One of the complaints about the Apple Vision Pro is that it’s very isolating. Apple may be working on it, as the company has been granted a patent (US 11908086 B2) for “Techniques for Participating in a Shared Setting.”
Of course, this means a household or office would have to own multiple units of the pricey spatial computer, but still….
About the patent
The patent relates generally to enhanced reality (ER) settings, and more specifically to methods and techniques for managing members of a shared ER setting. In the patent Apple notes that enhanced reality (ER) settings provide a convenient platform for a plurality of users to, together, experience and interact with a virtual, enhanced reality setting that is different from the physical setting.
However, existing techniques for managing members of a shared ER setting can be “cumbersome and inefficient” (or currently almost non-existent on a Vision Pro). Apple wants to develop a method that enables users to quickly and easily enter into a shared ER setting and to conveniently manage different types of conversations within the shared ER setting.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “In accordance with some embodiments, an exemplary process for initializing members of a shared enhanced reality setting is described. In accordance with some embodiments, an exemplary process for forming a private sub-space and example features of the private sub-space is described.”
