Apple has launched the eagerly awaited Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset in its first significant hardware release in nearly a decade.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the new headgear “seamlessly blends the real world and the virtual world” in a late-night tweet on Monday, June 5.
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.
Last week Meta announced its Quest – which costs $449, meaning Apple’s New device costs considerably more than virtual reality headsets currently on the market.
Cook made the news at a developer’s conference held at Apple Park, the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple referred to the functionality of the new gadget as “augmented reality”.
Through the use of augmented reality, sometimes referred to as mixed reality, users 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.
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The headgear enables users to “see, hear, and interact with digital content just like it’s in your physical space”.
Combining your hands, eyes, and voice to control it involves actions like tapping your fingers together to choose and flicking them to scroll.
The iWatch device was the company’s most recent significant hardware release in 2015.
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 picture or image of yourself that will appear on a person’s phone when you call them – and “live voicemail” – which provides a real-time transcription of an answerphone message being left to you.
This transcription will also apply to audio messages left using Apple Messages.
And Apple has introduced a system called Check-In. This will automatically tell a friend or family member when you’ve arrived home.
The new operating system will be available in Autumn 2023.
