The new Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s long-awaited entrance into the realm of face-mounted computers, is under a lot of scrutiny. Apple claims that the Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499, marks the beginning of “spatial computing,” which essentially means running apps all around you. And the company’s advertisements for it do little to alleviate that pressure: they depict people wearing the Vision Pro at all times. At work! Doing laundry! Playing with their children! The goal is enormous: to stack apps and information on top of the real environment, thus augmenting reality.
Meanwhile, Apple’s leadership, from Tim Cook on down, has consistently stated that augmented reality will be far more valuable than VR. And it’s been developing towards AR for a long time: developers can use AR tools in iOS, and higher-end iPhones and iPads have had lidar depth scanners for a few years.
Curiosty of Apple Vision Pro
The Vision Pro is Apple’s first attempt to create a computer that incorporates all of those concepts – a computer that functions in the environment around you. The Vision Pro is intended to be a complete gadget that can sit alongside the Mac and iPad in Apple’s ecosystem while allowing you to accomplish actual work.
The Vision Pro is Apple’s ambitious foray into creating a versatile computer that seamlessly integrates with the physical world. It aims to enhance reality by stacking apps and information on top of the real environment. Apple’s leadership, including Tim Cook, firmly believes that augmented reality will hold greater value than virtual reality. The company has been steadily progressing towards AR by providing developers with AR tools in iOS and equipping higher-end iPhones and iPads with lidar depth scanners. The Vision Pro represents Apple’s vision of a comprehensive device that can coexist with the Mac and iPad, empowering users to effectively complete their tasks.
It sounds incredible, and sometimes it is. However, the Vision Pro comes with a number of significant trade-offs that cannot be ignored. Some of those choices are extremely tangible: putting all of this technology in a headset puts a lot of weight on your face, so Apple opted with an additional battery pack connected via a wire. However, there are also deeper philosophical tradeoffs.
As I used it over the past four days, I kept thinking about the compromises and if they were worthwhile.
Is the Vision Pro so fantastic that I’m willing to mess up my hair every time I use it?
Hardware: A Versatile Blend of VR and AR
Apple does not want people to think of the Vision Pro as a VR headset, but it is — although a VR headset that nearly makes you forget it’s a VR headset.
You put it on your head in such a way that it completely blocks your vision, and it then displays a 3D video stream of the world around you via the front cameras, as if you could see straight through the device. However, it can also transport you to virtual reality at varying degrees of immersion: I spent some time working totally on the Moon and a lot of time in my kitchen with a number of windows floating around a doorway into Joshua Tree.
The Vision Pro stands out from other VR headsets, which are mostly made of plastic and might seem ridiculous. In contrast, the Vision Pro is made of magnesium and carbon fibre in an aluminium enclosure that feels like a natural extension of Apple’s iconic design language. There’s a little iPhone 6, AirPods Max, and Apple Watch. It represents the leading edge of technology in a package that appears instantly familiar. Almost everyone I’ve showed it to believes it’s smaller in person than they anticipated, especially when contrasted to some of the massive VR headsets we’ve seen over the last decade.
Spatial Audio and Design Innovation
The Vision Pro’s speakers are situated in the side arms, and they are rather loud and perform well in terms of spatial audio rendering. Things actually sound like they are happening where they appear to be happening, which is a clever trick. The speakers are also somewhat leaky, so everyone else can hear what you’re doing unless you wear headphones. You may use any Bluetooth headphones you like, but the newer AirPods Pro have a lot of extra capabilities, including decreased latency, lossless 48KHz audio, and Apple’s Adaptive Audio system, which automatically blends in real-world sound as needed.
Engineering Marvels: Real-time Video Processing and Latency
It may appear straightforward, but doing so in real time, at high resolution, in a computer that fits over your eyes is an incredible engineering feat. Apple states that the latency between what the cameras observe and what appears on the display is under 12ms, which includes the cameras’ exposure time. Actual data processing is faster. Do the maths, and Apple claims there isn’t even a frame’s worth of latency; the next frame of video is available before you’ve finished viewing the previous one.
You can also witness Apple’s remarkable video processing capabilities right in front of your eyes: I sat scrolling on my phone while wearing the Vision Pro, and there were no blown-out screens or strange frame rates.
