American technology company, Apple Inc. has unveiled a headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter’s ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public’s imagination.
The release was the most significant product launch by the iPhone maker since it unveiled the Apple Watch in 2015.
After years of speculation, Apple CEO, Tim Cook, hailed the arrival of the sleek goggles dubbed “Vision Pro” at the company’s annual developers’ conference held on a park-like campus in Cupertino, California, that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs helped design. The device will be capable of toggling between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality, or AR, which projects digital imagery while users still see can see objects in the real world.
The Vision Pro, which was generally well received on Monday, will cost a hefty $3,499 and be available early next year in the United States only, the company said.
Although Apple executives provided an extensive preview of the headset’s capabilities during the final half hour of Monday’s event, consumers will have to wait before they can get their hands on the device and prepare to pay a hefty price to boot. Vision Pro will sell for $3,500 once it’s released in stores early next year.
Instead of merely positioning the goggles as another vehicle for exploring virtual worlds or watching more immersive entertainment, Apple framed the Vision Pro as the equivalent of owning an ultrahigh-definition TV, surround-sound system, high-end camera, and state-of-the-art camera bundled into a single piece of hardware.
Vision Pro allows wearers to twist a watch-like “crown” to go from having interactive imagery augment one’s surroundings to being fully immersed in a rich 3-D experience that feels like being in a video or on a sports playing field, a hands-on demonstration showed.
Apple said the experience won’t cause the recurring nausea and headaches that similar devices have in the past. The company also developed a technology to create a three-dimensional digital version of each user to display during video conferencing.
Although Vision Pro won’t require physical controllers that can be clunky to use, the goggles will have to either be plugged into a power outlet or a portable battery tethered to the headset, a factor that could make it less attractive for some users.
