Originally published on LinkedIn, By Lisa Peyton
The short answer is: NO, at least not this first-gen version of their AR headgear but if you want the more nuanced answer read on.
Perhaps the biggest XR news over the last month was Apple’s announcement of their highly anticipated AR glasses and their new, spatial operating system, Apple Vision Pro. With Oculus founder Palmer Luckey saying it is “so good” in a recent tweet, the tech world can’t help but sit up and take notice. Marketers also need to pay close attention, for in the same way bringing the internet onto a mobile device (think the first iPhone, if you’re old enough to remember) shifted marketing forever, so will the transition from phones and tablets to eyewear and more intuitive methods of consuming the digital content all around us.
Preparing for a chat on the subject with CNN reporter Jennifer Korn, for her post entitled “Apple is determined to make headsets cool”, I read through all of the first-hand accounts of those who have used the headset along with watching the official announcement. I was struck by a few insights:
- Apple featured both personal and professional use cases for the glasses, even including manufacturing examples, which felt to me like they are unsure where this technology will get traction. The high-price, $3500 bucks, will ensure a limited run and will allow Apple to work with enthusiasts on fine-tuning the platform for future and more affordable versions.
- Despite the capability of ‘seeing’ the real world through the glasses via near real-time video input from front cameras, several reporters who tried the device, said it felt rather isolating and like they weren’t connected with the real-world around them. Apple might be one step closer to creating a device that can overlay digital content into a real-world environment AND block out that same environment when a user wants to escape into a 3D game or movie; however advances will need to be made in order to make that as seamless as we would like.
- The headset weighs 1 pound and has enough battery life for a two hour movie. Although still lighter than the Meta’s Quest headset, I think consumers will struggle with wearing a 1 pound device on their head for any prolonged amount of time.
- Apple is boasting that all of their current iPad and iPhone apps will be compatible at launch, but how will these apps handle one of Vision Pro’s selling points – the use of hand and eye tracking to navigate through content.
- Apple also announced a partnership with Unity indicating that Unity-based games like Monument Valley, Beatsaber, Pokemon Go, and Candycrush will be accessible on the new OS. If this is done successfully, and they can bring the price down, it may help lead to mass adoption. Can you imagine Monument Valley in 3D?! I can’t wait!
You can head over to CNN.com to read the entire article, where the reporter was kind enough to give me the last word, “Apple knows that the technology is going to get more compact, sleeker, and eventually they will be able to make a super sexy pair of glasses. I have no doubt,” Peyton said. “It’s going to be maybe two or three years away, maybe more than that, but they’ll get there.”
XR Pub Crawl My Birthday Edition: Join us LIVE June 23rd at noon PT
This month the XR Pub Crawl will be joined by Web3, metaverse and NFT expert, Olivier Moingeon, founder and COO of Exclusible. This immersive agency has worked with such brands as Vogue, Deloitte, and PWC and most recently launched the successful Hugo Boss quest in Spatial.io promoting their new spring collection. We’ll explore the Hugo Boss world and celebrate my birthday in a 3D space built just for us! Join in the fun live and you may even win your own, exclusive, NFT profile pic. 😍 Zoom link found in our LinkedIn event invite, hope to see you there!
Top Tools of the Month
https://app.runwayml.com/
My latest obsession is Runway Gen-2 – a text to video tool that lets you create videos like the one above in just a few seconds. For this fairy-fest video short, I used the prompt: masterpiece video of group doing a pub crawl in Apple’s AR vision pro goggles in the style of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies. It obviously didn’t nail it but it came damn close. The tool uses a freemium model so you can try it out for free and upgrade for as little as $15 USD per month.
https://jetpack.com/ai/
Jetpack AI Assistant integrates with any WordPress website or blog. The interface lets you engage with AI as if you were chatting with a colleague. This tool allows you to generate diverse content on command without having to leave the WordPress content management system. I’m sure my students will be using this for their blog assignments. Pricing starts at less than $10 monthly.
https://machined.ai/
Machined completely automates the entire SEO content process by automating keyword research, keyword clustering, and internal linking. The tool then creates high-quality articles that according to their website, ‘resonates with readers’. Marketers can write hundreds or even thousands of articles at the same time. This tool costs $49 per month and an additional $0.50 per article paid directly to ChatGPT.
https://www.beautiful.ai/
Beautiful.ai helps you build stunning presentations in minutes. This presentation maker has the designer built-in so you can just add your notes, data, or anything else and the tool does the rest. Pricing starts at $12 bucks per month. https://www.linkedin.com/embeds/publishingEmbed.html?articleId=8219414074179495377&li_theme=light
May’s XR Pub Crawl Experiential Marketing Edition On-Demand
Last month we explored Fidelity Investments Pancake Empire Tower Tycoon Experience in Roblox. Joey Jeter from Buoy Studio answered our questions on the strategy behind the experience, the KPI’s, and provided insider info on the design of this wildly successful game that provides financial education to Tweens. And be warned, the game is highly addictive…and will make you crave pancakes.
XR/AI Marketing News
AI Rise: Most Firms Are Using It For Marketing Despite Inaccuracies
Yes, it’s true, 73% of agencies have admitted to using generative AI tools to create text, images, videos and other marketing content. The most common uses among marketing firms include crafting email and website copy, social media posts, and customer support chatbots. The article cites research done by Botco.ai, which you can find in their latest industry report, State of GenAI for Marketing.
The Inconvenient Truths about Metaverse Interoperability
Another great post from the team at Metaversed highlighting the challenges arising around building a true metaverse, one that allows you to take your avatar and virtual assets from one virtual world to another. Among the challenges was on surprising realization that there is no real demand for this function currently.
Elizabeth Arden Enters Metaverse with Virtual Store
One of the industries where 3D virtual stores make sense, fashion and beauty brands are embracing the metaverse and providing immersive experiences for their customer base.
Google Makes Big AI Announcements at I/O 2023: What to Know
Some of the important updates include AI features being added to Google search, new AI writing tools for Gmail, and the ability to create documents, slides, and spreadsheets with AI in Google Workspace apps like Docs, Slides, and Sheets. Once again, I’m sure my students will be using these tools as well.
MarTech’s Metaverse Marketing Experts to Follow
Extremely honored and humbled to be included on this list from MarTech, with the likes of Nonny de la Peña, PhD and Cathy Hackl. WOW! #CareerHighlight
More XR/AI News:
Apple’s AR glasses are here. Fashion is watching
How Are XR Firms Leveraging Artificial Intelligence?
The Power of Cross Reality (XR) in Marketing and Advertising
McKinsey says ‘about half’ of its employees are using generative AI
Google tool helps developers create XR experiences
Follow Me on LinkedIn
Before I go, I want to encourage you to follow me on LinkedIn. This XR/AI marketing brief comes out monthly but between issues I share experiential and AI marketing quick hits on my LinkedIn profile.
Also be sure to reach out with any suggested topics for future XR Pub Crawls. It’s impossible to to cover the entire XR and AI marketing industry on my own. 😎
