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Jeremy’s 5: Enblue’s W3iPro Kit, Olloclip’s Studio, AAXA’s P5, Apple Innovation + Apple VR

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Welcome to the latest edition of Jeremy’s 5, my latest roundup of 5 interesting little things that aren’t big enough for full articles, but are still worth sharing with you.

This week, I’m looking at Enblue’s iPad Pro upgrade kit for an excellent multi-device dock, Olloclip’s Studio accessory bundle for iPhone photographers, AAXA’s P5 video projector, Apple innovation/execution in 2016, and the likelihood of an Apple virtual reality solution in the near future…

1. Enblue’s W3iPro Upgrade Stability Kit for iPad Pro. Last August, I reviewed and loved the iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch dock Premium One W3. To increase W3’s appeal to iPad Pro owners, developer Enblue has come up with a $49 glass base that attaches to the bottom of the W3, primarily “to increase the stability.” I’ve been testing the W3iPro Kit over the last week, and although I would certainly not call it necessary for the iPad Pro, it’s nice.

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Measuring 9.05″ by 7.08″ by 0.31″, it includes an acrylic recess in the front to hold an Apple Pencil, screws to attach the glass to the W3 base, and a larger rear support bar for the iPad Pro. I happen to use my W3 on a glass-covered nightstand, where it blends in even more than it might with other surfaces. It feels solid, looks nice, and adds a little more stability to the W3, though if you use the microsuction tape on W3’s bottom, the base unit is totally safe with even the large iPad Pro. Consider the W3iPro Kit largely for the cosmetics and Apple Pencil holder.

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2. Olloclip’s Studio for iPhone 6/6 Plus/6s/6s Plus. Earlier this month, I wrote about the CES debut of Olloclip’s Studio ($90) — a brand new iPhone case bundled with a collection of camera accessories. I’ve had one in hand for a few days, and as a photographer, I like it, though I’m anxious to see Olloclip expand its own camera accessory collection to make Studio as powerful as possible. Olloclip already makes iPhone lens attachments, which work perfectly with Studio; now it could and probably should get into selling LED lamps and tripods, as well.

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Studio begins with Olloclip’s latest iPhone case in your choice of 6/6s or 6 Plus/6s Plus sizes. It’s clearly the very best case Olloclip has ever made, with ease-of-use and protection that are nearly up to par with a Speck CandyShell. The package also includes a nicely designed, useful finger/hand stabilizer grip, a so-so kickstand, easy-to-use vertical and horizontal tripod thread attachments, a basic wriststrap, and two coldshoe adapters that conceivably would let you mount a self-powered external LED fill-in lamp or flash system. Each of the accessories slides effortlessly onto a rear rail system to securely attach to the case, and you can use at least two at a time.

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I would call Studio a no-brainer if you want to use your iPhone often with a tripod or existing coldshoe accessory — it makes attachment and detachment of these common camera accessories as seamless as adding or removing an Olloclip lens. The fact that you don’t have to compromise on iPhone case quality or coverage when adding these accessories is fantastic, as well. But if you don’t already have a compatible lighting accessory or tripod, you might find the $90 entry price for the case to be steep; you can get Olloclip’s last-gen lens-ready case for only $30. I’m optimistic that Studio will grow in value over time: Olloclip has done a great job of building out its past accessory options, and I expect that Studio will be well-supported as well.

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3. AAXA’s P5. Last year, I had the opportunity to review two different AAXA pico video projectors — the $300 ST200 and the $450 P700 — both of which were decidedly more impressive at creating large, high-resolution video projections than smaller pocket-sized projectors such as Sony’s MP-CL1. This month, AAXA is shipping P5 ($400 MSRP, $352 online), a tweener model that offers twice the ST200’s power for only a small price premium. It’s a thick rounded-off square shape that occupies around 2/3 the physical volume of P700, a size that I’d call convenient but not hugely more convenient than P700. (The photo above makes it look comparatively smaller than it actually is.)

