It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am an Apple fan and that love runs deep. However, it’s hard to be a self-titled super fan and constantly bring Apple up in conversation when the company hasn’t unveiled anything completely new since 2015 and instead has focused on improving its current offerings… until now.
After decades of whispers, rumours and outright speculation, Apple has officially announced the Vision Pro; cue fainting and screaming here. For those who might not be Apple-obsessed like me, the Vision Pro is Apple’s first-ever attempt at a R/AR headset. Still, because it’s Apple, you know this thing will be next level when it comes to features and improvements.
Referred to by Apple as a spatial computer, the Vision Pro will run an entirely new operating system, visionOS. The display system will consist of 23 million pixels, translating to more pixels than if you had a 4K TV strapped to each eye. These pixels will be split across two micro OLED screens. [Sounds expensive. -Ed]
The headset will also come with custom catadioptric lenses for incredible sharpness, clarity, wide colour, and high dynamic range. Suppose you struggle with your eyesight as I do. There is no need to worry because Apple includes Zeiss Optical Inserts to ensure visual fidelity and eye-tracking accuracy.
The Vision Pro does not need a computer to operate. It is powered by a custom dual-core M2 chipset, aided by an R1 chip processing input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six mics. Apple says that users can expect two hours of battery life when using the headset wirelessly or cabling it in for extended use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9qSaGXFyg
The headset is also breaking ground with a plethora of new and exciting features, with a few of the standouts being:
- The headset will unlock using Optic ID, a secure authentication system that analyses the user’s iris.
- Without physical controllers, VisionOS will be controlled using your eyes, hands and voice.
- The headset comes with EyeSight built in, which means that if someone approaches you while you have the headset on, the device will switch so that they can see an image of your eyes, while you can see them too without having to take off the headset.
- When users use the Vision Pro during a call, they get a “Persona”, essentially a digital representation of themselves created using advanced machine learning techniques, meaning your personal will reflect facial expressions and hand movements accurately and in real-time.
- The headset has an advanced Spatial Audio system and over 1000 Apple Arcade games that will be available on launch.
As of now, that’s all we know about Vision Pro. The headset will launch in the US sometime in 2024 for a cool $3,499 or R67,161 before releasing across the globe later next year. [Like a gut punch. -Ed]
What do you think about this bad boy? Are you looking into which organs are in demand on the black market? Because I know I am.
