It's not a hobby. Apple obviously devoted most of its software engineering resources for the past year on Vision Pro. iOS 17 and macOS 14 are the most minor "major" updates I've seen in many years, perhaps ever.
Nothing even remotely close to that ever occurred with the "hobby" Apple TV. At WWDC, visionOS was a major focus. And during the keynote, I've never seen Tim Cook as excited as he was that day. He's normally quite sedate, almost robotic.
I for one have been waiting a very long time for a comfortable headset I can do work from regardless of my physical orientation. Sitting, standing, on an airplane, at a desk, on a hammock -- hell, someday even while hiking or driving. I want a single device where I can safely and effectively operate, primarily for professional use.
I have purchased many VR headsets to this end but none have had any staying power. I think Apple has the capital, engineering experience, and aesthetic / practical sensibility to make it happen properly for productivity, so I am cautiously optimistic. I am glad they focused on productivity instead of gaming. I want a machine I can use, not a toy to play with.
Any take saying it is casual / hobby is missing the boat I think. It has the potential, if it delivers on being a usable productivity headset, to completely redefine our relationships with tech, from business to entertainment and everything in between. That has a massive financial upside that is largely future proof, and translates directly into the tech needed for effective neural interfacing (on the computational side). It could be approaching the "end game" for human-technology symbiosis -- at least for maintaining a semblance of humanity, which many of us will want to do indefinitely if given the choice.
On this theme, I recently read a persuasive essay (via HN IIRC) arguing that Vision Pro development has spun off all manner of software advances that can be seen across the product line.
Sort of like a NASA for Apple software. (So like where's the Tang ?)
Nothing even remotely close to that ever occurred with the "hobby" Apple TV. At WWDC, visionOS was a major focus. And during the keynote, I've never seen Tim Cook as excited as he was that day. He's normally quite sedate, almost robotic.