Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D News - Page 10

If you're buying a new Vision Pro mixed reality headset when it goes on sale on February 2, you're going to get one of the most advanced spatial computing products on the market for your $3,499. But what you won't get is support for Wi-Fi 6E or the even better Wi-Fi 7, nor will you get the same technology that can be found in a $29 Apple AirTag.

That technology is of course an Ultra Wideband chip that allows for precise location information to be collected. The iPhone also has an Ultra Wideband chip inside, while the Apple Watch also features the same technology. The Vision Pro? Not so much.

We know that because the Vision Pro has now worked its way through the FCC which means that we now have a fuller picture of exactly what is and is not inside the headset. The lack of a UWB chip is a disappointment, although it isn't clear how big of an issue it will be. But the lack of Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 is more of an issue, especially considering the price of the headset itself.

The Vision Pro headset is going to go on sale on February 2 and preorders begin at the end of this week and with that in mind, Apple continues to get its ducks in a row ahead of the big launch. The AR/VR headset will likely live or die on the quality and quantity of its apps and to make sure that there are plenty to choose from Apple has started to make them available ahead of time.

The move, which will likely also help reviewers who need to put the headset through its paces ahead of the big day, means that app developers who have submitted apps for review are now starting to see them approved and made available for download. That means that anyone who heads to the App Store webpage for those apps will now see a new entry for the Vision Pro alongside the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Apps will require visionOS 1.0 or later, which is likely to be the software that the headset will ship with preinstalled.

Apple announced the headset back in June of 2023 during the WWDC event at Apple Park, and while developers weren't able to start working on apps immediately they have had months to get their work ready for launch. Being in the App Store on launch day is a big deal for app developers and has the potential to propel their app to the top of the rankings. For apps that also have iPhone, iPad, or Mac versions available that could also then turn into better sales and revenue on those platforms, too. With that in mind, it's no wonder that some high-profile apps will be ready come February 2.

Apple continues to release more information about the upcoming Vision Pro headset as we get ready for it to finally go on sale next month. We've already seen the company share details about a variety of features as well as what will come in the box, and now the company has confirmed the existence of a feature that will allow people to more easily use their Vision Pro on an airplane.

Writing in a larger press release about the Vision Pro's entertainment experience and what buyers can look forward to, Apple says that the headset will have a Travel Mode that is designed with airplanes in mind, although it can obviously be used when using other modes of transportation - although Apple is quick to note that people shouldn't wear the Vision Pro while they're operating a vehicle. Travel Mode is designed only for passengers, as you might expect.

Apple hasn't given all that much information about how Travel Mode will work but it did say that the feature stabilizes visuals, which suggests that Apple is aware that the on-screen interface could move around when people are not stationary. This is something that we'll need to see in person before we can be sure of how well it works, but we have to imagine that at least one YouTuber will take their Vision Pro on a rollercoaster to see how it performs.

Apple's Vision Pro will go up for preorder on January 19 before being made available to buy, finally, on February 2. But ahead of those dates, Apple continues to share more details about a headset that promises to be a big deal for a company that rarely ventures into new categories. One of those details revolves around a feature that is designed specifically to make it easier for people to show their new AR/VR headset off to people.

The feature, dubbed Guest Mode, will allow people to give their handset to someone else for them to try on and use temporarily without having to set everything up afresh. It should also mean that no new accounts will need to be created while also ensuring that most sensitive data won't be accessible, too.

Apple hasn't given in-depth information about the way Guest Mode will work, but it did warn that some app content including photo attachments in messages may be visible during the Gust Mode usage. However, the company's press release did note that people's Apple ID settings, Optic ID, passcode, passwords, Apple Pay, Persona, and health data will be restricted while Guest User is enabled.

Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset will finally go on sale on February 2, but only to customers who are in the United States. A global launch is obviously in the cards, and now a new report suggests that international customers should start saving for their new headset ASAP because it could be with them sooner than expected.

That's the claim by well-connected supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a new post on Medium. The analyst says that Apple has big plans for the WWDC 2024 event that will be held in June of this year and that to make the most of that event it should have the headset available in as many different countries as possible. That, Ming-Chi Ming-Chi Kuo believes, suggests that Apple intends to make the Vision Pro available internationally before WWDC.

