Exploring the Latest Features and Capabilities in the Apple Vision Pro in a First-of-Its-Kind Hands-On Experience
In the midst of a slushy day in New York City, Nilay Patel and other tech enthusiasts had the exclusive opportunity for a hands-on experience with the highly anticipated Apple Vision Pro, just a day before its expected unveiling. Priced at $3,499, the Vision Pro has remained shrouded in mystery for most users until now, and this half-hour demo session provided some illuminating insights into Apple’s groundbreaking headset.
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Setting up the Vision Pro felt surprisingly familiar, reminiscent of the Face ID setup on an iPhone. Slipping on the headset, users encounter a design akin to other VR headsets, but with the distinctive Apple touch. The experience, however, comes with the expected drawback of feeling the weight on your head and the potential for a hairstyle disaster, especially for those with long hair.
Once situated, a brief eye-tracking setup follows, leading users to the visionOS app launcher, resembling Launchpad on a Mac. The upper right-hand side features a digital crown, similar to an Apple Watch, used for recentering the homescreen or immersing into virtual environments. The device also includes a button for capturing spatial photos and videos, resembling an Apple Watch’s side button.
The hands-on demo showcased the impressive speed and accuracy of the vision tracking, highlighting the device’s capability to immediately recognize and highlight menu items or buttons. The experience of reading about the Vision Pro’s screen didn’t prepare users for the actual encounter with two 4K screens delivering 23-micron pixels into each eye, requiring a conscious effort to blink and avoid eye dryness.
The virtual world inside the Vision Pro, described as a higher-resolution version of Meta’s Quest, presented a smooth and lag-free experience. The device showcased familiar applications like virtual keyboards in Safari, demonstrating the potential for efficient interaction through eye movements and finger gestures.
Apple emphasizes that the Vision Pro is not intended to isolate users from the real world, and the front display is designed to keep them connected to others. The EyeSight feature, demonstrating what onlookers see on the front display, adds a quirky element, allowing others to witness the wearer’s “persona” and virtual interactions.
However, questions about the social dynamics and cues of wearing such a device remain, as the Vision Pro brings a unique blend of immersive experiences and real-world connectivity. While the demo left an awe-inspired impact, users are still grappling with understanding where this groundbreaking device fits into their everyday lives. The full unveiling at the Apple event is eagerly awaited, promising more details and potential answers to lingering questions.