Apple has just unveiled its latest innovation: Vision Pro, the most advanced personal electronic device ever. This mixed reality device combines virtual reality, where the wearer is immersed in a digital environment, with augmented reality, where digital images are seen in the real world.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, explains its potential: “Blending digital content with the real world can unlock experiences like nothing we’ve ever seen.” This headset, resembling ski goggles, features a 23-million-pixel screen above the face, controlled by the wearer’s eyes, hands and voice. Additionally, it enables “spatial computing”, allowing the user to interact with digital content as if it is actually in the physical space. Apple has also made sure the device is cool and quiet, with vents to draw in air and built-in speakers.
However, Vision Pro does come with a hefty price tag; it will cost $3,499 (€3,250) – 10 times more than Facebook’s Meta Quest 2, which is €349.99. It will be available in the US from early 2021 and in other countries later that year.
The product was revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference on Monday, marking the first new product launch since the Apple Watch in 2015.
Mr Cook is confident in the device’s potential: “I believe that augmented reality is a profound technology. Blending digital content with the real world can unlock experiences like nothing we’ve ever seen. Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world. With Vision Pro, you’re no longer limited by a display. Your surroundings become an infinite canvas – certain products shift the way we look at technology and the role it plays in our lives. Apple’s Vision Pro, together with Vision OS, introduces an entirely new spatial computing platform, a platform that presents incredible possibilities for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
