Apple unveiled its first augmented reality (AR) headset, called Apple Vision Pro, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This groundbreaking device seamlessly merges the physical and digital realms, providing users with an immersive and transformative experience. Vision Pro keeps users connected to their surroundings while also allowing them to interact with digital content as if it were actually present in their environment. This marks a revolutionary leap in how we interact with apps, capture memories, enjoy entertainment, and communicate with others through FaceTime.
Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed his excitement, stating, “Today marks the start of a new era in computing. Just as the Mac brought personal computing to our lives and the iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro presents spatial computing. Built on decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything ever created before, with a groundbreaking input system and countless innovative features. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and opens up exciting opportunities for our developers.”
Apple Vision Pro
Vision Pro is powered by Apple silicon and features a dual-chip design. The M2 chip, known for its exceptional standalone performance, is responsible for running apps and games. The R1 chip, meanwhile, processes input from various sensors, such as the eye-tracking system, accelerometer, and gyroscope. This ensures that content is displayed in real-time, appearing instantly in front of the user’s eyes. New images are seamlessly streamed to the displays within an incredibly fast 12 milliseconds. Vision Pro can be used all day when plugged in or for up to two hours on the go thanks to its external, high-performance battery.
visionOS
visionOS is a revolutionary operating system that supports the low-latency requirements of spatial computing. It builds upon decades of engineering innovation in macOS, iOS, and iPadOS to provide powerful spatial experiences that make digital content feel present in the user’s physical world. The three-dimensional interface of visionOS dynamically responds to natural light, casting shadows that help users understand scale and distance.
visionOS introduces a three-dimensional user interface that liberates apps from the constraints of traditional displays, enabling them to appear side-by-side at any scale. Vision Pro empowers users with limitless screen real estate, access to their preferred apps, and innovative multitasking capabilities. With support for the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, users can effortlessly set up an ideal workspace, or wirelessly connect the powerful capabilities of their Mac to visionOS, creating an expansive, portable, and private 4K display with exceptional text clarity.
Display
Apple Vision Pro features two ultra-high-resolution micro-OLED displays that provide an incredibly immersive augmented reality (AR) experience. It feels like you’re actually inside the virtual world. The displays can turn any space into a personal movie theater, providing a screen experience that feels as wide as 100 feet. Combined with custom catadioptric lenses, these displays provide astonishing sharpness and clarity. Users with vision correction needs can enhance their visual fidelity and ensure precise eye-tracking accuracy by using ZEISS Optical Inserts. The eye-tracking system utilizes high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs to project invisible light patterns onto the user’s eyes, enabling responsive and intuitive input.
Vision Pro also features Spatial Audio, which creates an immersive soundscape that matches the sound to the user’s head and ear geometry. This makes it feel like the sound is coming from all around you, further enhancing the augmented reality (AR) experience. Apple Immersive Video also offers high-resolution recordings in a 180-degree format, complete with Spatial Audio. The Environments feature allows users to transcend physical boundaries and explore dynamic and visually stunning landscapes. By twisting the Digital Crown, users can control the level of presence or immersion within these environments.
Camera
Apple Vision Pro features the company’s first-ever three-dimensional camera, allowing users to capture, relive, and immerse themselves in their memories, enhanced by Spatial Audio. Users can access their entire photo library on iCloud, enabling them to view their photos and videos at a life-size scale. Panorama shots taken on the iPhone expand and wrap around the user, providing the sensation of being present at the exact location where the photo was captured.
FaceTime
Apple Vision Pro revolutionizes the way we experience FaceTime calls by creating immersive, life-size tiles of everyone on a FaceTime call, accompanied by Spatial Audio that replicates realistic sound positioning. By wearing Vision Pro, users become digital representations called Personas, which use cutting-edge machine-learning techniques to mirror real-time face and hand movements. This opens up possibilities for shared activities like movie watching, photo browsing, and collaborative presentations.
App Store
The App Store for Vision Pro offers an extensive range of apps and content from developers. Users can access hundreds of thousands of familiar iPhone and iPad apps that are optimized for Vision Pro’s unique input system. Developers can leverage the powerful capabilities of Vision Pro and its operating system, visionOS, to create brand-new app experiences and reimagine existing ones for spatial computing.
Input System
Vision Pro introduces a groundbreaking input system that allows users to seamlessly navigate and interact with spatial content using their eyes, hands, and voice. Users can effortlessly browse apps by looking at them, select options by tapping their fingers, scroll by flicking their wrist, and even use voice commands for dictation.
EyeSight
EyeSight is a new feature that lets you stay connected with others while you’re using Vision Pro. When someone approaches you, the device becomes transparent so you can see them. EyeSight also provides visual cues to others, indicating what the user is focused on when immersed in an environment or using an app.
In terms of privacy and security, Vision Pro utilizes an Optic ID authentication system that analyzes a user’s iris and compares it to securely stored data in the Secure Enclave, instantly unlocking Vision Pro. EyeSight includes a visual indicator to let others know when the user is capturing spatial photos or videos.
With its cutting-edge features, extraordinary display system, and custom Apple silicon in a dual-chip design, Vision Pro delivers unparalleled real-time experiences of the highest quality. Apple Vision Pro will be available early next year for $3,499. It can be purchased on apple.com and at Apple Store locations in the United States. More countries will follow later in the year. At Apple Store locations, customers will be able to learn about, experience, and personalize the fit of Vision Pro.
