Apple Vision Pro was only revealed a couple of months ago, yet an endless flurry of fascinating news continues to follow it. Now, it seems like one of the biggest criticisms towards the Apple Vision Pro, its lack of easy compatibility with those who need prescription lens to see well, is being tackled in their latest patent.
This Apple patent will ensure that no glasses user has to purchase separate prescription lens, nor will they have to stuff their pair of glasses under the headset. But unfortunately, it is highly unlikely we'll be getting it with the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, as it was only just recently filed.
Apple Vision Pro could fix a massive issue in the future
Glasses wearers have been worried ever since Apple unveiled its vision for the Vision Pro, as one big question is at the back of everyone's mind: What happens if you can't see all that well to begin with? Wearing glasses behind certain Virtual Reality headsets is total plausible, with the PSVR 2 more than capable of accommodating glasses wearers.
In the case of Apple Vision Pro, however, it is not remotely compatible with spectacles. In fact, it is directly recommended against, with Apple's official press release stating that "users with vision correction needs will use ZEISS Optical Inserts to ensure visual fidelity and eye tracking accuracy." And all the way at the bottom of the fine print, we see "ZEISS Optical Inserts are sold separately."
I would guess that the Zeiss prescription lenses for the Vision Pro will be at least $300-600 a pair, unless Apple is eating part of the cost given the already high price of the headset itself.June 6, 2023
This means you'll have to spend more than the base $3,500 already expected of you just to get these Optical Insert lens added to your package, but Mark Gurman made matters worse by claiming that these prescription lenses for the Vision Pro could be as expensive as $300-600 a pair. The design flaw of incompatibility with glasses is already a huge problem in accessibility, but this high cost reveals a whole new level of absurdity.
A new Apple patent is seemingly trying to fix this issue by adding lenses to the headset that are controlled by the circuitry and allow it to have different levels of optical power to conform to the user's prescription. Essentially, users would put the headset on and do a series of tests at different focus levels until they're able to see properly. This would come automatically with the headset, and it would be perfect for glasses users who don't want to have to spend tons of extra money for the sake of their own comfort.
Unfortunately, you should not expect this to come with the initial Apple Vision Pro launch. As this patent was only just approved on July 18, it's likely that we won't get it for quite a while. Until then, lets hope the ZEISS lens are nowhere near as expensive as Gurman claimed.
