Apple to sell Vision Pro AR headset for triple Meta’s top-line price

Gulf Today Report

Apple on Monday unveiled a costly augmented-reality headset called the Vision Pro in its riskiest bet since the introduction of the iPhone more than a decade ago, barging into a market dominated by Meta.

Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) 2023 here with unveiling the 15-inch MacBook Air, with an expansive 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, M2 chip and up to 18 hours of battery life.

At its annual developer conference, Apple also introduced a raft of new products and features, including a 15-inch MacBook Air, a powerful chip called M2 Ultra, improvements to its iOS software and a long-awaited tweak to prevent its autocorrect from annoyingly changing a common expletive to "ducking".

The MacBook Air with M2 is available to order and will reach customers from June 13.

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The company also introduced the new Mac Studio and Mac Pro, the two most powerful Macs ever made.

The Vision Pro will start at $3,499, more than three times the cost of the priciest headset in Meta's line of mixed and virtual reality devices.

The headset will test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers and put it in direct competition with Facebook-owner Meta after years of clashes between the companies over issues like user privacy and control of developer platforms.

Apple's new Vision Pro virtual reality headset is displayed at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. AFP

Apple emphasized the novelty of the headset's augmented reality features as well as the sports and entertainment partnerships it would offer. The device will use a new chip called R1 that will process information from its sensors in less time than the blink of an eye, Apple said.

Mac Studio features M2 Max and the new M2 Ultra, delivering a huge boost in performance and enhanced connectivity in its stunningly compact design.

Mac Studio is up to 6x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac 1 and up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.

Mac Pro, now featuring M2 Ultra, combines the unprecedented performance of Apple's most powerful chip with the versatility of PCIe expansion.

Mac Pro is up to 3x faster than the previous-generation Intel-based model.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California. AFP

Featuring up to 192GB of unified memory, Mac Studio with M2 Ultra and Mac Pro have far more memory than the most advanced workstation graphics cards, taking on demanding workloads other systems can't even process, said Apple.

Calling it historic and marking the beginning of a new era for computing, Apple CEO Tim Cook then announced Vision Pro AR headset that introduces people to spatial computing.

Vision Pro introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by a user's eyes, hands, and voice.

Featuring visionOS, the world's first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.

With two ultra-high-resolution displays, Apple Vision Pro can transform any space into a personal movie theater with a screen that feels 100 feet wide and an advanced Spatial Audio system, according to the company.

New MacBook Pro laptops are displayed at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday. AFP

Apple Vision Pro also features EyeSight, that helps users stay connected with those around them.

When a person approaches someone wearing Vision Pro, the device feels transparent - letting the user see them while also displaying the user's eyes.

When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual cues to others about what the user is focused on.

"These groundbreaking innovations are powered by Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design," said Apple.

M2 delivers unparalleled standalone performance, while the brand-new R1 chip processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure that content feels like it is appearing right in front of the user's eyes, in real time.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney+ will be available on the Vision Pro at launch.