Cybernews podcast #27: Apple Vision Pro – a glimpse into the future

The latest Cybernews podcast explores the future of work and entertainment promised by Apple Vision Pro – as well as some bad behavior by early adopters.

One day, a man was asked to leave a diner in Seattle for wearing a pair of smart glasses. He had eaten there several times before wearing the glasses, he said, but was now told by a waiter that it was against the cafe’s policy – and he should either remove them or leave.

The man demanded the server to see a written notice explaining the policy, but was not provided one – he had to take her word for it. He left, went home, and described his experience online, in a post on Facebook.

“I would love an explanation, apology, clarification,” the man said before continuing, “and if the staff member was in the wrong and lost the owner money last night and also future income as well, that this income be deducted from her pay or her termination.”

It could’ve happened yesterday, but the incident actually took place in 2013, the year Google Glass was released and a term “glasshole” was coined to describe the type of behavior the man in Seattle had put on display.

According to one of the earliest descriptions in Urban Dictionary, a “glasshole” is someone who “wears Google Glass and refuses to remove it when directly interacting with other people.” Another entry says that it is someone who owns the device and is also “douchey” about it.

The fact that the glasses were released to a limited number of early adopters at a price of $1,500 added to the notion that this was a status symbol worn by “that know-it-all guy you’ve always hated,” as described by the author of the term, first used in a TechCrunch article published in January 2013.

That guy made a return earlier this year with the release of Apple Vision Pro – definitely a status symbol at a price of $3,500 – and so did the term “glasshole.”

There were people walking the streets, skateboarding, and riding the subway while wearing the headset. Someone filmed themselves driving a Tesla Cybertruck on autopilot while wearing one before being stopped by the police.

Many of these viral video clips turned out to be stunts for content and, as cringy as some of them were, brought forward a number of issues to consider as the technology becomes more accessible and widely adopted.

This week, we discuss just that in the latest Cybernews podcast. Join us to see if you’re a glasshole, what security concerns are there to consider, and how will Apple Vision Pro change the way we work and play.