Talking Tech

Thu Jun 8 2023

Brett Molina | Consumer Tech Reporter

@brettmolina23

What a week for tech news, Talking Tech readers. It's Brett Molina back to break it all down for you.

On Monday, Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference. We heard about iOS 17 (more on that in next week's newsletter) and Apple's foray into mixed reality with its Vision Pro headset.

"Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.

When it comes to the Vision Pro, I'm less interested in the spatial computing and more into the "facial computing."

We've had tech companies try countless times to get us to wear devices on our faces. It's obviously picked up pace over the last 10 years or so as virtual reality has become, well, reality.

Whether it's Oculus Rift, Google Glass, 3D glasses for TVs, Spectacles from the makers of Snapchat, or those Facebook smart glasses, the consumer response hasn't reached anywhere near the impact of the iPhone, PlayStation, or other game-changing technologies.

There have been a myriad of reasons for this. They're too expensive. They feel like a novelty with limited ways to use them. Other people think we look ridiculous (remember the Glassholes?). The privacy implications of having an easy-to-access camera on your face.

And look, I love VR and AR. I still remember those incredible Oculus Rift demos from the 2010s, literally tricking my brain into feeling I just launched in a spaceship when I was actually sitting in a chair in a dark conference center room. Since then, the tech is better, more affordable and most importantly, operates without a giant cord in your path.

As with AR, we all remember the Pokemon Go phenomenon, when people would stand around random locations like the grocery store during its peak in 2016 because a Charizard just popped up.

But my big concern with Vision Pro, as with other similar headsets: do we really want to wear a computer (or any other tech) on our faces for long stretches? We had a hard enough time with 3D glasses, which is why that fad disappeared.

What makes Vision Pro different is Apple. The company gave us the iPhone. You may have heard of it. I still remember critics making fun of the iPad name. Now it's the most popular tablet on the planet. Apple has largely mastered the user experience game, so I expect the same for Vision Pro, especially after a few years of fine tuning. For now, I will give Apple a slight benefit of the doubt.

And honestly, spatial computing looks and sounds cool. It's the facial computing part that worries me.

Now, you're probably wondering why I haven't covered iOS 17 yet? That's next week's newsletter. But I will say this: I am ducking thrilled about one big update.

What else happened in tech?

Hands-on (or face-on) impressions Tech columnist Marc Saltzman tried the Apple Vision Pro

'Doodle for Google' winner Check out this middle schooler's design, 'My Sweetest Memories'

Do you have 'rizz?' Do you even know what the slang term means?

Thursday tech tip

We all know websites like to track and collect data about your online habits. But your Windows PC or Mac does, too. Here are some tips for limiting how Apple, Microsoft and Google collect your data.

One more thing

Rest in peace to Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri. People like me who grew up watching wrestling in the '80s knew him better as The Iron Sheik. The famous villain known for his battles against Hulk Hogan died at 81 . I spent my younger years booing that man, but as I got older and watched The Iron Sheik become one of the most beloved personalities on Twitter (and in life), my adoration for "THE LEGEND" outgrew Hulkamania. Farewell, Bubba.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget, more on iOS 17 next week.