In a highly anticipated announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook has finally lifted the veil on the company's latest innovation, the Vision Pro VR headset. With a price tag of $3,499, (approximately Rs. 2,88,700) the device promises to revolutionize the way users interact with digital content and their surroundings. Cook described Vision Pro as a breakthrough in spatial computing, blurring the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds.
Alan Dye, Apple's Vice President of Human Interface, showcased the headset's capabilities, highlighting its ability to seamlessly merge augmented reality (AR) with virtual reality (VR) experiences. Users can now immerse themselves in fully immersive VR spaces or interact with apps and experiences that blend into their own surroundings in AR mode.
Dye emphasized that Vision Pro relies solely on natural interactions, leveraging the user's eyes, hands, and voice. Browsing the system is as simple as looking at app icons, which come to life upon gaze, while selection is done by tapping fingers together and scrolling by gently flicking. In AR mode, the innovative "EyeSight" feature simulates a transparent screen, displaying users' eyes on the front screen, enabling more natural interaction with those around them.
Apple ensured that users remain present in their physical space while using Vision Pro, thanks to its clear vision of the real world. The device allows users to multitask effortlessly, reviewing to-do lists, and notes, and even browsing Safari while listening to music and typing. Moreover, Vision Pro seamlessly integrates with Bluetooth accessories and wirelessly connects to Mac devices just by looking at them.
The headset not only supports apps specifically developed for Vision Pro but also runs iOS apps, appearing as a floating screen in front of the user. During a demonstration, Apple showcased a FaceTime conversation in AR, with contacts appearing as screens floating around the user. Vision Pro employs machine learning to create a dynamic digital representation of the user, mimicking facial and hand movements.
As an entertainment device, Vision Pro offers an unparalleled experience with its "3D camera" that allows users to capture spatial photos. It also enables users to enjoy conventional VR experiences, such as watching movies in virtual cinemas and playing immersive games from Apple Arcade. Apple claims that the quality of the 3D experience provided by Vision Pro is unmatched by any other device on the market.
In response to Apple's announcement, industry rivals have taken different approaches. Mark Zuckerberg pre-emptively unveiled Meta Quest 3, the follow-up to Facebook's flagship VR device, while HTC's co-founder Cher Wang warmly welcomed Apple's entry into the extended reality (XR) community.
Although Apple may be late to the VR headset market, its introduction of the Vision Pro has sent shockwaves through the industry, leaving competitors scrambling to keep pace with the tech giant's ground-breaking foray into spatial computing.