Apple has announced that its much-anticipated Vision Pro headset will go on sale on February 2 in the United States, writes UNN citing the BBC.
Details
US customers have been given the opportunity to pre-order the $3,499 mixed reality device from mid-January.
This is the first major new product released by the company since the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015.
After years of rumors during development, the company unveiled the headset in June 2023.
But there have been problems since then. According to the Financial Times, Apple has more than halved its production projections, from about one million units to 400,000 in 2024.
In addition to the release date, Apple also announced that the device will have 256GB of internal storage, and clarified that the headset's eye-tracking technology can work by tracking only one dominant eye, for people who can't fully utilize both of their eyes.
But interestingly, the firm is trying to separate the headset from other devices on the market, suggesting that device developers instead call their apps "spatial computing," the publication writes.
"Do not describe your app as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (XR), or mixed reality (MR)," the developer-focused blog post said.
Apple also published an online trailer showing characters from the movies donning goggles and helmets, which, as noted, looks like an attempt to recreate the hype surrounding the iPhone launch in 2007.
"If successful, it could become a new multi-billion dollar source of revenue for Apple. But since many people around the world struggle to afford the basic necessities of life, it is likely to remain a toy for the rich due to its high price tag," the publication notes.
It is reported that the BBC had the opportunity to try out Vision Pro last June and found that "mixed reality presents an ambiguous picture".
"Unlike many existing headsets, Apple has detached the battery so it doesn't press down on your head, though that means the battery instead has to be next to you, attached to the cable," the report said.
The user interface, as indicated, is classic Apple minimalist. When the headset is on, you see the room around you, but not through glass, but through the many built-in cameras.
"You physically press a single button in the upper-right corner of the headset, and familiar app icons that you'll recognize if you've used an iPhone - iMessage, Photos, Apple TV (there will be more when developers create them) - appear," the publication writes.
And from here on out, as noted, "it's all about gesture control": the headset tracks where you're looking, so when you look at an app and press your thumb and index finger together, it opens.
"You can choose the level of immersion by using a physical disk to increase or decrease the size of what you're looking at. It can fill an entire room or look like a TV screen superimposed on a wall. But if someone is walking in front of you in real life, you can see them no matter how immersed you are," the piece reported.
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