Apple Reveals 'Vision Pro' Headset and visionOS

[Mr. Dee]

I always jump in at rev 3, so, I probably won't own one until 2026 or 2027. Can I afford it next year, yes. Would I? Absolutely not! I know the value of my hard earned money. Remember, the first iPhone cost like $600, Apple dropped the price and increased the storage on basic the model by fall. Now you can get an iPhone SE for 399 with 100x more capabilities.

The original 9.7 inch iPad cost $499, now its 329 and you can get it cheaper on Amazon or Costco.

The Apple Watch had a 17,000 dollar model and you had ceramic models that were over $1,000 dollars. Now you can get an SE for $250.

A 128K Mac in 1984 was $2,500 or $7,000 adjusted for inflation. Now you can get a super powerful, all in one 24 inch display for 1,099 or a Mac Mini for 499.

You see where this is going?

I predicted it yesterday that Apple's intention was to take the next leap in computing. The Mac is a 40 year old, mature, safe business in 2024, but what comes next? Today was 1984, 2007, 2010 and 2014.

We really should encourage this especially from the app developer perspective and encourage Apple to keep pushing the boundaries and ultimately pushing the industry forward. We will all benefit for it. The chemistries in battery technology, allows, display technology and breathable material is gonna get even better.

Right now I am using an iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 3 and they are antiquated by todays standards. When you think about all the advances in neural engines, processing power, 5G networks, AI that's in newer iPhone and Apple Watches.

Apple deserves 10 years to make this even better. And yes, they finally cracked it, they figured this out, something Meta had a head start on for more than a decade. Microsoft sputtered out with HoloLens. But Apple swooped in and owned it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I always jump in at rev 3, so, I probably won't own one until 2026 or 2027. Can I afford it next year, yes. Would I? Absolutely not! I know the value of my hard earned money. Remember, the first iPhone cost like $600, Apple dropped the price and increased the storage on basic the model by fall. Now you can get an iPhone SE for 399 with 100x more capabilities.

The original 9.7 inch iPad cost $499, now its 329 and you can get it cheaper on Amazon or Costco.

The Apple Watch had a 17,000 dollar model and you had ceramic models that were over $1,000 dollars. Now you can get an SE for $250.

A 128K Mac in 1984 was $2,500 or $7,000 adjusted for inflation. Now you can get a super powerful, all in one 24 inch display for 1,099 or a Mac Mini for 499.

You see where this is going?

I predicted it yesterday that Apple's intention was to take the next leap in computing. The Mac is a 40 year old, mature, safe business in 2024, but what comes next? Today was 1984, 2007, 2010 and 2014.

We really should encourage this especially from the app developer perspective and encourage Apple to keep pushing the boundaries and ultimately pushing the industry forward. We will all benefit for it. The chemistries in battery technology, allows, display technology and breathable material is gonna get even better.

Right now I am using an iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 3 and they are antiquated by todays standards. When you think about all the advances in neural engines, processing power, 5G networks, AI that's in newer iPhone and Apple Watches.

Apple deserves 10 years to make this even better. And yes, they finally cracked it, they figured this out, something Meta had a head start on for more than a decade. Microsoft sputtered out with HoloLens. But Apple swooped in and owned it.

The whole thing is based on the notion that the average, everyday consumer wants to be immersed in their phones/computers via a headset. So far we’ve seen no evidence that people generally want to wear a computer on their faces and we haven’t been shown a single “wow!” application for it.

The idea that Apple should take ten years to develop a product that there’s no evident demand for and an operating system for a way of working with computers that we don’t know if anyone wants is mind boggling.

If this were a Jobs era product my opinion might be different but I have no confidence that Tim Cook is the kind of visionary that’s required to make this work. Instead it looks like a guy trying to beat Facebook at a game they’re already losing without any help from Apple and a legacy of innovation for his tenure. I seriously doubt either will be achieved. Nothing about this product says “revolutionary” or “innovative” or even useful outside of some very limited and niche applications.

 

[frownface]

3.5k USD + tax means it's going to be well above 5k AUD here in Aussieland, won't be at all surprised if the sticker price is 5,999 AUD.

That'd be a seriously tough pill to swallow.

