mackintosh fan received some bad news a week or two ago . No , it was n’t that theupcoming MacBook Airhas been dismiss or that monetary value are doubling on theMacBook Pro . It was that Apple hadcanceled a planto press release a pair of augment reality ( AR ) glasses that would pair with a Mac , giving user a brand - new way to apply their computer in 3D space .
Sure , it sound like a pretty niche twist . But it could have been an interesting stopgap between theVision Pro — with its big , bulky design that ’s ill - suitable to long - term role — and a proper pair ofAR glassesthat do n’t need to be connect to your home plate reckoner .
Instead , they ’re go , and the question now is dewy-eyed : what ’s next for Mac exploiter ?
Well , we can get some sort of musical theme from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman ’s latestPower On newssheet . There , the diary keeper explains that John Ternus , the projection ’s chief , “ does n’t want another flop on his hands . ” That means “ Apple ’s long - condition goal of standalone AR glasses remain entire , and the companionship will keep working on underlie technology — like screen and silicon — to assist make such a twist more feasible . ”
In other words , it vocalise an dreadful lot like we ’ll havea long await on our handsbefore Apple releases its AR glasses . If you want a virtual workspace , staring with as many floating window as you’re able to manage , your only option is the Vision Pro — and with Apple not expected to set up its chalk until 2027 at the very earliest , thing will belike abide that direction for years to make out .
That ’s a problem because while the Vision Pro has many benefits for Mac users — not least its expandable workspace , impressive processing power and superb visuals — it ’s still a flawed alternative for anyonepairing it with one of Apple ’s computers .
Take the most basic event : its size and exercising weight . think work is one of its chief United States , anyone who wants a virtual workspace will necessitate to use it for hour at a meter . Yet myriad people have reported that doing so result in uncomfortable cervix variant and large print get out on your face . That ’s one area where a distich of AR glasses would have a clear advantage .
We ’ve learn intermittent rumors that Apple is work on alighter follow - up to the Vision Pro , and it could even launch this yr . But it ’s unlikely to depart too far from the Vision Pro ’s established form cistron , so I ’m not expecting its free weight saving to be substantial . Without even a stopgap AR specs project on the way , we ’re going to have to put up with the irritation for a while longer .
Picking up the pace
Perhaps this should n’t be too surprising . After all , Apple is well known for taking its fourth dimension and trying to make the best product it can , rather than bucket along to securities industry with a half - baked gadget that speedily lessen bland . Yet perhaps that approach is not the optimal one this time around .
For one thing , the Vision Pro take on years of refinement and untold inwardness of money to develop , yet it is undoubtedly , as Gurman put it , a “ collapse ” that has n’t sell in anything like the numbers that Apple was likely hop for . Sometimes , dim and steady does n’t win the race .
And there ’s another issue . While Apple is pacing itself and trying to perfect everything about its AR trash , its challenger are already hitting store shelf with pop products of their own . We ’re not just talking about risky upstarts and minnow companies either — Meta hasreleased its own AR glassesthat have bring home the bacon plenty of plaudits .
Apple is n’t just getting outmaneuvered by the small-scale , nimble musician — even the giant are beat it to the punch . Perhaps I would n’t be so disturbed if we know Apple planned to imminently launch its own twist , but that ’s not the case . It risks being depart behind by its knock-down competitors .
Hopefully , Apple has find out plenty of lessons from the Vision Pro and will ( eventually ) set in motion something that ’s a hit with its users . As a Mac buff who ’s intrigued by AR ’s potential , I ’ll be keenly take in from the sidelines . But I just wish Apple would foot up the pace and not leave behind its Mac users waiting in the dark for so long .
