While the Apple Vision Pro headset is not launching until early 2024, some developers have access to the device in order to develop visionOS apps. Through Feedback Assistant, Apple is collecting opinions on the Vision Pro "Persona" that is created for each person for use with FaceTime.
The Persona is a digital representation of the user, with Apple using the headset's cameras to recreate the face and hands. While the FaceTime call is ongoing, the Persona is able to make the same facial expressions and hand movements as the user, so that FaceTime calls feel more like a person-to-person interaction.
There is likely some degree of uncanny valley with this experience, so it is no surprise that it is a feature that Apple is working to refine. Apple is asking developers a number of questions about the Persona experience.
How do you feel about your Persona?
To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance?
To what extent do you feel your Persona responds to your facial expressions?
What do you like most about your Persona?
What do you like least about your Persona?
What do you like/not like about this Persona?
Respondents are given multiple choice answers for most of the questions, with the last one being an open feedback form. For the "How do you feel about your Persona?" question, for example, responses include "Very Happy - I'm excited to use it," "Happy - I would be okay using it," "Unhappy - I would be hesitant to use it," and "Very Unhappy - I would never use it."
Exclusive: Apple is asking developers with the Vision Pro to fill out a feedback survey about FaceTime Personas.
Some questions include:
How do you feel about your Persona?
To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance? pic.twitter.com/wKgQlKrODL
— Aaron (@aaronp613) September 14, 2023
Apple does not plan to release the Vision Pro headset until early 2024, so it still has several months of software refining and hardware tweaking to do before the device needs to be mass produced in order to sell.
The headset will be priced at $3,500 when it launches, and it will first be available in the United States before expanding to other countries.
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Timing
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The Uncanny Valley is a real thing, and teams of digital artists spending hours doing 3D work have an enormously hard time making true-to-life CGI people that don't freak us out. I'm curious to see how Apple pulls this off in real-time practice.
I'd like customizable Personas, preferably clown-themed: Pennywise for calling the kids, Bozo for business associates, and Weary Willie for close friends.
It seems to me that until we gain the technologies to project holographic versions of ourselves into distant meetings/greetings, this has to be towards next best thing. All those FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/etc face-to-face conversations people have every day are all limited to that 2D flat screen experience... where you very much are reminded that you are not there and they are not with you. This moderates that feeling towards creating a face-to-face environment that will certainly feel like you are there and they are here with you.
I look forward to trying it out and hope it works at least as good as implied in the WWDC demo... if not even better.
