2023-06-06 14:57:26
It’s supposed to be a “new era” for Apple: the Vision Pro computer glasses.
A “Mixed Reality” headset that the group presented to the public on Monday evening after seven years of development.
Whether the high-tech device is the next big thing for Apple or the next flop – opinions are divided on thist. BILD says what you need to know about the new mega glasses from Apple.
What can the glasses do?
Anyone who puts on the glasses from Apple sees a three-dimensional user interface floating in space in front of them. The analog environment (the space around you) and virtual reality (the apps you see) are displayed simultaneously or can be switched between. The glasses should even throw virtual shadows into the room.
Apple itself calls the Vision Pro a portable environmental computer. The glasses run on their own operating system called visionOS and, like iPhones, will be equipped with an app store. In addition to Apple’s own apps, third-party providers will also be able to develop programs for the glasses.
This is what the home screen looks like when you look through the glasses
Example: The Disney+ streaming service will be available on the Vision Pro from the start. The video will then float in front of you as a virtual cinema screen and can be scaled down and enlarged as desired. Apps like the presentation software Keynote (Apple’s PowerPoint alternative) will also be available.
The virtual canvas can be enlarged and reduced at will
What makes the glasses special?
The Apple glasses are controlled using only your own gaze, hand gestures and your own voice – all captured by cameras and microphones on the housing. Extra controllers are not necessary.
The glasses even recognize the user’s iris and can also be unlocked with it.
By the way: Apple’s marketing material is misleading. In many photos, you can see the wearer’s eyes through the glasses. In fact, you can’t see through the device, the outside world is captured by cameras and shown on the displays in the device.
How do the glasses feel?
Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief of Tech Magazine The Verge“, already had his glasses on and states: “The Vision Pro is not as immersive as the marketing videos would suggest.” But he is still enthusiastic about the sharpness and clarity of the built-in 4K screens: “It is by far that highest resolution VR display I have ever seen.”
The app is controlled with eyes and gestures, like Lauren Goode from “ Wireddescribes “I opened photos by first staring at the app and then pinching my index finger and thumb together. I flipped through the photos by “grabbing” each image and swiping left, and expanded panoramic photos by staring and tapping the “expand” option.”
What technology is inside?
Apple has equipped the glasses with its M2 chip. A processor that is also used in current MacBooks and iPad Pro models, i.e. provides a lot of computing power.
In front of the eyes is a high-resolution 4K display, which is supplied with data from the outside world by a total of 12 cameras, depth sensors and microphones and which represents the analogue world with a delay of only 12 milliseconds. The built-in cameras can also be used to take 3D photos.
A total of twelve cameras are built into the housing of the Vision Pro
The headset is powered by a battery that is connected to the headset by cable and can be attached to the waistband, for example. It should be designed for two hours of use.
do i need the glasses
Apple shows the glasses in press material as a virtual extension of a MacBook display or as a mobile 3D cinema. The group also sees a possible use for the Vision Pro at work, because you can show many large virtual displays in your field of vision.
But it’s also a fact: Apple hasn’t shown anything that you couldn’t look at in the classic way on a normal display, television or smartphone. The only exception: 3D content.
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at market research firm Creative Strategies, said in Cupertino that she doesn’t think the headset is currently intended for the mass market. Instead, Apple is initially targeting technology enthusiasts and developers who will program applications for the Vision Pro. The price also speaks for this: 3500 US dollars (there is no German price yet). Apple is clearly targeting enthusiasts.
The “Pro” in the name also suggests that there may be a non-Pro variant that is more affordable in the future.
How new is Apple technology really?
Apple didn’t reinvent the wheel with the Vision Pro – in fact, the Apple group arrived quite late with the “Mixed Reality” glasses in a market that has had problems reaching the masses for years. However, the Vision Pro promises a technical fine-tuning that has not been achieved before.
The Facebook group Meta has been working on VR and “Mixed Reality” headsets for years. Just last week, Meta announced the new Meta Quest 3 model at a price of 570 euros. It will also be good at overlaying digital objects into the real environment, Zuckerberg said.
The Meta Quest 3 from Facebook parent company Meta
The business with VR glasses has so far been incomparably smaller than the smartphone market. Market researchers at IDC assume that only ten million VR and AR headsets will be sold in 2023. For comparison: Last year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones were sold worldwide.
When will it be on the market?
In the US, the device is expected to hit the market early next year and will cost $3,500.
A date for the market launch outside the USA has not yet been announced.
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