Apple Is Ignoring Something Big About Augmented Reality

Apple’s video demo of its new Vision Pro AR/VR headset on Monday started how you might expect: The user strapped on the chunky goggles and was presented with a menu of familiar apps—Safari, Photos, Messages. “Foundational to Apple Vision Pro,” the demo noted, “is that you’re not isolated from other people.” It was striking how often the visuals and language in the promotion video keyed in on social interactions. But the choice to show Vision Pro as a social device ignores the lessons from Glass about the impact of AR and VR tech on social interaction and the larger social narrative around such devices. Vision Pro may someday live up to Apple’s lofty pitch, but acceptance that leads to mass adoption will depend on how users behave, and social rules around new technology take time.