After years of anticipation, Apple finally revealed an AR headset, the Vision Pro, during Monday’s keynote at the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference. Even though the Vision Pro can offer immersive mixed reality and virtual reality experiences, the headset They are not designed to immerse users in a virtual world, but to augment reality.
We break down the details about Apple’s Vision Pro, including price, release date, and features.
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What is the price of the Apple Vision Pro?
The price of Apple’s Vision Pro is $3,499 with 256GB of storage, which is more than three times the price of its main competitor, Meta’s Quest Pro VR headset, which starts at $999. More than 20 million units of Quest Pro have been sold.
When is the Apple Vision Pro release date?
Apple’s Vision Pro will be available on February 2. Pre-orders begin January 19 at 5am PST. Initially, the AR headset will only be available in Apple stores and online in the US, with other countries seeing the product launch later in the year.
SEE: In 2022, Apple reportedly demoed a mixed reality headset on its board.
What are the main features of Vision Pro?
Vision Pro (Figure A) offers a wide range of functions. From virtual meetings and highly rendered avatars to 3D imaging, AR computing and watching movies on a large screen, Vision Pro is designed to seamlessly blend digital content with the user’s physical space.
Figure A
“It’s the first Apple product that you look at, you don’t look at,” CEO Tim Cook said during the product presentation. Cook added that the Vision Pro would introduce spatial computing in the same way the iPhone introduced mobile computing.
Graphical user interface
Vision Pro’s user interface mimics that of a Mac or iPhone, but in 3D. Users wearing the headset will see icons, graphics, websites, photos and movies as floating screens at a certain distance from their eyes. The screens are the size of a postage stamp, but offer more pixels than a 4K TV to each eye. The custom micro-OLED display system features 23 million pixels, providing excellent resolution and true-to-life colors.
A new computer, applications and camera.
During the WWDC23 keynote, Apple showed how users can seamlessly connect a keyboard and use the Vision Pro like a traditional computer that offers multiple large displays (Figure C).
Figure C
With Vision Pro, users can customize how they view their apps. For example, applications can be organized and expanded in size, and workspaces can be designed for personal needs. While using apps, browsing in Safari, chatting in Messages, or working, users can switch between apps quickly and always remain present in the real world.
Another feature of Vision Pro allows users to use a three-dimensional camera and microphone system to capture 3D videos and images. This is the first 3D camera Apple has ever built. It includes panoramas that surround the user.
The R1 chip
The Vision Pro experience is made possible by two chips: the powerful M2 and the R1, a new and exclusively developed real-time chip. R1 is responsible for processing all data from sensors and cameras in the blink of an eye, along with real-time 3D mapping and eye tracking (Figure D).
Figure D
Navigating Vision Pro: Hand Gestures and Digital Crown
The R1 chip takes all the data from the sensors, cameras and microphones built into the Vision Pro and creates head, eye and hand tracking. Users can select the content inside the glasses with their eyes, pinch their fingers together to click, and gently flick to scroll. Using the Digital Crown, users can open Home View or control the level of immersion while using Environments, a feature that creates virtual backgrounds.
Product design
The enclosure design is a singular piece of 3D formed laminated glass that transforms into an aluminum alloy frame and gently curves to envelop the user’s face. The headset’s outer screen can also reveal the user’s eyes to people in the outside world or go completely dark when the user is immersed in virtual reality (Figure E).
Figure E
Spatial audio
Vision Pro analyzes the acoustic properties of an environment, including physical materials, to adapt and match sound to the space. This is used to create ambient spatial audio, where sounds appear to come from the environment.
Apple claims that the Vision Pro’s Spatial Audio system is the most advanced it has ever created. The dual-driver audio modules are placed close to users’ ears, combining the sound generated by the headphones with real-world sounds.
AR FaceTime
Vision Pro takes virtual meetings to the next level with life-sized FaceTime video tiles. The call expands to the room and the headset allows users to use applications to collaborate with colleagues or work on the same documents during a meeting.
Battery
The Vision Pro has two hours of use on an external battery, which is not placed inside the headset to reduce weight on the user’s head. The device must be plugged into the wall or battery.
Movie at home
Although Apple’s new headset is powered by AR technology, it has several virtual reality features, such as its immersive home theater. Vision Pro can transform any room into a personal cinema.
Conclusion on Apple Vision Pro
Vision Pro is one of the most anticipated products Apple has ever released. Unfortunately, the price of AR headsets is very high compared to alternatives. Furthermore, despite a very well done design, the Vision Pro is clunky.
However, Apple’s new headphones are revolutionary in their approach to AR technology and appear to bring the quality that Apple is known for to this new market.
