Apple on Monday announced the addition of a new virtual reality headset called Vision Pro to its product line.
The company made the announcement at its Worldwide Developers Conference in California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook called Vision Pro’s global contribution to “spatial computing.”
“Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world,” he said at the conference. “This is the first Apple product you look at, and no. Vision Pro looks familiar, but it’s brand new. You can see, hear and interact with digital content just like it is in your physical space. And you control Vision Pro using the most natural and intuitive tools: your eyes, hands and voice.”
Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of human interface design, says Vision Pro is “familiar but revolutionary” and a “fully 3D interface.” Users’ eyes, hands and voice control the product.
When a user first turns on Vision Pro, they see their physical space and everything in front of them, Dye said. The “home view” is in front of the user, where all their applications are located. They can tap their fingers together to tap on an app and tap their fingers to scroll. Vision Pro allows users to experience the digital world in their physical space.
“The whole interface feels like it’s really present in your room,” Dye said.
Unlike a Mac or iPhone, Vision Pro experiences aren’t limited by screen size. They can fill a room.
“It feels natural, like moving real objects,” Dye said.
Alessandra McGinnis, Vision Pro’s product manager, says that everything in Vision Pro is in sync with the user’s iPhone, Mac and iPad.
Ann Kelly, Apple’s senior manager of engineering programs, explained that the Vision Pro allows users to take photos and videos by pressing a button while wearing the headset. Vision Pro also allows users to watch a movie as large as they want while the physical space around them disappears, Kelly said.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said Disney and Apple have worked together to make what was once “impossible,” such as allowing users to feel like they’re in a sports game or a National Geographic adventure. Iger said Disney+ will be available with Vision Pro from launch.