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After years of rumors, the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses are a fact. The price is higher than expected, as is the late launch date. After numerous rumours,
After years of rumors, the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses are a fact. The price is higher than expected, as is the late launch date.
After numerous rumours, delays and pressure from Tim Cook to get his way, Apple’s new VR glasses are here. Under the name Apple Reality Pro, the manufacturer presents VR glasses in which one is cut off from the environment, but still not. Thanks to the numerous high-resolution cameras on the front, the surroundings are mapped, giving you an augmented reality (AR) experience.
On the front, all of the sensors are shielded by glass surrounded by an aluminum body and fabric mask, which you can remove to use other, better-fitting variants. Apple uses a woven fabric strap on the back. Spatial audio is processed in the headset.
Before we describe the experience through the lens, we must first stay on the outside. Apple has installed a flexible OLED screen behind the front glass that can display information. When you’re fully immersed in an application, the rest of the people in your room see it with colored waves or some other animation.
Are you physically interacting with someone in your space? Then eyes appear in the glasses. The other party will have the impression that you are wearing giant sunglasses. In the video demonstration we find it creepy and unrealistic at times, but it has the potential to break down an important barrier that all other VR glasses have today: being locked in your own space.
There is still very little clarity about the outdoor capabilities of the screen. Can developers use this screen? Or can Apple simply control this via visionOS, the operating system of the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses?
Interaction is via hand gestures, your eyes, your voice, or the “digital crown” already present on the Apple Watch. There are no controllers included in the box, which is always the case with other VR goggles like the recently announced Meta Quest 3.
Thanks to the twelve cameras distributed over the glasses, you can keep your hands where you want. It is enough to look at something with your eyes. Thanks to IR cameras around the lenses, the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses know what you want to choose. A quick snap of your fingers is all it takes to select that. Scrolling is done, for example, by an upward movement of the hand.
Apple mentions the term spatial computing during his press conference and hopes to set the standard for smooth interaction in a virtual world.
In addition to the twelve cameras, the glasses on the front also contain a LiDAR sensor that can optimally scan the room. For example, the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses know the exact dimensions of your room and can place all virtual elements correctly in the room. There are also two “TrueDepth” cameras that optimally scale the room.
Inside is an Apple M2 chip supported by a brand new Apple R1 chip. The latter has the specific task of processing all twelve cameras, five sensors and six microphones. This way the Apple M2 chip keeps all the required bandwidth for other applications.
According to Apple, the R1 chip keeps latency to a minimum for a seamless, fluid experience. According to Apple, it would take just 12 milliseconds to send a new image to the screen, eight times faster than the blink of an eye.
Apple doesn’t talk about the exact resolution per eye, but it does claim that the Reality Pro does offer a wearable 4K picture where you can read crisp text. Both panels behind the lenses are MicroOLED, each pixel is 7.5 microns “big”. Apple speaks of “Wide Color” and HDR in its presentation.
Glasses wearers can easily use the Apple Reality Pro thanks to clickable magnetic lenses. The manufacturer works together with Zeiss. If you have glasses, you can test the headset in an Apple Store later this year or next and choose the right glasses for you.
So that the VR glasses remain sufficiently light, the battery is not in the headset, but in a battery pack. You click it through the page and then put it in your pocket. The battery should offer an autonomy of up to two hours. If you want to work longer in the virtual world, you need several batteries or can be connected to the mains.
Video calls and collaborating in a 3D world are not so easy with these glasses. Apple has found something for that in the form of a 3D avatar. Thanks to the numerous sensors on the front, you can create an incredibly realistic avatar that can reproduce every facial expression in real time. The result is remarkably good.
Apple says the feature will work at launch in FaceTime, but Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Webex confirmed in the presentation that they will also support 3D personas. Thanks to OpticID you can secure your digital working environment. Thanks to the built-in sensors that scan your iris, Apple says you can sign in seamlessly and securely.
To keep the focus on visionOS, there will be a separate app store for the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses with dedicated apps tailored for VR and AR experiences. Apple shows in a demo that you can also seamlessly take your Mac into VR and continue working with a 2D image in a 3D environment or your own room. This way you have a lot more working space.
Apple claims that one could work in this environment. I’m waiting to see if the number of pixels is enough to create a realistic world that isn’t full of clear dots. The latter is the main culprit, giving a very tiring feeling when having to read texts in a VR environment, for example.
Developers can now start developing apps. Apple says Unity runs natively. The building blocks of visionOS consist of components from macOS, iOS and iPadOS. This allows them to adapt existing apps for the Apple Reality Pro VR glasses or create new apps with existing tools.
Apple has more than 5,000 patents pending for the Reality Pro. All these innovations and high-quality materials come at a price. The VR glasses will initially cost $3,499. The Apple Reality Pro will be available in early 2024.
In his closing speech, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized that Apple Store locations around the world play a crucial role in the launch of the Reality Pro. There you can book long-term demos and personalize your suitable size.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
