Computing Comes for Our Senses

What will the world look like if the Apple Vision Pro succeeds?

One thing I’ve noticed in public spaces over the last few years is that fewer and fewer people can hear me.

I’ve given up on saying “On your left” when I run past people on the sidewalk because the majority of them have earbuds in and can’t hear me coming. At the grocery store, I see more and more people wearing earbuds or giant, noise-canceling, “don’t talk to me” headphones. They can’t hear me when I say “Excuse me” as I reach past them for a can of tomatoes. And as a schoolteacher, when I walk down the hallway between classes amidst a sea of Airpod-wearing kids, it’s unclear who’s available for conversation.

With the rise of high-quality Bluetooth earbuds and their over-the-ear equivalents, computers (especially the ones we carry in our pockets) have begun to dominate many people’s sense of sound. I know a number of teenagers who go through the majority of their days with at least one Airpod jammed in. They seem perfectly happy to have this intermediary between themselves and the world — when teachers ask to remove them at the beginning of class, they sometimes act as if they’re bewildered by the request.

And, lest I come off as a judgmental scold, I should acknowledge my own relationship with my earbuds. I…