Much of the technology we take for granted today once existed in a niche capacity for decades before becoming mainstream. The first email was sent in 1971, 25 years before Hotmail brought free email accounts to the masses. Some of the technology that makes WiFi possible was developed during World War II, more than 50 years before Steve Jobs unveiled the first WiFi compatible laptop in the iBook.
Spatial computing and artificial intelligence are no different. In this episode, Victoria sits down with Terry Schussler, Senior Director of Next Generation Devices at Deutsche Telekom, who has been working with these technologies since they seemed more like science fiction than science fact.
An overnight sensation that was decades in the making
Musicians that catch a big break usually toil away for years playing small gigs and building a following. The same applies to technology. Devices that appear cutting edge are actually the culmination of years of software and hardware development that finally made them viable.
The term “Spatial Computing” was first coined in 2003, but the concept of incorporating computer elements into a user’s environment dates back to the 60’s. It falls somewhere on the spectrum of Extended Reality (XR) experiences, which include Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). It combines elements of each, overlaying information onto a user’s physical environment while incorporating various methods of input and feedback. The user interacts with the computer through eye tracking, gesture tracking, and voice input.
Early spatial tech was often designed for specific tasks like industrial design or training simulations. With the Vision Pro, Apple built a full-fledged computing platform capable of handling a wide range of applications simultaneously, allowing the user to stay in the Vision Pro environment and move from task to task, even using a connected Mac on a huge virtual display. This eliminates the need for multiple purpose-built devices.
At this early stage in the device’s life, there are limitations to contend with. It has a tethered battery pack that only gives it about two hours of unplugged life. As the team covered in episode 9, it’s relatively bulky and can become uncomfortable during extended sessions. And of course, there's the price.
Value is in the eye of the beholder
While the fundamentals of spatial computing are simple, the underlying technology that makes it possible isn’t. According to the specifications page, the Apple Vision Pro has two high‑resolution main cameras, six world‑facing tracking cameras, four eye‑tracking cameras, a TrueDepth camera, a LiDAR Scanner, four inertial measurement units, a flicker sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a six-microphone array...and that’s just to track inputs. Then there are the greater-than-4K-resolution displays for each eye and the speakers that support Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. All these pieces add up to create an unparalleled spatial computing experience, but they also drive the high cost of the device. “I can pretty concretely say that I don't know very many people that have experienced the Apple Vision Pro and said, ‘Oh, that was a terrible experience,’” Terry says. “The only thing I usually hear as a complaint is the price point.”
But to Terry, it's worth it for those who have a use case. And there are some pretty amazing use cases cropping up all the time. “There are definitely arguments to be made for lower cost products. But then...there are many compromises that you may be making, which over time are worth money to you because they're either going to slow you down, or they're going to make you more fatigued, or they're going to literally not allow you to do something that you would want to do otherwise. And so, yeah, you have to pay a lot for the Apple Vision Pro, but I really would say you get what you pay for in that regard.”
Space is not the final frontier
So what’s next? For spatial computing, the next big advancement should be the integration of generative AI. Terry talks about a few examples where AI could create some very interesting user experiences, like customizing your workspace by generating entire 3D environments on the fly or using undiscovered features of applications just by asking nicely.
“What gets really interesting to me is the ability to use natural language interface to control an app that I don't have expertise in,” Terry says. He uses the example of a word processor, asking it to create a party invite using the content in a document. “I don't even know if it can make a party invite, but I'm going to try. And so if I can start to control applications using those kind of interactions...It's now more about the enablement of AI to allow me to translate my intent to an action and to get a result...It's not a content generation prompt, it's an action generating prompt. And this becomes a big step forward for spatial computing.”
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This episode of We Got Your Mac is presented in collaboration with Innovation Heroes. Innovation Heroes is an SHI podcast exploring the people and businesses driving change in our drastically disrupted world. Host Ed McNamara explores some of the most inspiring stories of business innovation in the post-pandemic era.
