71. Apple Announces Vision Pro, Our Analysis on AR/VR & Where The Metaverse Is Heading

You know what's fascinating?

Bugs.

So like just everything about it, right? They don't follow anyone. 9.2 million followers. They have zero tweets. They have one tweet that's pinned, which is that era of spatial computing. Everything's branded Vision Pro. Like what? Like that is just, it's. They've come in, they've gone with Apple, we're just going to create a new segment and just win the game. Welcome back to another episode of the Benneberg show with your favorite MBA and high school dropout talking everything, crypto, business and personal growth. And today we are talking the new Apple Vision Pro. Finally launching their rumored VR headset today as time of the recording and burges. This looks pretty epic. They basically look like snow goggles that are a VR AR headset. So, you know, one of the key differences I think between this and the most recent Oculus is that you can't actually see through the Oculus headset. But with these you can actually turn it into augmented reality. So you can basically seen to the physical world with having a digital overlay. And one of the most, you know, compelling things, I guess about the Apple headset for me is the fact that you're going to have the app store and it's going to be within the Apple's product ecosystem, allowing you to have, you know, do face time and have music and notes and messages and, you know, everything with inside the Apple ecosystem. You can plug it into your AirPods. I watched a video this morning, like someone sitting in a plane, you know, watching a movie with the Apple headset, like, and it kind of looks like snow goggles. It's not like, like this big chunky thing that's hanging off the front of your head. It actually looks pretty sweet. Now a lot of different things we can talk about in today's episode around the future of what we think the VR and AR will be. I believe it's one of the core problems around the Metaverse products right now is that there's just a real lack of hardware to actually experience these metaverses in an experience experiential way. I think this is probably a big leap to helping that. But yeah, man, this looks pretty cool.

It looks awesome. Great news to wake up to. We've been waiting for Apple to drop their cool tech. Their tech always looks really well designed actually with the Quest two and even Quest three. Ben, they do have pass through so you can do augmented reality. Nice. Yeah. So the Quest two was pretty average with this augmented reality Quest three, they've really stepped it up. So you can be, you know, on your table, you can have a board game there. It looks amazing. It's like full color. Full color pass through. So it's interesting that two of the biggest tech companies, Apple and Meta, are both going into this space. They're investing heavily into this space and they're both doing VR and augmented reality. Really telling.

The Vision Pro is basically, as we're discussing before the episode, is basically a computer. It's running the M2 chip, which is found on Apple's highest end computers. And then it's also got a new R1 chip that processes all the other headset inputs. It's got 12 cameras, five sensors and six microphones, sending it to the M2 chip to reduce lag and then get images to display within 12 milliseconds. Unbelievable. And it's running the new iOS, which is Vision OS, which is the iOS framework, but a 3D engine with, you know, new rendering and software tricks to make it the first operating system designed from the ground up for spatial computing. Pretty cool. And yeah, it's also the interior. Sorry, quickly. But it's also got interior cameras that are tracking your facial motion, which is projected to others when on a FaceTime. So you can actually, when you go into virtual worlds, you can position yourself and have those, you know, facial expressions that'll project across. That's fun. That's pretty cool.

Just listen to the branding and positioning. So you've got Vision os, spatial computing. What the fuck is spatial computing? I don't know, but I want it. And I'm missing out if I don't have spatial computing. And if you think about it, Oculus is at a much lower price point. It's like a sixth of the cost. And it has the majority of what Apple actually has. But Apple have gone for a completely different market. They're like, hey, we're selling a very expensive headset. And Meta have an expensive headset as well that no one's bought. No one's buying that crap for three grand. It's only slightly better than the Quest, but they've gone for spatial computing. And if you think about it, who buys Apple products? Who are the cool kids that buy it, first of all, like designers, coders, hipsters, tech bros. That's it. This is the audience they're going after. And they're like, man, how do we actually charge three? Three, was it three and a half thousand us?

Something like this? Well, we call it a computer and we call it spatial computing. And you can do all Your computing on there. You can have your big different screens, you can interact with our ecosystem and we'll show you where serious because we're building a specific operating system for it. I just love the strategy that they've actually put behind this. The positioning and branding is incredible.

And the animations box like I've been watching videos this morning. Even like Disney plus on Apple Vision Pro just looks unbelievable. Like not only do you just have. Now to be clear, I've only used the old quest number two, the one without the ar. But like this is like sitting in your lounge room with the, you know, your virtual so your real world there. But then like you know, up comes these like displays and you can you know, use pinch and points inside your home and it's got all these like different animations happening. Like it looks pretty epic.

I definitely want to see a hands on demo because what they've got in with eye tracking and hand tracking. So I've had an Oculus for over two years and I get all the updates, I get the developer updates and as they kind of come through and turn them on like the amount of effort they have to put in to get this right is incredible. And just looking at what they've done, I really want to see like, or even get my hands on one to see what it's actually like because it could be an incredible experience. And one thing is I believe it is not a standalone device. So it's. It looks like it's plugged in from the battery that they have. Is that what you've seen as well?

