www – From web to world.
The way we tell stories is changing and changing FAST.
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to test the Vision Pro by Apple. I have always been an Apple fan and I always look forward to fresh product releases. Since Jobs died, however, and Cook went it alone without Ive, products have been “more of the same”, which has created the same challenge that Steve Jobs had before the iMac (which saved Apple).
It took me back to the days of Iphone, a transformative leap in tech which left us all impressed as it felt like such a natural progression in their brand.
Now we have a new addition, and while I am some way off spending £3,500 on a Vision Pro, I am convinced that this too is a natural progression and represents the direction in which the Appple brand and the rest of us are all ultimately headed.
Brand done well will make you feel like part of the family.
What is instantly obvious is that the Vision Pro feels like Apple.
It reminds me of the iPhone (the first one). The feel and the interface look very good.
Brand, when done well, feels like an extension of its former self and, in this case, it also includes a fresh development of a brand new world. Everything feels familiar which breaks down the barrier to learn a fresh world.
From websites to worlds:
The major brand shift for me will be that we will all be creating worlds to visit rather than websites.
This immersive experience takes you into another place that websites can’t. It was the first time I really felt, this is the future… now…
As an agency, we have already been working with 3D technologies to create a whole fresh level to search and ultimately redefine how we find information. We are really pleased to be playing in this space.
Zoom to Room:
Let’s face it, we all have “on screen fatigue” BUT imagine being in a room with people in a shared experience! It will come, but trying the Apple immersive video shows you very clearly where and how things will change.
I watched a football match from behind the goal and experiencing it within a headset honestly felt as if I was there! It was crazy good!
Then I tried presenting a keynote in a theatre at the double tab of my forefinger and thumb to practice delivering my latest pitch… I’m tellling you that this approach is gamechanging.
Modelling in realtime
3D worlds that can be formed and checked from every angle show that even everyday computing will change and monitors will become a thing of the past.
Spinning items around with educational material will also create better learning experiences.
Architecture will transform and the way we purchase will significantly shift, the only barrier is the price of the kit!
AI is the wrong destination
For marketeers and anyone trying to leverage the power of AI, the key thing to recognise is that it can create material with which we are familiar, just a lot more quickly. Even generative AI is using what is already in existence, rather than creating anything “new”.
To me, next-level thinking is all about 3D technologies and immersive experiences are the destination. AI will support it, along with your choices.
Too many people are saying, “Look at this content I can write, or look at this image I can create, when in fact it will hasten a mass departure from our current online world. Everyone wants to create with AI (mainly for speed and profit) but less poeple want to consume it.
Shifting focus creates sustained relevancy
For years, we have been interacting with the internet one way, and consuming content and now creating it to the same end, websites, videos, images, text, with AI’s help to generate it. The emphasis has been on web, but now I believe the emphasis is transformative and our attention on www, with focus more on world and even world(s).
Like Blockbuster, and Kodak, in their respective sectors, companies could become irrelevant if they do not embrace the power of immersive worlds, first through browsers and ultimately through headsets. The immersive world is the next destination and if you are serious about brand you need to shift and shift quick.
Cre8ion have already began this leap into the unknown and we are already impacting communities as they handle transformation with large inner city projects, by visualising the journey.
We have had to learn to embrace more tools in order to be able to create within these worlds and use traditional tools to edit the story. Of course, we won’t be ignoring the existing space but managing the transition as the media landscape shifts. It’s all a bit reminiscent of the social media revolution.
The media in which we work will shift, but this shift will be one of the largest switches in the way we consume content in decades.
Will the devices get better? I am 100% sure that they will. Can we remain connected rather than being isolated from the changes taking place? Absolutely! The key is not to dismiss this so called “fad” when Meta and Apple have invested so heavily in it. We get it.
Innovation in tougher times:
A recent example of an innovation that helped us to move in keeping with the times was when the movie industry embraced 3D technologies to help studios navigate the pandemic. “The Volume” for Disney’s Star Wars “The Mandalorian”, used large screens behind the actors and sets to create worlds at pace and adjust scenes from one location to another almost instantly.
This approach was a next step from the painted backgrounds used in older films with the camera’s depth of field helping your your eyes to pass it off as reality. That same set up would happen now. The main floor of The Volume would contain set and actors, but the sky and mountainous backdrop were 3D images projected on a screen.
Today’s environment and cost of living have caused businesses to look for ways to remain connected. Zoom, Teams and Meets have become the norm, but now I believe immersive environments are the next natural step.
Imagine booking an appointment at a showroom online, by clicking in a website and ‘entering the showroom’. You’ll then choose your car and take it on a test drive. Making your order is just a few clicks away and eventually, that car is delivered to your door! The best of both worlds.
This is just one example of where the revolution will begin. Not replacing the real world but simplifying our interactions with it.
For most people, their primary screen is their mobile phone, more than the TV in their house or monitor screens. However, scrolling will soon stop when multiple devices can share the experience. Those flat screens will become a thing of the past.
It might start with headsets but, longer term, we’ll connect via glasses. Old technology will be replaced by new.
The future is here and while 2025 might be the year of AI, the real destination is building beyond it. AI is a powerful tool, but the world it will create isn’t going to usher in more of the same, it is laying the foundation for an even deeper experience.
Educators will be able to see the prehistoric age, medical students will be able to operate in a safe environment, and sports will see an army of supporters in the stadium beyond the 60,000 capacity, as price points drop, the world in which we live will go deeper rather than wider.
Cre8ion have already begun the journey into the seemingly unknown and it’s time to be embracing those infinite possibilities!
Watch the latest episode of the Purpose People Podcast via the image link below.
