Apple stores in the US are seeing lines forming on Friday with people waiting for the new $3,499 Vision Pro, which went on sale at 8 a.m. ET.
Those waiting outside get one-on-one demonstrations with the device, which has a single, thick band on the back of the head, connecting a large, sleek screen that sits over the eyes.
Apple CEO Tim Cook arrived at Apple’s flagship store in Manhattan ahead of the launch and greeted the early birds queuing before the doors opened.
The Vision Pro is more than five times the price of the rival Meta Quest 3, but Apple sold out pre-orders for the device on January 19 – with 200,000 units reserved.
While the headset starts at almost $3,500, customers can purchase upgrades like storage and prescription attachments for $149.
The first Apple Vision Pro headsets went on sale in the US on Friday
Apple CEO Tim Cook arrived at Apple’s flagship store in Manhattan this morning for the event and greeted the early birds lining up before the doors opened
The headset launched in September alongside the iPhone 15 family, which Cook referred to as an outward-looking device.
“With Vision Pro you are no longer limited by a display,” he said at last year’s event.
The headset runs on VisionOS, which Apple touts as “the world’s first spatial operating system.”
Apple calls it ‘spatial computing’ because it combines content with the space around you.
Those waiting outside Apple Stores were given one-on-one demonstrations of the device
Apple stores in the US are seeing lines forming around the building by people about to buy the new $3,499 Vision Pro, which went on sale Friday at 8 a.m. ET
The device features a single, thick band on the back of the head, connecting a large, sleek screen that sits over the eyes
Spatial computing is a way of describing the intersection between the physical world around us and a virtual world manufactured by technology, while allowing humans and machines to manipulate objects and spaces harmoniously.
Performing these tasks often involves elements of augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence.
Cathy Hackl, a consultant who runs a startup working on apps for the Vision Pro, said: “This is a pivotal moment,” Hackl said.
‘Spatial computing will enable devices to understand the world in ways they have never been able to do before.
“It will change the interaction between humans and computers, and eventually every interface – whether it’s a car or a watch – will become spatial computing devices.”
To accompany this ‘pivotal moment’, Apple announced on Thursday that more than 600 new apps have been specially designed for the Vision Pro.
Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, said: “Apple Vision Pro unleashes the imagination of our global developer community and we are inspired by the range of spatial experiences they have created for this exciting new platform.
Customers were thrilled after purchasing the new Vision Pro at the Apple Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan
Cook chatted with customers at the New York store, which was full of people wanting to test out the Vision Pro headset
To accompany this “pivotal moment,” Apple announced Thursday that there are more than 600 new apps designed specifically for the Vision Pro
“With more than 600 new spatial experiences to discover in the all-new App Store, in addition to more than a million compatible apps on iOS and iPadOS, users can discover a wide range of apps that push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Users can watch movies and TV shows with Vision Pro, which displays a large screen on which to play the content, and they can also play more than 100 Apple Arcade games on a screen as big as they want.
For work purposes, the headset can be used with a trackpad and keyboard to perform tasks that would require a traditional multi-display computer.
Vision Pro can also play memories in your living room, such as videos of your children or a fun party you attended.
The Vision Pro is available with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage – and the more storage, the higher the price.
A headset with the second storage option starts at $3,699 and $3,899 for 1TB.
Apple has also launched a $199 travel case and a $49.95 battery case.
The holder can come in handy because the device needs to be connected to a power source in order to work.
But users get two hours of fun on a single charge.
Users can watch movies and TV shows with Vision Pro, which displays a large screen on which to play the content, and they can also play more than 100 Apple Arcade games on a screen as big as they want
The New York City store was buzzing with people on Friday.
The front display is made of laminated glass, which flows into the custom aluminum alloy frame that gently curves around the user’s face.
“Flexible bands keep sound close to the user’s ears, while a headband – available in multiple sizes – is three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece to provide cushioning, breathability and stretch,” Apple said.
‘The strap is secured with a simple mechanism, making it easy to change to a different size or style of strap.’
There’s also a Digital Crown, similar to the Apple Watch, on the side that determines how present or immersed users are in an environment.
Apple’s headset also responds to a user’s movements through hand gestures and eyes, in an attempt to make the device resemble another piece of human physiology.
While wearing the headset, users can also use just their hands to pull up and arrange a series of virtual computer screens, similar to a scene with Tom Cruise in the 2002 film ‘Minority Report’.
This is possible through the new Optic ID, a secure authentication system that analyzes a user’s iris under various invisible LED light exposures and then compares it with the registered Optic ID data protected by the Secure Enclave to instantly unlock Apple Vision Pro .
Apple touted its headset as having “industry-leading privacy and security” so users can stay in control of their data.
But the Vision Pro could reveal another troubling side of the technology if the use of spatial computing is so compelling that people see the world differently when they’re not wearing the headset and come to believe that life is much more interesting when you see it through a headset. looking at glasses.
That scenario could worsen the screen addictions that have become endemic since the iPhone’s debut and deepen the isolation that digital dependency often cultivates.