 

[dbwie]

The idea of using your mac laptop and then creating additional screens around it, for productivity purposes, was pretty wild. Goodbye fancy desk with multiple monitors, etc. Spatial computing, such potential. This could make my remote work more immersive and interesting, someday. This is the start of something potentially big, let’s see what developers can do to add value to it.

 

[ikramerica]

App would still not be fully beneficial. Subconsciously you would still know you are alone. Even if you aren't practicing vs the real thing is still a hurdle. It's like practicing dancing. But when you dance at prom or wedding you are still nervous if you are historically bad at dancing.

Don’t imagine the audience naked. Imagine them having sex.

 

[anshuvorty]

Wonder if part of the high price is the availability of a personal fitting appt like Patel got where they scan your head to determine the right headband and to add prescription lenses? I assume you would have to live near an Apple Store for this.

The high price is due to the novel tech and materials used for this gen 1 product. They just can't mass produce this item in enough quantity to lower the price to a more reasonable amount.

 

[ikramerica]

Alright Cook, this is your baby. Steve Jobs is looking 👀 down on you, don’t disappoint him. I’m liking what I am seeing, but the price tag 🏷️ is a bit much for me. Will wait till about 8 generations to possibly get it. By then we should know, cheers 🥂

Prices could come down. We just got a 55” Sony OLED TV for $800. 2 years ago that TV was $3000.

Apple doesn’t have a history of that though.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Prices could come down. We just got a 55” Sony OLED TV for $800. 2 years ago that TV was $3000.

Apple doesn’t have a history of that though.

Apple doesn’t like to lower the price tho. Apple will eliminate and kill the product and re-introduce it back years later… before lowering the price.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Apple today revealed the "Vision Pro" headset, its first mixed-reality headset device, and visionOS, an all new operating system for the device.

Apple describes the Vision Pro headset as "a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world." The device features an all-new operating system that features a three dimensional interface. Experiences in Vision Pro aren't constrained to the boundaries of a display, users can make apps any scale, and place apps wherever they wish. Users use a combination of their eyes, hands, and voice to control the device.

Apple's Vision Pro starts at $3,499 and it will be available early next year. It will be available in Apple retail stores in the U.S. only.

Design

The entire front of the headset is made of polished glass that flows into a lightweight aluminum frame. The top of the headset features a button and a Digital Crown that lets a user control how present or immersed they are in an environment.

The headset has a modular system to achieve an optimal fit. Its battery battery is separate and links via a magnetic connection to the side of the headset.



Those who wear glasses must use magnetic prescription ZEISS glass inserts with the Vision Pro headset.

Hardware

Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two micro-OLED displays – more than a 4K for TV for each eye.

Vision Pro uses high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs that project invisible light patterns onto the user's eyes to track gaze. The headset also contains the M2 chip paired with a new "R1" chip, dedicated toward real-time sensor processing.



It also has a new Spatial Audio system with two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod, which delivers Personalized Spatial Audio based on the user's own head and ear geometry. It can match the sound to an environment using audio ray-tracing. The headset is capable of running for two hours on a single charge.

Features

The headset is controlled by a user's eyes, hands, and voice. Users can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping their fingers to select, flicking their wrist to scroll, or using voice to dictate. It also supports Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad.

The headset features passthrough video of a wearer's eyes in a feature that Apple calls "EyeSight," displaying the user's eyes to surrounding people. It uses a lenticular OLED display to show the correct perspective to anyone viewing the wearer.

Vision Pro can transform a space into a personal movie theatre and watch immersive videos. With Environments, a user's world can grow beyond the dimensions of a physical room with dynamic landscapes that can help them focus. Vision Pro also allows users to connect to their Mac and expand its display in a virtual space, including alongside apps running on Vision Pro itself.

In FaceTime calls, everyone on the call is reflected in life-size tiles. Users wearing Vision Pro during a FaceTime call are shown as a Persona — a digital representation of themselves.

Optic ID uses a wearer's iris to authenticate users and unlock the Vision Pro headset. Vision Pro is also "Apple's first 3D camera," showing depth in video with... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Apple Reveals 'Vision Pro' Headset and visionOS

Finally got to watch the keynote and noticed a few things:

"I've been waiting a long time for this."
"I believe that AR ... "
Tim Cook's SPECIFIC words ... not "We Believe that AR" but "I believe" so this is a VERY personal project endeavour by Tim and he's staking his claim - if nobody hasn't noticed but to the industry that THIS is HIS Apple now and forever.

