What’s Old is New Again
It is interesting timing that we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original Macintosh and close to the release of the first Apple Vision Pro. Reading the initial Macintosh press release is interesting thinking about that time and how the similar in ways it is to now. As someone who grew up before computers in every home and pocket, the arguments for price and what it will be used for are very similar. Back then, most people didn’t see the need to spend money on something that they weren’t quite sure how to use or where it fit in to their lives. Imagine though if no one took the risk to buy a computer for their home.
As we get closer to Apple Vision Pro being in early adopter's homes, I can’t help but start this with my disappointment in a lot of well known people in the tech community and their negative commentary about a new technology that is a “choice” to purchase. New technology is something that technology enthusiast live for (or so I thought). To condemn and label something without even using it is a real shame. There certainly a lot of us who are very excited to potentially be a part of the next shift in how we use computers. I know that some are not in the position to be an early adopter and that is OK. When the first Mac(and early computers) came out I wasn’t in a position to be an early adopter and that was OK. Do we know how the new Apple Vision Pro will go? No. But the journey and the potential are very exciting!
Looking back on how the original Mac at 40 or the iPhone when they were launched, I am trying to imagine if no one took the risk to try them. What if everyone decided the graphical interface was a toy. What if people didn’t try computers in their homes at all. What if everyone thought typing on glass was crazy. Where would we be with computers and any other electronic devices. This quote from Andrew Fluegelman talking about the launch of the original Mac in his article A New World in MacWorld 1984 really describes how I think about the Apple Vision Pro: “No machine has ever been scaled so perfectly for the individual user and for the adventuresome spirit in such an accessible form.”
The Apple Vision Pro and spatial computing could be the next step in a more unified environment where technology just fits into our lives and isn’t so tied to a dedicate space. The smart phone and advancements in wireless technology have helped a lot of people to have a powerful computer available to them in so many different settings besides an office and desk. As I image where things could be in a few years from now, I imagine how my computing environment could be with me everywhere I go. The ability to interact with my surroundings in new ways that I can’t even imagine right now could all start with this next shift. I am so excited and fortunate to be able to take the risk and help others in the future with technology.
There is so much that I could talk about when it comes to past technology and my thoughts on where the Vision Pro could go. I chose to write this as a way to express my disappointment in some but also as inspiration to others, like me, who are looking forward to the next step in how computers fit into our world. Working on a computer 40 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined where we’d be now. Imagine where we might be in another 40 years! If you are on the fence with Apple Vision Pro or any other new tech that is coming out, take the risk! Everyone will be better for it.