Apple has introduced its highly anticipated Vision Pro headset, a groundbreaking device that combines digital content with the physical world. Revealed at the company’s worldwide development conference, the headset, referred to as a “spatial computer,” will be launched in 2024 at a price of $3,499.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, emphasized the significance of this launch, stating, “Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing. Just as the Mac brought us personal computing and the iPhone brought us mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before, with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
Apple’s Vision Pro features visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, allowing users to interact with digital content as if it were physically present in their environment. The headset boasts an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two displays, and it utilizes custom Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design to provide a real-time, immersive experience for users.
Leo Gebbie, Principal Analyst at CCS Insight, considers the Vision Pro headset to be Apple’s most audacious product in years. He suggests that this entry into the spatial computing market has the potential to be Tim Cook’s equivalent of the “iPhone moment.” Gebbie highlights Apple’s ability to redefine and reshape product categories, as demonstrated with the Apple Watch in the wearables space.
While the Vision Pro headset is set to launch in early 2024, Gebbie predicts that it will revolutionize the spatial computing segment. Apple’s innovative design decisions and visionOS have the potential to rejuvenate the virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) industry. Although the Vision Pro may not initially appeal to the mass market due to its price, its entry into spatial computing signifies a significant vote of confidence in the category, with expectations of further developments from Apple in the coming years.