The first person to kick off Apple Vision Pro is Alan Dye.
paraphrasing here 'Every major product category by Apple has been led by an innovative user interface. The Macintosh, it was the mouse, the iPod, it was the click-wheel, and iPhone Multi-Touch.'

ABSOLUTELY NO mention of the Digital Crown as an innovative user UI ... was there some BAD blood between him and Jony Ive?! Hmmm. yes the Digital Crown was mentioned yet only for its existence and specific 2 point purpose of being there. That's harsh!

This ... ignoring the great introductions and creations of executives of the past that have CLEARLY LED Apple a the industry and done Apple users and fans great is CHEAP, CHILDISH and ignorant! It started with Forestall regarding Apple Maps: yet COMPLETELY ignored his major contribution of iOS based on OS X and the complete maniacal focus for icon clarity and depth on iPhoneOS -to-iOS to ENSURE iOS didn't look like a cheap second, third, or fourth rate knock off (Android, Windows Mobile 7, and any other failed OS before it: BeOS, S60/UIQ - Symbian-based OS', JavaOS, etc), along with Time Machine (a function that even Windows 11 STILL doesn't have, nor Windows Server built-in), iPadOS as well. Then here today (or yesterday technically) its again Jony Ive!

Jony Ive brought us:
20TH Anniversary Mac (a future design that led to the LCD based iMac's)
iMac OG and every iteration including and up to the iMac Pro!
PowerBook G4 Titanium and G4 Aluminum series.
PolyCarbonite iBook,
MacBook Pro 2008 onward to 2016-2019 generation.
iPod,
iPhone ... up to iPhone 11 (I think): the 4/4S, 5/5S amongst the best of the design's from him. The 12-14 homage to those.
iPad and iPad Pro design that STILL have his design template!
PowerMac G3, G4, G5,
Mac Pro to the current design.

Whose contributions will be next to be ignored I wonder.

 

[Mr. Dee]

The whole thing is based on the notion that the average, everyday consumer wants to be immersed in their phones/computers via a headset. So far we’ve seen no evidence that people generally want to wear a computer on their faces and we haven’t been shown a single “wow!” application for it.

The idea that Apple should take ten years to develop a product that there’s no evident demand for and an operating system for a way of working with computers that we don’t know if anyone wants is mind boggling.

If this were a Jobs era product my opinion might be different but I have no confidence that Tim Cook is the kind of visionary that’s required to make this work. Instead it looks like a guy trying to beat Facebook at a game they’re already losing without any help from Apple and a legacy of innovation for his tenure. I seriously doubt either will be achieved. Nothing about this product says “revolutionary” or “innovative” or even useful outside of some very limited and niche applications.

Its a contextual device and as demonstrated, you can immerse yourself or you can dial out and make it spatial. I don't expect it to replace an iPhone, Mac or iPad anytime soon, probably never will. In fact, Apple would rather you have them all. But there are a lot of people who live alone. I watch movies, documentaries and TV shows by myself in my room most of the time. Millions of people around the world do. The last time I went to the theatre with my previous roommate, he annoyed the hell out of me and other patrons. I swore I would never do it again and I haven't. I went to watch Avatar Way of Water by myself and other movies like NOPE and enjoyed it thoroughly without companionship. Yes, there were people in the theater, Apple could add a sound effect feature if you want to feel like you are sitting with an audience.

Its at an awkward point and I admit, its not really attractive. But I think with iterations it will get better in the coming years. But I see applications where it can make sense. Removing the need for physical displays is the biggest one. As desktop tech, I service a lot of office computers and most of the time, these users are locked in their offices by themselves. Even if you are working in a group setting with nearby colleagues, just the ability to drown out your surrounds is a big win.

 

[williambloke]

 

[steveballmer]

None of the kind of professionals you listed will be using this over a physical monitor. I say that as one of those kinds of professionals.

Well I've been one of those kinds of professionals for 25 years. And my Dad is bigger than your Dad. My hubris detectors are pinging hard. We don't have long to wait to find out whether that frantic, flapping sound is your pride before a fall.

