Boston, MA
Who’s using the Apple Vision Pro? Some Boston companies. – The Boston Globe
Still, tech industry analysts predict that wider corporate adoption of the Vision Pro will be a long time coming.
âIâm going to say 1 percent of enterprise users anywhere in the next five years,â said Tuong Nguyen, an augmented reality analyst at research firm Gartner. âItâs a very specific group of users who absolutely need 3D visualization to do their jobs,â Nguyen said.
Virtual reality (or VR) systems like the Meta Quest 2 surround the user with computer-generated simulation. But augmented reality (or AR) headsets like the Vision Pro blend video of the real world with digital images. With AR, workers can interact with humans and real objects, and operate advanced software at the same time.
The latest Meta headset, the Quest 3, is also an AR system. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg last week said (not surprisingly) that the Quest 3 is superior overall to the Vision Pro and much less expensive at just $500. But Zuckerberg conceded that the Vision Pro offers sharper video resolution and better hand and eye tracking, making it easier for users to control the device with glances and hand gestures.
Gheeâs firm, PTC, has created a Vision Pro app that lets workers design 3D models of all sorts of machinery, from wristwatches to robots. Meanwhile, Boston Childrenâs Hospital has developed an app to help teach vital medical skills to nursing students. And Boston-based home furnishings company Wayfair has launched an app that will let Vision Pro users redecorate their houses with 3D images of new chairs, sofas, and tables.
Itâs all part of the plan for Apple, which sees corporate adoption of the Vision Pro as a vital part of its strategy to make augmented reality a mainstream technology. During a recent earnings call, Apple executives described upcoming enterprise apps developed for the device by Walmart, Bloomberg, medical device maker Stryker, and corporate management software firm SAP.
âI think there will be a great opportunity for us in enterprise,â said chief executive Tim Cook on the call, âand we couldnât be more excited about where things are right now.â
With PTCâs app, engineering teams scattered around the world could use Vision Pro headsets to visualize and modify each otherâs work. Using hand gestures, workers can reach inside a 3D model of an object â a pump, for instance. They can pull it apart piece by piece, upgrade a single component, and put it back together. When everyone agrees that itâs just right, the pump specifications can be sent directly to the factory for production.
Boston Childrenâs Hospital worked with Apple software engineers to create CyranoHealth, a Vision Pro tool for training medical personnel. Before using an unfamiliar piece of equipment, such as an intravenous medication pump, a nurse can review the procedure at the patientâs bedside by using Vision Pro to display a simulated pump alongside the real one. Once the nurse has practiced on the simulation, they can immediately follow the same procedure for real.
Boston Childrenâs has experimented with virtual reality headsets for years, but most of those devices didnât let users interact with patients in the real world. Kate Donovan, the hospitalâs clinical director of innovation for inpatient medical programs, said the Vision Proâs blend of real and virtual images makes it a more powerful tool.
âTo have this on someone and allow them to actually continue working, itâs going to be a game changer,â she said.
While other companies are using Vision Pro for internal activities, Wayfair is reaching out to consumers with Decorify, an app for consumers looking to spruce up their homes. The app leverages a web-based service launched last year that lets consumers upload photos of a room to see how the space would look if decorated in different styles, such as traditional, rustic, or industrial. Decorify uses artificial intelligence to recreate the room but with different furniture, carpets, and accessories.
The Vision Pro app lets users do the same inside the AR headset. But instead of seeing the results on a flat screen, the app displays 3D images of the redesigned room. The software makes it easy to generate multiple room makeovers in just a few minutes. âItâs a what-if app,â said Wayfair creative technologist Abhijit Gurjal.
But the Decorify appâs success depends on whether enough consumers purchase a Vision Pro. And Nguyen said that even big companies wonât be too quick to invest in the technology until itâs supported by a broad ecosystem of worthwhile apps.
The same thing happened with smartphones, Nguyen said. âThereâs no killer app. Itâs the suite of applications and services that made it practical and beneficial and useful,â he said. âThatâs the same with this device.â
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him @GlobeTechLab.
Boston, MA
Red Sox Icon David Ortiz Urges Boston To ‘Make It Rain’ For Free-Agent Slugger
The Boston Red Sox hive mind doesn’t always come to a perfect agreement on what they want the team to do. That is, of course, unless David Ortiz is asking for it.
A three-time World Series champion, Hall of Famer, and one of the most clutch players of all time, Ortiz is unquestionably on the Red Sox’s all-time Mount Rushmore. Even though he retired in 2016, he’s still closely woven into the fabric of the organization.
Ortiz sees what we all do: this Red Sox team is close to being ready to contend for the playoffs, but there’s one key ingredient missing. He made his feelings known about what he hopes the front office does between now and Opening Day to address that issue.
