Unless something absolutely catastrophic happens, one year from now, a percentage of the population will be regularly using Apple Vision Pro headsets for work. The size of that population depends on the availability and cost of the initial release of the headset, but rest assured, once Apple enters a market, it is go time. Apple's entry will also push other tech companies to innovate and iterate of face a crisis -- I was recently reminded of this when someone posted a piece about former head of Nokia crying that their company's disruption wasn't his fault (side note: if you haven't read The Innovator's Dilemma, you can just watch this video).
Of course, some companies are already adopting spatial computing and XR for work -- I've worked with Walmart and Amazon and Lowe's, among others, as well as NGOs, governments, and major consultancies. But the vast majority of businesses are still lagging, despite reams of research that using XR for training leads to better outcomes.
Now is the time for companies and industries to start investing in expertise in this space. This isn't fringe technology just for kids and video games anymore -- and even if it was, those kids will be in the workforce in the next few years. Much like designing for the web is very different than designing for print, designing for XR and spatial computing is a different skill set. It is teachable and learning, for sure, but organizations need to make sure they have experts who can do the initial teaching.
Over the course of the next several newsletters, I'll drill deep into the best practices and what folks need to know about how to create for this medium. If you want to get started early, you can check out my courses for Caltech and New Mexico State and reach out about consulting and speaking. Happy New Year!