Apple has introduced Apple Vision Pro, a highly anticipated augmented reality headset, as its first significant hardware launch in nearly a decade.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the new headgear “blends the real and virtual worlds seamlessly.”
The technology company also announced the latest iPhone operating system and MacBook Air enhancements.
The headset has a two-hour battery life, costs $3,499 (£2,849), and is scheduled for release in the United States in early 2019.
The price is significantly higher than current virtual reality devices. Meta announced its Quest, which costs $449, last week.
Apple said little about generative artificial intelligence – the Silicon Valley buzzword technology.
During the announcement made at a developer’s conference at Apple Park, the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, the share price of the company declined slightly.
‘Ski eyewear’
Apple Vision Pro is visually distinct from other virtual reality headgear on the market. It resembles a pair of ski goggles more than a virtual reality headset.
Apple used the term “augmented reality” to characterize the capabilities of its new device.
Augmented reality, also known as mixed reality, is the superimposition of virtual objects in the real world, allowing us to blend reality and virtual reality by peering through a screen.
In a virtual world, users can access applications, view movies, and create documents. However, there is little evidence of a substantial market for this type of wearable technology as of yet.
Hartley Charlton, MacRumors’ senior editor, wasn’t sure the public would like the headwear.
“It won’t initially appeal to mainstream consumers due to its exorbitant price and immediate shortcomings as a first-generation device, such as its separate wired battery pack,” he said.
However, he stated that Apple has a history of “overcoming skepticism” regarding new devices and has historically persuaded consumers to “part with their cash to add a new gadget to their arsenal.”
Mr. Cook stated in his sales presentation that the headset enables users to “see, hear, and interact with digital content as if it were in your physical space.”
Tap your fingertips to choose and flick them to scroll.
The announcement comes a week after Meta and Lenovo unveiled new versions of their previously released virtual-reality headsets that do not superimpose objects onto a view of the real world.
Meta has also made substantial investments in mixed reality, but the industry is currently ailing.
According to the International Data Corporation, the global headwear market saw a 54% decline in sales in 2017.
Apple’s final significant hardware release was the Apple Watch in 2015.
Thomas Husson of Forrester Research told that Apple’s new headgear may take some time to take off.
“Overall, the AR/VR space has been somewhat overhyped in recent years with the metaverse and similar experiences,” he said. “This is why I believe it will take a little longer.
However, if I had told you 10 to 15 years ago that people would be willing to pay nearly $2,000 for a mobile phone. I doubt many would have said they would be willing to do so.
iOS 17
Apple also unveiled iOS17, the newest iteration of its iPhone operating system, in addition to Vision Pro.
Updates include “contact posters” – an image of yourself that will appear on a person’s phone when you call them – and “live voicemail” – which provides a real-time transcription of an answerphone message being left for you.
This transcription applies to Apple Messages audio messages as well.
And Apple has introduced Check-In, a system that automatically notifies a friend or family member when you arrive home.
If your voyage is significantly delayed, it can signal to others that you have not yet arrived home safely.
In the autumn of 2023, the new operating system will be available.
