This is the new Apple Vision Pro VR headset. It’s not fundamentally new but, it is new for Apple. And they have done remarkable work with this product, something only Apple would do or try.
It is interesting to see Apple releasing the first generation of a product with the word Pro already in its name, which we believe comes with a different set of implications for the future of this product.
Basic Features
There are parts of this thing that are amazing, and unparalleled, as described by the few people who have tried it before the launch and as we are writing this blog.
This Vision Pro has the sharpest best-looking micro OLED display out of all the available headsets currently in the market. The size of individual pixels on these displays is seven and a half microns which means you could fit 64 of those pixels in the size of a single iPhone screen pixel! You cannot see individual pixels, and there is no screen door effect.
The native refresh rate is 90 hertz, and it will crank up to 96 hertz when there’s 24 fps content playing to be an even multiple and Apple says that they calibrate every single one of these Vision Pro displays from the factory for maximum color accuracy.
The Foveated Rendering
This is a big reason why this headset is so expensive. But the Vision Pro runs up against the technology of today. Some experts suggest that since there are so many pixels, the computer inside cannot render everything in high-resolution all the time at 90 hertz. So instead it does something clever it combines the insanely fast eye tracking with what’s called Foveated rendering meaning it’s only actually rendering and high resolution exactly what you’re looking at when you’re looking at it. The rest is soft and fuzzy.
The screens are great, and the position tracking of objects in space is great. The eye tracking is incredibly good. The only drawback to immersion on the Vision Pro is its limited field of view. The edges of the headset are a little bit further in than the edges of your vision. So there’s a little bit of like a cone effect that you see. So you have this feeling of looking into a tunnel.
Passthrough
Vision Pro has the best passthrough of any Virtual Reality headset in the market. Passthrough is a feature that allows you to step outside your view in VR to see a real-time view of your surroundings. Passthrough uses the sensors on your headset to approximate what you would see if you were able to look directly through the front of your headset and into the real world around you.
Apple is aiming to minimize or eliminate any eye fatigue that might be caused by the headsets no matter how long the user is in the passthrough mode. They want the users to be able to interact with the real world around them. The total latency according to Apple is 12 milliseconds, from the outside light reaching the sensors to the inside image reaching the eyes. That’s incredibly fast.
Connectivity With Other Devices
Users will also enjoy this part of the overall Vision Pro experience. The built-in apps work perfectly just like any iPhone or iPad. Photos are all loaded up in Vision Pro straight from the users’ iPhones. Even little things can be connected. For example, users can copy a text on a Mac or iPhone and then paste it and it shows up in the Vision Pro. On the other hand, Facetime is impressive with the Vision Pro. Scanning personas is state of the art. The positional tracking and responsiveness of the spatial audio, it’s all so well thought out. The audio volume from Vision Pro speakers bleeds out into the room around the users.
Mac Virtual Display
You can do remote desktop viewing (like the Quest 3). After connecting to your Mac, and then intaking and re-rendering a new virtual display for your Mac, not mirroring what’s already being shown by your computer, so you can use your Mac with all the existing controls you’re already using with it, but make your new monitor as big as you want. Then you can open simultaneous: Vision Pro apps all around that Mac display and place them all around the room wherever you want.
The Apps
As of today, there are around 600 apps for the Vision Pro. There are so many other apps, made for the iPad and are compatible with the Vision Pro. The home of the headset has all the apps but the users cannot rearrange them. It’s always in alphabetical order. We do not have the YouTube app, nor the Netflix. There is no Spotify either. No Tiktok (which many are happy about it!).
The Comfort Of Use
The Vision Pro weighs 25% more than a lot of other headsets. It is made of metal and has all this glass, weighing in at nearly 650 grams. But Apple doesn’t care about this issue. But the coolest feature of its looks is the Solo Knit Band or Strap. This is very unique to Apple as compared to other boring-looking straps. It is used to differentiate this product from the competition. But you cannot use this strap for a very long time because of the pressure you feel against the front of your face and forehead. That is why Apple is including another one called the Dual Loop Band. It’s not as easy to adjust, but it makes wearing the headset much more easier (while messing the hair all over).
Apple Vision Pro Eyesight
This feature shows your eyes on the front of your Apple Vision Pro and lets those nearby know when you’re using apps or when you’re fully immersed in an experience.
Because of the glass of the headset, some light always bounces off it in a way that makes the eyes hard to see. Even if you can see it, it’s pretty low-resolution because of the lenticular display form.
The Vision Pro is an expensive fun toy, a piece of technology to play with. How practical it is for the professional part of your day? What will be the practical added value to our everyday tasks? Those are questions that yet need to be answered with time. And the most important question is, will people overcome the practical disadvantages of the first-generation product, and accept it into their lives? Will Vision Pro see the light of product development to reach where the iPhone is today? You can watch the product’s guided tour through this link.
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