Yeah, so it looks like that it's got an all day use when plugged in. It's got a two hour battery with standalone battery pack.

Okay, that's good.

And yeah, well I.

Hang on. Standalone battery pack. Is that like on the headset or is it like the attached tether thing or. Not sure.

Yeah, we're not sure yet. But you can plug it in for all day. Yeah, all day use when plugged in. Not sure what that looks like.

Mate. This, this is going to be incredible. Do you think people are going to.

Buy this over like a really fancy Mac computer?

Like I don't think they'll buy it over the top. I think they'll have it as an add on. Like if I think about where I'd like, I'd buy it as an add on, I wouldn't be able to then just switch my life to like you know, VR or ar like right now, like keyboard and all that sort of stuff. Like you know, that isn't worked out. But in saying that from an entertainment perspective and, you know, FaceTiming and seeing people like that is really cool. And I can just 100%, you know, start to see people, you know, sitting on planes, sitting on the train, in buses, wearing these things. Like, it's going to be pretty dystopian. But that's like where I see people using them.

That's important because the Oculus is a huge thing on your face. This looks like a bloody. What is it? Snowboarding visor.

It's like Ready Player one. You know that the Ready Player One looks exactly the same. Yeah.

So you could. And because it has pass through, you could wear it on the train. Because you can see everything around you, you're not going to get punched in the face, you're not going to get mugged. Whereas with Oculus, you get. You're getting punched for sure.

I think that's the difference with the AI and that's what I'm excited about, the augmented reality. Because then you can like, you can sit at your desk, maybe because you're using your Mac computer with the, with the goggles and actually just adding additional experiences where you can have like a virtual TV on the side. Maybe you're FaceTiming someone. Like you and I are talking while we're working at the same time. Like, that's cool.

This is incredible because more people working from home, we don't have physical space for all of those screens. And think about it. Could this be the AirPods moment for Apple again, where they had computers, then they had phones, then AirPods make more than bloody Netflix. And could this be that moment all over again? What is the next thing we sell our customers that can improve their lives, that fits in with the existing things we already have? Imagine just the interplay with the Mac stuff. You already have an Apple TV. It's going to be incredible. FaceTime. Brilliant.

That's one thing that I love Apple, and I know you're not a huge Apple fan, but one of the things that I like about Apple is that the integration and how it all just works together and I think that's one of gonna be the biggest value prop for Mac users or Apple users, is that, you know, it's just gonna integrate well with your other devices. So whether it be your AirPods, your computer, your phone, you know, I can foresee you wearing the goggles and then like the phone thing pops up inside your goggles and you can answer it and then you're like swinging around and you're looking at the tv and then you're on your laptop and you're sending emails from your VR headset to your. Your physical device. Like, that's fucking cool.

You can tell how much I'm not a Mac. I'm saying EarPods instead of AirPods. That's the thing. Like, I like, I like Mac products. I like their business, their branding, their strategy. They're just not for me because I hate being in jail. I like to hack with things. I like to choose my own things. I don't like having to choose a phone. I want a choice of like, you know, 100 phones so I can get the specific one that I want.

But let's talk, let's talk about that. Burgs like, you know, Apple are just the masters of branding and, you know, marketing. Like, everything about it. They've tweeted this morning when they launched this. The era of spatial computing is here, where digital content blends seamlessly with your physical space, so you can do the things you love in ways never before possible. This is Apple Vision Pro. Like, come on.

So these guys are not a first mover in this space. So you've got things like, you know, PlayStation has VR, your Oculus Meta, you have the Microsoft, whatever. They had heaps, but what have they done? They've came in. They've come in and they've changed the game. And it's usually a first mover that can own the language and set the tone and direction, but this is an existing market. It's a red ocean. They've come in and they've gone. Not upfront, the whole thing and gone. This is spatial computing. This is. And now all of their competitors have to keep up and either make something above Apple or defend against Apple what they have. So they're immediately right at the top within one day. Incredible.

You know, it's fascinating.

Bugs.

So, like just everything about it, right, you go to Apple right now, the Apple, Apple's Twitter, they don't follow anyone. 9.2 million followers. They have zero tweets. They've deleted all their tweets. They have one tweet that's pinned, which is that era of spatial computing, everything's branded Vision Pro. Like what? Like that is just. It's. They've come in, have gone, we're fucking Apple. We're just going to create our own segment in a new segment that was created and just win the game.

Absolutely. Look at that, mate. You got food and everything. Amazing. I wish I had that kind of service.

It's unbelievable. Like, imagine just the Kahunas on these guys. I just don't give a fuck.

