‘The Simpsons’ Leaves Fans Gobsmacked With 2016 Apple Vision Pro ‘Prediction’
Video screenshot via The Simpsons / Disney Plus
For every new, significant scenario, The Simpsons has one response: been there, seen that. The long-running series, known for its uncanny ability to “predict” future events, is now being linked to Apple’s latest tech marvel, the Vision Pro, and the strange phenomenon of people using the mixed-reality gadget on the streets and other public places. But is this another feather in the cap for the show’s prophetic reputation, or just a case of art imitating life?
Fans are buzzing over an episode from 2016, Friends and Family, that featured Springfield’s residents of the near future immersed in a virtual reality all too familiar to anyone who’s caught a glimpse of the spatial-computing headset. Social media has been quick to draw parallels, suggesting that The Simpsons saw its widespread adoption—even out in the real world—coming.
The Simpsons predicted the Apple Vision Pro. Unreal! pic.twitter.com/xsMcIViYHz
— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) February 4, 2024
Video screenshot via The Simpsons / Disney Plus
However, as Snopes points out, the episode was more likely rifling on the VR craze that was already sweeping the world at the time.
Apple Vision Pro The Simpsons did it again 🤪#Simpsons#AppleVisionPro pic.twitter.com/guxR8L6qJE
— Oscar Gomez (@OscarGomez369) February 3, 2024
Addressing how The Simpsons appears to be on the nose all the time, former showrunner Bill Oakley shared in a 2020 interview with Reuters its knack for “predicting” the future is less about clairvoyance and more about its sharp observations of contemporary life.
According to Oakley, the show simply plays off trends and technologies that are already emerging, which, due to the cyclical nature of history, can sometimes make it seem like it is peering into a crystal ball for ideas.
It’s happening… pic.twitter.com/yv0NioerlG
— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) February 3, 2024
Video screenshot via The Simpsons / Disney Plus
Indeed, The Simpsons has had its fair share of seemingly soothsaying moments, from supposedly foreseeing the Titanic submersible catastrophe to all-civilian spaceflights.
As for the Vision Pro, its conceptual roots can be traced back much further than the 2016 episode. Apple has been exploring the realms of AR and VR for years, with patents suggesting that the company had been pondering such a device since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007. The Vision Pro, then, is less a product of Simpsons prophecy and more the culmination of years of technological development and speculation.
It’s probably safer to say that the animated series is just really good at holding up a mirror to our world—and every so often, the reflection shows us where we’re headed.
[via New York Post, USA Today, Snopes, images via various sources]
