Days after Apple halted sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the US due to an ongoing dispute with Masimo, the tech giant has announced its plan to launch Vision Pro by February next year.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, production in Apple has been proceeding smoothly, as the company wants to ensure Vision Pro is ready by the end of January and in retail stores by February, like what they promised in June.
Furthermore, Gurman highlighted that due to the Vision Pro’s initial launch in the US , limited supply and its hefty $3,500 price tag, there will not be another Vision Pro event when the device launches. In addition, since Vision Pro will arrive in the US first, Apple has tasked its employees to prepare and demonstrate the product due to its delicacy.
Apple Employees Will Demonstrate Vision Pro in Retail Shops
As mentioned earlier, due to the Vision Pro’s delicate design and costly price tag, Apple is taking its purchasers into account by employing staff at retail stores in Cupertino to prepare and demonstrate the product to them.
For example, employees will learn how the Vision Pro works, what features to point out when talking to prospective buyers, and how to attach the headband, Light Seal, and Zeiss prescription lenses.
It is a much-needed procedure as the staff must ensure customers have the right headband size and Light Seal for an appropriate fit, or the content displayed would look blurry, and the device might feel too heavy. There will also be an app that can scan a customer’s face to determine appropriate headbands and Light Seal, but the app’s recommendations must undergo staff reviews before proceeding.
4 Things to Know About the Apple Vision Pro
1) A Spatial Computer Instead of Headset
Firstly, the Apple Vision Pro’s high-price tag is due to its mixed-reality headset that displays augmented reality content overlaid on the world around you and immersive entirely virtual content. Although it is undeniably a headset, Apple prefers people describing Vision Pro as a spatial computer instead.
Why so? It is due to Vision Pro’s capabilities to blend digital content with the physical world. When you equip yourself with the gadget, everything you see is digital. For example, for augmented reality content that doesn’t erase your surroundings, Apple uses a camera that maps what’s in front of you and turns it into a digital image with virtual elements.
As for virtual reality experiences, Apple turns off those cameras, giving the impression of being completely isolated from what’s happening around you, focusing only on what you see on the headset’s screen. Users would be required to have an on-device Digital Crown to switch between realistic and immersive.
2) Functions Through Eye Tracking, Hand Gestures, and Voice Commands
Diverting for other VR headsets, Vision Pro does not require controllers to function. Instead, the device relies on eye tracking, hand gestures, and voice commands.
For context, Apple Vision Pro has a dozen cameras and sensors to map the world around you and track your hand and eye movements. Thus, you can control apps by marking them visually, opening them with finger taps and scrolling with simple finger movements.
As for security, authentication uses Optic ID, which uses infrared light and a camera to scan your iris. Each person has a unique iris pattern, and Optic ID is similar to his Face ID or Touch ID. You can use the feature to unlock your device, shop, replace your password, and more.
3) Camera and Battery
Moving on, the Apple Vision Pro will have a built-in camera powered by tapping on the top button of the device to take 3D photos and videos. According to Apple, users can capture videos and pictures in 3D and relive those memories like never before due to its 12-camera set-up.
As a side note, Vision Pro displays that recording is happening with an animation on the external display when you are recording video.
Besides the lack of controllers, Vision Pro does not come with batteries due to weight constraints. Alternatively, it can be powered by a battery pack that you wear on your waist or from a braided cable that connects to an adapter. Based on the tech giant words, the battery provides 2 hours of life on a single charge.
4) visionOS
Lastly, the Apple Vision Pro will run on visionOS, an operating system Apple specifically developed for the spatial computer. According to Apple, it is the first spatial operating system because it can be controlled with eyes and hand gestures, with no physical controls necessary.
Furthermore, Apple has redesigned apps like Safari, FaceTime, and Messages to work in a 3D environment and a designated App Store for the operation system.
Users can also utilise the visionOS operating system to run iPhone and iPad apps. All you need to do is connect Vision Pro to your Mac with your headset as a display. The operating system also works with Bluetooth accessories for text input and control and uses virtual typing and text dictation.
Also Read: Apple Embraces RCS Support for iPhones in 2024
Parting Notes
While it seems imminent for Vision Pro to arrive in retail shops in the US in February, there is still a means of precaution as production issues or other problems could lead to a delayed launch.
Follow our Facebook and Twitter social media pages for the latest news regarding the product and other trending news circulating the web.