Oh, mate. And this is like when you've got a really honed company and you understand marketing, one thing that Apple do really well is marketing. Ever since they had that. Think differently. This is why we do something. Oh, and we also sell computers. So anyone that's interested in this, go look up a clip called Simon Sinek y. So Simon S I N E K Y. And he goes through, like, people always talk about what they want to sell. It's like I said, I'll sell you a computer. It's like, no, you start with why. And the why for Apple is, we're Apple. We think different, differently. Everything we do is different. We think about consumers, we think about this. Oh, and we also sell computers and by that point in time, you're ready to buy from them. Because it's about the feeling, the experience, the brand, the words around it. You're. You just align with it and immediately. It's not a product that I compare. It's Apple and it's the best and I want it.

Yeah, man. And Steve Jobs was the best. This. I remember watching a clip of him, like, speaking to his, you know, exact number of years ago around the marketing. And just like, how. It's branding, it's about how it makes you feel. It's why people buy anything. It's like the experience, it's the. It's the emotion. It's. It's got nothing to do with, you know, the tech behind it. Like, yes, that. That plays a part, but it's like, it's. It's bigger than that.

Oh, mate. Anyone listening? Go also and watch Steve Jobs when he first demos the iPhone. It is a masterclass. It's about half an hour. And the way he just goes through taking photos on a phone, pitch to Zoom, GPS and Maps and apps and an app store. People losing their minds. They're like, what the is this? Like, this is the future. And just the way he demonstrates it, people didn't even grasp how much their lives were going to change. And that's what Apple does. And I reckon they'll do it here again. Because my life hasn't changed much from Oculus. I got to play a few games. I think this is going to really set a standard and change for people. I think now's a good time to talk about how will this either spur on the metaverse, where's the metaverse at? And where do we think it's going?

Yeah, dude, good. Good transition. I just want to Note, I actually had an Oculus and I lost it. No idea what's going. So I'm going to be buying the Apple one.

Oh, mate, classic. Oh, you won't lose that because it's bloody expensive. 10 times the cost, mate.

So, you know, we look, we look at the prices of mana, you know, right now, you know, as of this morning, you know, the data recording down 10% now. Also had to note that the Binance news also was released at the time today of recording as well. So that's had a fair whack on. On price was pretty funny. I saw so many tweets yesterday around why you need to get on, you know, Metaverse tokens, big hundred X's, you know, bang, launch off the back of the Apple Metaverse launch, Apple VR launch. And they're just like, down 11%, like just down bad.

Exactly. And look at that. So I saw all those tweets as well and I was like, you know what, that's actually a good play. And then I thought about it. I'm like, no, I'm not that guy. I'm at the moment buying BTC in 8th and that's where I live. Like, I'm not that guy that's constantly going to monitor things. And you didn't know what Apple was going to come out with. Everyone assumed it was going to be this, you know, metaverse thing or games. No, they've gone for hardcore computing. They're going after a different market segment and it's more of a business segment, I would say, than a consumer, because a lot of consumers can't afford three and a half thousand dollars, let alone 6,000 Australian.

Yeah. And, you know, so. So to be clear, this isn't available until next year in the us. But what this is going to do is just going to change the game in terms of your ability to, to be in metaverses. Like right now, a lot of the cryptocurrency metaverses are 2D, they're on your computer, they're kind of shitty graphics. We're, like, looking at this, like, spatial computing idea is where you're actually going to throw on goggles and enter the metaverse. Now, the biggest thing for me is why metaverses haven't taken off is that experience, like, it's kind of. You go on, it looks like Lego, like it's bad. But if these metaverses were able to integrate with the headsets and with the hardware and you can actually get into the metaverse and experience it from a VR AR perspective, then it's gonna be super cool. Now, problem being is that is Apple going to allow Sandbox and Mana Decentraland to build in these headsets, build on the App Store, because again, they're going to take 30%. They've known to be cutting out crypto and apps. We can't get our app out. We don't even accept crypto on our on our app and we can't get in. Do you think they're going to allow Mana and Sandbox to build in here? I don't think so.

Exactly. It's another ecosystem thing. So you're either going to have to hack this device or go along with whatever they say. So again, that shapes the experience. It's not open and it's not free, and it kind of goes against the crypto ethos as well. And you're right. With where Metaverse is at the moment, I tend to think, like, why would I go into a Metaverse? And at the moment, there's no reason for me to go anywhere. The only reason I've actually gone into some was on Oculus, was in the Facebook one because Diplo had a concert and I was sitting in my PJs. I could go see Diplo play live and it was amazing and it was free and I could go in. Occasionally I'll go in for a crypto talk, but again, it's boring because it's just these weird avatars with flappy heads and I can just listen to the podcast later on. Like, it needs. There needs to be something there, and I think Apple are bringing that something. That something is going to be all of your compute, your screens, your daily life, and organizing it in a much better way and aiding communication between all of those things with that one headset. Seamless experience.

