With great fanfare, Apple revealed Vision Pro, its first official mixed reality product. The Apple Vision Pro will launch for $3,499 and will be available early next year, said the company during the announcement.
The Apple headset was shown to the world for the first time today, during WWDC’s opening keynote, in front of about 1,000 people —including media, Apple employees, and guests— at the Steve Jobs Theater, and in front of millions more who witnessed the big reveal via streaming.
The product announcement was made by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who said this is a new platform with a new product during the unveiling.
“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. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations.
Tim Cook
The mixed reality glasses, so named because they offer virtual and augmented reality features, have a different design from rival Meta, Sony, or HTC products. As mentioned in the rumors, the design is similar to ski goggles.
The Vision Pro headset uses visionOS, a new platform that is “built on the foundation of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS”, says Apple. The new operating system offers a three-dimensional interface that “frees apps from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side by side at any scale.”
Vision Pro is compatible with Apple accessories such as the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, as well as other third-party Bluetooth devices.
In the performance department, Apple has placed two chips in the Vision Pro. The new R1 chip will handle tasks related to vision, audio, and sensors. The familiar M2 will handle everything related to performance.
The R1 chip will process information from the device’s 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones. The chip will also be responsible for streaming images at a speed of 12 milliseconds. Apple claims that the independent battery of the Vision Pro will offer a two-hour lifespan on a single charge. If used in connected mode, the Vision Pro can be used all day without interruption.
The Vision Pro has two high-resolution displays with over 23 million pixels and is capable of displaying an image that appears to be 100 feet wide. Apple says that more than 100 Apple Arcade games can be enjoyed with the headset on a screen “as large as they want.”
Vision Pro also has its own Digital Crown – similar to that of the Apple Watch – that allows for virtual location control within a visual experience. Apple said that Vision Pro “seamlessly” blends with the real and virtual world, as the part that covers the eyes can be uncovered so the user can see the real world around them.
The headset can be controlled with the eyes, hands, and voice. Thanks to Vision Pro’s ability to change the viewer, the device offers a virtual reality experience in which the user is fully immersed in what they see with the glasses. Still, it can also offer augmented reality so that users can use their integrated apps and interact with the real world simultaneously.
Since Vision Pro is a product designed for both home and office or work environments, Apple introduced EyeSight, which allows the front of the glasses to be cleared so that people around you can see your eyes.
Additionally, Apple Vision Pro integrates with several applications that users are already familiar with, such as TV, Music, Mindfulness, Freeform, Safari, Photos, Notes, App Store, Mail, Messages, and Keynotes.
Apple, true to its passion for user security and privacy, included something called Optic ID. This authentication system analyzes the user’s iris with the help of various LED exposures and compares it to previously stored information to unlock the device.
Apple assures that all information used for authentication with Optic ID is stored with encryption and is not accessible by apps nor is it stored on Apple servers.
Apple Vision Pro price and availability
The new Apple Vision Pro will have a price above what was anticipated. Apple has put a price tag of $3,499 compared to the $3,000 that many reports suggested.
For now, it is only known that the headset will be available in the United States starting next year although without an exact date, and will be available in more countries later that same year.
Apple says its official stores will offer an experience around Vision Pro so that users can resolve doubts, learn more about the fit, and learn more about this new product.
The headset, widely anticipated by observers, fans, and rivals of Apple alike, has a difficult task that no other company has accomplished — convincing consumers that this is the future. Analysts believe Apple could achieve this because they have done so with the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
