Apple unveils new Virtual Reality Glasses
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Apple goes for the metaverse
Apple has officially unveiled its Virtual Reality glasses, the Apple Vision Pro in front of thousands of fans. They are its first glasses, marking the beginning of a new era for the company. Priced at $3,499 with a planned launch in early 2024. The glasses feature a new operating system and a co-processor that will be combined with the Apple Silicon M2. Apple is making a firm bid to distance itself from competitors such as Meta and OPPO, and the Apple Vision Pro has all the features needed to achieve this.
The design of the Virtual Reality glasses features a viewfinder made of polished glass that allows a clear view of the environment, with an aluminium body that encloses the glasses. The strap is made of a flexible textile material, which facilitates versatility and comfort. In addition, the straps have small pads that incorporate speakers to provide spatial audio, strategically placed near the ears to give users a feeling of total immersion.
The new “APPLE VISION PRO” glasses
The Apple Vision Pro are glasses that combine virtual reality and augmented reality in an innovative way. Unlike its competitors, which use other systems of beacons or content projection, Apple’s glasses offer a more organic integration with the environment. One of the most important values of the new glasses is the software that manages them. It is called visionOS and presents a three-dimensional interface that makes the digital content look and feel present in the physical world.
The American brand’s glasses have a battery life of up to two hours, which may not seem long, but they can be plugged into the mains for all-day use. It is also possible to use them connected to an external battery to extend their autonomy. In terms of image quality, the viewfinders feature Zeiss lenses and over 4K resolution in each eye, using micro-OLED technology. They also feature a dual-camera system capable of capturing panoramic-sized images and videos, with spatial audio, to faithfully recreate the captured moments.
Apple has addressed heat dissipation by implementing a perforated design around the aluminium frame to prevent overheating. However, the key differentiator of the glasses lies in the software. The operating system called visionOS combines virtual reality and augmented reality in a novel way. The Apple Vision Pro is virtually a computer with the Apple Silicon M2 chip, allowing it to run any application in a virtual and mixed reality environment.
Inside the visors is an eye-tracking system based on high-performance LEDs and infrared cameras. This system allows accurate eye-tracking to control the interface by sight. On the audio side, capsules in the straps analyse the environment and adapt spatial sound in real time using infrared and cameras to map the environment in which the glasses are located in 3D.
In addition to a variety of sensors both inside and outside the visors, Apple Vision Pro incorporates two high-resolution cameras and a LiDAR scanner. These cameras enable accurate head and hand tracking, as well as the creation of 3D maps of the environment in real time. They can also capture photographs and videos with spatial sound.
The interface of the applications is customisable, allowing you to adjust the size of the windows and create different configurations. In addition, the glasses have integration with the Apple ecosystem and can function as a wireless 4K monitor for a Mac. They are also compatible with Bluetooth accessories, such as the PlayStation 5 controller, allowing you to enjoy games available on Apple Arcade and other app shops.
For video calling, the Apple Vision Pro is optimised for Facetime, allowing participants to appear in separate windows with spatial audio, providing a sense of realism.
The future will be in the metaverse
In short, Apple Vision Pro is a mixed reality glasses that offers an organic integration with the environment. With its visionOS software, it features an adaptive and customisable 3D interface. These glasses are capable of playing media content, running applications, recording in 3D, playing games and participating in video calls. They also have integration with the Apple ecosystem and offer solutions for people who wear glasses through lenses adapted to the individual optical prescription.
Technology channels such as Xataca and Techradar write about the launch.