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The P5 has a 300 Lumen DLP projector inside (twice the ST200’s brightness and a little under half the P700’s) while otherwise offering highly similar specs to the P700. P5’s native resolution is 1280×720, with two hours of promised battery life, now with the ability to easily swap batteries for extended play times. AAXA has kept the ports, controls, and menus highly similar, notably including a manual focus knob, keystoning and volume buttons, and a full-sized HDMI input. You give up a bit of speaker power and brightness versus the P700, but the difference isn’t night-and-day — P5 is bright enough to create up to a 100″ diagonal video projection in dim lighting conditions, with plenty of color at smaller screen sizes. It’s like an excellent featherweight boxer compared with the solid middleweight P700.

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Normally, I’d give the P5 a full review, but in all honesty, it’s just a smaller version of the P700 with the same basic accessory bundle, pros, and cons — including the really-should-be-replaced tripod pack-in. The only major difference is that you’re paying less for less power, and going from an iPad mini footprint down to 2/3 of the size. Pick the model that best matches your budget, bearing in mind that while the P700 is a better overall performer, the P5 delivers slightly better value for its lower price.

4. Quick Thought #1 – For 2016, Apple Needs To Focus On Both Execution And Innovation. Some pundits have opined that Apple just needs to spend 2016 focusing on getting its house in order — improving the Apple TV’s, Apple Watch’s, and iPad Pro’s not-quite-finished software. Others have said that Apple desperately needs to come up with some major innovations to make its now leveled-off product lines exciting again. Who’s right?

I’ve had a lot of time to think about these topics over the past month, and my conclusion is that Apple needs to deliver heavily on both innovation and execution this year. Although it will make billions of dollars in 2016 no matter what it does, its long-term health now depends on a return to past form, when its events used to be exciting and “finished” products shipped in non-beta form. I can’t help but feel that the iPhone, iPad, and Mac have become stale. They’re all great devices, but they haven’t delivered industry-stunning breakthroughs in years. What new features they get seem not to work properly or impressively for at least a year, if not longer, and old features (hey, Siri) have become riddled with incredibly annoying issues. Another year of the same-old, same-old won’t be good for Apple, so I’m hoping to see some bona-fide excitement rather than more incrementalism throughout 2016.

5. Apple VR: I’m Not Holding My Breath. Following the lead of Oculus, Sony, Valve, Samsung and others, Apple is reportedly exploring virtual reality products — a category that has been under development for over 20 years by other companies. Yet apart from scattered patents and reports of secretive development, we’ve seen relatively few signs that Apple is actually planning to release anything in the VR category any time soon, or that it has something major to bring to the category Oculus has largely defined (but stands to lose to Sony over unrealistic pricing).

Based on what I’ve been reading, I seriously doubt that we’ll see any Apple-branded VR hardware for at least 2 years, probably longer. The company appears to be in the middle of staffing up for the project, rather than substantially finished with it, which would be necessary for near-term production. History suggests that it will let other companies trailblaze the category, only releasing dedicated hardware if and when the dust has settled. It certainly could release (or, via the App Store, embrace) a Samsung Gear VR-like “mount your iPhone on your face” enclosure earlier than that, but given the pace and apparent priorities of the company’s designers, I’d be surprised to see even an Apple-branded VR accessory for at least a year.

It’s never wise to rule Apple out — even when it’s sitting on the sidelines — but I can’t help but wonder whether other companies will spend the next year or two continuing to lock down the key technologies that make VR truly user-friendly. VR has been touted as the next frontier of computing for most of my adult life, but because the concept/medium/format literally depended on yet-to-be-perfected head tracking, display, and control technologies, it has made little to no impact on mainstream society. That looks set to change over the next couple of years, but while other companies have clearly invested in solving VR’s hardware and software challenges, Apple’s been focused on developing watches, cable boxes, and cars.