The WWDC event is likely to take place in June which means that Apple still has a few months to make sure that the Vision Pro headset is available to as many people, and in as many countries, as possible.

If you're picking up a new Vision Pro mixed reality headset in February and looking for new apps to try, there shouldn't be any shortage of options. In fact, one of them will be full to the brim with familiar faces and that app will be HBO's Max. Once installed, the Max app will offer Vision Pro owners quick access to a world of streaming content from not only HBO but also CNN, DC Universe, Food Network, and more.

MacRumors reports that Apple confirmed that Max would be one of the ways people with Vision Pros will be able to watch content in augmented reality, while it will be joined by others including Disney+ and of course Apple TV+, too. We can likely expect more to arrive in the coming months assuming that they aren't in the Vision Pro App Store on day one.

When confirming that the Vision Pro headset will go on sale on February 2, Apple said that its owners can expect to watch content on a display that feels like it's 100 feet wide. That content should look great as well, with full HDR support offered by the Vision Pro's dual 4K displays.

Apple is finally set to make the Vision Pro available for preorder this week and then put it on sale in February, but it looks like there might be one feature that won't be there when the headset lands on people's heads. That's despite it having featured heavily in Apple's promotional imagery before being unceremoniously removed at an unknown time.

That feature is one called Open Sky Environment and it's a feature that replaces the ceiling in your room with an outdoor landscape, whether that's an open blue sky or something else. Apple had previously shown the feature off as being used in a home as a woman lays in bed, or on an airplane. However, Apple has now removed all references to the feature on its website.

The change was first spotted by the @M1Astra X account with Apple updating a promotional video to remove the feature. The company has also updated on-page text to remove any mention of the feature, too. At the moment it's unclear when these changes were made so it's possible that the feature was removed a while ago, but it's definitely a feature that has been removed, whenever it might have happened.

Apple's soon-to-be revolutionary Vision Pro headset is nearly here, and we're slowly getting more details about what is happening inside of the mixed reality headset.

Inside, the new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset will feature an in-house M2 and R1 co-processor system, but the higher-end M2 processor with more GPU cores will be found inside of the $3499 headset. It will need the beefier GPU system because the Apple Vision Pro will be powering dual 4K micro-LED screens.

Apple makes its M2 processor in two variants: one with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, while another bumps up to a 10-core GPU that will be found inside of the Apple Vision Pro headset. Apple uses its M2 processors inside of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops. This is some of the best silicon Apple makes and will be the star of the Vision Pro headset.

If you're one of the lucky few that intend to pick up a new Vision Pro at launch you're probably already starting to get excited. The Apple mixed reality headset has a lot to live up to after years of rumors and leaks, but now that it's almost here Apple is getting people ready for a buying experience that will be like no other.

The company, which will put the Vision Pro up for preorder on January 19, has started to email people in the United States to inform them about how the preorder process will work and, importantly, how they will go about making sure that they are ordering the correct size accessories to fit their head and face. And to make that happen, they're going to need to have an iPhone or iPad to hand.

In the emails sent to potential Vision Pro customers, Apple warned that they would need an iPhone or an iPad with Face ID to ensure that they get a process measurement to ensure the Headset's band fits correctly. The email also confirmed that the latest version of the Apple Store app will also be needed in order to complete the detailed face scan, while people who wear glasses will also be able to choose their Zess lens inserts at the point of order. A current prescription will need to be available and provided to Apple at the point of placing the pre-order, too.

When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset on June 5 2023 it didn't say anything about availability beyond the fact that it would ship in early 2024. We're now there, and we now know that the headset will hit Apple Store shelves on February 2. But according to one report, we shouldn't expect that the headset will be easy to get hold of - and not just because you'll have to hand over a cool $3,499 to get it.

While the high asking price is sure to also limit the demand for a headset that we've been hearing rumors about for years, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that even if you do have the money to give Apple, you might not be able to. According to him, stocks of the headset are going to be extremely limited.

Writing on X, the supply chain analyst said that Apple will produce between 60,000 and 80,000 units of the Vision Pro ahead of that February 2 release date. That leads him to believe that the headset will sell out soon after release, despite the high asking price.