Vision Pro

A patent granted today describes a possible way to reduce neck strain when using an Apple headset. It follows a report that the company is concerned about neck fatigue from the Vision Pro’s weight.

Counter-intuitively, the method proposed would make a future version of Vision Pro heavier, rather than lighter …

Mixed reality headset makers seem to face a choice: do it well, or do it cheap. Priced from $3500, Apple Vision Pro sure ain’t doing it cheap. The consensus from those who have tried Vision Pro, though, seems to be that the experience is technologically impressive.

Can the same be said for Meta’s new Quest 3 mixed reality headset? The $500 XR headset is only loosely defined as cheap, of course, because of Apple’s hard-to-fathom price tag. Nevertheless, is it possible to sell mixed reality for a literal fraction of Vision Pro’s price and still make the experience compelling?

Mark Gurman’s latest newsletter says that Apple remains concerned about the Vision Pro’s weight and is working on making the next generation of the headset lighter.

Gurman also describes the difficulties the company is facing in dealing with the prescription lenses that will be needed for many customers …

Following the iPhone 15 announcement last month, Apple has also introduced a new version of the second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case. However, the new version of the AirPods Pro 2 comes with more than just a new case, as it is capable of transmitting lossless audio when paired with an Apple Vision Pro. And Apple’s headset will remind users that it works best with the new version of AirPods.

Following the iPhone 15 launch, Tim Cook has embarked on an international tour. While in London, the Apple CEO gave an interview to The Independent to talk Apple gaming and Vision Pro. And while we’ve not yet seen Cook don the Apple headset in public, using it has apparently become part of his evening ritual.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has published a new research note in which he makes some Vision Pro predictions. Kuo expects Vision Pro shipments in year one to be below market expectations. He’s also unsure that a rumored low-cost version could come the following year.

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C charging arrive in stores today. The new hardware is more than just a revised charging case though. As we know, the updated AirPods Pro 2 will be capable of streaming lossless audio from the Vision Pro headset when it ships early next year. Apple credits the H2 chip, but it’s still been a bit of a mystery since both versions have this processor.

Presenting yourself on a video call with a device that has a front-facing camera is easy. Doing that on a mixed reality headset? Not so much. Apple’s solution for FaceTime is a virtual representation of yourself called a Persona. Unlike Memoji characters, your Persona is meant to realistically portray you.

When Apple unveiled Vision Pro at WWDC 2023 in June, the company highlighted the device’s potential for different categories, from productivity to entertainment – and that includes gaming. Since Vision Pro won’t be available in stores until 2024, we don’t know which apps will be available for it. But game studio Resolution has announced that it has plans to bring the popular role-playing game “Demeo” to Apple’s mixed reality headset.

A studio that adapted Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens into an augmented reality experience for the Magic Leap 2 believes that combining a physical book with AR content could make a cool Vision Pro experience.

Rather than the purely virtual book brought to life in Magic Leap, the studio sees the potential for using Vision Pro’s high-resolution passthrough feature to create something truly special …

As developers continue to work on bringing their apps to Vision Pro, Apple has shared a new update via its website with details on the Vision Pro’s App Store. Starting this fall, Apple says that visionOS will include the App Store built-in, allowing developers to expand their testing of Vision Pro apps.

A newly-granted patent published today for an Apple Glasses Digital Crown design clearly shows a device very much along the lines of what we’re eventually expecting to see, as the company moves its AR wearables ambitions beyond bulky headsets.

The illustration shows how a Digital Crown could be used to cycle through different overlays available on the glasses, ranging from video content to weather data …

Even before Apple unveiled Vision Pro, Meta already had virtual reality headsets called Meta Quest (which were created after Meta acquired Oculus). However, Meta’s headsets aren’t exactly a hit. But Zuckerberg seems to have ambitious plans to compete with Apple Vision Pro, as a new report suggests that Meta has been working with LG to build a new VR headset.

Apple has denied reports that developer interest in Vision Pro is currently very limited, following a report last month that the developer workshops for the headset were very poorly attended.

Developers working on Vision Pro apps themselves have mixed views on the likely appeal of the product, from those who feel that it will become a huge market, to those who consider it a riskier investment …

Tough break for the 6,000 or so customers of Magic Leap’s first augmented reality headset. Upload VR reports that Magic Leap is telling customers the device will ‘cease to function’ at the end of next year.

Apple on Tuesday launched visionOS beta 3 to developers. Although the update is focused on people who have already got their hands on a Vision Pro Developer Kit, it’s also available for Vision Pro Simulator as part of the SDK. Read on as we detail what’s new with visionOS beta 3.

Following the release of iOS 17 beta 8 and other software updates to developers, Apple is also releasing visionOS beta 3. Although Apple Vision Pro won’t hit stores until 2024, there are a few developers who have been invited to try out the new device in advance.

Apple Vision Pro faces a few challenges today. Apple can’t make as many as it would like, it costs a lot to build each unit, and that adds up to a $3500 product for consumers. The company is currently investigating what ultimately could be a solution to each of these issues.

Apple has been granted a patent for an intriguing Vision Pro accessory, which is at one point referred to as a digital “stone.”

The description of the device is intentionally vague, as Apple wants to cover all potential uses, but it appears that the company sees it as a way to allow augmented or virtual reality objects to persist even after a Vision Pro session has ended …

Apple Vision Pro is still months away from arriving in the US, and developers are already hard at work on crafting spatial computing experiences with their apps. Today Apple is sharing some of the insight from our favorite developers who have taken advantage of hands-on time with the headset.

Vision Pro may only have been announced this year, and go on sale in 2024, but we’ve known for many years that the company was working on a product of this kind. What we didn’t know was quite how many years.

A newly-published patent reveals the answer to that question – at least since 2007, the year that the original iPhone launched …