Apple reveals the Vision Pro, its augmented reality headset

CUPERTINO, USA – Apple unveiled an augmented-reality headset called the Apple Vision Pro at its annual software developer conference on Monday, June 5 (June 6, Philippine time), its first big move into a new product category since the introduction of the Apple Watch nine years ago.

Vision Pro will start at $3,499.

CEO Tim Cook described it as “spatial computing” with the device controlled by your eyes, hands and voice.

“It’s the first Apple product you look through, not at,” Cook said.

Apple said that Vision Pro has a three-dimensional camera and microphone system to capture videos and pictures that can be viewed in 3D later. The company showed the feature being used by a parent at a child’s birthday celebration.

The Vision Pro has two hours of use with an external battery, which Apple said would reduce the weight on the user’s head. However, the device must be plugged into the wall or battery pack and there is no standalone use.

Meta’s top of the line Quest Pro mixed reality device, which blends virtual reality with a video feed of the real world, offers about two hours of battery life directly on the headset, without an external battery pack.

Shares of the iPhone maker rose 2% to hit a record high of $184.95 ahead of the launch but shares were flat to slightly lower after the announcement.

Apple’s human interface chief Alan Dye said that users will select content inside the goggles with their eyes, tap their fingers together to click and gently flick to scroll.

The device also has an exterior display that shows the user’s eyes to people on the outside world. The exterior screen goes dark when a user is fully immersed in a virtual world. When a person approaches a user who is in full virtual mode, the headset will show both the user and the outside person to each other. “You’re never isolated from people around you,” Dye said. “You can see them, and they can see you.”

For work uses, Apple showed how the headset can be used with a trackpad and keyboard to work like a traditional computer with multiple displays.

Apple said that the headset uses a new chip called R1, which is designed to process information from its sensors in less time than the blink of an eye.

Apple says it has been working with Adobe and Microsoft to put their apps on the new headset, as well as Unity, a technology company that works with game developers.

Walt Disney’s Disney+ streaming service will be available on day one on the device. Disney has partnered with Apple for years. Disney CEO Bob Iger took the stage in 2005 to announce that some of its most popular television shows would be available for download through the iTunes Music Store.

Apple did not make any major announcements about generative AI products similar to ChatGPT or Google’s Bard search engine, but it quietly imbued several smaller features with AI, like live transcriptions of voice mails.

The headset launch will see Apple test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers and put it in direct competition with Facebook-owner Meta Platforms.

Investors and tech fans alike are focused on how much Apple’s view of the virtual reality market overlaps with Meta’s. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has outlined his vision for using headsets to dip in and out of a “metaverse” where people can meet virtually to work, play and spend.

In addition to Meta, Sony Group Corp and ByteDance-owned Pico both recently released virtual reality devices.

Research firm IDC said companies sold a total of 8.8 million headsets last year, down 20.9% from 2021. In the first quarter of 2023, sales more than halved. – Rappler.com