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One of the exciting things about Apple Vision Pro is that we don’t know yet what its killer apps will be… as was the case in early days of the iPhone. And per Apple’s classic halo effect, the apps and experiences that it advances will steer the rest of the market, even if it takes a while.
To that end, one early contender for killer app on Vision Pro – and its competitors – is immersive video. That includes a long tail of user-generated content given iPhone spatial video capture. But it also includes cinematic productions and live events in their full spatial glory.
The irony here is that 180 and 360 video were quite buzzy in the circa-2017 XR hype cycle – before they retracted due to the laws of practicality. By that we mean the files were too big and the hardware wasn’t good enough to truly capture the potential of immersive cinema.
At least one of those factors has changed in the Vision Pro era, bringing us to this week’s news from SXSW, where Apple debuted its immersive Metallica concert experience. AR Insider Editor-at-Large Emily Olman was on site to get a demo from Apple, and has a full review in the works.
In the meantime, she offers her quick take to end an action-packed week in Austin. See that below including not only the Vision Pro experience (jump to it here) but the broader return of VR 180. Is there a trend bubbling up here? We’ll keep watching and stay tuned for more SXSW coverage.
And for anyone interested in seeing the Metallica experience for themselves, the full 25-minute version is now available to all. Vision Pro users can find it in AppleTV+ and take Apple’s hand, off to never-never land.
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