Apple’s WWDC Review

This week Apple dominated headlines at the WWDC keynote announcing a new product in the vision pro, as well as many updates to IOS and product lines. Below are a few things that stood out to me.  You can get a good short summary in this video if you want to see more.

🤖 A.I glaringly deemphasized. 

I’ll admit I am a green text, but I do appreciate what and how Apple works in terms of branding and ecosystem. For most of the announcements, these have been features Android software has had for a long time. Things like widgets, desktop displays, and even the “Check In” feature to alert friends when you are concerned about safety. Nothing here caught my attention, other than the fact that while the tech industry is clamoring over itself to try and be the leader in A.I., Apple was significantly muted. This makes sense as Apple has positioned itself firmly in Privacy and Security. The scary new generative tech that pop culture has been preaching will turn against us and doesn’t really fit the brand. Apple stayed away from buzzwords and continued to use the phrase “machine learning” instead.

🔒 Private Browsing will strip URL Parameters

For the analyst in me, private browsing stripping URL parameters seems like a big announcement that impacts marketing. By doing this anyone leveraging the private browsing mode will continue to cut down on the metadata shared via the browser. Currently, it’s estimated about 1 in 5 people leverage private browsing, but I’m not sure how much of that is within Safari. My initial thought is “How does this really make browsing more secure?” It will reduce the information companies receive on how users get to the site via marketing parameters but does telling a brand, “I clicked on an ad” really makes your experience more secure? The target is more likely the identifiers many companies are passing via URL. I know both Adobe and Google will append visitor IDs in URLs to try and continue browsing paths. I plan to dive more into the details above in a separate article. Overall, this further enforces brands to create a first-party user experience and continue to invest in identity resolution.

👀 Vision Pro announced. 

Finally, the big announcement is the new VR/AR headset Vision Pro. I have mixed feelings about this one. Headsets are still relatively “new” and haven’t become widely adopted. I don’t expect the Vision Pro to change that, especially at its $3,499 price point. The technology to make it work is more innovative than the headset itself. The Vision Pro seems like a product that was created to test developmental technology without impacting the perception of the current product line. Vision Pro is a testing ground, but your iPhone and Mac will still be as reliable as always.

Eye and Finger tracking are as big of a leap as buttons to touch screens. Maybe you don’t want a headset, but this could push the adoption of removing the keyboard and mouse if my device can see what I’m looking at and respond to hand gestures with voice-to-text. This pushes the boundaries of how we interact with technology.

The best example is the new 3D image capture (which is very cool), but if I’m a dad, I don’t want to be recording my children’s birthdays in a headset to relive later.

 

…I want to be present.

While a get the limitless appeal of a Metaverse I also don’t want to throw my child a birthday in a digital environment. I believe most people want their real lives to be enhanced by technology not replaced. In the next 5 years, technology in the headset will be decoupled and broadcast to multiple devices in the home. If cameras are always watching (creepy right?), they can track my movement and eyes, and any screen can be a Mac. These in-home cameras can capture and record 3d videos and images for review without interrupting the party. Imagine Apple providing “The top moments from your party”, without ever having to stop to take a photo.

In the end, your eyes are a better mouse, and your voice is a better keyboard. I’m hoping the vision pro moves our culture forward as we adopt new ways interact and work with technology.