Apple’s highly anticipated Vision Pro headset has been compared to ‘Black Mirror’ amid claims that it’s bizarrely marketed to a ‘mythical audience’.
The tech giant was branded ‘ironic’ just hours after CEO Tim Cook unveiled the £2,849 ($3,499) augmented reality (AR) headset at a California event last night.
Cook described his product as ‘revolutionary’, while promotional videos outlined its capabilities of turning any location into a ‘perfect workspace’ – including the home.
But some question who the technology is actually for, with furious Apple staff allegedly facing severe warnings if they do not work at the office for three days each week.
The new headset has also been at the centre of online debate as tech experts and Twitter users alike have squabbled over what it means for the future of humanity.
Apple unveiled its Vision Pro augmented reality headset at a California launch yesterday
‘Apple Vision Pro is dead on arrival,’ one Twitter user wrote.
‘Who is this even for? They forced everyone back to the office, so who is this mythical person working from home with $3500 laying around who is actually working in production of some sort??
‘If they would have released this at the start of the pandemic it could have had a chance. Maybe. I just don’t see many people wanting to use this as their work device. And as far as fun factor goes, I don’t see that either.’
Another added: ‘Vision Pro V10 on your contact lenses will be the end of humanity as we know it,’ while another said: ‘The Apple Vision Pro is straight from Black Mirror.’
The Vision Pro headset, available to purchase from next year, ‘seamlessly’ blends the ‘real world with the digital world’.
Cook claims the technology can be navigated using eye-tracking alongside hand and voice controls.
This differs from Meta’s new $499 Quest 3 which currently lacks face and eye-tracking features.
Yet, the launch also comes after 200 Apple employees accused the firm of forcing people back into the office.
Last year, Cook allegedly told his California-based colleagues that they were required to be at their desks for three days each week as a minimum.
While he said this was driven by a 30 per cent plummet in productivity, staff alleged this was not the case at all.
Twitter users have slammed the tech giant for its own rules on remote working in California, despite marketing the headset towards remote working purposes
Tech boss, Tim Cook, announced the ‘revolutionary’ product yesterday, with promotional videos highlighting its ability to transform any location into the ‘perfect workspace’
Instead, they claimed that it was driven by the ‘company’s ‘fear of the future of work, fear of worker autonomy [and] fear of losing control’.
They also added that the in-person model would make Apple ‘younger, whiter, [and] more male-dominated’.
The group wrote: ‘It will lead to privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who’d be the best fit.
‘Privileges like “being born in the the right place so you don’t have to relocate”, or “being young enough to start a new life in a new city/country” or “having a stay-at-home spouse who will move with you”.
‘And privileges like being born into a gender that society doesn’t expect the majority of care-work from, so it’s easy to disappear into an office all day, without doing your fair share of unpaid work in society. Or being rich enough to pay others to do your care-work for you.’
In March, one Twitter user claimed Apple monitors badge use on scanners at the headquarters
Following Monday’s launch, many wonder if Apple will now change its remote working policies
In March, one Twitter user also claimed the firm was monitoring employee badge-use on scanners at the headquarters.
‘Apple is tracking employee attendance (via badge records) and will give employees escalating warnings if they don’t come in 3x per week,’ the post read.
‘At Apple, some orgs are saying failure to comply could result in termination, but that doesn’t appear to be a company-wide policy.’
Following yesterday’s launch, many have wondered if Apple will now change its remote working policies for employees to use the immersive technology at home.
One Twitter user said: ‘I want to see if Apple relaxes its return to office policy once its employees use Vision Pro.’
Another added: ‘Ah, the irony of Apple marketing the Vision Pro as a superior remote work tool, while they’re calling their employees back to the office.’
Even so, Pamela Rae-Welsh, founder of the web development and marketing business Worsley Creative also told MailOnline there are some dangers with this.
She said: ‘Spending excessive time in virtual environments might limit opportunities for real-life social interaction and the development of essential social skills.
‘Overindulgence in VR experiences might lead to a preference for virtual interactions over real-life interactions, which could result in reduced socialisation and potential withdrawal from real-world activities. Consider this on already marginalised groups and this could be very detrimental. We already see some of this in immersive gaming.’
Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET also added: ‘Launching a high-end, non-essential and outrageously expensive product is an odd move in the middle of a cost of living crisis. The pricing may put off some consumers but criminally minded developers will be attracted to this new main stream technology and inevitably test it to find any ways it could be used to exploit people.
‘Bad actors, however, are often quick to take advantage of current trends via both digital assets and new physical devices and no doubt this will be tested on. Deep fake audio and video, for example, is rapidly becoming a threat vector to watch out for especially when new technology such as this can often increase or amplify scams.’
MailOnline has approached Apple for comment.
