It is the first new Apple product in around ten years. The Apple Vision Pro glasses were presented at WWDC 2023. We have the information on price, start of sales and technology.
Apple has introduced Vision Pro – an innovative headset. (Source: Screenshot)
- At the WWDC keynote, Apple introduced the mixed reality glasses called Vision Pro.
- The glasses will be available from 2024.
- The many years of development are based on 5,000 patents.
- The US price is $3,499.
In September 2014, Apple introduced the first Apple Watch. It was the last “big thing” from Cupertino. The smartwatch has changed the lives of many people, as prophesied by the manufacturer, has become the “most personal” gadget. Now Apple is changing the body part again. After the hand (iPhone) and the wrist (Apple Watch), it is now the turn of the head.
The fact that Vision Pro celebrated its premiere at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) is anything but a coincidence. Ultimately, the success of the headset will largely depend on which apps developers will consider for the data glasses. But there will also be a number of native Apple apps that will be supported right at the start of sales.
Innovative control
Vision Pro does support external input devices such as the Magic Keyboard or the Magic Trackpad mouse replacement. But you are not really dependent on it. Because the glasses are designed to be controlled with your voice (Siri), gestures – like squeezing your fingers – and with the help of your gaze (eye tracking).
There he says it again: Apple presented Vision Pro at WWDC 2023. (Source: Screenshot)
In addition, the headset has the digital crown known from the Apple Watch. It also serves as a home button. The glasses are actively cooled, but according to Apple they should be very quiet. Ergonomically, Vision Pro is highly customizable. The device has a modular structure. Parts such as the fabric strap on the back or the protection against light incidence can be easily replaced.
Apple outsources the battery so that it does not increase the weight of the glasses. Instead, you carry the cable-connected battery in your pocket or elsewhere on your body. The runtime should be up to two hours. Alternatively, you can connect a power supply and use the glasses around the clock.
Impressive demo
What Apple’s glasses can do in reality can currently only be guessed at. At the WWDC, however, the manufacturer already gave a few examples that made an impression and that we have not seen in this form before. This is also due to the Vision Pro hardware, which clearly stands out from the competition, such as the Meta Quest Pro – and is also reflected in the price.
Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro in pictures
On the hardware side, the glasses have two MicroLED panels with a resolution of 23 million. Thanks to twelve cameras, you can always see what is happening around you in reality. Even more.
Outsiders who are not wearing Apple glasses and who enter the room you are in can see right away whether you are ready to record or not thanks to an external display (OLED). If you are, the display shows your previously scanned and animated eye area. The manufacturer calls this function EyeSight. This way, others can see at first glance when you have activated the cameras and are filming bystanders.
When moving virtual buttons in the air, which you can enlarge, reduce or reposition in space with a swipe of your finger, you should get a real Minority Report feeling. Video conferencing via FaceTime and other apps should also take Vision Pro to a new level.
The inventor of the iPhone has not yet given any information on the weight. The headset has built-in speakers that support 3D audio for both movie playback and video calling. In order to reproduce the sound as realistically as possible, the headset measures the room acoustically – similar to how Sonos devices do it.
New R1 chip against motion sickness and Optic ID instead of Face ID
The heart of Vision Pro is the well-known M2 chip on the one hand and a newly presented R1 chip on the other. The latter is intended to help with low latencies and thus against the feared problem of motion sickness with VR headsets. The entire technology is behind a curved glass.
Also exciting: Instead of Face ID, Apple relies on the newly introduced Optic ID for Vision Pro. Your iris will be scanned instead of your face. You can then securely log in, make purchases and downloads.
Buy Apple Vision Pro: price and availability
Apple glasses will be released in spring 2024. The price is $3,499. The manufacturer has not yet announced when the headset will come to Germany and how high the euro price will be. Other novelties were announced at WWDC. Find out more about the new MacBook Air 15 and what’s new in iOS 17 here.
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