The Apple Vision Pro is here – a classification
After years of speculation, yesterday was the day: Apple unveiled its own mixed reality glasses, the Vision Pro. We show what the glasses can do and how they can be classified.
The new Apple Vision Pro. Picture: Apple
So here it is: Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality glasses, which go by the name of “Vision Pro” listen. At yesterday’s start of the WWDC(Worldwide Developers Conference) Tim Cook presented the new device, confirming the rumors and speculation that had been circulating for a long time. Expectations were high. Were they fulfilled?
Fits in well with the Apple family in terms of design: The new Vision Pro. Picture: Apple
The era of spatial computing begins - for real
Augmented reality glasses have been on the market for several years. Until now, however, they have been designed exclusively for use in a corporate context. The most prominent and technically mature example of this is the Hololens from Microsoft. Apple is taking the decisive step further and is launching visionOS, a new operating system created for the Vision Pro, with the help of which the move towards the consumer sector should succeed.
A look at the new visionOS. Picture: Apple
Apple has succeeded in positioning visionOS relatively close to the existing operating systems iOS, MacOS and iPadOS, thus opening the door extremely wide for consumer apps on the Vision Pro. iPad apps in particular should be very easy to port to the new device. Apple is thus remaining true to itself and rewarding companies that have already invested in its ecosystem. Users will also benefit, as they will soon have a very comprehensive ecosystem of good software at their disposal. This will certainly include applications from our AR platform Yago.
Soon on the Vision Pro: Better advice with Yago Scenes thanks to AR. Image: yago.cloud
Mixed reality quantum leap thanks to innovative technology
No, the Vision Pro is not yet a fully-fledged pair of augmented reality glasses that display data through a type of transparent lens. From a technological perspective, it is a pair of mixed reality glasses which, thanks to various cameras, reproduce the environment in real time on the integrated displays and thus create an AR experience. This seems to solve the contrast problems that are currently prevalent in existing devices. The in-house developed M2 chip in combination with the new R1 chip, which is responsible for processing the sensor data, ensures high performance and lag-free interactions.
How the Vision Pro was presented at WWDC 2023
Conclusion: Will we all be wearing AR glasses next year?
Of course, it won’t be quite that fast. The Vision Pro is a first-generation device that shows the direction the journey will take. It still has a few limitations that make it difficult to adapt to the mass market immediately. In addition to the very high price of $3,499, the battery life of up to two hours is also unimpressive.
However, we consider the development to be fundamentally positive. Reto Senn, Head of AR Products at Bitforge, comments:
“I am pleasantly surprised at how well-rounded the whole thing already looks. The Vision Pro is an important step away from VR towards the long-term vision of “real” AR glasses.”
In the medium term, the Vision Pro will not be a smartphone killer. However, it has the potential to become an extremely helpful work tool and play an important role for certain applications in the consumer sector – comparable to the iPad, for example.
From a business perspective, one thing is particularly important: anyone who has already invested in three-dimensional content and applications will be vindicated by this development. The strategic handling of three-dimensional data and the AR Cloud will inevitably appear on companies’ roadmaps in the near future. And not just for the public release of the glasses in spring 2024.
