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Apple launches Vision Pro augmented/virtual realty headset

By David Laycock • Published: 06 Jun 2023 • 19:49

Apple's Vision Pro

Apple launches Vision Pro augmented/virtual realty headset Credit: Apple Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

Apple have launched their new augmented/virtual reality headset with an announcement yesterday, June 5. The price tag is high at $3,500 but much is promised of their new flagship design. 

Apple announced that they will launch their new headset at the astonishing price of $3,500. But how does it compare to the much lower-priced alternatives?

The Verge posted this video showcase of the impressive-looking goggles on Twitter saying:  “We got a first look at Apple’s new Vision Pro headset at #WWDC23“.

This product won’t be available until 2024, and then only in the US, but what sets it apart from the alternatives? Meta (Facebook) already has headsets on the market with its Quest 2, a mere $300. Their pro version is around $1,000 and so still distinctly cheaper than Apple.

And Meta are planning to release a Quest 3 model later this year, which will again be considerably cheaper and beat Apple to market as it is expected around October 2023.

Apple will be relying on their staggering augmented reality vision to justify the Vision Pro‘s hefty price tag. Ben Lang posted a video on Twitter showing what the user experience of the product might look like:

“So everyone knows, the videos Apple showed like this of Vision Pro is the headset’s actual interface, and these are actual inputs from the user, not concept animations. The only thing not representative of use here is the background image quality and the field-of-view.”

Features like the above really set the Vision Pro apart. This replaces your computer monitor with direct Mac integration (of course! Apple really want you to buy all their products) but can give you so much more.

Their selling point on the price is that it rivals the price point of a top-end home cinema system. You can have the biggest (virtual) home cinema system going, but detractors of course would argue that home cinema is a shared experience and that would multiply the price per viewer.

Hayden Bowles has posted this video on Twitter saying: “One of the key features of Apple Vision Pro is Mac integration. Put on the headset and control your Mac in a full 3D world.”

Other next-generation features include:

Eyesight: This feature allows people around you to look at a real-time simulation of your eye movements on the outside of the goggles. Maybe this sounds gimmicky but it helps differentiate whether you are in an augmented reality or virtual reality experience.

Advanced Cameras: Extensive infrared cameras track a greater range of physical movement to negate the need for handheld motion trackers.

AI Persona: This is a powerful avatar that represents you in video calls, tracking facial movements and gestures.

Pelabur Bijak posted this image on Twitter comparing the 2013 Google Glass with the Apple Vision Pro.

This yet-to-launch product is getting lots of people hot under the collar – as is so often the case with new Apple products – but we must wait until next year to gauge whether it can emulate Mac and iPhone success.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

David Laycock

Dave Laycock has always written. Poems, songs, essays, academic papers as well as newspaper articles; the written word has always held a great fascination for him and he is never happier than when being creative. From a musical background, Dave has travelled the world performing and also examining for a British music exam board. He also writes, produces and performs and records music. All this aside, he is currently fully focussed on his journalism and can’t wait to share more stories from around the world and beyond.

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