Yeah. And taking what we do today, text Messages, phone calls, FaceTimes, email, whatever, into that VR headset. Right now you need to go into a Metaverse to try and figure out what to do. This is going to bring what you need to do inside the VR headset, and that's what I think is going to be so cool about it.

That's really interesting because I go to my computer a lot for specific things and I don't have a lot of apps on my phone because it pings too much. It's not a specific device. I really wonder if I would carry this around and just chuck it on and be able to access all that stuff. You know, it's because it's smaller than a laptop. It's just a little headset. I really wonder how people are going to use it.

I reckon I could 100% just see myself sitting on my couch, maybe tidying up a few emails, maybe I FaceTime my folks. And then I turn on Disney plus or Stan on with the headset. Yes, with my AirPods.

That's so interesting. I've got Oculus 2 and I've got Prime Netflix. Everything on there. Never watch it. So I turn it on and it's in VR and like, yeah, it's a big screen, but no, I prefer to watch on TV or my projector with this. Completely different. Because I could have AirPods in. I could have that. And let's say I'm, you know, watching the little ones, something like that. I could still see her. She could be watching something on tv. I could be watching something else in a different world, but I'm still being a parent and watching her at the same time. The use cases are really, really endless here.

It's that integration in everyday life. I think that's the. That's where it needs to hit. Who knows if people are going to take it up? I guess we'll find out.

Could you imagine this in schools where, like, the teacher's wearing and all the kids are wearing it as well, and you have a small classroom, but then it's like infinite screens and things that you can do. You don't have to have individual iPads, hand them out to kids. You can interact with each other's screens and they don't bump into each other.

Maybe they're not even at school. Maybe they can school from home.

Oh, mate, how good. And this is interesting. And look at the way we're talking now. I never remember talking this way about any of the headsets that have come out previously. And I wonder if this is the Apple effect and the hope it's given us and the way and the positioning is actually done. Or if it's actually, we've got hope in the new hardware that's come out.

I just think I remember when I was wearing the Oculus shoes, like, it just didn't integrate with anything. It hurt my head. It was kind of big. It was kind of like, hurt my eyes. And I'd have to charge it. And, like, I had to take phone calls. I need to go the toilet. Had to take it off. Like, it didn't integrate with your life. This.

Yes.

You don't take off.

How interesting. Yeah. You put it in a drawer and then you're like, oh, I have to take it out. I have to charge. I have to Sit down somewhere. I have to make sure I don't hit things. Whereas this. It's like. It's so funny what you just said. You wouldn't take this off to go to the toilet. No, you'd literally just go to the toilet with it on. Maybe hit the privacy mode while you're doing it.

But, you know, like, your phone, though, like, your phone is just an extension of your body. It's an extension of your brain. I believe these goggles will be like an extension of your brain because you don't need to take them off. That's the key when. With your phone. It's not a pain in the ass to get your phone out of the drawer. Turn it on slow or it's flat. It's always on. You're always connected. That's what makes it valuable.

I'm now convinced that this is an AirPods moment, because everyone was like, oh, AirPods are just fucking headphones. But then people put them in. They're like, oh, my God, this is so free. I can talk to people. I've got in my ears, I can't even feel it. And they all say, try it and it'll change your life. And I'm like, the fucking headphones, not going to change your life. And everyone just absolutely swears by them. You swear by them? Are they. Are they the goods?

Oh, 100%. I got them right here. Like, I wear them all the time. Yeah, great.

Yeah.

And they.

You probably couldn't do your life without them. And I, after you saying that, where it just. Apple products integrate with your life and they don't interfere. They're not over there in the corner. It's something that I need to have on me because it makes my life so much better.

To the point where I stopped wearing the Apple Watch because it was too much. I was like, I can't get away. Like, the Apple Watch was too much because I just get ping, ping, ping, ping all the time.

Yeah.

But, you know, Apple are crushing a man. They're just checking their stock price up 3.7 the last five days.

I was just thinking in my head, the way we're talking. I'm like, mate, I need to look at some of the Apple shares.

I mean, the problem is, like, what's their. What's their market cap? Market cap is.

It's huge, but they can keep not rushing it.

Brilliant.

They're essentially their own bank. They have that much cash?

Yeah, yeah. 100%.

Amazing.

Right, mate, we might wrap it there. Thank you, everyone, for listening. If you like. This episode. We'd love for you to share with a friend. Let us know if you're going to get a VR headset. We'd love for you to know. I think I am, if I can afford whatever the hell the price is going to be next year. But to save up, I'll walk into.

My house and get one, mate.

Yeah, Take out a loan. Thanks, everyone. We'll see you next episode. Thanks, folks.

Thanks so much. Championship.