‘Zombie Wearing Headset’: Anand Mahindra’s tweet after Cook’s Apple Vision Pro video goes viral

Apple unveiled its long-awaited mixed-reality headset Vision Pro at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, capping more than seven years of development. The wearable device mixes both virtual and augmented reality, meaning it can fully engross a user in content with high-resolution displays — ideal for video watching — or overlay apps on top of the wearer’s field of view, letting messages and notifications pop up without overwhelming the person.

To build up the excitement, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a video on Twitter showcasing the Vision Pro. In his tweet, the Apple CEO exclaimed, “Welcome to the era of spatial computing with Apple Vision Pro. You’ve never seen anything like this before!”

The post quickly gained traction, amassing over 32.6 million views, 143K likes numerous responses from individuals, including Anand Mahindra, known for his witty, hilarious and thought-provoking Twitter posts as they resonate with netizens and go viral in minutes.

The Mahindra Group chairman quoted the video and expressed his concerns about the technology. He wrote, “Does this signal the death of large screen TV displays? Wonder what the boardrooms at Samsung & Sony plotting in response… And what about community-watching of movies & sports matches? Will that now be replaced by a roomful of zombies wearing headsets?”

The tweet shared amassed over 813.3K views, so far. It has also garnered more than 5,771 likes, 575 retweets and numerous comments.

A Twitter user wrote, “Welcome to the world of zombies….”

“And we talk about digital detox. This is a digital overload of sorts,” commented another.

“I thinks it will be final nail in the coffin of Multiplexes and game changer for OTT service providers like Apple TV+. Will wait till the form factor refines more after technological advancements with user feedback. @tim_cook remarkable disruption and introduction of new category” reacted another user.

“It's the death of smartphones, had an idea in the past that was similar to this, "redesigning the idea of media galleries" through the use of VR. This is the same concept brought into AR. Pretty much the beginning of the end of hand held device”, twitted another user.

“No sir.. i guess this product is more for an individual.. it's like if you want to watch a movie secluded in your own space.. but for a family/friends gathering, one will need a bigger TV display”

Moreover, the headset is an attempt to change how people interact with the world. 

The headset is the latest of Apple’s “next big things” — a groundbreaking new product that can help the tech titan maintain sales. It marks the company’s first major new category since the Apple Watch launched in 2015 and will attempt to redefine an industry in the same vein as the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, reported Bloomberg. 

It’s the first Apple product you look through and not at,” Cook said during the presentation. “This marks the beginning of a journey.”

Apple Vision Pro will be available in the US next year, with a price tag of around ₹2.88 lakh. The headset offers multiple control options, allowing users to navigate the virtual world using hands, eyes, and voice commands. It is independent from iPhone, iPad, or Mac connectivity, as all apps and services are hosted on visionOS, Apple’s dedicated operating system.