Launched in the United States in June 2023 and marketed across the Atlantic since February 2024, the Apple Vision Pro, the mixed reality headset (augmented and virtual) from the Apple brand, is arriving in France at the start of summer. The product will be available from July 12, and for pre-order from June 28. Sold from 3,999 euros, it is presented by Apple as “ a revolutionary space computer “. To the point of also revolutionizing our way of reading? Not so sure.
Before our eyes, as if suspended, appear, static, the digital pages of the books that we scroll on a virtual screen. Equipped with an “advanced” audio output, this headset also allows you to listen to books. But for the moment, no dedicated books application. You must use the Apple Books application for iPad on your Vision Pro to read or listen to a book.
A reading experience not necessarily conclusive
According to feedback from American consumers, the reading experience is not necessarily conclusive. The headset does not compete with the e-book, or even the physical book. When it comes to the audio experience, for the moment it is not very popular either. “ The virtual reality headset brings images. However, people who choose audiobooks tell us that it is to get away from screens. They choose to listen and not see anything. We are not an industry that watches “, raised Michele Cobbdirector of the American Association of Audio Publishers.
Before Apple, Meta Platforms (Facebook) launched its virtual reality headset, Meta Quest, initially marketed under the name Oculus. On the occasion of the International Comics Festival (FIBD), in 2022, the Izneo platform launched a mobile virtual reality reading application compatible with the Meta Quest 2 headset. A stand was set up within the festival to test virtual immersion in the pages of a comic book, a manga, a comic strip or a webtoon. “ This application allows you to have a very close view of a comic strip. We find ourselves like a small character in front of an enormous drawing. We noticed an attraction, a curiosity on the part of the public. In terms of communication, this experiment worked “, relates Luc Bourcier, former general manager of Iznéo. But on a commercial level, the application has not been very successful, nevertheless recognizes this current independent consultant for digital comics and webtoons.
“ New reading methods still need to be invented, adapted to digital »
The reason ? “ With a virtual or augmented reality headset, people are looking for a stronger experience. But reading is often a notch below », Estimates Luc Bourcier. According to this expert, digital reading applications are not yet conclusive enough. “ It’s not so easy to navigate a page with a virtual reality headset. Today, reading a novel, an essay or a comic book on a digital medium is still judged less good than the paper medium », he adds, estimating that “ it remains to invent new reading modes, adapted to digital technology, which are pleasant for the user. But in the current state of digital reading methods, it is difficult to make it a success with the general public.. »
At Stock too, we tested virtual reality. Mainly for communication purposes. The publishing house of the Hachette group had arranged to meet booksellers in the metaverse to present its 2023 literary season. But nothing revolutionary in the eyes of Manuel Carcassonne, the Director General. “ This experience was pleasant but, apart from the virtual environment, I spoke into a microphone, which is nothing new », remembers the editor. According to him, the interest of virtual or augmented reality headsets for the world of books remains to be proven. “ If they allow us to read more, to present our books, to bring them to life differently, that obviously interests me. But it has to work in relation to our environments. Today, within publishing houses, we do not have the skills or the means to develop this type of tool. », he adds.
Specific uses
For the moment, the development of virtual and augmented reality applications and headsets, applied to the world of reading, still appears to be confined to very specific uses: communication operations, or enrichment of reading. This is the case, for example, of Ludenco books, a platform that allows publishers to enrich their school textbooks with augmented reality. In the field of training, this type of product appears promising. “ In the future, we can imagine that by reading a medical book with augmented reality glasses, in the anatomy chapter the organs will appear in three dimensions “, already anticipate Morgane Soulierconsultant and speaker specializing in digital issues.
The headset also helps the reader to concentrate. “ We can imagine that libraries will equip themselves with headsets to allow readers to isolate themselves from the outside world », suggests Luc Bourcier. Or, allow very high magnification of texts.
New possibilities for the book industry
If it does not revolutionize the way we read, the virtual and augmented reality headset should therefore open up certain possibilities for the book industry. “ We could quite imagine interactive elements on digital books, for example with a scene from the book which is embedded. Or even an instant translation like an audio guide. These products allow new forms of narration, more enriched with texts, images, videos, audio », Adds Morgane Soulier.
Still, the possibilities that open up with virtual and augmented reality tools are viewed with great interest by those involved in the book. “ Virtual reality could also make it possible to develop reading clubs, or author meetings, with participants from the four corners of the world meeting in the metaverse “, adds the speaker. “ We can imagine that readings on e-readers or tablets will be increasingly enriched with video content and animations.she continues. For the book industry, this is positive because it will make it possible to include more people in literary activity, or to improve features on e-readers, such as the possibility of having an instant translation of a word. »
The arrival of the Apple Vision Pro in France, if it manages to do better than its predecessors, could provide an accelerator cost to innovations in this area.
