Paul Henry Smith
AI Product Designer

Spatial computing and AR connections

Student experience prototype for Apple Vision Pro.

Let's put aside the flashy tech talk about the metaverse that promises to flood our vision with digital unreality. Instead, let's focus on the places where we're already comfortable and safe—like the corner of our home where we crack open an old book. What if we could bring a touch of digital magic to that simple act?

Imagine those dusty textbooks as gateways to vivid digital experiences.

Picture a small card placed in the top-left corner, anchoring a lush augmented reality (AR) experience. An interactive table of contents, animations that unpack complex ideas, and instant access to personal notes—these are the AR features that could soon make us wonder how we ever studied without them.

AI-powered app that listens to a singer

What happens when a singer hears her voice perfectly harmonized by an orchestra, all in real-time, from an iPhone?

We've grown so accustomed to contorting ourselves to the demands of technology that we're often startled when the tables turn. When technology bends to our rhythm, our tempo, our creative impulses, the experience can be so refreshing that it elicits a reaction of pure delight.

The future of technology isn't about us adapting to its rhythm. Instead, it's about technology that is so finely tuned to our needs that it feels like an extension of ourselves. And when that technology comes in the form of an orchestra on an iPhone, the result can be pure music to our ears.

What if images stayed in view as long as the text was referring to them?

We've become so accustomed to the constraints of a physical page—like the fact that images can't detach and remain in view as we turn to the next page. But if that page were on a screen, those constraints could disappear.

We’re talking about more than just adding a sprinkle of AR into our lives. This is about redefining how we interact with text, images, and knowledge itself. The future of AR isn’t about isolating hardware—it might just be about enhancing the everyday, starting with the reality of the printed page.