Are you waiting for an elegant Vision Pro AR/VR headset that projects your facial expression to passersby? Notably, Apple is not using the usual terms like Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality. Instead, they are talking about Spatial Computing or a Spatial Computer. Although the Apple Glasses were awaited for a long time, the team from Cupertino will first use Vision Pro and gauge its user acceptance.
Apple Vision Pro features two micro-OLED displays with a resolution of more than 4K per eye, bringing 23 million pixels to the screen. It provides excellent image sharpness in combination with special catadioptric lenses. HDR is also supported, but we don’t know yet what the field of view and hertz will be.
What is the Apple Vision Pro release date and its price? What are its features and specifications? Let us have a look at the complete details of this groundbreaking technology of the metaverse world.
Apple Vision Pro release date
Apple Vision Pro release date will be in the first quarter of 2024 in the United States. Later on next year, it will arrive in other countries. Till then, the company will allow demonstrations and developer testing. Meanwhile, Apple will also release dedicated VisionOS games and apps that take advantage of the dual 4K displays, its first 3D camera set, and its powerful M2 chipset.
What is the price of the Apple Vision Pro headset?
Unlike the Quest 3, the Vision Pro is not yet a mass-market product, and the price tag is a reflection of that. The mixed reality technology that is built into the device has a hefty price tag of $3,499. Thus, Apple headset will only be targeted at die-hard tech enthusiasts, and likely developers in the beginning. However, there are reports claiming that Apple is already working on its lower-cost variant headsets.
So, there is hope for the common masses that as the technology matures, a cheaper version will be coming out, perhaps as early as 2025.
Apple Vision Pro headset design
Unlike the Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro, and other VO and XR headsets that are available in the market, the Vision Pro is not bulky. Rather, it is similar in design to ski goggles and comes with a breathable, adjustable head strap.
The Vision Pro comes with a digital crown, just like the Apple Watch, to switch from transparent AR to immersive VR mode. Its thinner and lighter, 3D-knitted adjustable strap allows your skin to breathe. Also, the overall design is thin and compact.
Additionally, Vision Pro has video passthrough support via Apple’s first set of 3D cameras at the front, which captures depth and scale. The user will be able to see their real-life surroundings, and could potentially navigate through their daily life while using the headset. This can be used while checking the news, watching a video in a floating window loaded in their field of view, or doing some split-screen work.
In the future, Apple’s AR/VR technology could be used for easy GPS navigation like seeing arrows overlaid on real-life streets and pointing the user towards a location, etc.
Apple Vision Pro specifications
Below is the Apple mixed reality headset speculated specs:
Display: Two 1.4” micro-OLED 4K resolution
FOV: 120 degrees
IPD range: Adjustable, range unknown
Processor: Apple M2
Battery features: External, waist-mounted, and rechargeable
Battery life: Up to 2 hours or a full day when plugged in
RAM: 16GB
Storage: Unknown, non-expandable
Speakers: Stereo, powered by the H2 chip
Headphone: No 3.5mm headphone jack
Operating system: visionOS
Controllers: Siri’s voice recognition, a built-in Digital crown, Eye and hand-tracking for interface navigation
Tracking: 3D cameras, infrared, and LiDAR sensors for room-scale, hand and body, and positional tracking
Support for users with glasses: Yes, with prescription lens inserts
Apple Vision Pro features
- The operating system of the Apple Vision Pro headset is visionOS which will be able to run all App Store software that is available for iPad.
- The navigation with visionOS is done via eye direction, voice commands, or hand gestures.
- Eye tracking inside the XR headset is based on four high-speed cameras and multiple infrared LEDs. This enables foveated rendering, which means that only the image in the focus of the eyes is rendered in full detail.
- The Vision Pro is activated by an iris scan, and the interpupillary distance can be adjusted mechanically.
- Sensors on the inside of the gear read the user’s eyes, while the external cameras pick up their hand movements.
- A look at an external object or an action button will select it, and pinching the index finger with the thumb will serve as the equivalent of a tap or a click.
- Apple Vision Pro works like a 3D camera. Capture 3D images and video at the touch of a button.
- Spatial Facetime calls are also planned, using sensors in the XR glasses
- You can play all the Apple Arcade and other games on the Vision Pro virtual reality headset.
- The games can be played with the PlayStation 5 Dual Sense controller, too. You can play any game like NBA or car racing game, or a shooter.
- The battery connects to the headset via a cable and can be worn on the hip or in a pocket. It lasts for about two hours.
- The headset is controlled by a mixture of hand and eye tracking, as well as voice control.
- The sound comes from spatial audio speakers built into the headband. They are supposed to include the environment via audio-ray tracing.
- The face mask is made of fabric and was designed based on thousands of facial studies, according to Apple, so it adapts to individual face shapes. The face mask comes in a variety of sizes and shapes.
- Interestingly, the face pad and headband are modular and interchangeable. Regular glasses won’t fit under the Apple Vision Pro. Instead, prescription lenses from Zeiss can be magnetically attached.
Safety feature
- Apple uses the brand new Optic ID iris scanner for personal identification for its safety and security features.
- Like other products, Apple encrypts the Optic ID data in a secure enclave that never leaves Vision Pro and is not stored on Apple servers. So, nobody can request it for identification, or use it for wrong purposes.
Final words
If you are excited about what mixed reality can do for you, and how it can change your life and the way you use the internet, then you should certainly wait for these Apple headsets. It is safe to assume that Apple will find some amazing ways to fit its headset into our daily lives, making those more convenient, and also more affordable.
The first-gen Apple Vision Pro is not yet launched and the final reviews and outcomes will come once it is out in the market. As we get more information about the technology and the product, we will give you updates. Till then, keep reading!
