The Apple Vision Pro has been in the works for nearly eight years, and today, Cupertino-based tech giant finally pulled the curtains back on its long-rumored mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023!
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to $3,500 of pure simulated-reality decadence. I'm talkin' dual micro-OLED 4K displays, numerous cameras and sensors that translate your facial expressions and bodily movements to a mixed-reality world, and more.
Ironically, while Apple boasted that Apple Vision Pro will help users connect with others more closely with an immersive, virtual-reality version of the FaceTime app, the Cupertino-based tech giant is coddling my inner anti-social dream. Thank you, Apple! The more I can digitally connect with people inside this sleek, ski goggles-esque device, the less I have to leave the house. Hallelujah!
Without further ado, let's dive into the many features and specs Apple Vision Pro sports that low-key caters to our inner misanthrope.
Apple Vision Pro price
It costs a whopping $3,499!
This is $500 more than its initial rumored price of $3,000 price, whew! We thought $3,000 was pricey, but $3,500 is jaw-dropping. To be fair, however, there are other headsets that are just as expensive, including the Varjo VR-3, which is $3,395.
Apple Vision Pro release date
No, you won't get any where near the Vision Pro this year. If you were hoping to give it to someone as a gift later this year for the holidays, it's not happening.
The Apple Vision Pro release date is some time next year, so unfortunately, you have to be patient and wait until 2024 before you can get your hands on Apple's new AR/VR headset.
Apple Vision Pro: All of its features
1. It runs an VisionOS, Apple's first-ever spatial operating system. Expect 100,000 familiar apps from iOS and iPadOS.
2. It delivers a full, three-dimensional interface that can be controlled with your face, hands, and more.
3. People around you can know what you're up to inside the headset by looking at the Vision Pro's face. This feature is called EyeSight. Check out the gallery below and scroll through the pictures to get a better understanding of what I mean.
4. Place apps anywhere you want in AR (overlaid on top of your real-world surroundings). For example, you can experience mindfulness artifacts superimposed in your space.
5. There's a reality dial on Vision Pro that lets you decide how immersed you'd like to be. You can be fully inside virtual reality, or you can allow your real-world surroundings to appear instead.
6. Browse the system just by looking and using your eyes. You can also use pinching gestures to select and a flicking gesture to scroll.
7. Voice input. Dictate commands inside Vision Pro with your voice.
8. Siri is available, too. Use Siri open and close apps, play media, and more.
9. Safari is awesome on Vision Pro. You can browse through Safari right in front of you. By using a hand gesture that lets you expand the virtual Safari page, you can see all of your tabs individually.
10. Pull out 3D images and content from your Messages app that you can interact with inside the mixed-reality environment.
11. Vision Pro works with with Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard and some other Bluetooth-enabled, Apple-supported devices.
12. You can bring your MacBook along, too, just by looking at it. It gives you another 4K display right before your very eyes.
13. You can use FaceTime on Vision Pro. You can join with others in one virtual room. Spatial audio is in effect, too, so you can hear their voices coming from the direction from where their tile is located in the virtual space.
14. You can collaborate with others on apps, including Whiteboard and other platforms.
15. You can make a digital persona of yourself that is a 3D avatar of your face and can move along with your facial expressions.
16. You can scroll through your gallery from the Photos apps. You can expand or minimize photos to your liking. Panaroma photos, in particular, look stunning.
17. Play and capture videos from a 3D, spatial video perspective, making them much more immersive than 2D photos. This is Apple's first 3D camera.
18. Watching videos is a cinematic experience. You can scale the videos beyond the dimensions of your room. You can make the screen as big as you want! There is a cool dim that surrounds videos, allowing you to be fully immersed. You can watch 3D movies inside Vision Pro, too.
19. Bring Vision Pro on a plane. It drowns out all the other noise on the plane and you can enjoy your favorite shows, films, and more right in front of your eyes on a massive virtual screen.
20. Play Apple Arcade Games like NBA2K23. 100 arcade titles available to play day one. Plus, there is controller support!
21. Apple collaborated with Disney for some cool Vision Pro-compatible entertainment. Watch The Mandalorian, NBA games, Marvel films, and more from an incredible point of view inside the headset. Disney+ will be available on Vision Pro on day one.
Apple Vision Pro specs
- Custom 3-element lenses that allow 4K video, HDR, and fine text at any angle
- It features personalized sound dual-driver audio pods that delivers ambient spatial audio. The brain is convinced that sound is delivered from all around you. Vision Pro uses audio tracing to precisely match sound to your room
- 12 cameras
- 5 sensors
- 6 microphones
- Uses the M2 chip alongside the new R1 chip, which deals with real-time sensor interaction.
- Up to 2 hours of battery life without the battery pack. (Yes, there's a battery back that can be attached to Vision Pro.)
- Design made from aerospace-grade aluminum materials
There will be a new App Store, allowing you to get as many apps as you want that is compatible with the VR headset. Popular Unity-based games and apps will be available on Apple Vision Pro.
Finally, security-minded users will appreciate that Apple Vision Pro uses OpticID to identify you with your eyes. OpticID is encrypted and never leaves your device. It works seamlessly with Apple Pay, password autofill, and more.
