First Vision Pro, Next Apple Car
By Grayson Brulte | June 14, 2023
Apple’s Vision Pro isn’t about the headset — it’s about the future of the car as a platform for experiences that seamlessly integrates the physical and digital worlds. The headset is merely just the starting line for what is to come with the Apple Car.
Inside of the Apple Car, the Vision Pro experience will seamlessly blend into it’s surroundings until activated with a simple gesture or a Hey Siri. Apple is not the only company thinking about an experiences platform, on Airbnb’s Q1 2023 earnings call, Chairman & CEO, Brian Chesky stated the following:
I think there is a massive opportunity for someone to build a huge product around experiences. Whether it’s us and whether we’re able to execute that product, we still have to prove that.
– Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, Airbnb
Mr. Chesky is correct and Apple, a component of The Road to Autonomy Index knows this very well. When Apple introduces Vision Car OS, a spatial computing operating system for the car, there will be an App Store allowing Airbnb to scale their fast-growing experiences business to the car. Capturing spur-of-the-moment revenue from consumers who want to live in the moment.
To live in the moment is to spend on experiences. It’s a trend that is only accelerating as leisure spending (including experiences) has outpaced the overall growth in consumer spending over the last decade according to data from Visa. During this decade, leisure spending has increased from 9.5 percent a decade ago to 13 percent today.
And the trend is only accelerating as consumer spending on leisure has increased 33.2% year-over-year according to data compiled by Fiserv. The foundation for an experiences economy is being laid as consumer spending habits are shifting towards experiences.
Disney is capitalizing on this trend with the recently announced Disney Parks Around the World trip, a 24-day, 12 Disney theme park adventure for a grand total of $114,995 per person. With the first trip selling out in a matter of days, the demand for experiences continues to remain high with consumers.
Disney knows this fact intimately as Walt Disney World is the most visited vacation resort in the world with an average annual attendance of over 58 million visitors. A family of four Visiting Disney World for 5 days spends on average over $6,000 for their vacation.
Visiting Disney World is an experience and using Vision Pro will also be an experience. Disney can enhance with its characters and content. Mr. Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company knows this well and on June 5, 2023, during the Apple Vision Pro announcement, Mr. Iger stated the following:
We believe Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary platform that can make our vision a reality. The first time I tried Apple Vision Pro, the thing that struck me the most was how it will allow us to create deeply personal experiences that bring our fans closer to the characters they love and more deeply immersed in our stories. This platform will allow us to bring Disney to our fans in ways that were previously impossible.
– Bob Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company
Apple’s Vision Pro is making the impossible possible with a little bit of pixie dust scattered on top. Consumers will now be able to experience their favorite Disney stories in an immersive fashion. While this is impressive, you have to be home sitting on your sofa to experience all of these wonderful experiences.
In the future, this experience will travel with you in the Apple Car. Vision Car OS (our name for the Vision Pro car operation system) will be able to transform your ride into an experience, perhaps one that puts you in the millennium falcon as you zoom through the universe.
All of this and much more is possible because Apple is going to develop the platform for developers to build on and profit from those experiences. When the Apple Car and Vision Car OS are brought to market, Apple’s services revenue will continue to grow despite the current macroeconomic headwinds.
This is our vision for the Apple Car — a car that is built around experiences. One that allows the passengers to express themselves, engage and interact with their favorite apps and experiences.
Perhaps, there are even interactive movies created for certain routes. After all, the car will be autonomous, so you can experience the digital and the physical worlds blending together in a safe and fun manner.
