WWDC 2023: Apple Vision Pro headset with visionOS announced; know all about Apple’s big bet

WWDC 2023 was one of Apple most important developer conferences yet. At the event, the company announced the Vision Pro headset — a product that has been in the making for years now. The Apple Vision Pro, as the company says, marks its foray in the spatial computing world and it will enable users to interact with the digital world and the real world simultaneously. Apple says that “Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.”

Apple says that the Apple Vision Pro is a ‘spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others.’ It is powered by the company’s new operating system — visionOS — and it introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by a user’s eyes, hands, and voice.

“Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing…Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said while announcing the Vision Pro headset.

Apple Vision Pro design

Talking about the design, the Apple Vision Pro is made from a single piece of three-dimensionally formed and laminated glass that is polished to create an optical surface that acts as a lens for the wide array of cameras and sensors needed to blend the physical world with digital content. The glass flows into the custom aluminum alloy frame that curves around the user’s face. It comes with what the company describes as the modular system that provides a tailored fit to accommodate a wide range of people.

The headset has Light Seal that is made of a soft textile, and comes in a range of shapes and sizes, flexing to conform to a user’s face for a precise fit. At the back, it has flexible straps, which ensure that the audio remains close to the user’s ears, while a Head Band, which is available in multiple sizes, is three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece to provide cushioning, breathability, and stretch. This band is secured with a simple mechanism, making it easy to change to another size or style of band.

Furthermore, the Vision Pro headset has a Digital Crown thar lets a user control how present or immersed they are in an environment.

Apple Vision Pro OS and features

Explaining the capabilities of its new device, Apple said that visionOS features a three-dimensional interface that frees apps from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side by side at any scale. This feature essentially makes space the canvas on which the apps appear. The Apple Vision Pro features support for Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, which users can set up to bring the powerful capabilities of their Mac into Vision Pro wirelessly.

The Apple Vision Pro features support for Apple Immersive Video, which offers 180-degree high-resolution recordings with Spatial Audio. Apple says that support for spatial computing enables users to play over 100 Apple Arcade games on a screen as large as they want. Apple Vision Pro also features EyeSight, which is a new technology that will help users stay connected with those around them.

“When a person approaches someone wearing Vision Pro, the device feels transparent — letting the user see them while also displaying the user’s eyes. When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual cues to others about what the user is focused on,” Apple explained.

In addition to this, Apple Vision Pro features Apple’s first 3D camera, which enables users to capture, relive, and immerse themselves in favorite memories with Spatial Audio. Users can access their entire photo library on iCloud, and view their photos and videos at a life-size scale.

The company also said that with Apple Vision Pro, FaceTime calls take advantage of the room around the user. While making FaceTime calls, everyone on the call reflected in life-size tiles and spatial audio support will make it sound as if participants are speaking right from where they are positioned. Apple says that users wearing Vision Pro during a FaceTime call are reflected as a Persona — a digital representation of themselves — which reflects face and hand movements in real time. Users can do things together like watch a movie, browse photos, or collaborate on a presentation.

Furthermore, Apple said that the Apple Vision Pro has a new App Store where users can discover apps and content from developers, and access hundreds of thousands of familiar iPhone and iPad apps.

Apple Vision Pro specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Apple Vision Pro uses micro-OLED technology to pack 23 million pixels into two displays, each the size of a postage stamp. Users with vision correction needs can use ZEISS Optical Inserts to ensure visual fidelity and eye tracking accuracy. The headset comes with a high-performance eye tracking system that uses high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs that projects invisible light patterns onto the user’s eyes for responsive, intuitive input.

On the audio front, the Apple Vision Pro headset has two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod to deliver Personalised Spatial Audio based on the user’s own head and ear geometry.

The newly introduced headset is powered by the company’s M2 chipset that is coupled with a new R1 chip that processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure that content feels like it is appearing right in front of the user’s eyes, in real time. Apple says that its new R1 chip streams new images to the displays within 12 milliseconds, which is 8x faster than the blink of an eye.

Coming to the battery, the company says that the Apple Vision Pro is designed for all-day use when plugged in, and up to two hours of use with its external battery.

Apple Vision Pro pricing and availability

Lastly the pricing. The Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499 (Rs 2,88,752 approximately) in the US, and it will be available early next year on apple.com and at Apple Store locations in the country. Apple said that it will make the headset available in more countries later next year.

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