Introducing the Apple Vision Pro Headset: A Game-Changer in Mixed Reality Technology!

By Connie D. Figueroa On Jun 6, 2023 0

The Apple Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset announced by Apple on June 5 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), has garnered both praise and criticism from tech enthusiasts. The launch was missing one key element, however: the word “Metaverse.”

The tech firm appears to have made a concerted effort to market its product as the world’s first “spatial computer.” It will first be available in the United States at the beginning of 2024 for the steep price of $3,499, and then it will spread to other countries.

The announcement distances itself sharply from the premieres of Microsoft’s Hololens and Meta’s headsets, in which the phrase was used liberally. Instead of using terms like “Metaverse,” “Augmented Reality,” and “Virtual Reality,” Apple is emphasizing “Spatial” and “Spatial Computing” in its advertising.

Apple’s VP of technological development, Mike Rockwell, said, “Creating our first spatial computer required invention across nearly every aspect of the system.” In his own words, “through a tight integration of hardware and software, we designed a standalone spatial computer in a compact wearable form factor that is the most advanced personal electronics device ever,”

Mark Gurman, a technology reporter for Bloomberg, tweeted in January 2022 that Apple has no plans to take a metaverse-focused strategy to the tech industry like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

“I’ve been told pretty directly that the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to — like the can in Meta Platforms/ Facebook’s vision of the future — is off-limits from Apple,” Gurman said. Instead, Apple will focus on developing a mixed-reality headset designed for short bursts of use for tasks like work, gaming, communication, etc.

Apple’s Vision Pro can create an augmented reality experience in which apps appear to be projected into the user’s immediate environment, or it can deliver a fully virtual experience with settings like Immersive Environments.

The Apple Vision Pro is controlled entirely by the user’s eyes and hands, as well as via speech. Apple’s EyeSight technology is implemented in Vision Pro so that “users stay connected with those around them” when in augmented reality mode; when in VR mode, the screen becomes opaque.

With compatibility for Apple TV+, Apple Arcade games, and other Apple services, the headgear may serve as a “personal movie theater” with a screen “that feels 100 feet wide.” The headset also features Apple’s first 3D camera, enabling recording spatial video and photographs.

Apple claims that Vision Pro’s ultra-high resolution is the equivalent of a 4K television’s, with 23 million pixels spread over two panels. It also features an innovative spatial-audio technology.

Vision Pro will revolutionize “the way users interact with their favorite apps, capture and relive memories, enjoy stunning TV shows and movies, and connect with others in FaceTime,” the business claims.

According to the press release, “Vision Pro features visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, allowing users to interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.”

Some investors were hopeful that metaverse-related coins would skyrocket due to the hype around Apple’s new headset, but a new Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit filed on the same day dampened their hopes.