🥽 Fortune 100s Gobbling Up Vision Pros

Good morning, folks!

A warm welcome to the 218 new subscribers joining us. Last week we reported the decline in sales of Apple Vision Pros and now Tim Cook has come out saying half of Fortune 100 companies use the Vision Pro.

Meanwhile, Best Buy has released a new app that lets you envision products in your living room. Let’s get straight in.

 — Joel Johnson, Founder & Chief Editor

Headlines for people in a hurry:

• 🥽 Apple CEO Claims 50% Of Fortune 100s Use Vision Pro

• 🛍️ Best Buy Launches “Envision” App For Vision Pro

• 👀 Meta Copies Another Popular Feature Of Apple Vision Pro

Read time: 3 minutes

TOP STORIES

APPLE

Vision Pro: The New Hotshot In The Corporate World

You know what's even more sought after in the boardrooms of America's biggest companies than a premium scotch and a Cuban cigar? Apple's fresh-off-the-assembly-line Vision Pro mixed reality headset, that's what. This uber-expensive head-mounted gadget is quickly becoming the must-have tech toy for Fortune 100 bigwigs to show their shareholders, “Hey, look, we’re innovating!”

What happened:

• In a recent earnings call, Tim Cook revealed that over half of the Fortune 100 companies have already splurged on at least one Vision Pro headset.

• We're talking giants like KLM Airlines, SAP, Porsche, Lowe's, and more going all-in on Apple's shiny new toy. These companies are cooking up custom Vision Pro apps for everything from vehicle design to surgery prep.

• Developers are also getting in on the action. Microsoft brought over their Office suite, while other companies have VR apps for 3D modeling, emergency response, you name it.

Why It Matters: Let's be real: at $3,500 a pop, the Vision Pro is more suited to boardrooms than game rooms right now. But Apple clearly understands that to make this thing take off, they need to get enterprises hooked first. Once companies start finding awesome, productive use cases, consumer apps are sure to follow. It's Apple's classic play - lure in the big spenders first, then the masses will want a piece too.

E-COMMERCE

Best Buy Launches New “Envision” App For Shopping In The Vision Pro

Best Buy is giving virtual window shopping a whole new meaning with their slick new "Best Buy Envision" app for Apple's Vision Pro headset. This one's for all you shopaholics out there dreaming of that massive new TV or fancy kitchen remodel.

The Details:

• The app lets you preview true-to-scale 3D models of big-ticket products like TVs, fridges, computers, and even furniture right in your living room using Vision Pro's amazing augmented reality.

• Can't decide if that 77-inch beast will look too monstrous by the sofa? Just superimpose it virtually first before dropping serious cash. Same goes for scoping out if that swanky side-by-side fridge will actually fit in your kitchen nook.

• For now, you can't buy stuff directly in the app - you'll need to switch over to Best Buy's website to complete any purchases. But being able to visualize items in your actual home environment before clicking "add to cart" is a game-changer.

• The selection is a bit limited for launch, with models mostly from big names like LG, Bosch, Dell, and Lenovo. But we're hoping more brands and categories get added over time.

Why It Matters: We've been hearing about AR and VR transforming shopping for years, but most attempts were pretty lackluster gimmicks. Best Buy Envision finally showcases the real potential - using Vision Pro's mind-blowing spatial abilities to let you truly see and comprehend how large products will look and fit before buying. It's the virtual fitting room we always wanted for the big, bulky purchases. A glimpse into the future of retail therapy.

META

Meta Quest v65 Update Copies Another Vision Pro Feature

Leave it to Meta to publically trash Apple’s $3500 Vision Pro and then secretly copy their best features (not that I’m complaining). The latest v65 software update for Quest headsets is essentially the metaverse maker saying, "Anything you can do, we can do...slightly later." The update was released on April 30, 2024, and it might take a week before it reaches all users.

The Details:

• In a classic case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, Meta has now rolled out the ability to view 3D panoramic photos in VR—something Vision Pro users have been able to do from day one. Just snap a panorama pic on your newer iPhone and beam it over to your Quest for instant immersive photosphere viewing!

