As I mentioned in my last blog post, I’d like to get my hands on the latest holy grail in the world of Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality/Extended Reality (VR/AR/MR/XR). Apple Vision Pro wireless headset begins shipping to U.S. consumers on February 2, 2024.
Unfortunately, there is no word yet on when non-Americans will be able to order this device. At least one VR YouTuber, Brian Tong, has heard from unofficial insider sources that Apple is planning to expand access to the device. Next will be the UK and Canada, which will take place immediately before or during the 2024 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, typically held in the first or second week of June.
Brian’s YouTube channel is filled with many useful videos about Apple Vision Pro, including an unboxing video of a pre-release version where he unpacks the various components of the Apple Vision Pro package like a giddy elementary school kid on Christmas morning.
In an interesting move, Apple refers to the device as: spatial computingavoid mentioning virtual reality, mixed reality, or one of the other terms commonly used when talking about other headsets. I also think it’s very telling that you can’t find any mention of this now often maligned concept anywhere. metaverseEspecially after being embraced by a slew of cryptocurrency/NFT projects that went nowhere, Facebook’s rebranding as a massively well-received meta landing followed with some muffled noises and shrugs from consumers. His fellow Metaverse blogger Wagner James Au wrote on his blog last week:
With Meta’s latest earnings report released this week, we can see that the company is now
burninvested $42 billion There is very little to show for the construction of the metaverse. Metaverse platform Horizon Worlds has less than about 500,000 monthly active users, while sales of its Quest line of VR headsets (Metaverse peripherals) have been consistently low.
Wagner is certainly more pessimistic about virtual reality than I am, but it’s clear that VR headsets aren’t exactly flying off the shelves, especially when compared to the blockbuster sales of phones, tablets, and gaming consoles. Andrew Williams forbes Reported last October:
Meta has sold over 20 million headsets to date, 18 million of which were Meta Quest 2s.
The Quest 3’s predecessor was very successful, considering VR wasn’t a mainstream proposition like standard gaming consoles. But the market hasn’t expanded in the way Mehta clearly hoped.
Last May, the Washington Post reported that a significant number of Quest users had their headsets gathering dust after just a few weeks.
The somewhat lukewarm success of most VR/AR/MR/XR/Metaverse ventures to date is a clear reason why Apple, in its usual smart marketing campaign, has focused on the fact that the Apple Vision Pro is intended to be a reality. wearable personal computer (It’s essentially an iPad for your face). Apple said in a February 1 press release that more than 600 new apps built specifically for Vision Pro were available to U.S. consumers at launch, adding, “With more than 1 million compatible apps available on the App Store, you’ll be able to discover a variety of groundbreaking “We announced that we can provide the experience.” .”
The Vision Pro is Apple’s first entirely new category of device since the Apple Watch in 2015, and many, including myself, are curious to see what Apple will bring to the table after its history of releasing well-designed products. As I often say on my blog, A rising tide lifts all boats.And Apple’s entry into this market has the potential to shake things up quite a bit. Especially since Apple took the exact opposite direction from Meta by focusing on expensive, ultra-high-end devices as its first products.
And yes, I do mean expensive. There are three main models of Vision Pro for sale on the US Apple Vision Pro website.
- 256GB storage (starting at US$3,499)
- 512GB (from US$3,699); and
- 1TB (terabyte or 1,024GB, starting at US$3,899).
So the 1 terabyte Apple Vision Pro, which contains my fondest dreams and darkest desires, is now available for $5,259.17 Canadian. before Sales tax!
Many mainstream media and technology news commentators have prepared print and video reviews of the Apple Vision Pro using pre-release review units provided by the company. Such reviews were banned until the headset officially launched in early February, after which it received significant media attention (Apple has plenty of money to spend on advertising and has always done a good job of marketing its products).
The aforementioned YouTuber Brian Tong released a very user-friendly and comprehensive one-hour review video.
Nilay Patel The Verge As part of our extensive print review of the Apple Vision Pro, we’ve put out the following 30-minute video. The Apple Vision Pro didn’t shy away from talking about what he saw as some of the problems with the device, explaining succinctly, “Until it’s not magic…” ”
Joanna Stern wall street journal (archived version) took a more unique and quirky approach to our review of the Apple Vision Pro. Joanna wore her review unit all day and even took it to her ski chalet and even wore it on her skis on a closed bunny hill! (definitely something ~ no But I recommend it). Here’s a 10-minute video showing her wearing the Vision Pro and setting multiple timers on various pots on the stovetop while she prepares her recipe.
And yes, it is. One of the many features of Apple Vision Pro is the ability to set up your display. somewhereIn this amazing one-minute YouTube video by Himels Tech, you can see him walking around the house demonstrating his setup.
There are plenty of other reviews out there, but these four video reviews in between cover pretty much all the bases, so watch them all to stay up to date!
The eye-popping price isn’t the only obstacle anyone looking to own one of these holy grail devices will have to overcome! Unlike other VR headsets I’ve purchased so far, ~ no You can wear glasses with a ski goggle-like design that fits perfectly to your face. So I have two options. You can either buy soft contact lenses (lenses you haven’t worn in 20 years) or magnetically attached prescription lens inserts from Apple’s partner Zeiss. According to an Apple Support article:
To purchase ZEISS optical inserts for Apple Vision Pro, you need a comprehensive, easy-to-read prescription. Information that should be included in a comprehensive prescription includes:
If distance correction and near correction are required, they will be indicated separately but on the same prescription. This is called full manifest refraction.
An expiration date that should not expire.
Your date of birth, name, prescriber’s license number, and signature.
Intermediate distances, working distances, and computer distances should not be included in prescriptions, and contact lens prescriptions are not permitted. If you’re not sure whether your prescription is comprehensive, ask your eye doctor and see the explanation in this article.
ZEISS optical inserts can be used for most corrections, including those who typically use progressive or bifocal lenses. Very few people add prism value to their eyeglass prescriptions. Currently, ZEISS cannot manufacture ZEISS optical inserts based on prescriptions that include prism values. If prism values are present, they are labeled on the prescription and are shown separately from the sphere, cylinder, axis, and ADD values. If you’re not sure whether your prescription includes Prism, ask your eye doctor.
Depending on your prescription, your vision requirements may not be met by ZEISS optical inserts.
Annoyingly, there doesn’t seem to be a publicly available chart giving the range of prescription lenses they will support. Instead, they ask you to fill out a form with your prescription details, and promise that they will contact you. as soon as possible:
So I guess I’ll have to see an ophthalmologist first, get a prescription, and then cross my fingers that he’ll support my combination of myopia and astigmatism (not to mention my need for progressive lenses!). To be honest, this all sounds rather discouraging and discouraging.
However, my concerns that Vision Pro would not work for older eyes may be misplaced. Because even visually impaired people find this device useful! Watch James Rath’s amazing YouTube Shorts video where he tests out some accessibility features and settings. James says he can actually see more clearly. with Better than not having Vision Pro! This device could open up entirely new use cases for the visually impaired.
Yes, I would like to get my hands on an Apple Vision Pro within the year! I don’t want to wait. We want to experience products that push these boundaries as soon as possible. I haven’t been this excited about a headset since the Oculus Rift in 2016. Stay tuned as I report on my journey to attain the new holy grail of spatial computing!
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