AR? VR? Get ready for MR
The history of headsets that allow you to experience virtual reality dates back to the 1960s. VR goggles for gamers were quietly launched just a few years before the end of the last century. In 2014, Facebook took over Oculus VR for a trivial amount of $2 billion, Sony gave the possibility to play with the goggles on not only in the PlayStation 5 console, but also in the PlayStation 4.
Only for this reason, the aura of mystery and excitement surrounding Apple’s headset release no sooner than 2023 sounds absurd, doesn’t it?
Apple slow – or perhaps conscious?
MacBook was not the first laptop, iPod was not the first portable mp3 player. Still, they have changed the world anyway, haven’t they? Even an iPhone, in each successive generation, has sometimes been weaker than the competition in particular details, but again: so what? Apple’s philosophy goes beyond the purely technological experience; Apple’s philosophy is to be innovative and create the most perfect ecosystem on the market.
Therefore, if it seems to you that Tim Cook and his team are delaying the release of their new flagship device by more than few years, well… it’s very likely that there really is something to look forward to.
In the beginning, it should be made clear that Reality Pro:
- is not meant to lock us into virtual reality (VR), that is, a computer-generated, three-dimensional, but still – only virtual world,
- nor is it a mere upgrade for augmented reality (AR), that is, the ability to impose digital elements over an image of the real world.
VR and AR technologies will meet in a single device that will allow both: to experience a fully three-dimensional, digital environment; and to look at the world through glasses that intensify the visible image with digital elements. And all of this is done in close cooperation with a bunch of applications for entertainment, communication or enhancement of productivity at work.
Apple Reality Pro – welcome to a mixed reality
Reality Pro is a response to the concept of MR, Mixed Reality. Mixed Reality is not something new either – the term has been around in the industry for years, with brands such as Microsoft and Adobe already using it. All credible leaks and guesses indicate that Apple also intends to go for the hybrid, namely – mixed reality.
MR combines what is most important in VR and AR. Not only does it allow you to immerse your senses in virtual reality, but also to bring the digital world into the real world. It is bold, happens on an unprecedented scale. You’re thinking: OK, fine. Apple announces the launch, but what’s in it for you? Who should be more satisfied – e-commerce customers, gamers, or maybe just the target group of technological geeks, ready to spend their last pennies and dollars on hardware?
Yes, undoubtedly, MR capabilities will be exploited to the limit in the broad area of B2C sales, entertainment or lifestyle. However, little has been said about the opportunities which arise when applying such equipment as Apple Reality Pro in the B2B model. Interesting? Let’s go further.
Reality Pro – Apple’s mysterious headset no sooner than 2023?
Just to make things clear: the name of the device, any dates, prices or features are still unofficial, although the ones that come from reliable sources, give an idea of what Apple is actually planning.
Many of the latest, most interesting, and above all, most specific reports can be found in an article by Mark Gurnan of Bloomberg agency. From the text published on January 8, we learn, among other things, that:
- Apple’s mixed reality headset is due to be released in 2023,
- the company worked on a device combining the functions of a VR headset and AR glasses in 2017, the original plan was to release it in 2019,
- the presentation of the hardware, which will be called Reality Pro, is due to take place on the occasion of WWDC – the Worldwide Developers Conference,
- the device’s operating system will be called xrOS,
- Apple is still working hard on the development of its new flagship technology – the transfer of resources, delays or savings have created problems for the implementation or development of other solutions of the company.
Reality Pro – price, features, speculations
The aforementioned Mark Gurman, who specializes specifically in insider news from Apple, at the beginning of November last year, in Bloomberg publications, already announced what the proclaimed “mixed-reality headset” was supposed to be characterized by. If we assume that the information given in the text is confirmed, the innovative device will be distinguished by:
- a price in the range of $2,000 – $3,000,
- M2 chip,
- cameras and displays with the finest performance in the history of mass-produced VR/AR headset,
- the new operating system is expected to run classic apps like Messages, FaceTime and Maps – but in versions tailored to mixed reality,
- an innovative service for videos replayed in virtual reality (which is a logical follow-up to the takeover of NextVR startup in 2020).
Some of the suppositions derive from job adverts that Apple has been publishing for months. The search for specialized developers may be aimed at working, for example, on a virtual environment that will be a kind of answer to Metaverse. However, Apple is Apple; we have to wait for the official presentation, which – and this is granted – will resonate not only in the technological community.
Do you operate in B2B? Think about using mixed reality
Even if VR and AR, for various reasons, have turned out to be technologies that, for the time being, do not define the daily lives of billions of people around the world, the enormous potential for their use in business cannot be underestimated.
