Apple CEO Tim Cook took to the stage on Monday at the Apple developer conference to announce the company’s long-awaited virtual reality headset.
Welcome to the era of spatial computing with Apple Vision Pro. You’ve never seen anything like this before! pic.twitter.com/PEIxKNpXBs
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 5, 2023
Called Apple Vision Pro, the VR headset is the tech giant’s biggest release since launching AirPods back in 2016. It’s also Apple’s first-ever augmented reality headset.
Here are some key takeaways from the announcement.
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The headset looks like ski goggles
Donning the Vision Pro makes you look like you’re about to hit the slopes. Unlike otherVR headsets from companies like Oculus, the Vision Pro displays the eyes of its users on the outside.
“You’re never isolated from the people around you, you can see them, and they can see you,” said Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of human interface.
Cook added that the device is “the first product you look through, not at.”
It allows for ‘spatial computing’
Once a user puts on the device, they see a bunch of apps that interact with the outside world. You control how much of the 3D interface is visible with your eyes, hands, and voice.
Apple envisions a future where apps and digital experiences are seamlessly integrated with the physical world. Cook calls this “spatial computing.”
Apps such as video players, photos, and FaceTime, are some of the customizable, virtual parts of your reality when you wear the Vision Pro.
Vision Pro runs on something called visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system.
You can augment your physical environment
A twist of the Digital Crown on the top of the device let’s users control how immersed they are in an environment. For example, you can add “dynamic, beautiful landscapes” to your physical world.
The device is not cheap
The device is priced at $3,499 and mainly targets video game developers and app makers rather than the general public.
This won’t be this year’s hot Christmas present
Don’t put this on your holiday list. Cook said the Vision Pro won’t be available until early next year. Consumers will be able to buy it on Apple.com and at Apple Stories across the U.S.
There will be a Disney integration
Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, joined Cook to announce Disney’s integration with Vision Pro. At launch, Disney+ will be available for Vision Pro. This means users can watch “The Mandalorian” on a virtual display placed in the virtual world of Star Wars or watch a basketball game in 3D from an isometric perspective.