Apple Vision Pro headset to offer immersive spatial experience at $3499

Apple on June 5 debuted its augmented reality headset named Vision Pro at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 (WWDC23). The much-awaited headset will cost $3,499 and come in early 2024. Apple calls it a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world. It is designed to look through than at it, said Apple. The device will be based on VisionOS, which the company did not go into detail about at the WWDC23.

Apple Vision Pro could be controlled using the hands, eyes, and voice. It would turn surroundings into an infinite canvas for you to use apps anywhere and in any size. The device has built-in cameras and sensors to capture photos and videos, and to interact with the digital world in spatial settings.

“In the same way Mac introduced us to personal computing and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing,” said Tim Cook. “This will mark the new beginning that will bring a new dimension to powerful and personal technology.”

Apple said the Vision Pro is the result of decades of its collective experience designing high-performance products like Macs, mobile products like iPhone, and wearable products like Watch.

The entire front of the Vision Pro is a singular piece of three-dimensionally formed and laminated glass. It is polished to an optical surface, allowing it to act as a lens for eyesight. Sitting behind the glass is a wide array of cameras and sensors to bridge the augmented with the real world. The glass is fitted on a lightweight frame made of aluminium that houses a button to capture three-dimensional photos and videos. Like the Watch, there is a digital crown here as well for home view. The crown doubles up as a tool to control immersion levels of environments.

Powered by the M2 chip, paired with R2 chip for real-time sensor processing, the Vision Pro is said to support all-day battery when plugged in and up to two hours of use with external battery pack. As for the technology, the Vision Pro boasts a micro-OLED Apple Silicon backplane that fits 64 pixels in the space of a single iPhone pixel. These pixels are 7.5 microns wide and combined there are 23 million pixels across two panels. It essentially means more pixels than a 4K resolution TV for each eye.