The new Apple Vision Pro “spatial computing” headset was released a few weeks back and has proven to be one of the most talked-about gadgets available today. Now the San Diego Police Department has issued a warning to not wear the device while walking around in public and most importantly, not while you’re crossing the street.
From an NBC News report:
The San Diego Police Department issued the advisory Monday after footage went viral on Instagram showing a man walking across a downtown street and apparently accessing a virtual menu while a police patrol car and several officers were just yards away.
The original video was shot by event producer Michael Ciccone, who posted it to his Instagram account. The video was shared by the San Diego Humor account, where it has generated several thousand likes so far. Unfortunately, San Diego Police failed to see the humor in it.
“A video making its rounds online shows our patrol team in Central Division ‘face-to-face’ with the future — a pedestrian donning the latest Apple Vision Pro headset while walking in the street downtown,” the department posted on its Instagram page. “It was a sight that had us pausing in bewilderment. While we’re all for exploring new dimensions and technology, let’s remember the importance of pedestrian safety.”
The statement continued: “Keep those virtual experiences on the sidewalk, folks, and let’s cross streets the old-fashioned way — with our eyes wide open to the real world, unobstructed and without distractions!”
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Later in the day, San Diego Humor posted another video, this time recorded from the point of view of the man wearing the Apple Vision Pro headset — San Diego resident Vlad Kislov — which showed that Kislov was accessing a music menu to change a song while walking across the street.
Although Kislov’s video was accompanied by “Break My Stride,” the 1983 synth-pop hit by Matthew Wilder, the headset appeared to be playing a song by Russian rapper ATL.
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Apple says its $3,500 AR/VR headset is “a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world while allowing users to stay present and connected to others.”
The Apple Vision Pro operating system is called “visionOS,” which the Cupertino firm says is the world’s first spatial operating system, designed to allow users to interact with digital content so that it feels like it is physically present in their space.
visionOS features a three-dimensional interface. Users can adjust apps at any scale while placing apps wherever they’d like. A combination of a user’s eyes, hands, and voice is used to control the device. Users can browse through apps, tap their fingers to select, flick their wrist to scroll, or use voice to dictate.
As seen in the video above, the headset does allow you to see the real world while you’re using the device. Unfortunately, the headset allows users to play games and view movies and other video content, which appears to be on a huge video screen floating in front of your face, so it probably won’t be long before a user decides to watch Star Wars while walking down the street. Some Vision Pro users are already complaining of cracks in the device’s front glass. Imagine what will happen if you walk into a light pole on a city street.
