The augmented and virtual reality headset known as Apple Vision Pro has been in development for more than ten years. When the device was unveiled at WWDC 2023 in June, Vision Pro was the company's first foray into a new product category since the 2015 Apple Watch. Early 2024 is the planned launch date.

Even though the Apple Vision Pro is undoubtedly a headset, Apple does not call it one. Apple refers to it as a spatial computer instead since it can combine digital content with the real environment.

The Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset that shows immersive, fully virtual information overlaid on the actual world. It's important to note, however, that the headset is not transparent. You just see digital images. Apple employs cameras to map out your surroundings for augmented reality content that does not make them vanish. This information is then converted into a digital image that has virtual elements added.

Apple turns off those cameras to create the illusion that you are completely cut off from your surroundings during a virtual reality encounter, allowing you to concentrate solely on the content being shown on the headset's screens. A digital crown located on the device can be used to manage this transition between the "real" and the "immersive".

Apple Vision Pro has a similar design to a pair of ski goggles since it has a single front piece of laminated glass that blends into an aluminum alloy frame. Light-blocking soft, fitting Light Seals that fit over your face and are magnetically attached to the frame.

What is the Vision Pro?

Apple essentially wants you to do everything with the Vision Pro. Your work can be dispersed across many sizable digital monitors that are hidden from view from everyone else in the space. On a virtual screen that is 100 feet wide, you may also watch movies, play games, and FaceTime with pals. Apple Immersive Video, which combines a 180-degree view of material with spatial audio, will be supported by the headset.

One significant benefit is that you'll be able to use your regular apps on other Apple products, like the iPhone and Mac. These include Messages, Apple Arcade, and Safari.

However, Apple is making some tweaks to those apps that are special to headsets, so they might not function exactly as they do on other Apple devices. The most severe application of this concept to date is FaceTime: A 3D digital avatar known as a Persona, which is used for video calls, substitutes for you because you're wearing a headset that mostly hides your face. (When you set up the Vision Pro, you create a Persona by having your face scanned.)

A new operating system dubbed visionOS powers the headgear and all of its applications. Additionally, it will have its version of the App Store, which Apple undoubtedly expects to be fully loaded upon release. When the Vision Pro goes on sale, Apple claims that "hundreds of thousands" of iPhone and iPad apps will be compatible with it. Disney CEO Bob Iger made the Disney+ for the Vision Pro announcement at his WWDC appearance.

To give developers the chance to create new apps (or adapt current ones) for the platform that makes use of its AR and VR features, Apple unveiled the headgear so many months before its scheduled introduction. For example, apps might use the 3D camera to record three-dimensional photos and videos.

The major qualification is that until someone outside of Apple has the chance to test it, no one will truly know what the Vision Pro is capable of. Furthermore, hardly one is aware of how cozy it is to use for extended periods. Headsets for virtual reality and augmented reality frequently make people feel dizzy or nauseous. A mixed-reality device is useless if users want to throw up after using it for a short period, even if it has excellent processing and optical capabilities.

Those who saw a preview of the Vision Pro at WWDC were quick to praise it as an excellent engineering achievement, but several questioned whether using an AR/VR headset for FaceTime calls is the best option.

The device's technology is superior to that of headsets from Meta, Magic Leap, and Sony, according to Brian X. Chen, a technology columnist for the New York Times. However, Chen notes that he found the new FaceTime Persona function to be uncomfortable.

After spending the first three years of the pandemic largely alone, Apple wanted me to interact with what was essentially a deep fake video of a real person. I could sense my defenses coming up," he writes.

Marques Brownlee, who runs the tech YouTube channel MKBHD, was most pleased by the Vision Pro's eye tracking, hand-gesture detection, and fluid scrolling. However, according to Brownlee, the headset's weight, lack of haptic input from the controllers, and bizarre FaceTime Persona are drawbacks.

The Value Label

The $3,499 price tag on the Apple Vision Pro VR AR headset makes it apparent that it is not intended for the average user. However, let's be honest: Apple products have never been known for being inexpensive, so why change now? After all, it's a negligible cost to pay to have the chance to fully immerse yourself in the world of augmented and virtual reality.

Conclusion

The Apple Vision Pro VR AR headgear provides a fascinating insight into the future of augmented and virtual reality technology, despite its drawbacks and expensive price tag. It will undoubtedly be popular among affluent and stylish tech fans thanks to its cutting-edge functionality and striking style. Furthermore, there is always the possibility that later models will be more reasonably priced and improved for individuals who just can't get past the price or the present restrictions. Accept the sarcasm and sardonic tone of this review and make your judgment on whether the Apple Vision Pro VR AR headset is pricey or not. The future is already here and is just waiting for you to dig in.