Apple Unveils Its Professional Vision Augmented Reality Headset and visionOS Operating System
At the WWDC 2023 Conference, Apple announced its new flagship product, the Professional Vision augmented reality (AR) headset, along with its operating system, visionOS. The Professional Vision is a revolutionary product that has been in development for over a year and is packed with advanced technology that justifies its high-end price tag.
Design and Features of the Professional Vision AR Headset
With a design reminiscent of high-end ski goggles, the Professional Vision’s chassis comprises a continuous tinted front panel that wraps around the user’s eyes, concealing a fan that draws air through the ear cups to cool the electronics within. The back of the headset has a band that can be easily changed and a dial for adjusting the ear cups’ tightness.
The Professional Vision has two screens, one for each eye, with 23 million pixels in both. The user interface always stays in view thanks to a custom 3D lens that ensures its positioning. Features like HDR and “wide color” deliver a superior image quality.
The headset contains 23 sensors, including a dozen cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, with IR cameras that track the user’s eyes and downward-facing cameras that track the hands. Additionally, lidar sensors detect objects around the headset in real-time.
Professional Vision’s R1 chip is Apple-designed to “eliminate lag” and transmit images to the headset display “eight times faster than the blink of an eye.” This chip unlocks EyeSight technology that projects the user’s eyes’ live feed to the external display. The software displays the headphones transparently, though its effectiveness remains unknown and is debatable.
visionOS Operating System
VisionOS, the software that powers Professional Vision, is Apple’s first operating system built specifically for spatial computing. It shares core building blocks with the MacOS and iOS operating systems and exists as an add-on in the form of a “real-time subsystem” that processes interactive images.
The operating system has a three-dimensional interface that elevates apps beyond the confinement of screens, where they can appear next to each other at various scales. The user interface responds to natural lighting by casting shadows to communicate scale and distance.
The visionOS operating system will feature several apps designed specifically for AR and VR experiences, including Unity-based apps from Adobe, Microsoft, and other major developers. Other software includes medical apps for examining anatomy representation and an engineering app that visualizes physical phenomena, like airflow, on real-world objects.
Availability and Cost of the Professional Vision AR Headset
The Professional Vision headset is set to release in the “beginning of next year,” according to Apple. Its price is $3,499, which is more expensive than most pessimistic rumors suggested. Interested customers can visit an Apple store to book a demo and avail of the chance to customize their fit before purchasing.
Summary
Apple has taken a massive leap towards AR and VR technology with the release of its ambitious product, the Professional Vision augmented reality headset. Featuring 23 sensors and a custom-designed R1 chip, it delivers a high-quality user experience, and visionOS was designed explicitly for spatial computing to interact with the AR headset. The cost may deter casual customers, but its high-end design and innovative features are poised to make it a game-changer in the AR and VR industry.
Additional Piece
For years, the AR and VR industry has been clamoring for high-quality augmented and virtual reality headsets that can deliver a truly immersive experience. With the Apple Professional Vision, it seems that this dream is about to come true, as their latest headset promises a whole new level of immersion and interactivity.
The release of the Professional Vision will spark several new opportunities for marketers, developers and other content creators. AR and VR technology will now be available to a much wider audience, and the possibilities for creating engaging and interactive experiences are virtually limitless.
One area that will likely see significant growth is gaming. With the Professional Vision’s advanced features, gamers can expect to see a new level of interactivity and immersion. Apple Arcade titles will be available on VisionOS from day one, providing avid gamers with a tailored library of top games for their headset.
The headset will also appeal to professionals in other industries, such as medicine, engineering, and design. The possibility of viewing anatomy and visualizing physical phenomena in 3D will help revolutionize teaching and research in these fields. Engineers and architects can also use the headset to explore and interact with digital prototypes of their designs.
With the new headset, Apple may also be able to carve out a new niche within the consumer electronics market. The high-end design and attractive features of the Professional Vision may entice consumers who are looking for a unique and premium experience.
