Airpods (or any modern earphones) are absolutely the first really useful AR product available to consumers.
Transparency mode is a critical success even if it’s so boring as to be unremarked upon by most people. An AR device is most useful if it’s ubiquitously available. Transparency mode makes that possible (even if it could use improvement). The device also needs to avoid a negative social stigma. Airpods have largely achieved that as well (at least along younger people). That is partially marketing/brand image - but it is also based on utility. Older folks would generally find it rude to leave headphones in while having a conversation because they assume the listener isn’t listening, but I work with a lot of teens, and it seems like they couldn’t care less. It’s understood that the speaker can still be heard. A quick tap/squeeze is the social signal.
The author is right that there is huge untapped potential in auditory augmentations, but the focus on verbal input control is misplaced. It’s simply too obtrusive for public environments.
If I were betting, I’d say Apple won’t open up this kind of functionally until the (cross device) input control is generally codified, and that scheme will be intrinsically linked to a forward facing camera/sensor package to provide contextual awareness and implied user attention & intentions (i.e. glasses or similar).
Transparency mode is a critical success even if it’s so boring as to be unremarked upon by most people. An AR device is most useful if it’s ubiquitously available. Transparency mode makes that possible (even if it could use improvement). The device also needs to avoid a negative social stigma. Airpods have largely achieved that as well (at least along younger people). That is partially marketing/brand image - but it is also based on utility. Older folks would generally find it rude to leave headphones in while having a conversation because they assume the listener isn’t listening, but I work with a lot of teens, and it seems like they couldn’t care less. It’s understood that the speaker can still be heard. A quick tap/squeeze is the social signal.
The author is right that there is huge untapped potential in auditory augmentations, but the focus on verbal input control is misplaced. It’s simply too obtrusive for public environments.
If I were betting, I’d say Apple won’t open up this kind of functionally until the (cross device) input control is generally codified, and that scheme will be intrinsically linked to a forward facing camera/sensor package to provide contextual awareness and implied user attention & intentions (i.e. glasses or similar).
Working on AR UX would be incredibly exciting.