Spacial computing

There's been a lot of talk about Apple's new Vision Pro headset. I'm not sure that we in the general public (meaning those of us outside of Apple) know what to make of it. What can we do with it? How will it help us? I don't have answers to those questions.

I'm not sure that the folks at Apple have the answer to those questions, despite their impressive demo for the Vision Pro.

Apple uses the term "Spacial Computing" to separate the Vision Pro headset from other devices. This makes sense. A headset is different from a laptop or a smartphone. Not only is the hardware different, but the methods of interaction are different.

If we look at the history of computing, we can see that the different generations of computers used different methods of interaction.

Mainframe computers (IBM's 1401 and System/360) made computation commercially possible -- for large, well-funded organizations such as governments and national corporations. Interaction with mainframes was with punch cards and printouts. Programs read and processed data in batches, at scheduled times.

Minicomputers were a variation of mainframes. They made computing available to smaller (or at least less large) organizations. Yet they also changed computing. Interaction with minicomputers was through terminals, with either paper or screens similar to today's displays. People could interact with programs, instead of supplying all of the data up front.

Personal computers were a variation of minicomputers. They made computation possible for individuals (upper middle class individuals). Interaction with personal computers was not with terminals but with keyboards and built-in displays. Most displays had graphics. People could see charts and graphs, and later pictures.

(Even the IBM PC 5150 with the monochrome display adapter had character graphics. And that card was quickly replaced by the Hercules monochrome graphics adapter with full graphics.)

Laptop personal computers were a variation of personal computers. The software was usually the same as personal computers (but not always; some had custom software) and their displays were often smaller than those on "real" personal computers. Interaction was mostly the same (keyboard and display) They made computing portable. They also made networking common.

The connection between laptops and networking is muddled. Networking was available for desktop computers, usually as an option. And laptop computers existed before networks for desktop computers, but they were rarely used. The combination of laptop and network was powerful, and arrived with a more capable set of hardware for laptop computers. The trio of portable, network, and hardware forged a useful tool.

Smart phones were a combination of cell phone and laptop computer. (Or improved versions of personal digital assistants such as the Palm Pilot.) They made computing not merely portable but mobile -- an individual could do things while moving. They (specifically the iPhone with iTunes) eased the consumption of music and movies and games. Computing became entwined with entertainment. Interaction changed from keyboard and display to touchscreen and display, and sometimes voice.

Each generation of computing changed the nature of computing.

So where does that put Apple's Vision Pro?

I think that we can agree that the interaction with a headset will be different from the interaction with a smart phone. The screen is present but not touched. I expect that, initially, a set of gestures borrowed from smart phones will be used, and later new gestures will be invented for headsets. A smart phone with its small screen can display one app at a time.  The headset screen occupies a much larger section of our vision, so we can expect more things to happen at the same time.

I expect headsets to be used for entertainment and the consumption of information. Expanding today's video games to the larger screen of the Vision Pro seems a natural (although perhaps non-trivial) move. Beyond games, the analysis of data could use the "larger" screen to display more information in graphical form. Music is probably not a strong point for headsets, but music with video is likely to be popular.

Each generation of computing saw new applications, applications that made little sense for the previous generation. I think this will continue, and we will see new applications specific to the Vision Pro (or headsets in general). And just as the old generations of computing styles are still with us, they will continue to stay with us. The computing that they perform is useful -- and not always appropriate on later platforms. Some things work better on new systems, and some things work better on old systems.

I will be watching the innovations for headset computing. But just as I did not immediately run out and buy a laptop computer when they first came out, or a smart phone when they first came out, I won't be buying a Vision Pro -- at least not for a while.