After the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro, it is likely that you have read or heard that the company’s viewer will replace the iPhoneor what Will they be “the next iPhone”. It is said for two reasons: first, because they anticipate that this will be a turning point at the height of the Apple phone. Second: because it offers many of the functions that a smartphone integrates, but with the advantages of virtual and augmented reality.
However, this second belief is not entirely correct. The focus of the Apple Vision Pro is actually on doing “everything your Mac or iPhone can do and more.” I don’t say it. It has been Tim Cook himself, CEO of Apple, who has placed the target in a recent interview to the program Good Morning America of ABC News.
In any case, it is not necessary for the head of the company to affirm it on TV. It is easy to arrive at this same deduction by simply observing the approach that Apple has put on the table with the Vision Pro: Apple glasses are designed to be used during specific periods of time, in the same way as the Mac or the iPad. An approach that is clearly far from that of the iPhone or Apple Watch, designed to accompany us throughout the day.
The Apple Vision Pro can be for the Mac and the iPad what the iPhone ended up being for the iPod
This approach is appreciable on many points. The glasses, starting, have technical limitations that, even if you wanted to, would prevent you from replacing the iPhone –like the battery, clearly inferior to that of a mobile–. Also, due to his physiognomy, he cannot equal a smartphone in portability.
It is also important to note that AR/VR glasses pose a greater barrier to social interaction, despite Apple’s efforts. That is to say: they get more in the way of our daily lives. And it is something inherent to the type of product that it is.
Third, Apple is clear that the Vision Pro have been designed to be used in closed spaces, like in an office or at home; in none of the demos can a user be seen using the viewer while walking down the street or in a public place, such as a coffee shop.
Likewise, the Apple Vision Pro mount the M2 processor, A declaration of intentions. The company has not wanted to mount a series A chip –those that incorporate the iPhone– that is more energy efficient. He wants us to be able to be productive with the Vision Pro in the same way that we are with the Mac or the iPad. And that is why it has included a chip with which we can even edit video, do graphic design, etc.
Proof of this is also the availability of iPad apps in the viewer’s App Storeas well as the demonstrations that Apple did during the presentation, in which they showed situations in which, traditionally, we would have used a Mac or an iPad.
So while the Vision Pro may be as momentous as the iPhone, the reality is that this product is not meant to replace the iPhone. Not, at least, if Apple sticks to the concept it has presented at WWDC 2023. Who can fear for their future is the Mac and the iPad. In fact, it would not be a surprise if the Vision Pro, over the years, end up assuming for these two devices the same thing the iPhone ended up being for the iPod.