“There is a lot of effort and money going into trying to make synthetic experiences as real as possible.”

At the WIT Japan and North Asia, Siew Hoon (Founder, WiT) posed a question. She asked “Apple Vision Pro – the beginning of spatial computing. This will be massive for travel inspiration. True or False?”

My answer unequivocal FALSE.

It was 0930 on a very warm Tokyo day. 34C or 94F depending on your history. The line was sweltering but was already 200 strong when I joined it. Some clear instruction from the guides and then into the “experience”. That is basically a good description because you will come out of it wondering if there truly is another dimension.

It was perhaps the purest form of travel experience.

What am I talking about? TeamLab Planets Tokyo. I cannot give anything away. You must just go and immerse yourself in it for just for you. It is a form of participation art that does perhaps define our world today. It is something you can enjoy with your phone, your followers and friends – yes, those adjacent in the physical world and those who are just next door, in the ether.

What it does however is break through the AR and VR world and make the experience far more real than I believe any headset can ever provide. There is a lot of effort (and money) going into trying to make synthetic experiences as real as possible.

And those around me, first skeptical, then quizzical but as soon as they start their journey, the smiles and laughs are all around you. Children, young and old, and no matter your abilities, you just can’t help but walk out of there being… happy.

If Apple’s headset is supposedly the start of Spatial Computing, then I will say – sure maybe for specific applications, like exploring a jet engine, but not for real pleasure, not for the joy that travel can bring. Give me the real thing. Sure, it can be enhanced but ultimately, I don’t think ever replaced. Let’s just hope that our freedom of movement is not curtailed too much.

BACK