enhanced the sound quality of cassettes, making them suitable for music distribution.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the cassette tape had become a dominant medium for music recording and playback. It offered consumers the unprecedented ability to easily record music, create mixtapes, and share them. The advent of the compact disc (CD) in the 1980s gradually ended the cassette tape's popularity. CDs offered better sound quality, longer playback time, and direct track access. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, cassette tapes had largely fallen out of mainstream use, further pushed out by the rise of digital music formats and players like the MP3 and iPod.

Throughout its history, the cassette tape revolutionized the way people experienced music. Its portability, ease of use, and recordability democratized music sharing and creation.

 
The Boombox Ghetto Blaster

The boombox, also known as a "ghetto blaster," "jambox," or "radio-cassette," was a portable music player that became a cultural icon in the 1980s. Characterized by its large size, powerful speakers, and the ability to play radio or cassette tapes (and later CDs), the boombox was both a personal music device and a public statement, often carried on the shoulder and played aloud in public spaces. 

The origins of the boombox can be traced back to the mid-1960s. The first boombox-like portable radio cassette player was developed by the Japanese electronics company, Sharp Corporation, in 1966. This model, known as the "Sharp QT-8B," was a groundbreaking device because it combined a radio and a cassette player in a single, portable unit. The QT-8B, often referred to as the "Buddy," was battery-operated and allowed users to record directly from the radio. This ability to record, combined with its portability, was a novel concept at the time and was the precursor to the boomboxes that would later become cultural icons in the 1970s and 1980s. While it wasn't as large or as loud as the boomboxes that would dominate urban landscapes in the 1980s, it set the stage for the boombox revolution.

The success of the QT-8B led to other companies entering the market and innovating on the design. As a result, throughout the 1970s, these devices began to increase in size, sound quality, and functionality. They evolved from simple radio-cassette players into the larger, louder, and more feature-rich boomboxes familiar to many from the 1980s. Most boomboxes featured dual cassette decks, which allowed for copying from one tape to another. They often included AM/FM radio tuners. Some models featured equalizers and bass boost systems for enhanced sound. 

The boombox became a symbol of urban youth culture, especially within hip-hop and breakdancing communities in the U.S. It was more than just a music player; it was an emblem of rebellion, a statement of identity, and a portable piece of personal culture. The boombox made frequent appearances in movies, music videos, and other forms of media during the 1980s, further cementing its iconic status.

With the advent of smaller personal music devices, like the Sony Walkman, and later the proliferation of digital music and streaming, the boombox began to decline in popularity in the 1990s. However, its cultural impact endured, and it remains a symbol of 1980s urban culture. The boombox of the 1980s was both a technological marvel of its time and a significant cultural emblem, especially within urban youth and emerging hip-hop communities. It was eventually replaced by smaller units with even more portability and better sound quality. 

The Apple VP, the Boujee Blaster

Apple's Vision Pro (VP) is featured as the Boujee Blaster. 

The Apple Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset that blends virtual and augmented reality content into a digital representation of the real world. The headset is not see-through. Although it makes you feel as if you are seeing through, everything you see is a digital representation of reality. That is, it is like seeing reality through the lense of a digital camera. The only difference is that you are wearing the camera in your head. 

Expect to see new laws and regulations on the safe use of AR headsets. For example, it will most likely become illegal to operate a motor vehicle while wearing a not-see through AR headset like the Apple VP. 

The Apple VP has two displays with 23 million pixels and a dual-chip design. It uses a custom Apple silicon processor. The VP makes the experience feel like it's happening in real time. Glitches and hackers may theoretically mess up this experience. Note that relatively soon it will be impossible for the human brain to distinguish fake digital content from "real" digital content. That is, the human brain will be unable to discern or distinguish any difference between a digital representation of reality and a digital augmentation of reality. This will create a whole new industry of cyber verification similar to the cyber security of today.  

The Apple VP will be released next year in 2024 at an initial price of of $3,499 plus taxes. At that price, don't expect to see Apple VPs in every corner. Just like with the cassette tape, it will take years (at least a decade) for the VP and other AR headsets to become mainstream.  

The VP can be used for unlimited applications. Initial applications will focus on high-end consumer experiences such as immersive "home theater" AR experiences at the comfort of your home to industrial and commercial applications in design, engineering, and healthcare. In a few years, applications will blossom into every segment imaginable.

Just like the cassette tape boombox, which was developed in the 1960s, but did not become the massively popular "ghetto blaster" until about 20 years later in the 1980s, it will take years for the Apple VP and its rivals to capture the market. 

As everything else, the AR vision sets will be integrated with AI capabilities. AI-powered headsets may become the primary interface between humans and AI in the future. Humans of the future will most likely wear enhanced AR sets most of the time to live the normal life of the future. 

Stay tuned to everything AI. The best is yet to come. Don't miss out.

Creatix.one, AI for everyone.