Apple Vision Pro Available in the US on February 2, Preorders Start January 19

Virtual Reality

by Jose PradaJanuary 12^th, 2024

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Apple has announced the release of Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer available from February 2 in the US. The device combines digital content with the physical world, allowing users to experience spatial experiences in the new visionOS and control it with their eyes, hands, and voice. Let’s take a look at some of its features.

Not long ago, we wrote about the new Spatial Video Capture introduced by Apple on the iPhone 15 Pro series. The possibility of playing back those videos is now around the corner since they require Apple Vision Pro, and the American company has just announced the device’s release on February 2.

A new device with unparalleled features

What is Apple Vision Pro? Will it be another step forward in the world we’re living in, with people connected to different realities through their smartphone screens? If the image of a tube station, concert, or New Year’s celebration with people looking or talking to their devices instead of each other is scary, I can imagine its evolution with this new kind of device.

Jokes aside, if all Apple Vision Pro features are as promising as they sound on paper, this could be the beginning of a new era – and Apple seems to be targeting home use for the Vision Pro. If it really is the beginning of a new era, we must wait and see how it works in the market since its price is not exactly affordable for now.

Apple Vision Pro is a three-dimensional device controlled by our eyes, hands, and voice, and powered by visionOS, a step forward from previous Apple operating systems. Aside from the more than one million compatible apps already existing for iOS and iPadOS, new apps will appear to take advantage of the device’s features.

Vision Pro offers unique features such as immersive experiences in different places on Earth (and the Moon!). The practicality of some of those features is something we will only see with time. However, Apple also wants the device to be a productivity tool with dedicated apps like Fantastical, Freeform, or JigSpace. As it will work with Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, or even use your Mac’s capabilities, the Vision Pro looks like a promising productivity device even for pro workflows.

FaceTime users will also feel a boosted experience when using Apple Vision Pro, making use of some features like Spatial Audio or the creation of a Persona (a spatial representation of the user created by machine learning techniques), while people on a call not using Vision Pro will appear in a tile. Personas will also work with third-party apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Let Apple entertain you

Following Apple devices’ jack-of-all-trades concept, entertainment is a crucial part of the equation in Apple Vision Pro. Its ultra-high-resolution display (more than 4K per eye) will allow us to watch movies from different platforms, 3D titles, and Immersive Video, a new entertainment format by Apple that places users in 180-degree, 3D 8K recordings with Spatial Audio. Also, as mentioned in a recent article, we can watch spatial videos recorded on the iPhone 15 Pro Series.

Vision Pro users will have access to the catalog of compatible games and specific games that will take advantage of the device’s features, like Game Room or What the Golf?. 

Design and performance

Apple Vision Pro presents a customizable modular system, where Apple has pursued a balance between performance, mobility, and wearability. The laminated glass curves into an aluminum alloy frame, and the Light Seal is available in different shapes and sizes for users’ comfort. Its flexible straps help keep the audio close to the user’s ears and include two bands to ensure the optimal fit.

A device with such advanced features demands a powerful processing system to support them. Vision Pro is powered by Apple silicon with a dual-chip design, the M2 and the new R1, which manage 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones.

Apple Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display with micro-OLED technology, 23 million pixels in two displays with wide color and high dynamic range. Its eye-tracking system uses high-speed cameras and a ring of LEDs projecting invisible light patterns on the user’s eyes for responsive input. Eyesight makes the device transparent when a person is near the user and gives others information about what the user focuses on.

Common Apple features

As with the rest of Apple products, Security and Accessibility are essential features in Vision Pro. The device introduces Optic ID, a new authentication system via the user’s iris that will unlock the device, fill in passwords, etc. 

Finally, Apple has also improved Accessibility, and features like VoiceOver, Zoom, Switch Control, and Guided Access have been redesigned for spatial computing. We can interact with our eyes, hands, voice, and any combination.

Will a successful Vision Pro mean a new way to experience video and films?

If Vision Pro becomes a successful product, there is a real chance that spatial video will be a new field for filmmakers to dabble in for original productions – and we’re sure that Apple will do its best to promote original productions through Apple TV+. Only time will tell, but this could be a new venture that would require existing cameras to be upgraded to be able to capture 3D content for spatial video.

Price and availability

Apple Vision Pro will be available starting at $3,499 with 256GB of storage. Preorders will begin on Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. PST, with availability beginning Friday, February 2.

What do you think about Apple Vision Pro? Will this device be as promising as it looks? Let us know in the comments below!