If there's one thing that spreads like wildfire on the internet, it's anytime that The Simpsons predicts a huge cultural event - but did The Simpsons really predict the Apple Vision Pro as well?
The Apple Vision Pro has been a surprisingly release from the company, with 180,000 pre-orders ahead of the launch of the product. While the Apple Vision Pro reviews don't impress us enough to drop over $3000 on it, and we're still waiting for the Apple Vision Pro UK release date anyway, it's certainly a great first iteration from Apple.
However, Apple can seemingly add the Vision Pro to the list of The Simpsons predictions, thanks to the episode titled "Friends and Family" which aired back in October 2016. In the second episode of Season 28, Mr Burns hires The Simpsons family, aside from Homer, to be his virtual reality family, using a new headset that looks very familiar.
The Apple Vision Pro isn't the best VR headset regardless, but the episode certainly comes off as a warning to anyone using similar headsets in public. Mr Burns releases the headset to the public, causing chaos in the town of Springfield, with characters like Moe walking into street lights, Agnes Skinner dropping into a manhole, and people generally not socialising.
While the Apple Vision Pro demos made by users aren't anywhere near as realistic as The Simpsons' interpretation of a VR headset, the similar looking design and the connected battery pack almost makes it seem like Apple took The Simpsons' VR headset as a blueprint for its own headset. I wonder if the battery pack also hides a Godzilla-sized Lightning cable too?
The release of Apple Vision Pro has also had its fair share of controversy, with users wearing the spatial computing device while driving, or a user looking like he's interacting with an imaginary computer while riding the New York subway. However, it's worth mentioning that The Simpsons prediction was a very likely bet.
VR headsets had already been available for a few years prior to the episode's release, and even then, The Simpsons' idea for a VR headset isn't a 1:1 creation, both virtually and design wise, for the Apple Vision Pro. However, it's a remarkable scene to watch in 2024, just weeks after the Apple Vision Pro has finally released.