‘The Simpsons’ predicted Apple Vision Pro eight years ago

6 February, 2024

The Simpsons

The Simpsons has once again predicted a feature in society, this time with the launch of Apple Vision Pro.

In 2016, an episode, titled Friends And Family, aired, in which the Simpsons family test out a virtual headset created by Mr Burns. Eventually all the characters in Springfield have access to the technology, with each character using the headset for different reasons.

The montage depicts Principal Skinner having a virtual picnic, the bartender Moe walking into a lamppost, and Homer and Marge lying in bed virtually kissing each other.

The montage is not dissimilar to videos which have been surfacing over the last week since the release of Apple Vision Pro on Friday February 2. In a video posted on X/Twitter, a man can be seen wearing the headset crossing the road in San Jose, California, holding his hands up seemingly manipulating objects on his display.

The video mirrors the montage shown in The Simpsons, as characters confidently walk the streets of Springfield guided by their display. Several user published the montage on social media, with one account writing: “Did The Simpsons really do it again, predicting something like Apple Vision Pro?”

The montage in this eight-year-old episode of The Simpsons is not the first time the animated series has spookily predicted events of the future. The presidency of Donald Trump and Richard Branson’s trip into space are among some of the events which have been depicted in the show.

The $3,500 headset officially began in-store sales last week, and users have been posting videos and pictures to social media of them testing out the product. Using spatial computing, the bond between a virtual technological world and our physical world, humans are able to manipulate, control and experience objects and spaces within the headset.

Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations, Susan Prescott, said: “Apple Vision Pro is unlocking the imaginations of our worldwide developer community, and we’re inspired by the range of spatial experiences they’ve created for this exciting new platform.”

In October last year, The Simpsons collided with artificial intelligence again, as AI-generated covers of hit songs by Homer and his family went viral.

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