On the day of the launch of the Vision Pro headset, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to ABC reporters in New York. He spoke about the vision of the future of such devices.
“I think it [Apple Vision Pro] will be used in many different ways because it’s a spatial computer. You know, the iPhone introduced us to the mobile computer. The Mac introduced us to personal computers. This is the first spatial computer,” Cook said.
“The company has several of these. Most companies don’t have them. We’ve had the Mac, the iPod, the iPad, the iPad, the iPhone, the Apple Watch and now the Vision Pro. This is one of those moments.”
“People will interact with it in different ways. Some will connect to it with FaceTime. Others will train with it. Surgeons will train on it. The number of use cases is like a computer. It’s just enormous. There are already over 1 million applications for it.”
As for whether Vision Pro could lead to people further disconnecting from each other, Cook said its ability to “augment your reality” is there to counteract that. Regarding Vision Pro’s $3500 price point, Cook emphasized that it is “tomorrow’s technology today.”
“This is the technology of tomorrow today, that’s how I think about it. We have 5,000 patents on the product. So we’ve really relied on that. And I’m hoping that somebody will pay for it on a monthly basis who will just buy it. I’ve talked to a lot of people online, they’re just going to buy it. But over time, there’s no telling what’s going to happen. But we think we priced it right today.”
The first Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, is set to launch in the US market this coming Friday. Some foreign publications were able to get their hands on the novelty ahead of schedule and have already prepared reviews of this device. Let’s focus on the main conclusions that reviewers made after testing Apple Vision Pro at home.
Vision Pro, according to Apple, is the beginning of so-called “spatial computing”, which essentially boils down to running applications around the user.
With the new headset integrated into Apple’s ecosystem, a user can perform tasks ranging from watching movies or TV shows on a huge 4K HDR virtual display to displaying a work environment from a Mac screen, including Excel, Webex, and Slack.
The headset brings together a number of technologies, solutions, and devices that the user has to wear on their face. Because of this, the company had to make a number of compromises. For example, to reduce the load on the head, the headset receives power from an external source. Even so, the device is quite heavy and can cause discomfort during prolonged use.
Apple Vision Pro is characterized by thoughtful design, quality materials, and good manufacturing. The MicroOLED displays are praised for their high resolution, high brightness, and good color reproduction. When wearing the headset, the user is completely isolated from the outside world, but continues to see it through the external cameras thanks to the video pass-through feature. However, this solution has some drawbacks such as motion blur, noise, limited color range, and narrow field of view. These are especially apparent in low-light conditions.
The eye- and hand-tracking-based control system received separate praise. It is “light-years ahead of any other consumer hand or eye tracking system.”
“You look at the things you want to control, you press your fingers to control them, and that’s how you navigate the entire interface. You don’t reach out and touch objects: rather your eyes are the mouse and your fingers are the button. You squeeze them together to click what you’re looking at.”
This system isn’t always convenient, though. Sometimes it makes it difficult to use the headset, as “having to look at what you want to control is actually quite distracting.”
Overall, The Verge reviewer praised the Vision Pro for its excellent display, good hand and eye tracking, and seamless experience with Apple’s ecosystem.
At the same time, the novelty has a number of drawbacks, one of which is the high price of $3499. The image in end-to-end video mode can be blurry, and hand and eye tracking ─ inconsistent and frustrating. Another reviewer notes that the characters are supernatural and somewhat intimidating, and the headset is “pretty lonely.”
Don’t use Apple Vision Pro while driving ─ U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Since the Vision Pro went on sale last week, the expensive augmented reality headset has been seen in a variety of unusual places, from the gym to airplanes. However, after one owner was spotted with the headset on his head while driving a Tesla Cybertruck on the highway, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigich issued a warning, reminding people to use common sense.
In a post on X (Twitter) along with an excerpt from the original video, Buttigich reiterated that “ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control at all times and fully engaged in the driving process.” Similarly, Apple’s headset comes with multiple warnings advising users not to use it while “operating a moving vehicle” or in “any other situation requiring attention to safety.”
After Minister Buttigich’s publication, the creator of the original video, Dante Lentini, told the media that the footage was a “parody” made with friends and the headset was only worn for 30-40 seconds while driving. Additionally, Lentini claims that the footage of him getting arrested was staged in the prank.
It’s important to note that the Cybertruck comes standard with Tesla’s Autopilot system. But that feature has yet to be activated for the first wave of Founder’s Edition vehicles. That means Lentini was driving down the highway with a headset on his head without the aid of any advanced driver assistance systems.
