The biggest reason why VR glasses have not been a great success to date is that the user has completely lost touch with the outside world. You only see what is displayed on the screens in the glasses, so you are no longer involved in what is happening around you.
The Apple Vision Pro solves this problem in an impressive way, of course at a hefty price tag. The first users are thrilled with the possibilities of the Vision Pro, but is it here to stay?
Apple Vision Pro
Under the name Apple Vision Pro, Apple has introduced AR glasses where you are not completely isolated from your environment, unless you explicitly want that. Using high-resolution cameras on the front of the device, the environment is imaged and mixed with augmented reality. For example, if you are sitting on the couch and want to visit our website, you will see a safari window in your living room.
The front of the Vision Pro has curved glass, behind which all sensors and a screen are located (more about that later). The front is surrounded by an aluminum chassis and the ‘Lightseal’. That is the fabric mask that fits your face. The sound is produced by two speakers that are incorporated in the left and right audio band. That is the part of the band that is attached to the device itself and to which the headband connects. A woven fabric band is used on the back, which is available in different sizes.
Augmented reality
What makes the Apple Vision Pro special is that an OLED screen is incorporated behind the glass on the front, Apple calls this screen EyeSight. When using the full screen, for example when watching a movie, an animation with waves is displayed on the EyeSight screen. This allows other people in the room to see that you are not seeing your surroundings at that moment.
The moment a physical person in the room interacts with you, your eyes appear on the EyeSight screen. When using the Vision Pro, you must scan your face, which creates a digital version of your face, a kind of 3D avatar.
The part of both your eyes is used to display on the EyeSight screen when interacting with another person. This lets that person know that you can communicate with each other.
EyeSight thus removes the main stumbling block of current VR glasses. When using the Apple Vision Pro you are not closed off from the outside world, it is a mix of reality and augmented reality.
Operation with hand gestures
The Apple Vision Pro is operated via hand gestures, your eyes, your voice or the ‘digital crown’ as we know it from the Apple Watch. Controllers are not used as with other VR glasses, you can use your own hands for operation.
With the help of the twelve cameras in the Vision Pro you can keep your hands where you want. The cameras can detect different actions with your hands, after which the corresponding action is performed. For example, you can scroll through content by making an upward movement with your hand. You can select something by making a pinching movement with your index finger and thumb.
Special R1 chip for controlling screens, cameras and sensors
In addition to the 12 cameras, the Vision Pro on the front also has a LiDAR sensor and two TrueDepth cameras that map the space. This means that the glasses know the exact dimensions of the room and the virtual elements can be placed in the room.
An Apple M2 chip is used that is assisted by the new Apple R1 chip. The R1 has the specific task of processing all data from the twelve cameras, five sensors and six microphones and controlling the screens. The screens are refreshed by the R1 chip within 12 milliseconds, which is eight times faster than blinking your eyes.
Because the R1 chip is used to control the hardware, the full capacity of the M2 chip remains available for apps and visionOS itself.
Will the Apple Vision Pro be a success?
When using the Apple Vision Pro you are not closed off from the outside world, it is a mix of reality and augmented reality. This has overcome the biggest stumbling block of current VR glasses.
However, the Vision Pro’s advanced hardware comes with a hefty price tag of $3,499, which could be another stumbling block. Apple could eventually release a non-‘Pro’ version of the Vision to bring the price down. But then savings will have to be made on the hardware and therefore also on the functionality that makes the Vision Pro unique…