Apple’s Vision Pro headset is available for pre-orders now before it officially hits shelves next month.
But customers looking to bring augmented reality and the virtual world straight into your living room should expect to shell out at least $3,500.
The headset allows users to merge the real world with a digital world navigated by their eyes, voice and hands – no controllers required.
Users can watch movies, surf the Internet and work on digital screens without touching a physical device.
Those who can claim the Vision Pro on Apple’s website, which requires people to use an iPhone or iPad to take facial measurements to ensure a perfect fit.
Apple’s Vision Pro is available for pre-order on the company’s website in the US and officially goes on sale on February 2
The Vision Pro uses a visionOS system to bring users into virtual and augmented reality
Vision Pro users get access to streaming services, internet, photos and more
Before you can get your hands on the nifty device, you’ll need to use your iPhone or iPad to use a Face ID to get an accurate scan of your head to ensure the Vision Pro has the right fit – and it’s a 25-minute process.
Apple first introduced the Vision Pro headset at the Worldwide Developer Conference last year.
This was said by UBS stock analyst David Vogt CNBC This month he estimated that the Vision Pro could generate $1.4 billion in revenue for Apple this year – meaning the company would have to sell 400,000 headsets.
The headset runs on VisionOS, which Apple has touted as “the world’s first spatial operating system” blends content into the space around you.
Alan Dye, Apple’s head of human interface, said at launch that users will be able to select content in the glasses with their eyes, tap their fingers together to click and swipe gently to scroll.
There’s also the new EyeSight feature that lets people in the room see your eyes, unlike Meta’s Quest, which has an opaque visor.
Vision Pro’s outer screen goes dark when a user is fully immersed in a virtual world, but displays signals when the device is in use, letting outsiders know the person is in an AR world.
When a person approaches a user in fully virtual mode, the headset will show the user and the remote person to each other.
Through Vision Pro, users can use FaceTime in an immersive way, by expanding the screen to make it look like the person is in the room with them.
Working from home is no longer a problem, because the headset gives you a virtual setup in front of a computer, complete with screens and keyboard.
Users can scroll online, gain access work documents and listen to music at the same time without touching a physical device with their hands.
Apple is set for support more than a million apps from iOS and iPadOS for playing games, streaming movies, viewing photos and videos, and an immersive virtual experience that can bring the outside world to you.
For business use, Apple showed how the headset can be used with a trackpad and keyboard so it can work like a traditional multi-display computer.
Vision Pro can recreate your workspace so you can work entirely through the headset
Vision Pro lets you watch home videos on a large virtual screen so you feel like you’re really there
With Vision pro you can meet via FaceTime or Zoom
Vision Pro can also play memories in your living room, such as videos of your children or a fun party you attended.
“Users can access their entire photo library on iCloud and view their photos and videos at life-size, in brilliant color and spectacular detail,” Apple shared in the announcement last year.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset comes after the company suffered its worst sales decline in 22 years last year, with overall smartphone sales falling to the lowest in more than a decade.
In fiscal 2023, Apple’s iPad sales fell 3.4 percent to $28.3 billion and it lost about $135 million in sales per day when the Apple Watch models were briefly banned in December amid an ongoing dispute over intellectual property.
But Apple is reportedly hoping to address 2023’s shortcomings with the Vision Pro, which in addition to the retail price has add-ons that could significantly increase incoming revenue.
Add-ons include increasing the amount of storage from 256 GB to 512 GB for $3,699 and if the user chooses to further expand the storage to 1 TB, the price jumps to $3,899.
The Vision Pro has a battery life of two hours with an external battery, which Apple claims will reduce the weight on the user’s head.
Vision Pro starts at $3,500 and goes to over $3,900 for the largest amount of storage
However, the device must be connected to the wall socket or to the battery; there is no standalone use.
Users can also choose to add Zeiss optical inserts if they wear glasses, so they don’t have to wear the Vision Pro over them.
There are reader inserts that contain another $99 and prescription inserts for $149.
Now if you want to add a travel case, extra battery packs, and extra light seals, that puts another $199 in Apple’s metaphorical pocket.
Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring claimed in a note last month: “We believe success with the Vision Pro is less about 2024 and more about the longer-term potential,” CNBC reported.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook also looks to the future, saying, “The age of spatial computing has arrived.”
He continued, “Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. The revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine the way we connect, create and discover.”