During the WWDC 2023 keynote also came the most awaited announcement of all, or the first mixed reality viewer of the Cupertino company: Vision Pro.
Vision Pro is Apple’s first mixed-reality device, which features a completely new operating system that offers a three-dimensional interface. Vision Pro experiences are not limited to the boundaries of a display: users can create apps of any scale and place them wherever they want. The environments extend beyond physical space and you can control the degree of immersion via the digital beet. Apple claims this marks the beginning of the “space computation.”
The overall structure is very similar to AirPods Max. We find the Mesh fabric and the metal known to users. The advertised design seems a bit more “bulky” than the last rumors. Indeed, it almost looks like a ski mask.
A “Home” view floats in the world in front of you to make you feel “truly present” in your room. Users use both their eyes, hands, and voice to control the device. It uses eye tracking, as well as finger tapping and swiping to scroll or select
Features
The headset has a user-eye video transmission feature, called “EyeSight” by Apple, which can show people surrounding what they see inside the headset.
Vision Pro also allows users to connect to their Mac and extend its display into virtual space, including applications running on Vision Pro itself.
FaceTime via Vision Pro can display people in real size during video calls. The experience is optimized for viewing photos and videos. The mixed reality headset is also “Apple’s first 3D camera”, showing depth in videos, all combined with Spatial Audio. The headset provides a cinematic video experience that expands the screen beyond the dimensions of the room.
The helmet contains the M2 chip associated with a new “R1” chip, dedicated to the processing of sensors in real-time.
This is clearly a revolutionary product. Indeed, more than 5000 patents were necessary for the development of this new technology.
Vision Pro will embed visionOS
This is the first OS created from scratch and specially designed for “spatial computing”.
Concretely, applications for iPhone and iPad can be executed in visionOS in order to provide a large number of applications as soon as the device is launched. A brand new App Store will allow you to discover applications designed for visionOS as well as compatible applications for iPhone and iPad.
The applications will be designed with Unity.
At the security level, Apple has not skimped on the means. Indeed, Apple likes to provide the necessary security for all its users. For this Vision Pro headset, Optic ID uses the wearer’s iris to authenticate users and unlock the Vision Pro headset
This Apple Vision Pro headset is available at a cost of 3,499 dollars and will be available early next year.