Much has already been written about the Apple Vision Pro, and clever minds either love or hate the glasses, although hardly anyone can evaluate them yet, since they are not yet available on the market. For this reason, we don't want to presume to pass judgment on Apple's long-awaited product. Instead, we look at why there are reasons to be excited about this product.
The Apple Vision Pro is a pair of mixed reality glasses designed to revolutionize the way we use computers. It combines the advantages of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and enables us to change our environment and create new experiences. With Apple Vision Pro, we can arrange apps anywhere and scale them to the perfect size, increasing our productivity and enjoyment. These glasses promise to fundamentally change the way we interact with digital content and open up a whole new dimension of computing for us.
The Apple Vision Pro has an advanced sensor array that enables precise eye tracking. This technology allows the glasses to track our eye movements and control our interactions with the environment. The sensor array consists of LEDs and infrared cameras that project invisible light patterns onto each eye, providing highly accurate input. This provides a seamless and intuitive user experience that goes far beyond what previous VR glasses could offer.
The 3D audio system of the Apple Vision Pro is another highlight of the glasses. It consists of audio pods with two drivers near the ears that deliver personalized sound. With 3D audio, we have the feeling that everything we hear comes from the environment around us. The system analyzes the acoustic properties of our room and adapts the sound to create an immersive experience. This turns every application, video and game into an intense experience that fully immerses us in the virtual world.
The Apple Vision Pro's eye tracking system sets new standards in terms of precision and user-friendliness. It projects invisible light patterns onto each eye, providing high-precision input without the user having to use any controllers. This advanced system also supports precise tracking of head and hand movements and real-time 3D mapping. It can recognize the user's hand gestures from many positions, enabling intuitive and seamless interaction with the virtual environment. Apple Vision Pro makes controlling digital content easier and more natural than ever before.
Apple stands for ergonomic design and state-of-the-art usability. How does this translate to VR glasses? The VR glasses already available on the market still leave a lot to be desired, particularly in terms of ergonomics and wearing comfort. The Solo Band, a special mounting option, could offer an improvement here by increasing wearing comfort and minimizing pressure points.
Could Apple have succeeded in building VR glasses that allow users to wear the device for more than two hours without feeling like they've had a night out? That would be a huge step forward. All the approaches so far to do with coworking in the metaverse and real productivity in VR seem to ignore the motionsickness aspect. It is not reasonable to spend long periods of time in VR with the current hardware available on the market. The longest time I spent in VR without a break was 3 hours. Even after that, I felt really lousy for an hour.
Besides the challenge of ergonomics, software integration is also of great importance for productive work in VR. Meta has made the mistake of launching their own software products for their VR glasses instead of relying on established solutions. Apple seems to be taking a different approach here and allowing users to use standard software for the Mac on the Vision Pro as well. This makes sense, because who would want to have to learn a new text or image editing software, for example, just to be able to use it in VR?
Apple Vision Pro opens up new possibilities for communication and collaboration. With Vision Pro, users can see life-size FaceTime video windows and use apps to work on documents with colleagues simultaneously. These features help users stay connected and collaborate effectively with everyone around them. EyeSight, an innovative feature of Vision Pro, shows the user's eyes and lets people nearby know when the user is using apps or is fully immersed in the virtual world. This seamless integration of communication tools makes Apple Vision Pro an indispensable tool for collaboration in the modern working world.
The Apple Vision Pro was developed with a strong focus on privacy and security. Like all Apple products and services, Vision Pro helps users protect their privacy and stay in control of their data. The glasses provide a secure and private environment where users can protect their data and content. Apple has ensured that all interactions and data processing on the Vision Pro meet the highest security standards. With Apple Vision Pro, users can rest assured that their privacy is respected and their data is protected while they enjoy the benefits of advanced technology.
The Apple Vision Pro builds on many familiar concepts. Some things seem to be a bit of the Microsoft Hololens 2 to be inspired. The floating Windows interfaces and the term "spatial computing" were already conceived in a similar way in the context of Microsoft's Windows MR systems. The idea of the monitorless desktop will also be familiar to many who have followed Meta's product presentations.
These concepts were good, and they still are. But both Meta's Quest as well as Microsoft's Hololens have the problem that use cases were advertised that cannot be implemented in a meaningful way in reality due to hardware limitations in terms of ergonomics, resolution, performance and software offering. #Overpromising
Apple does not promise much that is new, though it is to be hoped that the weak points of products like the Hololens 2 and the Quest of Apple's glasses will be solved by clever design.
For example, the monitorless desktop can be a real alternative to desktops overloaded with hardware. If Apple manages to deliver the Apple Vision Pro where others have failed, I will willingly pay €3500 for it.
The Apple Vision Pro is a pair of mixed reality glasses that integrate both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). It offers a completely new way of experiencing digital content by embedding it in the physical world. The glasses feature two high-resolution micro OLED displays offering 4K+ resolution per eye and use advanced eye tracking to provide an immersive and intuitive experience
Unlike many other VR glasses that allow you to immerse yourself completely in virtual worlds, the Apple Vision Pro combines VR and AR functions. It makes it possible to switch between a completely virtual environment and the superimposition of digital content in the real world. This makes it a "mixed reality headset". It also dispenses with separate VR controllers and instead uses eye and hand tracking for control
The Apple Vision Pro is expected to be launched on the US market in 2024 at a price of 3,499 US dollars. It is expected that the glasses will also be available in other countries, including Germany, a little later.
Are you interested in developing a virtual reality or 360° application? You may still have questions about budget and implementation. Feel free to contact me.
I am looking forward to you
Clarence Dadson CEO Design4real
