White phosphorus, asbestos, and N Sync. History is replete with examples of horrible inventions. The aforementioned list includes some of the worst crimes against humanity and the music industry, but the largest and most persistent offender is the technology sector. On the list of the worst inventions of the twenty-first century published by the MIT Technology Review, Google Glass ranked number two, just ahead of electronic voting and behind the Segway.

So, it’s safe to say I have some reservations about Apple’s release of the Vision Pro, their new high-tech headset. The gadget finally went on sale in the United States last month, following years of speculation and rumours. It is the tech company’s first venture into spatial computing – a concept where the real world and virtual world combine. This interactive experience is known as augmented reality. The price tag is a cool US$3,500.

What’s exciting industry nerds is the fancy new technology. In what genuinely looks like a piece of equipment for scuba diving, the Vision Pro uses a 3D camera to record spatial images and videos in 3D. The twelve cameras in the headset constantly scan the environment and deliver the images directly into your line of sight via two screens. I am told you will be able to capture expansive vistas with such realism that you’ll swear you were there. With Vision Pro, you can scroll through social media, face-time with a colleague, or check the score of your favourite sports team.

One of the primary goals of technology is to simplify our lives. Simply put on the headset, and away you go. The world is literally your canvas. The website states that you can navigate by ‘using your eyes, hands, and voice’. Fall behind at work? Just use your lunch break to catch up. Who needs social interaction when you can sit on a park bench and send those important emails? It doesn’t matter that you appear to be conducting a Mahler symphony underwater.

Some are calling the release of the Vision Pro a new era in spatial computing. But it could set a dangerous precedent. It’s terrifying to think that one day we could look back on this current phase of smartphone addiction with nostalgia, lamenting the days we spent burying our heads in our phones like zombies. In Britain, a man nearly drowned a few months ago near York’s Ouse Bridge. The local police released a statement saying that when they arrived, they discovered a number of people just staring and taking selfies.

If the diminution in civil responsibility does not give you pause, what about your own personal security? It can’t be a smart idea to go around town sporting thousands of dollars’ worth of technology on your face. In a San Francisco bar, one of the first owners of the now-defunct Google Glass was assaulted and had the device stolen. I have a feeling that vintage pawn shops in California will be stocked with bizarre futuristic headgear in a few months.

Another important factor to consider is the speed at which technology evolves. I gave up using my old iPhone last year. I grew weary of the outdated operating system, the incompatibility, and the constant updates. Some businesses have a history of creating products with deceptively short shelf lives. It’s a technique intended to socially engineer consumption. This is known as planned obsolescence. And Apple is the master at it. Only the iPhone 15 Pro is capable of taking spatial videos, according to Apple. What will happen when smaller, less expensive headsets become available, prices decline, and technology advances? Like everything digital, all you’ll have is the outdated model – the bulky headset sending a signal that you can’t afford the newest iteration.

It will undoubtedly be popular in some circles. It could completely transform the video game industry. In a world where gamers want a more ‘immersive’ gaming experience, Call of Duty fans are likely to be thrilled with its potential. For the rest of us, is this technology really beneficial? Differentiating between digital representations of reality and objective reality is becoming more and more difficult. It also fuels conspiracy theories. It was revealed last week that the Princess of Wales had altered a mother’s day photo digitally. For the tin-foil hat brigade, it was an ideal opportunity given her recent withdrawal from public life. The internet was inundated with bizarre theories explaining why the photo had been manipulated, such as the woman being a Russian spy. Had she been kidnapped by aliens? No, simply recovering from stomach surgery.

Why are we afraid to directly experience reality? We appear to have an aversion to the real world. In our spectacular society, we are captive to its image. These days, everything must be experienced vicariously through a screen or lens. We have become enslaved to technology, much like the prisoners of Plato’s cave forever chained to the wall, mistaking puppet shadows for reality. The oligarchic elite are our modern-day puppet masters, controlling the masses through ideological manipulation and keeping them in the dark to prevent them from rebelling against their masters.

It was, at least in Plato’s allegory, a shared civic identity. Our current home is the digital cave. And it’s a single apartment. We live in an era of curated profilicity – a false and inauthentic digital identity. We are getting further and further removed from experiential reality with this digitally detached self. We no longer communicate with one another. Data indicates that Australians are interacting with others less than they have in the past, contributing to what some have dubbed an ‘epidemic of loneliness and isolation’. Is it likely that this ‘revolutionary’ headset will improve this when it launches later this year in Australia? Answers on a postcard.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Technology can have unintended consequences. Some are more beneficial than others. Apparently, users were frustrated when they learned there would be no virtual reality porn. I suppose every (digital) cloud has a silver lining.

Apple claims ‘you’ve never seen everything like this before’. I have, and quite frankly, it’s terrifying.