Apple Unveils Apple Vision Pro Augmented Reality Headset: Blending Real and Virtual Worlds

In its first significant hardware release in nearly a decade, Apple has launched the eagerly awaited Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the new headset "seamlessly blends the real world and the virtual world".

The tech company also unveiled improvements for the MacBook Air and the newest operating system for the iPhone.

The headset will be available in the US at the beginning of next year for $3,499 (£2,849) and has a two-hour battery life.

The price is far higher than those of contemporary virtual reality headsets. The $449 Quest was revealed by Meta last week.

The hot technology that is the talk of Silicon Valley, generative artificial intelligence, received little attention from Apple.

During the announcement, which was made at a developer's conference at Apple Park, the firm's headquarters in Cupertino, California, the share price of the corporation decreased marginally.

Although one of the media organizations covering the event, the BBC has not yet used the novel device.

Apple Vision Pro has a different appearance from other virtual reality headsets on the market and is more like a pair of ski goggles than a VR headset.

Apple referred to the functionality of the new gadget as "augmented reality".

Through the use of augmented reality, sometimes referred to as mixed reality, we may combine the real world with the virtual world by viewing through a screen.

In a virtual environment, users can access apps, watch movies, and create papers. But so far, there is little evidence of a big market for this kind of wearable tech.

Hartley Charlton, senior editor of Mac Rumors, was unsure how much the headset would appeal to the general public.

Its extraordinarily high price and early limitations as a first-generation device, such as its separate connected battery pack, he claimed, "won't initially appeal to mainstream consumers."

Nevertheless, he claimed that Apple has a history of "overcoming skepticism" about new gadgets and has previously urged people to "part with their money to add a new gadget to their repertoire."

The headgear enables users to "see, hear, and interact with digital content just like it's in your physical space," according to Mr. Cook's sales pitch.

You can control it by using your hands, eyes, and voice; for example, you can choose anything by tapping your fingers together and scroll by flicking them.

The news follows the announcements of new versions of virtual reality headsets by Meta and Lenovo that do not superimpose items on a view of the actual world.

Meta has also made significant investments in mixed reality, but the industry is now having trouble.

Global sales of headsets fell by 54% last year, according to the International Data Corporation.

The Apple Watch device was the company's most recent significant hardware release in 2015.

According to Thomas Husson of Forrester Research, it might take some time for Apple's new headgear to catch on.

"With the metaverse and that kind of experience," he continued, "the overall AR/VR space has been a bit overhyped over the past few years." "For that reason, I believe it will take a little longer.

"Having said that, I don't think many people would have said they would be willing to pay that if I had told you 10-15 years ago that people would be ready to pay almost $2,000 for a mobile phone."

iOS 17

Apple also launched iOS17, the most recent version of its iPhone operating system, in addition to the Vision Pro announcement.

Updates include "contact posters" (a photo or image of you that will show up on someone's phone when you call them) and "live voicemail" (which provides a real-time transcription of an answerphone message being left to you).

Also included by this transcription are audio messages sent through Apple Messages.

Additionally, Apple has unveiled a feature called Check-In that will instantly notify a friend or relative when you return home.

It can signal to others that you have not yet arrived home safely if your trip is significantly delayed.

In the fall of 2023, the new operating system will be accessible.