Speaker 1: The Apple Vision Pro has not even launched yet and already we are hearing about how using it could be a pain in the neck and I mean that literally a report says developers are feeling neck fatigue while using it. You better start doing your neck exercises now to prepare and it may feel like a stretch to even be talking about how Apple may improve the weight in the Vision Pro two because Vision Pro One isn't even here yet, but when does that stop tech reporters from talking about the future products? The buzz of the week is that Apple [00:00:30] is working on a smaller and lighter design for the Vision Pro sequel and what a week it has been for Face Tech. The Medi Quest three headset launched this week, all while Apple's headset hype gets bruised by reports of its bulk. Apple and meta will give us plenty of reasons to pit these companies against each other.
Speaker 1: Let's not forget that just a week ago, apple 12 reporters, one of the reasons the I iPhone 15 was getting too warm was because of a fix needed in some apps and Apple pointed some of the blame at [00:01:00] Instagram. Before we get weighed down by all the headset news this week, there is one more thing to go over. What should we be watching for in the VR and AR space in the coming months? Because between Tech rivals, apple and Meta, this mixed reality showdown could get messy. I'm Bridget Carey, and this is one more thing. It has been four months since Apple gave the world the first look at the Vision Pro headset back in June during W W D C, some journalists [00:01:30] got to spend a little time trying it out in limited demos, but right now it's app developers that are getting time to quietly and privately test things out.
Speaker 1: We still have a lot of questions about what it's like to use the Vision Pro, but this week Bloomberg's Mark Germin got attention for writing in his newsletter that the Vision Pro has caused neck strain in testing due to its size and weight. So we don't have much to go on with what sources he's hearing this from except he just [00:02:00] knows this. Germond also wrote that the Weight of the Vision Pro is about a pound and testing has shown that it can feel too heavy for some users even in short stretches. His report continues to say Apple is considering addressing this on the first model with an over the head strap. Okay, we know that there are other straps. We have seen an extra head strap flashed for a moment in some of the Apple video clips from W W D C. We just are waiting on more specific details [00:02:30] and Apple did say the Backstrap just clicks in to be easily swapped out with different versions, so we shouldn't be too surprised to hear that there will be a few options at launch. Then again, you hate to hear that it could be heavy when Apple says it did so much to make it lightweight,
Speaker 2: We utilize the most advanced lightest weight materials possible.
Speaker 1: See what I mean? Mann's newsletter report is also saying that he's hearing Apple is working on making version two right now and yeah, that makes total [00:03:00] sense. Version one hardware is done, it's the software that's getting perfected. Now, of course the hardware crew is thinking about the next version and the report says Apple is hoping to make the next vision lighter and at least slightly smaller. Yes. What tech company doesn't try to make its product, especially one you wear lighter and slightly smaller for the new version. It's not shocking stuff, but in light of this talk, we got some detective work from the folks at Patently Apple. It [00:03:30] reports that Apple was just granted a patent with the US Patent and Trademark office for a new technique of head support for something like the Vision Pro and it includes a balancing mass to even out weight as you move around.
Speaker 1: It seems to be something that shifts the center of gravity to relieve some of the muscle strain on the neck depending on how you are tilting your head, and if you don't know this already, the more you are tilting your head forward, like when you're leaning over a phone, your neck is working extra to carry [00:04:00] your 11 pound head tilting your head forward looking down can add about 50 pounds of force on your neck. It's why you're sore with Tech Neck if you don't have good posture when you're leaning into your devices all day. Now, apple, getting a patent doesn't mean it becomes a real thing, but this shows that yes, apple is tinkering with new ways of thinking about distributing the weight of the tech that's worn on our heads. It just might be a little while before we see new techniques implemented as Apple learns what customers like and don't like about [00:04:30] this one.
Speaker 1: Overall, it's not great to hear that people are talking about it feeling heavy over extended use, but I also would wait a little bit longer for more strap facts. Before putting too much weight on this report, this week's me, quest three landed in stores at a price of $500 CNA editor at large. Scott Stein has been testing VR headsets for many years and he calls the Quest three one of the best VR headsets that he's tried at this price, noting that it has improved graphics, a higher risk display, [00:05:00] clearer lenses, smaller controllers with better vibrating haptics, all good things, but it came out of the gate $200 more expensive than the Quest two. In Scott's review, he points out that the software so far isn't all that different except for a handful of apps and games. So if you had the Quest two, you should be fine for now, but why do I bring all of this up?
Speaker 1: Because that conversation is sure to change by the middle of next year. The Vision Pro will be out and talk about the Quest [00:05:30] three could be a lot more interesting. How many more apps and games can meta rustle up between now and when the Vision Pro releases and even with Vision Pro, going for the top of the line Tech for its higher $3,500 price tag. I mean there is a four K TV in each eye, not to mention all the other sound sensor and camera smarts. There will be talk about the choices that each of these companies made with design meta. Put the battery in the headset, apple puts the battery in your back [00:06:00] pocket. Assuming you have clothes that have a pocket Medis Quest has room for you to wear eyeglasses. Apple chose to make it slimmer and you can't keep your glasses on.
Speaker 1: I use contact lenses, so I'll be fine, but if you wear glasses, this could be a big hurdle because you'll have to order special lenses, which will magnetically attach inside, so that's an extra step in the process that could evolve over time. Throwing it back to Gelman's newsletter, he says he was talking to someone at Meta who described [00:06:30] Meta as being in the afraid of Apple stage, similar to how the mobile phone industry felt right as the first iPhone came out. The first iPhone was not something I wanted. It didn't impress me when I had a flip open. LG Envy with its full quarter keyboard 2.0 megapixel camera and copy and paste, the iPhone was so limited back then, but that's not to say Apple isn't going to get us all intrigued when version three comes out and there's plenty more to do with it.
Speaker 2: All that learning [00:07:00] has culminated in the most ambitious product we've ever created.
Speaker 1: Apple Calls Vision Pro, the most ambitious product it ever created, and Apple is right. This is going to be a complicated product for Apple to launch in stores and have a good customer experience with everything going smoothly, especially when the cheap quests are out there doing this already and everyone will be comparing the two. Even though Apple has a hefty price tag attached to the Vision Pro Meta will still need to be aggressive to get its price down. Maybe offered the Quest in a few flavors, [00:07:30] the more expensive pro has been dropped to $1,000. Maybe there will be something on the other end, something cheaper than the Quest three. Who knows in a few years Apple could have a lower end model, something that weighs even less on your head and budget note weight shifting balance mass needed. How does all of this weigh on your decisions to invest in a VR headset right now? Sound off in the comments please and I'll be back in my three dimensional reality with rounding up the latest tech news as usual. Until next [00:08:00] time.
