Apple WWCD23: Vision Pro unveiled (Image: Apple)
At the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, Apple brought to light its first new product line since 2014: Apple Vision Pro. Since the announcement of the new glass augmented reality headset, Apple’s stock rose more than 1.5%, which is an all-time-high share price for the company.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for computing,” said Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook. “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”
But what is spatial computing? A more commonly used term might be AR or augmented reality. This kind of technology involves displaying an overlay of computer graphics in the real world around the user. With headsets being released by multiple companies like Microsoft, Google, Oculus, HTC Vive, Sony, Samsung and Magic Leap (in the United States alone), this kind of product is the next big thing in the industry.
However, Apple could already be experiencing hiccups in multiple departments. The first is a potential trademark issue with Huawei, a rival tech company, that has had the name under its belt in China since 2021 and is active until 2031. This compounding with a reported low shipping rate issue could be disastrous for interested customers looking to get one right away.
Despite this, Apple boasts a lot of features for the $3,500 product. This includes eye and hand tracking for navigation, photorealistic avatars, variable fit design and the ability to play movies or video games.
The current launch window is set for early 2024. Whether or not this new product will transform the industry on its own will hopefully be revealed.
Until then, game on.
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