It was the worst kept secret in tech – for months, nay, years, we've known that Apple was planning to release an AR headset. But while this week's announcement didn't come as a surprise, Apple still managed to seriously impress with Vision Pro. And there were certainly some unexpected details – including the name itself.
For a long time the most persistently rumoured name was 'Reality Pro'. I personally would have opted for iSight, or simply Apple Vision (sung, of course, to the tune of 'ChuckleVision'), but Vision Pro makes sense. In fact, according to one prolific product 'naming genius', it hits all the right notes. (In the market for new gear? Check out the best iPhone 14 deals available now.)
“Across big launches throughout history, Apple is known not as the first mover, but as the game-changer and standard-bearer," Jake Hancock, Brand Strategy Partner at Lippincott, told Creative Bloq. "When it comes to their core product names, they are rarely in the position to define a new category and instead embrace the descriptive term: TV, Watch, Phone. The names aren’t new or interesting, but Apple’s versions of them certainly have been. It means the “Apple” part of the product name tends to be the part that counts."
And the name also distances Apple from some of the waxing and waning tech trends of the moment. 'Vision' isn't about 'removing' the user from the real world, à la the metaverse. Instead, it "keeps reality in full sight around you," Hancock says, and instead focusses on "real-world utility that you can actually see and touch."
As the creative agency responsible for product names Duracell batteries, Coca-Cola’s Sprite and Hyatt’s Andaz, Lippincott knows a thing or two about the importance of a bold title – and Hancock goes as far as to suggest Vision Pro represents a new tech space age. "Apple Vision Pro is a bold, brave assertion that – once again – Apple has entered a new space with a unique vision. That said, the bigger story might just be “spatial computing” and the embrace of a term that goes beyond a filter on reality, and highlights the capabilities the headset enables. Wearing a bulky headset may not be for all of us, but Apple has placed its stake in the ground that computers will no longer sit on desks but live in the space around us."
One thing's for sure – even though we knew it was coming, Apple's Vision Pro announcement has got the entire tech and branding industry talking. We have mixed feelings about the headset, but it'll certainly be fascinating to see how it transforms the space. In the meantime, for some slightly less uncharted territory, take a look at today's best iPhone 14 deals below.
