Are You Metaverse Ready?
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Map the World. Bring it to Life.

Map the World. Bring it to Life.

Apple Making Everyone Broke Again.

Bay Keeper
July 03, 2023

What’s up, MetaverseBay here.

We share what newcomers should know, what experts can be updated on, and what others might find interesting.

Check the Welcome Post to see what we’re all about.

Let’s get down to it.

3% that’s not much, but as they say…

A whole new way to avoid social interaction in real life and meet strangers on the internet instead.

This week’s quote: “Seems like this meteor is really coming towards us! This VR headset is so real!” - Dinosaurs 65 million years ago

What’s on the table this week?

Digital Elements in the Real World
Immersive Tech and Tourism
Apple Making Everyone Broke Again
Is Virtual Reality worth the risks?
How Business makes money in Metaverse space

This week brings us Spatial Computing.

No, it isn’t a recent invention by Apple.

It was first defined in 2003 by Simon Greenwold. He described it as “"human interaction with a machine in which the machine retains and manipulates referents to real objects and spaces".

Digitization on steroids.

Spatial Computing moves activities, people, and processes into an interactive virtual environment.

This allows for human interaction with the virtual representations of real objects leading to the merge of physical and virtual worlds.

This can involve Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR).

Imagine pointing your phone at the Eiffel Tower and seeing a time-lapse of it being built.

Picture putting on a headset and being teleported to an alternate reality.

Explain Like I’m Five:

Spatial Computing is when computers make things that aren't real seem like they are.

It's not a new idea from Apple, but someone talked about it a long time ago.

It's like when we use our imagination to play with toys, but with computers.. We can use our phones to see things like the Eiffel Tower being built, or wear special glasses to go to different worlds in our minds.

It's like playing make-believe with the help of computers.

Map the World. Bring it to Life.

Virtual experiences will be able to pop up based on your location

With geo-locking (a fancy term for location-based restrictions).

This works by dividing the world into a grid and mapping each section of the grid separately.

Using grid coordinates virtual data is dropped and mapped for sharing.

You don’t need fancy AR / VR headsets to try this, just use your smartphone.

There’s the Eiffel Tower example from earlier. You can record a memory of making a proposal, a parade or New Year’s celebration.

Then just drop the recordings in geo-location for everyone to see.

Content sharing will reach new heights.

At the Texas State Fair, a hot dog truck had virtual experiences added to it. Visitors near the truck could open an app to engage in several experiences.

They could order a hot dog from a dancing hot dog.

Cast their vote for team ketchup or mustard.

Possibilities are endless.

Watch this to learn more.

Explain Like I’m Five:

Imagine a big map of the whole world. Now, imagine that this map can come to life! It means that when you go to different places, special things can appear on your phone or tablet.

This happens because the map is divided into smaller sections, and each section has its own special things to show. You don't need any special goggles or helmets, just your phone is enough.

For example, if you go near the Eiffel Tower, you can see videos of people getting engaged or celebrating New Year's. It's like sharing your memories with others in different places.

At a fair, there was even a hot dog truck where you could use your phone to play fun games and order hot dogs. The possibilities of what you can do are endless!

Bring the Past to Life With Your Phone

Our Take

AR has a lot of potential. Remember the summer Pokemon Go came out? I do, I lost 20kg in a week lol. Now this will be next level. Virtual experiences everywhere, I will finally become fit…

More Than Street View

Imagine an interactive map of an entire country. Not like Google Maps.

This isn’t street view, it’s much more.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a world leader of new technology so its only natural developers flock there.

Cultural landmarks have been virtually replicated for users to visit.

Al-’Ula, an ancient oasis city with a concert hall covered in mirrors, as well as Hegra, an ancient archeological site have been cloned.

Mixed Reality (MR) technologies can allow us to map out any location around the world for virtual visitors to experience.

During our MMS call a builder shared how Saudi Arabia is having its cultural landmarks twinned in the virtual realm.

With Meta Quest these locations can be visited by anyone, anywhere.

Al-’Ula was worked on by one of the builders on our MMS call in a process that took 6-7 weeks.

Various Software Development Kits (SDKs), graphics programs, and other tools were used to create it.

Want to know more? Hear what was shared in this segment here

Explain Like I’m Five:

Imagine a special map that shows an entire country, but it's not like the maps you see on Google.

This map lets you do more than just see streets. The builders have made a special map of Saudi Arabia that lets you visit famous places without actually going there.

They made virtual copies of important places like a city with a shiny concert hall and a very, very old place. They used special computer tools to make it look real.

Now, with a special device called Meta Quest, anyone can visit these places from anywhere in the world. It took a builder about 6 to 7 weeks to make one of these places on the map using special computer programs.

The Magic of 360° Immersion

Our Take

Everyone likes to travel. We’re excited to be able to explore more of the world now. If you read our email last week you already know about our trip to the Maldives.

The Latest Expensive Toy

Everyone knows how Apple tech for the novice and the super-user.

Their latest and greatest is no exception to this rule.

If you haven’t heard, the latest is a $3,499 headset that can do more than you’ll ever need it to.

Jump into the spatial computing realm? Check.
Watch a movie on a long-haul flight? Check.
Forget about your responsibilities? Check.
Use multiple desktops at once? Check.
Spend all day procrastinating? Check.
Enjoy a home-made video? Check.

Their spin on a headset focuses less on VR and the metaverse and more on multitasking and the capabilities of immersive tech.

What do people think of it?

Every product has its drawbacks and the visiting experts on the MMS call were open to share their loves and hates of it.

Sure, it’s capable and powerful. Portability is great and user-friendliness is there.

Some even described it as a “revolutionary moment for spatial computing, AR, and VR, 60 years in the making”.

Others praised its ability to turn transparent to the user is aware of others close to them

But, it’s expensive. Battery life is a short at an estimated 2 hours.

It’s not a family device either. If only one person can use it at a time doesn’t that kill a lot of their market?

Some people are just Apple haters.

Does anyone really need this anyway?

Curious to hear expert opinions? Hear what they said here.

Explain Like I’m Five:

There's a new fancy toy made by Apple that costs a lot of money, $3,499! It's a special headset that can do a lot of cool things. You can use it to play games in a special way and watch movies when you're on a long trip.

It can also help you do many things on a computer all at once and let you see things in a different way. Some people think it's really amazing, but it's also very expensive and the battery doesn't last very long.

Not everyone thinks it's necessary or good for families. But some people just don't like Apple products.