One of the things I like about the Apple Vision Pro is the spatial computer’s ability to work with your Mac. That is, the computer on your head will overlay the screen of your Mac on top of your surroundings for an augmented reality computing experience. It’ll also improve your privacy, given that the Mac screen turns off as it gets projected in front of your eyes.
That experience starts at $3,499, assuming you already have a Mac that will work with the Vision Pro.
But the Vision Pro isn’t the only spatial computer in town now that the Spacetop G1 laptop is official. Make no mistake, the strange contraption you see in the image above is a laptop.
It doesn’t have a display because it connects to AR glasses that project the entire computing experience in front of your eyes. It’s somewhat similar to the Vision Pro, though I’m not so sure I’d spend $1,900 for the Spacetop G1.
The price isn’t the only negative aspect of this unusual laptop. I think that the Israeli startup behind it, Sightful, is skating towards where the puck is going, just like Apple. AR computing will only grow from here. The Vision Pro has changed everything, and everyone else in the business will try to come up with alternatives to it. But spatial computing can’t be cheap.
The Spacetop G1 is one such alternative. But unlike the Vision Pro, this isn’t a wireless experience. You need to connect the AR glasses to the keyboard dock with a wire at all times to see the spatial computing display in front of your eyes. That’s probably a necessary compromise right now, though a wireless experience would be much better.
Then there’s the fact that the Spacetop G1 doesn’t run Windows. Instead, we’re looking at a proprietary SpaceOS spatial operating system. That’s not necessarily an ideal choice. At least with Windows 11, most people would know what they’re getting into. Windows also supports most of the apps you’d work with on a laptop.
To continue the comparison to the Vision Pro, visionOS is essentially iPadOS on steroids. visionOS looks like the iPad and Mac experience you know and offers access to almost the same apps.
I’ll also note that the Spacetop G1 runs on an older Snapdragon platform rather than the new Snapdragon X Elite that powers Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro laptop/tablet and other new Windows 11 AI PCs.
Finally, there’s the unusual design of the Spacetop G1. It’s anything but pretty. Yes, it protects the AR glasses you desperately need to see the display while also covering the keyboard. But it’s not good-looking. Again, back to the Vision Pro, Apple’s spatial computer looks good.
If none of that scares you, and you’re willing to pay $1,900 for the Spacetop G1, you can secure yours for a $100 reservation fee at sightful.com. The spatial computing laptop will ship in October.
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