Apple Vision Pro is the company’s first major new product since the Apple Watch in 2015.
This is a $3500-dollar headset that does both virtual and augmented reality and it’s available starting today.
Apple announced the product about seven months ago at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference. CEO Tim Cook even broke out the classic Steve Jobs line, saying “We do have one more thing.”
The futuristic-looking headset has twelve cameras, five sensors and six microphones.
Apple has been careful in its launch strategy for the device, which they are calling a spatial computer, which has the equivalent of a 4K TV inside for each eye.
You control it with a combination of eye tracking and hand gestures.
“You’re wearing a computer on your face and it feels like that right now,” said Joanna Stern, a technology columnist at the Wall Street Journal and among those who got an early review unit before launch.
She says the image quality is excellent and the focus on the real world, not just a virtual one, is notable.
“It’s just, it’s intuitive. It feels almost second nature after you’ve used this thing for a little bit,” said Stern.
I’ve also worn it twice and shared my experience in a blog post here.
Once I put it on and the screen came to life, “It was at this moment where I smiled and realized the world has changed, once again,” I said.
The experience is impressive, and although Apple is pushing the idea of working in the headset, entertainment will be a big early use.
Movies look great on the virtual big screen and so do photos and videos in 3D.
Still, apps are launch are limited. YouTube, Spotify and Netflix aren’t fully supporting the headset just yet. They’ll probably come around.
Apple says more than 600 apps are optimized for the headset, including Disney+, Max along with apps from the NBA, MLB, Microsoft and Zillow.
“Sure, Apple’s going to sell a lot of these to early adopters right now, but this is not a mainstream product. And so does that make developers not want to sort of invest in it right now?,” wondered Stern.
Still, early reviews agree the experience is transformative, but note the expensive price tag of the headset. Plus, some say it can feel heavy to wear after long periods. The external battery pack lasts about 2 hours, although you can plug it in directly to a wall.
Will this be the next big thing? Until transparent glasses can do something similar, headsets like these will continue to inch ahead in our world, providing all kinds of little use cases including working, entertainment, virtual research, education, travel and more.
