Could Apple’s new headset be a game changer for adland?
Today, Apple's headset that promises to bring mixed reality and the metaverse to the people is officially launching. James Bush, head of creative technology at dentsu Creative, explores what the Apple Vision Pro could mean for adland.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Apple Vision Pro is officially available as of today. Why is this important? Well, according to Apple we are entering an era of ‘spatial computing’, that is technology that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world.
“The Apple Vision Pro is designed to seamlessly blend digital content with your physical space. You navigate simply by using your eyes, hands, and voice. So you can do the things you love in ways never before possible,” says the breathless marketing spiel from Apple.
The immediate questions are, what does this mean for the advertising industry, the brands who want to play in this space, and the consumers who will potentially adopt the technology?
From an industry perspective, we are very good at getting caught up in the tech hype and excited by the never before. Does anyone remember Google Glass? It focused on the technology and not the customer’s needs, with little to no use cases, beyond taking photos or video.
Whilst the first opportunities will inevitably be niche, think watching the latest Disney movie in your own immersive movie theatre, or playing Super Fruit Ninja in AR, users will experience some of the quirks we’ve all been used to with spatial computing experiences, I’m confident we will see some fantastic experiences towards the end of the year, or early 2025.
As an industry I hope we look beyond the obvious experiential approach and start to think about building products and services that help solve broader business problems. Be that in customer service, healthcare or education.
But, in my experience, it’s the brands that will take a lot of convincing.
Marketers will need to see how the technology can be applied beyond the field of entertainment to create more appetite for experiential VR/MR installations.
Unless you’re Disney or another company with deep pockets able to take a long-term bet on this, releasing a stand-alone app to what is currently a very niche market seems a long way off, but experiences built in the browser that take advantage of native functionality offered by the headset feels like an obvious place to start.
For example, a furniture retailer could use the browser interface to allow users to select items from their product catalogue, trialling how the piece will look in their home before purchase. Or imagine a museum experience where instead of relying solely on visual content, using spatial audio can create a shared experience that is immersive yet not isolating.
From a consumer perspective, we’re still a very long way off mass adoption. The high price point of US$3,499 (AU$5,350) is one of many factors that will need to be addressed to reach the magic tipping point for mass adoption.
Whilst avid gamers and users of VR will happily put up with the faff of putting on headsets, I’m not sure the same level of excitement will be shared by the more vain or style conscious business professionals who will need to re-style their hair after wearing the headset.
But, if anyone can pull this off, it will be Apple.
The Vision Pro is a testament to Apple’s vision of constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The iPhone has proven that people will pay whatever it takes if the pull factor is there.
But I imagine the question you’re wondering now is, have I pre-ordered one? And yes, I have. Why? It’s not just another device; it’s a gateway to a new world of experiences.
I understand consumers become jaded by the hype and over promises that surround new tech these days, but with so many in-depth YouTube unboxings and reveals, I feel comfortable stepping into the never before based on what I’ve seen.
Sometimes I think we forget that we are an industry that is brilliant at bringing together the smartest and most creative people to create experiences consumers have never seen before. Therefore, as we enter this new era, I can only be excited for the never before opportunities and experiences that await us.
Yes, the Vision Pro might start with few use cases, but it’s a significant step in Apple’s journey into virtual reality.
James Bush is head of creative technology at dentsu Creative.
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The short answer is no, not in 2024.
The long answer is yes, from 2025 onwards, for the innovative, rich brands who value PR.
When will it be mainstream?
When stars are aligned:
When the headset price points drop and become more accessible.
When this price drop increases the headset volume.
Apple advances in evangelizing app development amongst developers.
When will the above happen? I don’t know; I stopped being a futurist a while back.