Welcome to the era of “spatial computing”
APPLE’S EXCITING AUGMENTED–REALITY headset is here. The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro comes with two Light Seal cushions and both a Solo Knit Band and a Dual Loop Band —the latter has a strap across the top of your head to better support the weight of the device. Included in the box is an external battery pack, USB–C charging cable, and power adapter, plus a polishing cloth (worth $19. Wow).
Apple confirms that users who require vision correction will need to purchase either the $99 Zeiss Optical Inserts (Readers) or $149 Zeiss Prescription Optical Inserts. Both attach magnetically inside the headset and are available online only. You’ll need to provide a current optical prescription, but Apple warns that not all prescriptions may be supported. Interestingly, Apple says the device’s eye–tracking technology can function by monitoring just one dominant eye, for users without full use of both eyes, but it is not clear whether this is user–configurable.
It seems you don’t need an in–store appointment for face scanning to ensure that you get the correct size and fit. An existing Face ID profile from another Apple device, possibly along with a new face–scanning feature in the Apple Store app, could do it all.
A NEW WORLD OF IMMERSION
Apple Vision Pro can run “hundreds of thousands of familiar iPhone and iPad apps”, mirror a Mac, and stream movies or TV shows from Disney+ and Max on a virtual HDR screen that “feels 100 feet wide”. In addition, the Apple TV app will offer more than 150 3D titles, plus Immersive Video experiences with “180–degree, three–dimensional 8K recordings captured with Spatial Audio.”
Spatial games available at launch include Game Room, What the Golf?, and Super Fruit Ninja. Apple is encouraging developers
