Apple’s VR/AR headset has been rumored for over six years and is finally available. Despite not being a widespread product, Apple revealed the Vision Pro at WWDC 2023, a headgear that is supposed to take mixed reality experiences to the next level.
During the keynote, Apple unveiled many features that set the Vision Pro headset apart from the competition, including eye and hand tracking, a pocket battery pack, and a new VisionOS operating system.
Apple even went so far as to call the Vision Pro the “most advanced personal electronic device ever.”
Apple will charge $3,499 for the headgear, which begs the question: Is it worth it? Here is everything you need to know about the company’s newest product.
Apple’s AR/VR Vision Pro Headset: How does it appear and feel?
The Vision Pro differs from many other existing AR/VR headsets in that it contains an extra battery pack the size of an iPhone that connects to the headset via a cable.
As a result, when utilizing the Vision Pro, a user would have to carry the battery in their pocket and deal with a dangling connection.
Apple was able to lower the weight of the Vision Pro headset to make it substantially lighter than the competition by using a connected battery arrangement. According to Apple, this should address one of the most significant difficulties with VR headsets: discomfort after extended use.
The Vision Pro resembles ski goggles in appearance, and its curving front contains an external screen that allows the wearer’s eyes to be seen when approached by others via a feature called EyeSight.
The headset’s front is comprised of three-dimensional shaped, laminated glass that attaches to a unique aluminum alloy frame. The soft textile Light Seal and the three-dimensionally knitted HeadBand are available in a variety of sizes to ensure optimal comfort.
The device has two OLED panels with a combined total of 23 million pixels, which is more than a 4K TV for each eye, Apple’s M2 chip, 12 cameras, five sensors, six microphones, and Siri, the popular speech assistant. It also has a completely new chip, R1, that runs in parallel with M2 to ensure that there is no lag.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset offers personalized spatial sounds, versatile controls, and advanced tracking capabilities
To power its Personalized Spatial sounds, which personalize sounds for a user based on their head and geometry, the headset contains two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pad.
The headgear will have a crown similar to the one found on the Apple Watch to flip between AR and VR. There is also a knob on top of the headset that allows users to easily change the fit, as well as a button for taking images.
Users will be able to manage the headset via eye and hand tracking, a capability that other headsets on the market are gradually adopting, as well as voice commands. Users will be able to pinch to pick and flick to scroll, for example.
Vision Pro is powered by a new Apple operating system, VisionOS, which is similar to the iPadOS interface and brings the continuity of Apple’s apps and services ecosystem to the headset. This operating system was designed to facilitate spatial computing.
The Vision Pro headset will also be compatible with existing third-party content
The headgear can operate popular Apple programs such as Books, Camera, Contacts, Facetime, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Safari, and others in mixed reality, which is a hybrid of AR and VR.
According to Apple, the apps will have the appearance of being in your natural place and environment. As a result, moving apps is akin to manipulating actual objects around you.
One of the device’s main selling points is immersive video, which allows viewers to feel as if they are physically present in the room where the movie is being played. For example, you can use the headset to stream a movie and watch it as if it were playing on a huge screen in another area, such as the beach, with immersive spatial audio.
The Vision Pro headset will also be compatible with existing third-party content, allowing you to continue using your favorite apps while wearing the headset. Disney Plus, for example, will be available on the headset from the start.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset expands app support, doubles as an external monitor, enhances videoconferencing collaboration
With its WWDC pitch, Apple hopes that more developers will begin to create apps and services for VisionOS, therefore expanding third-party support expands further, much like how it’s already done on the App Store.
Nonetheless, the Vision Pro will be able to run hundreds of thousands of iPad apps from the App Store, as well as top-tier third-party gaming games. Vision Pro will also have its own app store dedicated to applications created particularly for the headset.
If you want to use the headset for work purposes, you’re in luck. By mirroring what’s on your Mac onto the AR interface, the headset will be able to double as a 4K external monitor for a connected Mac.
Furthermore, Facetime for Vision Pro will enable videoconferencing in a collaborative environment, allowing you to collaborate on projects with your coworkers at the same time.
People on the call will have “life-sized” tiles and audio will come from the individual’s tile position, allowing for more realistic dialogue.
You may now FaceTime from your Apple TV
According to Apple, those on the call will see the Vision Pro wearer’s “digital persona,” which employs Apple’s powerful machine-learning technology to reflect the wearer’s facial and hand gestures in real-time.
How much does the Vision Pro cost?
The Vision Pro’s steep $3,499 price tag separates it into a premium category from companies like HTC, Meta, and others that have competed in the sub-$1,000 market.
Apple’s AR/VR Vision Pro Headset: When is it available?
The Vision Pro headset was announced at WWDC, but it won’t start shipping until the beginning of next year. The wearable cannot currently be preordered at Apple. (www.echelon.health) com.
You will be able to visit the Apple Store to obtain a demo when it is released and even customize your fit, according to Apple.