Apple flew away from its competitors after launching its first helmet, but it exceeded expectations by mixing virtual and augmented reality with the Vision Pro helmet.
“Blending digital content with the real world will allow the creation of new experiences that we have not seen before,” said Apple President Tim Cook, in a speech prior to the unveiling of this “revolutionary new product,” on Monday.
The new device will be sold early next year, starting at $3,499.
“If you buy the latest TV, high-performance speakers, a powerful PC with plenty of high-resolution screens, and other high-end hardware, you won’t get far enough from Vision Pro,” said Richard Howarth, corporate vice president of design.
— Piyush Bhasarkar (@TechKard) June 5, 2023
The non-wireless helmet, unlike the recent “Quest” models from “Meta” and “Vive” from “HTC”, was launched during Apple’s annual developer conference.
And the “Vision Pro” helmet is connected to a battery that can be put in a pocket and lasts for two hours.
Users can choose the degree of immersion in the worlds with a click that allows them to transition from augmented to virtual reality.
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“I was amazed at the smoothness of using the helmet,” Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies, told AFP. “I was in an immersive world when someone started talking to me and this person was standing in front of me.”
A bit strange
Insider Intelligence analyst Yuri Wurmser said the helmet display was “incredible”, although “the option to have an external battery is a bit odd”.
He continued, “Two main questions remain that we have not received answers to: Who will pay $3,500 to own this helmet? (…) Do people really want virtual and augmented reality experiences through a non-wireless helmet?”
Users control applications and virtual screens through eye movements, gestures, and voice commands.
Howarth explained that the helmet is equipped with sensors that “will create the user’s digital image” through an artificial intelligence program trained on videos of “thousands of individuals”.
And Apple officials presented potential uses for the helmet related to the world of business, communication and entertainment, with reference to a partnership with the Disney group.
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The founder of VR Direct, a consulting company in the field of virtual reality, Rolf Ellenberger, told AFP that Apple “exceeded all my expectations,” expressing his regret that “Apple” specifically offered two-dimensional applications (movies and video games), and said: “I wish I had “I offered more 360-degree applications. But first they have to create a new content management system that matches the technical capabilities.”
the helmet
The display of the Vision Pro helmet is the largest launch of a product from Apple since the unveiling of its smart watch, the Apple Watch, in 2015.
Thus, “Apple” has presented itself as a competitor to the “Meta” group, its neighbor and competitor in Silicon Valley, on its jurisdiction.
Mita dominates the virtual reality sector today, as Quest helmets accounted for more than 80 percent of the market at the end of 2022, according to Cooterpoint.
And “Meta” launched last Thursday a new device, “Quest 3”, which constitutes “the first helmet directed to the general public with mixed reality in high-resolution colors,” and it will be put on sale in the United States during the fall, at a starting price of $ 500.
According to this research company, about 35 million people currently use VR headsets at least once a month in the United States, or about 10% of the population.
The group is known for releasing new products only when they are sure to make a big splash, with an ambition to establish itself as a reference by starting to create luxury products for businesses and their fans.
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Analyst Dan Ives of “Widbush”: “Finally launched the helmet .. We count on the sale of about 150 helmets in the first year and a million in the following year when the price drops.”
The difference between the “Meta” and “Apple” helmets
In the most obvious difference between it and the “Quest Pro” helmet, the (Vision Pro) also contains an external screen that shows the user’s eyes to people in the outside world.
And the external screen becomes dark when the user is fully immersed in a virtual world. When someone approaches a user in full default mode, the headset displays both the user and the outside person to each other.
“You will never be isolated from the people around you. You can see them and they can see you,” said Alan Day, an Apple official.