In his very well-thought-out article Vision Pro vs. Macintosh: A historical perspective journalist Ed Hardy draws a great parallel between the MacIntosh and the Apple Vision Pro. Hardy mentions, accurately, that until the release of Aldus PageMaker, the MacIntosh computer was little more than a novel, if very expensive, typewriter. Altus PageMaker made the MacIntosh a must have for anyone working in design and publishing and the rest is history.
The parallel presented by Hardy is that the Apple Vision Pro is still waiting on its Aldus PageMaker, it’s Killer App that will propel it from novelty to indispensable productivity tool.
But does the parallel apply? Is Apple Vision Pro just a novelty or does the promise of spatial computing (and eventual price drops) enough to create the type of mass adoption required for tech products to achieve marketplace longevity?
The case for the killer app
The killer app theory implies that the AVP, just like the MacIntosh is a window in the future of computing. A tease of what could be but lacking in practical applications.
To quote Hardy: Today, Vision Pro is waiting for its killer app. No one knows what it’ll be yet, just that it won’t be virtual reality. Whatever that application, it will turn Apple’s AR headset from cool novelty into a must-have productivity tool.
Knowing that, in the first week following its February 2nd commercial release, over 600 Apple Vision Pro apps had already been submitted for approval with media and tech giants such as YouTube, Hulu, NBC Universal and more taking notice, one could make the case that the Killer App (or Apps) are already here.
Whatever we now know in hindsight, Hardy’s argument of a killer productivity app on Apple Vision Pro can still be made today. Or can it?
The case against the need for a killer app
However well-thought-out the comparison between the MacIntosh and the Apple Vision Pro is, it fails to consider the overall state of computing at the time of release. The MacIntosh needed Page Maker because at the time of its release in 1984, computers couldn’t do that much all together.
At the time the MacIntosh came out in 1984, it would be another six years before the first public web browser launched (1990), another five after that before Amazon went live in 1995, Google would not be a reality until 1998, YouTube would not launch until 2005, a full 21 years after the MacIntosh.
The Apple Vision Pro doesn’t need one killer app because spatial computing can make everything we already do on computers today better, more efficient and more seamless.
Alexandre Boyer-Laporte, co-founder and Lead Mobile Architect at Sidekick Interactive was fortunate enough to be part of a select group of developers invited to Apple’s Lab in Cupertino to interact and develop for the Apple Vision Pro months before in commercial launch.
Upon his return to Montreal, flush with amazement and rather jet lagged after a 2-day dash to California, he encapsulated the benefits of the Apple Vision Pro in two succinct and evocative sentences:
When I code on my computer, I am limited by the size of my screens, and it always felt like a constraint. When I am using the Apple Vision Pro, I don’t have these constraints anymore, spatial computing allows me to be free.
Apple Vision Pro doesn’t need a killer productivity app to succeed, it can already make everything we do on our computers more efficient and productive by removing the limitations of screens and browser windows.
Will adoption be facilitated by lighter hardware and a more aggressive price point, of course and to quote Hardy one last time:
Apple’s long history shows this. Anyone who thinks the Vision line of AR headsets will inevitably stay huge, heavy and expensive is ignoring reality.
Only the future will tell which argument presented turns out to be true, but one thing is certain, Apple has, once again, release a game-changing computing interface that is bound to profoundly alter how humans and technology co-exist.
From trip planning to medical training and gaming, Apple Vision Pro is already redefining the relationship between human, machine and its environment. Want to make your own Apple Vision Pro app, contact us today!
About the author: Mathieu Lachapelle is Vice-President Innovation and Commercialization at Sidekick Interactive. With over 20 years of experience in digital product management, sales and innovation, Mathieu has successfully deployed large scale digital solutions across many industries including eCommerce, media, classifieds, loyalty, education, and logistics. Mathieu’s focus is on leveraging technology to solve human pain points in commercial interactions.