You will read in countless texts about augmented reality and its great potential when selling clothes or furniture. Of course! Mixed reality, which – perhaps in large part thanks to Apple – will become an important part of the world of the near future, is almost an infinite source of inspiration for those responsible for B2C sales and communications.
But, what if you are interested in a business customer? What do Apple’s headset and B2B operations have in common? We will see in the future, but now we’re giving you a hint on what to think about in order to develop a competitive advantage thanks to bold and unconventional actions.
1. Visualization at an unprecedented level
Since the dawn of time, as the world is long and wide, the core of B2B relationships have been, are and will be presentations, meetings, demonstrations. When one businessperson wants to convince the other businessperson, they usually engage all available means of persuasion. A prototype of the device. An exciting, out-of-the-box presentation. A special demonstration. Anyone who has interacted with the others in business, but the end customer, knows how difficult it is to surprise, to catch.
With the innovations planned by Apple, it may be much easier to have (pardon the cliché and colloquial language) a wow effect. Because, let’s agree, at least in the first few years of the likely AR/VR/MR boom in mass consciousness, all sorts of 3D visualizations or instant overlays of designs on images captured by iPhone or iPad camera will make a big impression, regardless the industry.
The sooner you take an interest in the innovative possibilities of mixed reality and invest in the right equipment, the easier it will be to have truly compelling, cutting-edge presentations of your products or services.
2. Design work that has never been done before
The growth of the Internet, the globalization of services or, finally, the pandemic are just some of the factors that have shifted many businesses to a remote work mode for good. Slack instead of a meeting, a screen covered by thumbnail gallery of co-workers instead of a crowd in a conference room. Sounds familiar?
Well, here it is. Among B2B companies, working remotely, co-creating projects remotely, using all kinds of productivity-enhancing technologies have become a routine. Moreover, there are many indications that mixed reality will soon begin to creep into our everyday life.
Imagine the possibilities that Apple’s Reality Pro, for example, will create. With this headset, teams responsible for projects within a company or in B2B will be able to transcend many previous spatial barriers.
No longer limited to an image on a screen, but immersed in a shared virtual reality. No more live meetings where you have to lean over tablets or stare at a presentation from a projector. Hybrid VR/AR glasses are suited to revolutionize desktop and remote design work, so it does make sense to lay the groundwork for it today.
3. Education, proficiency…
Mixed reality is discussed – naturally – from the perspective of innovative education. In B2B, an important trend is to build an expert image. What you present today with publications or webinars, you will be able to deliver in mixed reality tomorrow. Imagine the possibilities of diversifying training, just by using Apple hardware. This could be a real game changer in terms of building either the CEO’s personal brand or the image of the entire team.
4. Testing products and services
We have already mentioned the possibilities of using MR/AR/VR in product and service presentations. Yes, acquiring B2B customers this way sounds like entering a completely new level. But, going further – isn’t it a great idea to give the opportunity to test and experience products and services? Like a demo, but in virtual and augmented reality. Sure, not in every industry, not in every business. But in many, yes. Before Apple Reality Pro fizzles out, it would be worthwhile to have an idea of how to use it creatively here as well.…
5. Leap into the unknown (but are we sure?)
We still know very little and rely on leaks. Even at the beginning of 2023, we can’t be 100 per cent sure if any day now, Apple will officially announce the march towards mixed reality.
So, anyway, what can you do to be ready for the potential revolution that Tim Cook’s team is preparing for us?
- Keep up to date with Apple’s technology reports, and don’t procrastinate until “everyone” is as familiar with Reality Pro as, say, an iPhone or Mac.
- Even if virtual and augmented reality are unfamiliar to you – some consolation is that it’s still a relative niche. Start making up for the know-how deficits in this area as soon as possible, before your competitors go for it.
- Look at Apple’s project pragmatically – this company does not care about creating a hermetic ecosystem for a selected few, but about maximal popularization and satisfactory sales of its solutions. The iPod or iPhone may also have seemed technologies “from outer space,” and yet we appreciated their simplicity and affordability quickly.
- Invest time, money and all resources in conceptual work on the use of VR/AR/MR in your industry. There’s a good chance you’ll pave the way on a nationwide, and who knows, maybe even international scale.
- When selecting B2B partners, check whether they are also looking at the business prospectively. If you find agreement on the ground of using similar, innovative technologies, you’ll get priceless synergies.
Wise People love wise technologies
Do you know why we are writing about this? Because at Wise People we are driven precisely by the journey off the beaten track. We don’t have an Apple headset at our disposal yet, but we’re confident that we’ll line up to get one. We are excited by the vision in which brilliantly designed pages for our business partners are enhanced with elements from the realm of virtual, augmented or mixed reality. We like to think about the use of tomorrow’s technologies in today’s business. How about you…? Remember that we are always happy to talk to you and your company about it.
