The Apple Vision Pro’s first killer app has arrived in visionOS 2.2, Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman writes. It’s the new virtual ultrawide curved monitor mode that serves as a Mac external display, according to Gurman.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Apple markets the Vision Pro as a standalone device (complete with powerful chips and a $3,500 price tag), but one of its best features is the ability to serve as a Mac external monitor. In June, Apple announced plans to make that feature even better, bringing a virtual curved monitor mode to the default size, as well as offering new wide and ultrawide monitor options.
The company released a beta version of these capabilities this past week, and they are a game changer. In my view, the features represent the first true killer app for the Vision Pro. They provide a high-resolution Mac external monitor with what feels like an infinite amount of screen real estate. Before these new modes arrived, I was only using my Vision Pro occasionally to watch movies. Now, I’m back to at least trying to use it every workday.
Apple should be marketing the new ultrawide display modes in a major way. It’s that good.
MacDailyNews Take: The wide and ultrawide options will be available as part of visionOS 2.2, which is expected to arrive for Apple Vision Pro users in early December.
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I don’t know about you guys but with this and the rumoured integration with the Vision Pro and an Apple Pencil the argument for buying one of these is becoming really strong… You essentially get a surface to write on bigger than any iPad and a screen bigger than most expensive screen setups. Add that to the gaming potential, the amazing cinema experience and the potential for future innovations into 3D interfaces and this is really really exciting.
Clown goggles. They will fail. Goofey, unwieldily, and a fantastic waste of money better placed in something else. Attaboy Apple, keep pumping money into this boondoggle.
A better idea. Try fixing the fucking Mail app for a change. The worst piece of software garbage conceived. by man.
They are absolutely not “Clown goggles”. They are a fantastic first iteration. They are a realistic proof of concept.
Are they for everyone? Absolutely not. At least not until they get their weight down by a factor of four, get the unplugged battery life up to over 10 hours, and maybe most importantly get the price below $1,000 — all without lessening resolution and responsiveness. Once Apple gets all three of those done it will be a true mass market product.
And the snipe about Apple’s Mail program makes no sense to me. Does Mail have some quirks? Yes. But, so does every other mail program, and I’ve tried almost all of them. I’ve used Mail almost exclusively since its debut (except for the tryouts of other mail apps). I currently have seven different mail accounts running from POP to accounts through Apple — all running through Mail. Some accounts are well over 35 years old. (I don’t have my old GENIE, BIX, or AOL accounts anymore.) I have over 100,000 stored email messages across those current accounts. Mail supports those accounts and messages, and has never blown up on me unlike apps like Outlook.
What’s so bad about Mail?
I’ve been using it for decades and it seems to do the job.
As for the clown goggles, when they lose some weight, I’ll be there for the integration with viewing nd Pencil.