Apple unveils Vision Pro AR headset
Starting at $3,499, the headset will be available early next year in the US
Apple has finally unveiled its augmented-reality (AR) headset called the Vision Pro, after years of rumours and speculation.
With a starting price of $3,499, the Vision Pro is more than three times the price of the most expensive headset in Meta's range of mixed and virtual reality devices. This bold move by Apple, which claims the device is suitable for work tasks including checking emails and todo lists as well as entertainment, arrives in a market already crowded with devices that have struggled to capture the attention of consumers.
Apple is calling its Vision Pro the first ever "spatial computer", which runs on an entirely novel operating system called visionOS.
"With Vision Pro, you're no longer limited by a display. Your surroundings become an infinite canvas," Apple CEO Tim Cook said, introducing the new headset at WWDC 2023 on Monday.
The headset "can transform any room into your own personal theatre," the company claims.
"Expand your movies, shows, and games up to the perfect size while feeling like you're part of the action with Spatial Audio. And with more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye, you can enjoy stunning content wherever you are — whether that's a long flight or the couch at home."
The Vision Pro is equipped with a specialised dual-core variant of Apple's M2 chipset, which works in tandem with a cutting-edge R1 chip. This combination handles input from 12 cameras, five sensors and six microphones.
According to Apple, the R1 chip boasts remarkable speed, processing information from the headset's sensors in a fraction of a second, surpassing the blink of an eye.
The Vision Pro's "EyeSight" feature enables the front screen to display users' eyes when they use the augmented reality (AR) mode, creating a simulated transparent screen.
However, the Vision Pro's exterior screen will go dark when a user is fully immersed in a virtual world. "Because you can see the world clearly when wearing Vision Pro, you remain present in your space," Apple said.
In addition to applications specifically designed for the Vision Pro, the headset is also capable of running iOS apps, which will appear as a floating screen in front of the user.
Emphasising its entertainment capabilities, Apple is particularly keen on showcasing the Vision Pro's "3D camera."
Users can leverage this camera to capture "spatial photos," offering a way to preserve moments in three-dimensional space.
Additionally, the headset provides conventional virtual reality experiences, such as watching movies in a virtual cinema or playing Apple Arcade video games.
The Vision Pro comes with an external, high-performance custom portable battery pack, providing approximately two hours of battery life. Alternatively, for uninterrupted usage throughout the day, the headset can be conveniently plugged in and used continuously.
Apple says it has collaborated closely with prominent companies such as Adobe and Microsoft to optimise their apps for the new headset.
It has also partnered with Unity, a technology company known for its work with game developers, to further enrich the gaming capabilities and experiences on the headset.
The Vision Pro will offer compatibility with Walt Disney's Disney+ streaming service, allowing users to access their favourite Disney movies and TV shows directly on the headset.
The extensive collection of movies and TV shows available on Apple TV+ will also be accessible on the Vision Pro.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has expressed the company's commitment to creating unique experiences tailored specifically for the Vision Pro.
Apple plans to launch the headset in the United States early next year. The company also has plans to expand availability to additional countries throughout 2024, gradually introducing the Vision Pro to a broader global audience.
Computing says:
Tom Allen, Editor
Apple's first and long-rumoured foray into mixed reality is an interesting move. Unlike most competitors - like Microsoft's white box XR headsets - Apple is trying to hit both work and play with one product. It's a difficult prospect with VR, as others have already found.
Headsets with the processing power for work tend to be priced out of reach of the average consumer, and those that are lightweight enough for the consumer lack the power for work.
That said, Apple has certainly done this before. If there's any company I'd bet on to succeed at making a mixed work/play VR headset, it would be the company that brought us the iPhone.
Questions still abound, though. Apple has been cagey about tech specs, and VR for work lives and dies by comfort. If the Vision Pro is too bulky or too heavy to wear for extended periods, expect this to go the way of Google Glass.
And for entertainment and in-person collaboration, the promotional material looks great, but doesn't resolve any of the the VR industry's long-known issues with the two-person problem: VR is not suited for watching or working with others.
None of this is to shut down the real strides Apple has made with the Vision Pro. Innate gesture control, without the need for external sensors or controllers (as far as we know) is a huge deal. Likewise, the sensors inside the headset to present a virtual image of your face using machine learning is a collaboration innovation - far more compelling than the cartoonish VR avatars other tech giants have shown off.
Whether the Vision Pro succeeds at the level Apple hopes for or not is yet to be seen, but I expect rivals are already working on their own products.