Is Apple missing out on something big with VR? Or won’t anyone care about it 2-3 years from now? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts below.

More From This Author

Check out more of my reviews, How-To guides and editorials for 9to5Mac here! I’ve published a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users, as well as a personal gift guide for Apple fans, a great gift guide for iPhone users, a detailed gift guide for Mac users, and a separate gift guide for Apple photographers.

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Comments

  1. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    I could end up wrong, but as I’ve maintained before, VR has been the new 3D for 25 years….and more than anything it’s the thing that when you ask 10 people in the room, nobody can tell you what it is or why we need it. I expect to see the term and the tacky baggage disappear and something with direction succeed it, “augmented reality” perhaps? I could do without the whole “reality” tag no matter what.

  2. rogifan - 8 years ago

    What’s with the snark in this article? Supposedly Apple was investigating VR in the 2000s but Steve Jobs killed it. There are teams inside Apple that R&D lots of things. And the team(s) working on AR/VR probably aren’t the same team(s) that are working on the watch. And honestly as long as VR/AR requires people wear these big dorky googles on their face it’s not going to become mainstream. It’ll be reserved for gamers and certain verticals markets.

    • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

      I think you’re confusing snark for realism.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      AR = seeing the physical world with virtual world on top of it.
      VR = seeing only the virtual world.

      AR = no headset needed
      VR = headset needed

      AR huge application for everyone = hold your iPhone up pointing the camera to see an augmented reality on the display. Seeing info pop up live.

      VR huge application for everyone = sitting at home on your couch with your VR headset on, and experiencing a new form of entertainment that immerses you into a different reality, more than anything has ever. Being able to travel to Yosemite National Park and tour it without leaving your couch. Being able to watch porn where you feel like you are genuinely there. All of the video game possibilities. Watching sports live, in a seat. And numerous other applications.

      VR huge application for enterprise/military = a doctor performing surgery across the country. A soldier wearing a bodysuit of sensors and a VR helmet, controlling a robot that took their place in the field. A scientist or employee that has to work around dangerous volatile substances or environments/conditions, wears a VR helmet and bodysuit to do their work in a safe area by controlling a robot.

      • Jeremy Horwitz - 8 years ago

        Yes.

      • Jake Becker - 8 years ago

        The surgery suggestion is extremely interesting.

      • Greg Kaplan (@kaplag) - 8 years ago

        Smoothies,

        VR also has applications that don’t require a headset. If you have motion turned on and you tilt the iphone the home screen icons tilt. That’s a kind of VR, isn’t it? Right now the effect could be broken if you move your head and not the phone. But with head tracking it could look perfect.

        I think an effect like this would be used throught the OS. Apple justifying it has helping to subtly convey UI paradigms.

        I could see the tracking data being an api with varying levels of data access (like 3d touch) so a more out of the box implementation would allow devs to just plug this into any thing fairly easily while another implementation would all more creative uses by devs.

        3d games It’s not game changing immersion but it would be a really nice effect. I bet a game designer could even create a game mechanic based on peeking around corners in a shooter for instance.

        3d live photos taken with a new camera that you could move your head around to see and home screen wall papers could have real depth.

        3d Facetime would make seeing people not feel so flat, It would look like a window into their room.

        These are a little gimmicky but very marketable things. They don’t involve the users to do anything weird like put their phone in a case and strap it to their face so it’s much more accessible to the mass market.

        Apple seems to move to enterprise last. Consumers are their main focus and I think they just see enterprise people as consumers with more specific needs.

        While headsets being immersive is cool, it’s also isolating you from the environment and people around you. It would look weird if I came home and my gf was sitting in a room alone just staring at nothing with goggles on and I couldn’t see what she was doing. You can’t share those experiences – it’s not personal. I also don’t think people really want that kind of immersion for stuff other than gaming. People multitask and watch the news in the background while cooking or talking to people. That NY Times demo was cool, but there’s no way in hell im doing that more than once. No one has time for that and I felt like an idiot looking around while my coworkers watched and not being able to see what they were doing. It made me anxious so I wanted to take them off as soon as I was like “ok I get it.” I definitely didn’t have the patience to watch the whole thing like that.

