Long years of rumour have culminated in Apple’s first set of augmented reality goggles. Turns out, everyone got the name wrong. Vision Pro is the moniker Apple has used for the newest hardware to issue forth from the company. At first glance, the ‘goggles’ concept is pretty literal. They’re reminiscent of space-age scuba gear but, in typical Apple style, the concept should grow on you.
But, also in typical Apple style, the Vision Pro goggles aren’t really doing anything new. The hardware’s abilities and features aren’t unique. Meta’s Oculus hardware has augmented reality functions. So does Microsoft’s Hololens. But Apple is attempting to make these features sexy. And more accessible. But there’s a price involved.
A look at the Vision Pro
Apple’s augmented reality hardware actually looks fairly comfortable to wear. The goggle design isn’t terribly far off from some concept images, but the wide headband and generous amount of space between eye and ‘display’ suggest that long sessions might not suck.
Most of this would be down to the interface and the company is the champion in that sphere. Control is via eye and hand tracking, with voice control thrown in. Despite worries at the development stages, Siri will be included. Yayyy… But the interface, at least as far as Apple has shown it off, looks legit. The company’s typical style is in evidence but there are little touches — the ability to specifically place menus, the creation of shadows over the real-world background — that make the Vision Pro stand out over what has come before.
Vision Pro’s build is also impressively well-engineered. Glass and aluminium for the frame, a lone button, and a digital crown borrowed from the Watch are visible from the outside, but the internal design — which optimises the lenses for eye location — is quite advanced. Additionally, glasses users will have access to inserts from Zeiss, so you don’t have to wear your specs while in the Matrix. Whether that will be an option here in SA is doubtful but we live in hope.
Apple claims to have invented extremely compact high resolutions screens for the Vision Pro, something we’re absolutely dying to see in action. Integrated ‘AudioPods’ deliver sound, there’s a new R1 chip that the company reckons will eliminate (much of) the nausea some users experience while immersed in a virtual environment. A feature called EyeSight projects a representation of your eyes onto the outside of the Vision Pro when people come nearby, so they think they’re actually looking at your face. It’s… not actually transparent, folks. But at least it uses your iris data (which stays on-device) to keep your apps and content private.
Big talk, but will it blend?
Apple’s Vision Pro hardware certainly seems like an attractive product ready for widespread adoption but there’s a lot we’d be hesitant about before taking the plunge. Yes, the company has partnered with Disney to bring content to the platform. Communication, as Apple depicts it, seems attractive enough.
There are loads of apps and games headed to Vision Pro. But Apple is great at marketing. It’ll take a special product to move beyond that and catch the greater imagination. Meta hasn’t quite managed it and nobody else in the space has managed to come close. But if you’re hoping to own one, you’d best prepare your wallet. It starts at R68,000 ($3,500) for the company’s first augmented reality hardware. So… it’s not quite ready for the average user. It launches next year. Better start saving.
