Apple unveiled a suite of new high-tech toys at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at its Cupertino HQ on Monday and the star of the show was ‘Vision Pro,’ a mixed reality headset, at the iPhone makers first major product launch in a decade..The new goggles will retail for a whopping US$3,499, but worry not, they won’t be released until early 2024, so you have time to save up..At WWDC, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world. It’s the first Apple product you look through and not at,” describing the device as an innovation on par with the original iPhone or Mac computer, reports The New York Post..Resembling high tech googles, the device features a glass screen with 4K resolution displays for each eye on an aluminum alloy frame and “has an adjustable headset and stretchable headband. Battery life is limited, with just two hours per use via a pocket-sized external battery pack,” reports The Post..Cook outlined Vision Pro’s uses, from web browsing and text messaging, to playing video games, attending business meetings and watching movies in an immersive virtual environment..He also announced a feature called EyeSight, which allows Vision Pro users to see approaching people or objects the user is approaching, to prevent unexpected interactions while using the googles..The device is compatible with Apple’s pre-existing apps, including Messages, Safari, AppleTV+ and FaceTime, plus third-party offerings available through the App Store..A mouse and keyboard are not required for Vision Pro, said Cook, saying instead users will use voice commands, their eyes and hands to interact with virtual displays and a small will let users adjust how much their apps are visible relative to their real-world surroundings..A surprise guest presenter at the conference was Bob Iger, Disney CEO, who described Vision Pro as “a product that would “allow us to bring Disney to our fans in ways that were previously impossible.” .Disney fans could use Vision Pro several ways, including “interacting with animated characters, virtually visiting Disney World or watching an NBC game as if you were sitting court-side,” said Iger, adding the Disney+ streaming service will be available on the Vision Pro at launch..Also introduced at WWDC were an upgraded 15-inch version of its MacBook Air that purportedly “runs completely silent” and has 18 hours of battery life, which starts at US$1,299 will ship beginning next week..Company executives also highlighted various updates available in its iOS 17 software, including real-time transcriptions of live voicemails, a check-in feature through its Messages app and the ability to leave voicemails in the FaceTime app..Apple was beaten to the draw on new high-tech headsets by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who posted a surprise reveal of his firm’s upcoming Meta Quest 3 headset on Instagram, which he said was “the first mainstream headset with high-res color mixed reality.”.Set for release this fall, the Quest 3 is much cheaper than Apple’s headset, starting at US$499, and is 40% thinner than its top-selling predecessor, the Quest 2, reports The Post, which reports there is “flagging interest (of headsets) in the metaverse.”.“Sales of VR headsets plunged by 20.9% to 8.8 million in 2022, according to data from research firm IDC. Sales were down by more than half through the first three months of this year,” says The Post. “Meta has a dominant hold over the headset market, with sales of its Quest 2 and Quest Pro products accounting for nearly 80% of sales.”
