Apple’s headset will run VisionOS, its first-ever spatial operating system. It will support iOS and iPad apps and offer a variety of experiences including augmented reality, immersive video, and FaceTime.
Typical productivity apps like Safari are viewable on a giant display that can be expanded to see individual tabs. It can also be used to create a to-do list or text others in Messages.
What is it?
Apple’s new headset is not just another pair of glasses with a 3D display. In fact, it is a full-fledged mixed reality system that can transform the way you use your apps and entertain yourself. It can also help you with your work and transport you to new environments. It has the potential to change computing as we know it, but it’s important to remember that this is not a consumer product.
Instead, it is a product designed for businesses and professionals to enhance their productivity and create new ways for users to experience the things they love. For example, if you’re a design engineer who needs to quickly prototype something or a doctor who needs to perform remote surgeries, this device can make these kinds of tasks easier and more efficient. It can also be used to provide users with hard-to-access contextual information at the exact right moment in time.
The device itself is quite complex with 12 cameras, a LiDAR sensor and a TrueDepth camera that combine to form a fused 3D map of the environment and a series of IR flood illuminators that allow the headset to track your hands for control. It also has two Apple silicon chips that run visionOS and a host of other features, including a power-efficient, lag-free video stream that is up to four times faster than the previous generation.
To take advantage of the devices’ capabilities, developers will be able to use the same tools and frameworks that they are familiar with, such as Xcode, SwiftUI, RealityKit, and ARKit. These will enable them to create experiences that range from windows, which have depth and can showcase 3D content; volumes, which are viewable from any angle; and spaces, which can fully immerse a user in an environment with unbounded 3D content.
Apple will also introduce a new way to interact with the device through its “Pointer Control” feature, which lets you choose to move around content using your index finger, wrist, or head as a pointer. It is also designed with accessibility in mind, allowing users to navigate apps and select options through dictation or with their voice.
What can it do?
Apple’s Vision Pro is powered by a brand-new operating system called visionOS. It’s designed to make interactions feel intuitive and magical. You can control it with your eyes, hands and voice.
The headset is able to display apps and content in the real world using see-through lenses, or it can shut out the world completely for an immersive virtual experience. Apple calls it an infinite canvas that can transform how you use your favorite apps.
It can also take 3D photos and videos using a suite of built-in sensors, allowing you to capture moments in the world around you and relive them in the future. The headset also has the ability to turn your head in any direction to see what’s happening, as well as zoom and reframe the scene.
For work, you can use the device to collaborate on projects in augmented reality. You can also create a virtual desktop to organize and display multiple apps at once. It’s also possible to take a FaceTime call with friends and family.
Another feature is the device’s face-scanning capabilities. Apple says it can recognize your face, body language and movements to create a digital avatar that can be used in FaceTime and other apps. Unlike competitors like Meta, which uses a cartoony avatar, Apple’s is more realistic.
You can also view 3D images and content from the Messages app, which can be expanded with a hand gesture to show more detail. Safari is also a delight, with the ability to browse through tabs individually or as a whole and scroll using a finger swipe. There’s even a new mode that turns the entire screen into a keyboard to help you type faster.
Apple also has its own productivity apps for the headset, including Notes and Calendar. You can also create to-do lists and schedule meetings with your team. Apple is also working with partners to provide more professional applications for Vision Pro.
However, one thing you won’t be able to do with Vision Pro is listen to music or podcasts. It does not have a traditional 3.5mm audio jack, which is likely due to the headset’s need for its internal cameras and sensors.
What are the features?
Apple’s first spatial operating system powers the Vision Pro, providing a powerful experience with just your eyes, hands, and voice. With a simple interface that looks and works just like your iPhone, apps open naturally on your desktop and can be moved around with intuitive hand gestures. Apps can also be resized and arranged to suit your needs. Apple’s main apps have been updated for visionOS, and third-party developers will be able to create experiences that take advantage of the headset’s hardware and software.
When used in conjunction with a pair of wireless AirPods, the Apple headset provides an immersive audio and video experience. The headphones feature two drivers that project sound that appears to come from the surrounding space, immersing you in your content without causing others to hear it.
The Vision Pro’s sensors track your movements and the movements of objects around you, giving it a sense of where your head is in relation to the world around you. The headset can even distinguish the difference between your hands and other nearby objects, allowing you to select virtual files or items with a touch of your finger or the press of a button. It is also able to detect your gaze with uncanny accuracy, enabling you to focus on a specific area and re-center the display of the virtual image that appears there.
Apple also showed off how the headset could be useful in a creative environment. With a load of virtual windows and displays available in the space that might otherwise be taken up by one or more physical monitors, users can work on tasks like 3D design or photo and video editing with much greater ease.
The Vision Pro is powered by a braided cable that runs to a battery pack worn at the hip or plugged into an adapter, and it can be used for up to two hours on a single charge. The unit is lightweight and compact, with a singular piece of three-dimensionally formed laminated glass that doubles as an optical surface for the cameras and sensors inside. It flows seamlessly into a custom aluminum alloy frame that gently curves to wrap around the user’s face and attach to the Light Seal.
When will it be available?
Apple has designed the device to be a powerful work tool, a personal entertainment platform and a social connection with friends and family. It is also an experimental new technology with some serious potential that could lead to a wide range of other applications, from prototyping the design of a car or building to assisting in remote medical procedures. It is possible that Apple will eventually release a consumer version of the headset, but it’s probably too expensive for most people to consider right now.
Apple’s first “spatial computing” device is a headset that combines two ultra-high-resolution displays and a suite of sensors to give users a more immersive and natural experience. It has a sleek, compact design that is made of custom aluminum alloy and features a soft textile that wraps around the user’s head. It includes a custom Light Seal that automatically adapts to the user’s eyes and is shaped to be comfortable for extended wear.
The device will also include support for augmented reality and virtual reality. With augmented reality (AR), the headset can display information overlaid on real-world surfaces, and with VR it can transport the user to a completely different location.
Apple says its AR feature will let the user check email, read a book, or watch video in a floating window that is loaded into their field of view, while keeping an eye on the surrounding environment. It will also enable them to use the headset to navigate their daily activities by using GPS to guide them in a specific direction or providing other useful and easy-to-access information at just the right level of detail.
With the launch of Apple Vision Pro, the company is introducing a new type of app experience that is designed specifically for spatial computing. It is powered by an all-new system called visionOS that frees apps from the limits of a display, allowing them to appear side-by-side and at any size. The system also enables the user to control the content by looking, pinching their fingers, tapping with the wrist or using voice and will be available in early 2024.