On Saturday, Ortiz relayed a simple message to the Red Sox: spend whatever it takes to get one more big bat.
“There’s still some guys out there that we can still go for, and I think we have a really good front office,” Ortiz said in an appearance on NESN. “To put a good lineup together nowadays is not that difficult. What you got to do is just make it rain, and you can go pick a few guys. Now pitching, on the other hand, is the toughest thing to put together.
“We got pitching. Pitching can always stop good offenses. The playoff is a playoff pitching (staff) we got right now. We line up a couple of thunders in the lineup to help (Rafael Devers) and the rest of them boys — one good bat would do.”
Ortiz and NESN host Tom Caron both strongly hinted at the end of the interview who that big bat could be: former Houston Astros All-Star Alex Bregman. Manager Alex Cora also signaled earlier in the day that Bregman would be a great fit in Boston.
Bregman isn’t quite Ortiz, but he does have one thing on him: the career record for OPS at Fenway Park. He has a wild 1.245 mark in 98 plate appearances in Boston throughout his career.
When David Ortiz asks for something, the Red Sox would usually be wise to follow through. And it seems he wants Bregman. Will that move the needle in the suites at Fenway?
More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To Land Ex-Padres $28 Million Gold Glover In Free Agency Surprise
Boston, MA
Greater Boston enjoys a light snow, travel not significantly impacted – The Boston Globe
The snow showers come from a weakening system approaching from the Great Lakes that tapped into some of the moisture from a strong storm passing south of New England.
The region was spared the worst precipitation of the storm thanks to persistent sub-freezing temperatures earlier this week, which pushed it south toward its current location off the coast of North Carolina, Nocera said. New England’s light snowfall is on the northern fringes of the storm.
Nocera added that this weekend’s “decorative snow” will not significantly impact ground travel.
The Massachusetts Port Authority issued a travel advisory for flight delays at Boston Logan International Airport. According to the flight tracking website Flight Aware, as of around 1:00 p.m. 212 flights were delayed at Boston Logan and another 15 were cancelled.
Margo Griffin, a teaching associate at the University of Cambridge in England, was initially worried about driving through the snow on her way to get coffee in Cambridge, but said the view from the Charles River was worth the trek.
“I thought it might be a problem, but I just decided to go ahead with the plan, and I’m enjoying walking through the snow,” Griffin said.
Other Boston-area residents who spoke to the Globe Saturday morning were happy to wake up to the winter scene on Saturday.
“I am feeling wonderful about the snow. I haven’t seen it in a long time,” said Barbara Delollis, a communications lead at Harvard Business School.
Delollis already made snow day plans.
“We want to go out and have some fun in the snow, and take a lot of pictures and just remember this moment, because we don’t know how much more snowfall we’re going to see in the Boston area anymore with climate change,” Delollis said.
Talia, a Cambridge resident, said that the snow had no effect on her plans to attend synagogue with her two-year-old son Saturday morning.
“It feels nice and seasonal, which is cool because climate change is terrifying,” she said.
Snowstorms can still occur, despite warming temperatures from climate change, Nocera said. Although Saturday’s snowfall cannot guarantee heavy snow this winter, there is a slightly higher chance of snow towards the end of the month as cold temperatures ease.
Materials from previous Globe stories were used in this report.
Boston, MA
Boston College drops Hockey East contest to Merrimack
The second-ranked Boston College men’s hockey team suffered its first home loss of the season, falling to Merrimack by a score of 5-2 in Hockey East action on Friday night at Kelley Rink. The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second, but the Warriors scored the next five. BC falls to 12-4-1 overall and 6-3-1 in Hockey East, while Merrimack improves to 8-10-1 overall and 4-5-1 in league play. The Eagles opened the scoring midway through the first period when Oskar Jellvik one-timed the rebound off an Aram Minnetian shot that was saved by the Merrimack goaltender. Minnetian’s shot fell right into the path of Jellvik for the quick shot into the open net to put the Eagles in front. BC added to its lead shortly into the second period when Brady Berard scored a short-handed goal. Merrimack responded 32 seconds later with a power-play goal to get on the board, before scoring the game-tying goal less than one minute after that. The Warriors took the lead nearly three minutes later when Merrimack scored its third goal of the period. The Warriors scored twice in the third period to push their lead to three. Jacob Fowler made 23 saves while Nils Wallstrom had 27 stops for Merrimack.
-
Politics1 week ago
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics1 week ago
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics1 week ago
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health6 days ago
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week ago
South Korea extends Boeing 737-800 inspections as Jeju Air wreckage lifted
-
Technology3 days ago
Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
World1 week ago
Weather warnings as freezing temperatures hit United Kingdom
-
News1 week ago
Seeking to heal the country, Jimmy Carter pardoned men who evaded the Vietnam War draft