On January 19, pre-orders for the highly anticipated headgear will go live.
There won’t be much of a wait for those who have been dying to get their hands on an Apple Vision Pro headset and can afford one. According to the business, the eagerly awaited gadget will land in the US on February 2. On January 19, pre-orders for the mixed-reality headset will be available. A 256GB storage model will start at $3,499. The gadget will be offered on the company website and at every US Apple Store location.
Since Apple Vision Pro doesn’t function with glasses, those who need vision correction will need to quickly obtain Zeiss optical inserts and magnetically attach them to the headset. Prescription lenses will cost $149, while readers will cost $99 each. You won’t be able to just go into an Apple Store and pick up the inserts; they will only be sold online. Prescription lenses will, of course, require a prescription. However according to Apple, “not all prescriptions are supported.”
This is the company’s first significant new product line since the 2014 launch of the Apple Watch. Just as CES 2024 is getting underway, Apple announced the Vision Pro release date, probably trying to steal some limelight from the show’s exhibitors without really having to travel to Las Vegas.
The Vision Pro is Apple’s first attempt at a spatial computing device, which it unveiled at WWDC last year. Though you can pair a Magic Keyboard and Trackpad for work purposes or a controller when it’s time to relax and play games, you’ll mostly be using your hands, eyes, and voice to control it.
More than a million apps from the iOS and iPadOS ecosystems will be supported, according to Apple, in a completely redesigned App Store. There will, of course, be apps specific to the visionOS of the headset. Apps can be interacted with by simply staring at them, tapping with your fingers (similar to the new Double Tap function on the Apple Watch), flicking your wrist to scroll, and typing using a virtual keyboard or dictation. According to Apple, Siri will let you manage media playing, launch, and close apps, and do a lot more.
App placement is possible anywhere in a three-dimensional virtual world, which may let users multitask. With your Apple Vision Pro, you’ll also be able to access your Mac, giving you access to a massive 4K canvas for your laptop or desktop to help you get more done.
Regarding entertainment, you will be able to watch films and television series on a virtual screen that seems to be 100 feet wide, thanks to services like Disney+, Apple TV+, and Max. More than 150 films are available in 3D via the Apple TV app, and HDR compatibility is included. Additionally, Apple Vision Pro is compatible with Apple’s new Immersive Video format, which enables you to view high-definition, 180-degree 3D experiences.
Regarding gaming, Apple Vision Pro will work with over 250 titles from the Apple Arcade and the App Store. In addition to “spatial games,” players can check out Super Fruit Ninja, Game Room, and What the Golf? In those situations, Apple claims the headset will change the environment around you, probably resulting in more engaging gaming sessions. Vision Pro will probably allow you to employ remote play capabilities for Xbox and PlayStation as well.
Speaking of immersion, if you’d rather not gaze at your house or place of business in mixed reality, you can always virtually move to a more serene setting, like the moon or a national park. You can modify how immersing you are in these environments by twisting the Digital Crown.
Now that the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max is capable of taking spatial images and movies, you may see them on a “life-size scale” by using Vision Pro. For example, panoramas will encircle you.
Apple Vision Pro
With Apple Vision Pro, FaceTime and other call modes get an interesting update. Users with headsets will be represented by a virtual version of themselves called a Persona, which can move their hands and make facial expressions (Personas may already be seen on Zoom, Webex, and Microsoft Teams). Participants in a call on a Mac, iPad, or iPhone will show up as tiles and spatial audio will give the impression that each person’s voice is coming from where their tile is located in the room.
Because they are unable to make eye contact with those around them, users of virtual reality or mixed reality headsets sometimes appear to be cut off from other people in the same physical environment. Apple has created a technology called EyeSight to lessen that. This gives the impression that the wearer’s eyes are visible through the Apple Vision Pro, making it seem transparent.
In other news, Apple has created a new identification system called Optic ID that can be used to approve Apple Pay payments, autofill passwords, and unlock devices. According to the business, no one, not even Apple or the developers of third-party apps or websites, may access eye-tracking data. It also mentions that Apple Vision Pro offers several accessibility-focused features, like the option to turn on eye tracking for the dominant eye (which could be useful for people who have a misalignment or significant vision loss in one eye).
It’s quite doubtful that Apple’s headset will be widely adopted, at least not in its initial form, given its price. Developers, early adopters, and Apple fans should read this. Apple may be the business to introduce mixed reality into the mainstream in the end. If eager beavers have a few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pocket, at least we now know when they will be able to get an Apple Vision Pro.