Overall, the Apple Professional Vision and visionOS envision a new era of AR and VR technology that can be used in different applications. Even though, initially, the technology may appear as a luxury good, with the advancement of technologies, they may become very important in the near future. The headset’s combination of advanced features and attractive design provides a promising future for developers, content creators, and consumers alike.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
today in his annual WWDC 2023 ConferenceApple removed the packaging from the professional vision, its long-rumored augmented reality (AR) headset. He professional vision it’s one of Apple’s most ambitious products to date: a year in the making and packed with tech that just might justify the sky-high price.
But there was much more to today’s announcement than hardware. Along with Vision Pro, Apple introduced a completely new operating system, visionOSand a host of apps that will be available on the operating system, and by extension Vision Pro, at launch.
That’s a lot to keep track of, which is why we created a handy, condensed guide to everything Apple announced about Vision Pro and visionOS.
Vision Pro has a design similar to ski goggles
The first thing you’ll notice about the Vision Pro is the chassis, which evokes a high-end pair of ski goggles. A continuous tinted front panel wraps around the user’s eyes, acting as a lens and concealing a fan that draws air through the earcups to cool the electronics inside.
Around the back of the Vision Pro, there is a band that can be easily changed and a dial to adjust the tightness of the earcups. Zeiss worked in partnership with Apple to create magnetic lenses for prescription wearers.
Image Credits: Apple
Unlike some AR headsets on the market, the Vision Pro’s battery is not built into the device. A cable running from the rear connects to a battery pack, providing up to two hours of use. Or Vision Pro users can plug into the wall for an extended experience.
Screens are supposed to absorb most of the energy. Vision Pro has two (plus an external panel), one for each eye, with 23 million pixels in both. A custom 3D lens ensures the user interface always stays in view, while features like HDR and “wide color” deliver a seemingly superior image.
Image Credits: Apple
IR cameras inside the Vision Pro track your eyes, while downward-facing cameras on the exterior of the chassis track your hands. A third set of sensors, lidar sensors, detect objects around the Vision Pro in real time, tracking their positions.
All Vision Pro sensors (23 total, including a dozen cameras, five sensors, and six microphones) feed in the R1a new Apple-originated chip designed to “eliminate lag” and transmit images to the headset display “eight times faster than the blink of an eye” (according to Apple PR).
Image Credits: Apple
The R1 too enable EyeSight, a feature of Vision Pro that projects a live feed of the user’s eyes to the aforementioned external display. It has the effect of making the headphones look transparent, at least in pre-recorded videos. The jury is out on how well it works in practice, of course.
visionOS
The software that powers the Vision Pro is visionOS, which Apple describes as “the first operating system designed from the ground up for spatial computing”: “spatial computing” is Apple’s phrase of choice for AR and VR experiences. At the architectural level, visionOS shares common core building blocks with MacOS and iOS but adds a “realtime subsystem” to process interactive images in Vision Pro.
Image Credits: Apple
visionOS’s three-dimensional interface frees apps from the confines of a traditional screen so they can appear side by side at different scales. The user interface dynamically responds to natural light, casting shadows to help communicate scale and distance.
At launch, visionOS will feature apps: including Unity apps, that run natively on Vision Pro, from Adobe (specifically Lightroom), Microsoft (Office) and other major developers. There’s medical software for viewing anatomy representations and an engineering app for visualizing physical phenomena, like airflow, on real-world objects.
Image Credits: Apple
You’ll get those apps and more than one new app store, launching simultaneously with Vision Pro. Beyond apps, more than 100 Apple Arcade titles will be available to play on VisionOS from “day one,” Apple says.
At least one mainstay of iOS will make the leap to visionOS: FaceTime. In Vision Pro, FaceTime will work by creating a 3D avatar of your face assembled from scans. Teams, Webex, and Zoom will also support 3D avatars.
Where and how to buy the Apple Vision Pro
The Vision Pro won’t be available for a while, no until “beginning of next year”, Apple says, and it won’t be cheap. At $3,499, the Vision Pro is significantly more expensive than the most pessimistic rumors suggest.
On the plus side, customers who book an appointment at an Apple Store will get a demo and the chance to customize their fit before purchasing the Vision Pro. Given the price, I’d say the red carpet treatment is guaranteed.
—————————————————-