Apple recently unveiled its latest product, the Apple Vision Pro, a high-end AR headset with a price tag of over 10,000 Chicken McNuggets (a tongue-in-cheek metric used by the author). While the headset boasts impressive features such as 3D cameras and advanced spatial audio, one particular feature drew criticism – the FaceTime demonstration.
Since the headset’s cameras face outward, FaceTime won’t work as it normally does. Instead, a new feature leveraging AI creates a 3D recreation of the user’s face and animates it in real-time. The demonstration left the author feeling uneasy about the dreadfully dystopian implications and questioning the necessity of the feature.
The author highlights the fact that FaceTime already works seamlessly on iPhones and MacBooks with regular front-facing cameras, raising concerns over privacy implications and data security. The demonstration was also underwhelming and left a distinctly uncanny valley feeling.
The article acknowledges the role FaceTime has played in bringing people together, but questions whether the new feature adds genuine value to users. The author concludes by stating that the ability to achieve most of what the headset does, but better and more easily using a phone, leaves them feeling it’s not worth investing in the expensive new product.
