Apple earlier this month unveiled Apple Vision Pro, a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others. Vision Pro creates an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — 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. The breakthrough design of Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system that packs 23 million pixels across two displays, and custom Apple silicon in a unique dual-chip design to ensure every experience feels like it’s taking place in front of the user’s eyes in real time.
Apple has launched its first-ever beta for visionOS – the operating system the upcoming Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset will use – giving us a glimpse at what its new gadget should be capable of at launch.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far about the Apple Vision Pro from the visionOS beta.
1. Visual Search is coming: According to info found in the visionOS beta, Vision Pro headset wearers will be able to use the headset’s cameras to find information about an item they scan and to interact with real-world text. This includes copying and pasting the text into Vision Pro apps, translating it between 17 supported languages, and converting units (like grams to ounces, or meters to feet).
2. The OS is intuitive: Thankfully, it looks like it’s super easy to move, resize, and hide app windows in Vision Pro, as shown off by @Lascorbe on Twitter.
visionOS, super intuitive so far:
– You move the window with the bottom bar
– When moving if the window touches other apps they dim
– There’s a button to hide rest of apps (unsure how to bring them back yet)
– Pointing at the corner of a window make the “resize handler” appear pic.twitter.com/ZHkA0I04SC— Luis 🐲 (@Lascorbe) June 21, 2023
3. Porting iOS to visionOS is easy: According to developers (like @lydakisg on Twitter) that have started working with visionOS, it’s incredibly easy to port iOS apps over to the new system – so many of the best iPhone apps could be available on the Vision Pro at launch.
4. Battery percentages return: Thankfully for fans of Apple’s more accurate battery symbol, users like @aaronp613 on Twitter have found that battery percentages do show up on Vision Pro. It’s not a massive win, but an important one for a lot of people.
5. Apps can use unique control schemes: Vision Pro is able to recognize different hand gestures (like forming a heart) and translate them to different in-game [or in-app] controls.
6. Fitness apps are discouraged: In its guidelines, Apple says app makers should “avoid encouraging people to move too much” while immersed in the headset.
MacDailyNews Take: The era of spatial computing, where digital content blends seamlessly with your physical space, is coming soon!
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This iteration is obviously meant for developers, I am excited to see how they minimise and develop it for consumers. I was working for Apple when the first iPhone was shown (NDA of course) and it was a huge lump of a thing. The consumer release will probably be slimmer and lighter. “Can’t innovate my arse”
‘Discouraging movement’, it seams like the nausea many headset users experience might still be a concern here then despite the efforts to eliminate latency.