        Also – Apple would never ever let anything with porn related get on that thing. So cross that off the list. ha.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        @Greg I wasn’t suggesting things Apple would do with VR. I think they will do AR through the iPhone camera before any VR headset. I was suggesting just a few applications for which VR could, or definitely (porn) will be used.

        VR isn’t going to be so isolating, it will bring people closer for the uses that Facebook is assuredly working on, which is to feel like you are in the same room talking to a friend or family member who lives hundreds or thousands of miles away.

  3. dmsimmerdup - 8 years ago

    #4- I would argue that the iDevice fuse that Apple lit is still burning. The focus on products intended to improve our health is an immense- albeit subtle- undertaking. The story above regarding MFi being more robust than current federal guidelines must be acknowledged. Other companies only care to meet minimums, not advance them. The Watch’s heart rate monitor is saving lives. I understand the “beta” sentiment, but innovation is not about the product in a vacuum. Innovation is measured by the momentum it generates in the way we thrive.

  4. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    For number 4 – i kinda agree with you… the apple watch and the macbook never quite got the hype they should have…

    Instead, people commented on what was missing on the macbook and how similar in speed and function it was to things like the surface and then short after released laptops… the watch some argued still felt like and over priced beta…
    Even with the apple TV – people stated what was missing and the ‘beta’ software it shipped with.

    Theres no excitement, or wow factor anymore…which the watch my reaction was more like “but other companies have already been making them a year or two for the android…”
    With the TV my reaction was more like… “yay… apps…games… but i guess in the future if i buy a 4K TV i am screwed”

    With the ipad pro i was like “wow… thats big… oh… it is still using iOS thats essentially made for iphones…what?!? no 3D touch… the pencil and keyboard are extra at that price… hmmm…”

    And for the macbook… “wow… thats thin and light… wait!?!? why are they still selling the macbook air with similar battery life, more power, not much heavier, and just a basic screen with a perfectly fine keyboard for a lot less – meh… might as well buy an macbook air (instead i waited and got the macbook pro 13” with an in store discount and paid practically the same as the macbook)…wow… a new port, yet still the old headphone port, why not get rid of that and have two usb ports…hmmm)

    The need someone who is stern and strict, who will shout at them for their mistakes, who’s willing to fire people who are not up to standards etc — they need a leader…
    They also need less products…
    They shouldn’t have the old 13″macbook pro… they shouldn’t have the macbook airs… they should have the 3 watch units and then you buy any band you want (they shouldn’t have it as a set incase you want to swap out the band for a more expensive one)…they shouldnt still be selling iphone 5s…nor the old apple TV…certainly not the ipad air or the ipad mini 2… get ris of the ipod shuffle… only sell the nano and touch in silver, gold, space grey… the ipod touch should come in 32gb only WITH expandable storage…the nano should have 32gb

    They need to have just the top range of stuff — not products that are from 4 years ago…

    Why back when… people would by the new stuff because that was pretty much your only choice – either that or cling onto your old thing…
    Now you can be like — instead of the macbook, i’ll get the macbook air… instead of the ipad mini 4, i’ll get the ipad mini 2… darn i can’t afford the ipad air 2, i’ll just get the ipad air…wow, the iphone is expensive and so big – oh well, i’ll get the 5s instead…

    Now it’s gonna be — i can mostly stream from my phone or laptop, why do i need apps on my apple tv – i’ll buy the old version… wow – the ipad pro is huge – but wait, the ipad air 3 is probably gonna have similar speakers, 4gb ram, similar speeds, 4K screen etc and wont be as heavy or expensive – no apple pencil support, meh…i’ll get the ipad air 3.

    They have returned to the period when jobs was fired… they need to move back to the period when he came back