 

[svish]

Good product. But when Apple manages to release the AR glasses in the future at a much cheaper price, this category of products will be very successful. This product will be very convenient to wear.

Don’t see many people using Vision Pro continuously for a long time.

 

[Tdude96]

The thing I’m most interested in with this is the quality of the cameras for the AR. The demo was too slick in this regard, with most of the “real” rooms looking cgi. How immersive will plopping a cinema screen in your living room be if the shutter speed is slow for the room around the screen or if there’s noisy shadows, etc.

The Microsoft HoloLens 2 is at the same price point as Vision Pro. I tried the HoloLens 2 before my company bought some sets and was impressed with the image quality, although I did not have the opportunity to try outside of a well-lit convention center, so can't say how well those handle low-light or sub-optimal situations. Nonetheless, I imagine Apple's device will be even better.

The other thing that impressed me was that the HoloLens didn't make me sick. It disoriented me at first, but I didn't feel ill, and quickly got over the disorientation. They were too heavy for comfort during extended use. 3D movies and cheap VR devices always make me feel ill almost instantly. Again, I anticipate Apple will also manage not to make me sick and reduce the amount of discomfort users might experience with extended wear.

 

[andyorkney]

drone pilots - wonder if the hardware will be restricted from sale in some jurisdiction?

 

[Born Again]

Young whippersnappers, back in my day we actually made eye contact. Now you can just physically hide your face too.

I’m absolutely certain virtual reality is the next step for consumer tech. Whether or not it’s this release, think 10 years down the future. Everyone maxed their immersion and just a sea of glasses.

Many are seeing it ugly, but I envisioned it even bulkier. You need the resolution, sound, and your vision completely covered. Glasses alone won’t do that, yet.

Let’s be real, many of the early adopters will immerse themselves in a certain genre of “artistic” filmography. Just sitting on the sofa next to me-maw.

This is strictly for people with poor monetary constraint.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Some of the descriptions of the Vision Pro imply that it will take and store photos in storage built into the headset, instead of needing to send them to an external Apple device (Macbook, iPhone, etc.). These descriptions also imply that you'll be able to take stereo "3D" photos using two of the Vision Pro's front-facing cameras. So will we be seeing a modern return of the View-Master?

 

[Born Again]

The Microsoft HoloLens 2 is at the same price point as Vision Pro. I tried the HoloLens 2 before my company bought some sets and was impressed with the image quality, although I did not have the opportunity to try outside of a well-lit convention center, so can't say how well those handle low-light or sub-optimal situations. Nonetheless, I imagine Apple's device will be even better.

The other thing that impressed me was that the HoloLens didn't make me sick. It disoriented me at first, but I didn't feel ill, and quickly got over the disorientation. They were too heavy for comfort during extended use. 3D movies and cheap VR devices always make me feel ill almost instantly. Again, I anticipate Apple will also manage not to make me sick and reduce the amount of discomfort users might experience with extended wear.

and where is halo lens today? some would say it's not halo but hallow. /s

 

[Surf Monkey]

Its a contextual device and as demonstrated, you can immerse yourself or you can dial out and make it spatial. I don't expect it to replace an iPhone, Mac or iPad anytime soon, probably never will. In fact, Apple would rather you have them all. But there are a lot of people who live alone. I watch movies, documentaries and TV shows by myself in my room most of the time. Millions of people around the world do. The last time I went to the theatre with my previous roommate, he annoyed the hell out of me and other patrons. I swore I would never do it again and I haven't. I went to watch Avatar Way of Water by myself and other movies like NOPE and enjoyed it thoroughly without companionship. Yes, there were people in the theater, Apple could add a sound effect feature if you want to feel like you are sitting with an audience.

Its at an awkward point and I admit, its not really attractive. But I think with iterations it will get better in the coming years. But I see applications where it can make sense. Removing the need for physical displays is the biggest one. As desktop tech, I service a lot of office computers and most of the time, these users are locked in their offices by themselves. Even if you are working in a group setting with nearby colleagues, just the ability to drown out your surrounds is a big win.

Even in “reality mode” you’re still looking at the world second hand via screens. It’s sort of remarkable that people don’t see why this is an issue.

 

[Elohim369]

Nilay Patel (The Verge) also wrote his thoughts - I wore the Apple Vision Pro. It’s the best headset demo ever.

