During the highly anticipated WWDC event held today, Apple finally revealed its much-awaited AR headset, fulfilling the hopes and expectations of consumers who had been eagerly awaiting its release for years. The big question on everyone’s mind, however, is the price tag attached to this groundbreaking device, the Apple Vision Pro.
Priced at $3,499, the Apple Vision Pro positions itself as a premium offering in the AR headset market. With its availability set for early 2024, customers will soon have the opportunity to experience the cutting-edge technology packed into this device.
To put this price into perspective, let’s consider Meta’s recent announcement of the Quest 3, which hit the market last week at a significantly lower price point of $499. Furthermore, Meta’s previous iteration, the Quest 2, can be purchased for $299. It’s worth noting, however, that Meta’s high-performance headset initially launched with a price tag of $1,499, but is now available at select retailers for $999.
What sets the Apple Vision Pro apart from Meta’s offerings is its utilization of augmented reality (AR) instead of virtual reality (VR). This distinction means that the Apple Vision Pro offers a less immersive experience, allowing users to benefit from AR technology without completely disconnecting from their immediate surroundings. Additionally, the Apple Vision Pro incorporates hand tracking as a means of control, eliminating the need for separate handheld devices.
Similar to Meta’s Quest Pro, Apple is marketing the Vision Pro as a valuable tool in the workplace. Its visionOS operates on the same framework as iOS and iPadOS, ensuring compatibility with numerous existing applications. Apple has already announced that the headset will seamlessly integrate with Microsoft Office apps, as well as popular video conferencing services like WebEX and Zoom.
Equipped with micro-OLED displays, spatial audio, an advanced 3D-like camera, and an array of other high-end features, the Apple Vision Pro undeniably justifies its higher price point. Consequently, it appears that the device may be primarily designed to cater to enterprise users rather than the average consumer.
As the Apple Vision Pro approaches its release date, the excitement surrounding its arrival continues to build. With its blend of powerful technology, compatibility with existing software, and focus on augmented reality, this AR headset has the potential to revolutionize how we interact with the digital world, particularly in professional settings.
Here are some of the Vison Pro features Apple revealed at its WWDC event today:
- Micro-OLED display with 23-million pixels across two “postage stamp”-sized panels, which allows it to display virtual 4K screens
- Hand and eye tracking without controllers or external sensors, plus voice control
- Downward-facing cameras so that you don’t have to hold your hands in front of your face to use gesture controls
- If a person approaches you while you’re immersed in a 3D environment, it’ll detect and display them, which is kinda cool
- A knob you can rotate to control the “immersion-level of environments”—how much of the 3D space you see instead of the real world
- A curved OLED screen on the front which shows nearby people your eyes, which looks terrifying in videos, but apparently projects your eyeballs as the correct perspective for each viewer (it’s called “EyeSight,” which is already a word, Apple)
- A button for taking 3D photos and videos
- Avatars called Personas made by scanning your face (might turn out creepy, but certainly more interesting than what Meta’s showing)
- VisionOS, an operating system “designed from the ground up for spatial computing”
- Not-so-good: It uses an external battery pack that only lasts for two-hours