• They're also playing catch-up with spatial video playback. As long as you've got one of the newer iPhones that can handle depth mapping, v65 lets you watch videos immersively on Quest.

• Other welcomed additions include a system-wide passthrough view (no more annoying gray voids when navigating menus), better hand-tracking support for using keyboards/mice, and fewer interruptions when your hands stray into the tracking cameras.

• The update even brings some Quest Pro-specific improvements, like optional LED lighting to help with nighttime passthrough visibility.

Why It Matters: By playing catch-up, Meta is essentially admitting Cupertino's vision (pun intended) could quickly make the Quest feel dated if it doesn't evolve. Competition breeds innovation!

NEWS FLASH

AUGMENTED REALITY

Anyone Can Create AR Content Now

• 🎨 Blippar announces Blippbuilder Mobile, enabling AR content creation on mobile devices.

• 🎮 Sony has fired the Game Director behind PSVR 2's Horizon VR game

• 🕶 Meta's John Carmack says don’t expect affordable VR headsets running on Horizon OS than Quest 3.

• 🖥 Unity 6 Preview brings significant enhancements to XR and VR, including improved composition layers and text quality.

• 🤝 Tencent Cloud and Metavision forge a strategic partnership to advance XR technologies.

• 🎮 Steam VR’s stats show that Quest 3 goes head-to-head with Index, showing the popularity of Meta’s latest device.

• 🖐️ ECS receives an SBIR award for an advanced haptics development project, marking progress in immersive technology R&D.

BOOKMARKS

Immersive Articles From The Web

• Meta’s Former Head of VR: Oculus Go Was His “biggest product failure” & Why it Matters for Vision Pro

• How Characters & Environments In The Secret Of Retropolis Were Built Inside VR With Quill

• New VR Games & Releases May 2024: Quest, SteamVR, PSVR 2 & More

• Meta Quest+ in May 2024: These VR games are included this month

COOL APPS

GAMING

Is Madison VR The Scariest VR Game Ever?

• 🚀 Secret of Retropolis: Immerse yourself in this Apple Vision Pro game and uncover the mysteries of Retropolis.

• 🔍 Madison VR: Experience a horrifying yet thrilling VR adventure with Madison VR, offering immersive storytelling and gameplay.

• 👦🏽 Kid Pilot: Introduce your child to the world of aviation with Kid Pilot, an engaging VR experience designed for young aviators.

• 🌌 Homeworld: Vast Reaches: Command your fleet and conquer the vast reaches of space in this VR space strategy game, now available on Meta Quest.

• 🦇 Batman: Arkham Shadow: Step into the shoes of the Dark Knight in Batman: Arkham Shadow, an immersive VR adventure set in Gotham City.

• 👗 Mannequin VR: Dive into the world of fashion and creativity with Mannequin VR, now available in early access for a preview of its immersive features.

UNREAL MONEY

FUNDING REPORT

Trace Raises $2 Million In Seed Funding

Trace, a platform that aims to simplify the creation and deployment of location-based augmented reality experiences, has emerged from stealth mode after closing an oversubscribed $2 million seed funding round.

The investment was led by Rev1 Ventures and Impellent Ventures, with participation from Everywhere Ventures, Ohio Innovation Fund, Portland Seed Fund, Allied Venture Partners, Service Provider Capital, Astir Ventures, Move VC, Phoenix Venture Fund, and angel investors from top VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, and Index Ventures.

Founded by former employees from companies like Magic Leap, Harvard, Disney, Samsung, and DARPA, Trace's beginner-friendly tools allow anyone to build high-fidelity AR activations that can be deployed at any physical location.

The funding will enable Trace to accelerate development of its platform, currently in closed beta, and support businesses leveraging AR hardware like Apple's new Vision Pro headset. Early Trace customers include Fortune 500 companies such as Qualcomm, Telefónica, T-Mobile, and Lenovo who are using the platform for brand activations, employee training, and product education.

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