Confirms exactly what I was thinking - a huge amount of "shock and awe" technology desperately in search of a use case.

I do hope that there are only a handful of people in the world who show up at their kids birthday party wearing these on their head.... if that's a popular use case I will have to leave society and move to the woods....

 

[Surf Monkey]

Well I've been one of those kinds of professionals for 25 years. And my Dad is bigger than your Dad. My hubris detectors are pinging hard. We don't have long to wait to find out whether that frantic, flapping sound is your pride before a fall.

Curious lack of a sense of irony you’ve cultivated. Exceptionally defensive too.

 

[sunapple]

I always jump in at rev 3, so, I probably won't own one until 2026 or 2027. Can I afford it next year, yes. Would I? Absolutely not! I know the value of my hard earned money. Remember, the first iPhone cost like $600, Apple dropped the price and increased the storage on basic the model by fall. Now you can get an iPhone SE for 399 with 100x more capabilities.

The original 9.7 inch iPad cost $499, now its 329 and you can get it cheaper on Amazon or Costco.

The Apple Watch had a 17,000 dollar model and you had ceramic models that were over $1,000 dollars. Now you can get an SE for $250.

A 128K Mac in 1984 was $2,500 or $7,000 adjusted for inflation. Now you can get a super powerful, all in one 24 inch display for 1,099 or a Mac Mini for 499.

You see where this is going?

I predicted it yesterday that Apple's intention was to take the next leap in computing. The Mac is a 40 year old, mature, safe business in 2024, but what comes next? Today was 1984, 2007, 2010 and 2014.

We really should encourage this especially from the app developer perspective and encourage Apple to keep pushing the boundaries and ultimately pushing the industry forward. We will all benefit for it. The chemistries in battery technology, allows, display technology and breathable material is gonna get even better.

Right now I am using an iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 3 and they are antiquated by todays standards. When you think about all the advances in neural engines, processing power, 5G networks, AI that's in newer iPhone and Apple Watches.

Apple deserves 10 years to make this even better. And yes, they finally cracked it, they figured this out, something Meta had a head start on for more than a decade. Microsoft sputtered out with HoloLens. But Apple swooped in and owned it.

The price comparisons are poorly chosen IMO. The difference for iPhone of iPad is barely there, they have gotten more expensive actually looking at the top end. This Vision Pro ship as high end first, low end later. That’s already a given. Just don’t know what features they’re cutting.

I think that if you bought iPhone X at launch, you’re an early adopter willing to pay the premium which goes against your argument. But maybe you got it a while later, though then the XS or 11 would have been the “matured product”.

 

[Elohim369]

I wonder how fast my eyes will burn out from using VisionPro so that I need to replace them with prosthetics and eliminate the need to wear VR.

That's where Neuralink comes in, Elon's got you covered...

 

[sunapple]

Confirms exactly what I was thinking - a huge amount of "shock and awe" technology desperately in search of a use case.

I do hope that there are only a handful of people in the world who show up at their kids birthday party wearing these on their head.... if that's a popular use case I will have to leave society and move to the woods....

iPhone transformed the industry on shear hardware at launch, but in the next years more so through its apps. Vision Pro could follow the same steps.

 

[sunapple]

The whole thing is based on the notion that the average, everyday consumer wants to be immersed in their phones/computers via a headset. So far we’ve seen no evidence that people generally want to wear a computer on their faces and we haven’t been shown a single “wow!” application for it.

The idea that Apple should take ten years to develop a product that there’s no evident demand for and an operating system for a way of working with computers that we don’t know if anyone wants is mind boggling.

If this were a Jobs era product my opinion might be different but I have no confidence that Tim Cook is the kind of visionary that’s required to make this work. Instead it looks like a guy trying to beat Facebook at a game they’re already losing without any help from Apple and a legacy of innovation for his tenure. I seriously doubt either will be achieved. Nothing about this product says “revolutionary” or “innovative” or even useful outside of some very limited and niche applications.

I feel like you are describing the same challenges as iPhone had, but are just lacking confidence in Apple as a company right now.

How about this logic; they have the most money, can pay for the best people and are lead by someone who has made Apple very valuable over the last years. It’s a different situation but could work out all the same.

Vision Pro is very much a vision of the future though, would expect slower adaptation this time around.