Apple has launched its first AR (augmented reality) headset called Apple Vision Pro at WWDC 2023. Departing from the conventional AR or VR headset label, Apple refers to it as the world’s first “spatial computer.”
Sophisticated Display System: Immersive Visuals and Unmatched Clarity
Equipped with a completely new operating system called visionOS, the AR headset Vision Pro boasts innovative features and specifications. Apple Vision Pro offers an advanced “display system” that combines two micro OLED screens, each the size of a postage stamp, providing a total of 23 million impressive pixels.
This means that Apple Vision Pro delivers a visual experience surpassing that of a 4K TV for each eye, ensuring stunning clarity and sharpness. The special catadioptric lenses further enhance the visual quality, offering a wide color gamut and high dynamic range for an immersive experience.
Powering the Apple Vision Pro is the specialized dual-core M2 chipset developed exclusively by Apple. Additionally, the innovative R1 chip collaborates with 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure seamless content display in front of the user’s eyes. Impressively, the R1 chip achieves image streaming to the screen in just 12 milliseconds, surpassing eight times the blink of an eye.
Intuitive Controls: Navigate Vision Pro with Your Eyes, Hands, and Voice
The visionOS user interface can be easily controlled using a combination of eye movements, hand gestures, and voice commands. The absence of physical controllers allows Apple Vision Pro users to navigate applications simply by looking at them, selecting by tapping their fingers, scrolling with wrist flicks, or dictating commands using their voice.
A unique feature called EyeSight makes Apple Vision Pro appear transparent when interacting with others. It enables individuals to see each other’s eyes through the device when in the environment or using applications. Additionally, EyeSight provides visual cues to indicate when the user is engaged or busy.
With a battery life of two hours when connected to a high-performance portable battery pack, Apple Vision Pro can be used throughout the day when plugged in. Security and authentication are achieved through Optic ID, a revolutionary system that analyzes the user’s iris to securely unlock the device.
The visionOS interface supports 3D layouts, allowing applications to be viewed side by side at any scale. Additionally, Apple Vision Pro can wirelessly connect to the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, effectively transforming the device into a personal and portable 4K display with remarkable text clarity, expanding Mac capabilities.
Seamless Integration: App Store, FaceTime, and Collaboration Abilities
The introduction of a dedicated App Store for visionOS gives users access to hundreds of thousands of iPhone and iPad applications. These apps automatically integrate with the new input system for Apple Vision Pro, expanding the device’s functionality. FaceTime calls offer tiles sized to the original, while Spatial Audio creates an immersive sound experience, making conversations seem to originate from the position of each caller.
During calls, users wearing Apple Vision Pro are represented as digital “Personas” created using advanced machine learning techniques. These Personas reflect the user’s facial and hand movements in real-time, enabling shared activities such as watching movies, browsing photos, and collaborative presentations.
Transforming any space into a personal cinema, Apple Vision Pro offers a screen that delivers a sensation of up to 100 feet wide. The advanced Spatial Audio system enriches the immersive experience. Additionally, the device supports over 100 Apple Arcade games, offering users a large-scale screen and immersive audio, compatible with popular game controllers.
Apple Vision Pro also introduces Apple’s first 3D camera, allowing users to capture, relive, and immerse themselves in their favorite memories.
The entire photo library in iCloud can be accessed, viewing photos and videos in their original scale. Panoramic capturing on the iPhone expands and wraps around the user, providing a physically present impression of the captured moments.
In terms of design, Apple Vision Pro features seamless glass integration and a special aluminum frame designed to curve around the user’s face. The modular system allows for customized fitting, while the soft Light Seal textile adjusts to the user’s facial contours, ensuring precise fit and comfort.
Flexible straps keep the audio close to the user’s ears. The Apple Vision Pro Head Band can be easily replaced with different sizes or styles, with the default option being a 3D knit that provides cushioning, airflow, and flexibility.
Apple Vision Pro will be launched in the United States early next year, with a price tag of $3,499. Availability in other countries is expected later in 2024.
