Apple Vision Pro, a groundbreaking spatial computer that effortlessly mixes digital information with the actual world while allowing users to stay present and connected to others, was unveiled yesterday. Vision Pro provides an unlimited canvas for apps that expands beyond the limits of a typical display and introduces a completely three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs available – a user's eyes, hands, and voice.
Vision Pro, which includes visionOS, the world's first spatial operating system, allows users to engage with digital information as if it were physically present in their surroundings. Vision Pro's ground-breaking design includes an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels spread across two displays, as well as custom Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design to ensure every experience seems like it's happening right in front of the user's eyes in real time.
The headset has a two-hour battery life, costing $3,499 (£2,849), and will be available in the US early next year, followed by other countries. The price is far more than that of current virtual reality headsets on the market. Last week, Meta introduced the Quest 3, which will cost $499.
Apple said little on generative artificial intelligence, a contentious topic in Silicon Valley.
Apple Vision Pro resembles a pair of ski goggles rather than a virtual reality headset when compared to similar headsets on the market. Apple chose the term "augmented reality" to characterise the new device's capabilities. Augmented reality, also known as mixed reality, superimposes virtual things in the actual environment, allowing us to blend reality with virtual reality by viewing through a screen.
"It's like your phone but right in front of you - big, bright and bold, wherever you are," Ms Kleinman said.
She describes it as a device that is "very much about being part of your daily life," because it allows you to do things like watch videos of your family blowing out birthday candles or immerse yourself in your photography by making your panoramic photos life-size, unlike many other headsets on the market that are geared primarily towards immersive gaming.
In a virtual environment, users can access apps, watch movies, and compose documents. However, there is little evidence of a large market for this type of wearable technology so far.
Controlling the Vision Pro requires a mix of your hands, eyes, and voice, such as tapping your fingers together to select and flicking them to scroll.
The announcement comes just a week after Meta and Lenovo unveiled new versions of their pre-existing virtual reality headsets that do not superimpose items on top of a view of the actual world. Meta has also made significant investments in mixed reality, but the sector is currently failing.
Apple's most recent major hardware release was the Apple Watch in 2015.
According to Forrester Research's Thomas Husson, it may take some time for Apple's new headgear to take off.
"The overall AR/VR space has been a bit overhyped over the past few years with the metaverse and that kind of experience," he said. "That's the reason why I think it will take a bit more time.
"Having said that, if I told you 10 to 15 years ago that people would be ready to pay almost $2,000 for a mobile phone, I don't think many people would have said they would be willing to pay that."
For more updates on the Vision Pro, you can find it on their website here.
