Are we heading for a profound upheaval in our relationship with digital? Of course, as with any keynote - and even more so for Apple - caution is the order of the day. The Cupertino-based giant has a flair for showmanship and repeated revolutions. But it has to be said that the newcomer unveiled this week has the potential to arouse a certain amount of interest, and generate a rare degree of impatience, given that the headset Apple Vision Pro opens up some interesting prospects. " This day marks the the start of a new era in computing "Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. " Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing and the iPhone to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to space computing. Designed to build on decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead of its time and unlike anything created to date, ushering in a revolutionary new way of interacting and thousands of cutting-edge innovations ".
Presented as a "space computerThe new tool aims to offer the best of both worlds, virtual and face-to-face. Combining augmented reality and virtual reality, it should enable users to keep an eye on their physical environment, while immersing themselves in digital content. The Digital Crown, which crowns the headset, can even be used to control the user's level of presence or immersion in an environment... Apple has taken this balance between the virtual and the face-to-face as far as giving people around the user the impression that they can see the user's eyes through the headset, a feature called EyeSight.
It is in fact a Persona, a digital avatar modelled on the user's face, capable of reproducing their expressions in real time. It's easy to imagine the Vision Pro's potential for hybrid meetings... Apple's managers explain: " FaceTime calls take advantage of the environment in which the user is located, with callers represented in life-size windows, as well as Spatial Audio, which gives the impression that sound comes from the location of each person. ".
In addition to the Digital Crown, the Vision Pro can be controlled in an ultra-intuitive way. The device obeys your fingertips as well as your voice. Navigation within the visionOS - a new three-dimensional interface - can be operated by staring at an application, then bringing two fingers together to select it. Voice control is also integrated. Evoking " a three-dimensional interface that allows apps to transcend the boundaries of a screen "Apple promises to revolutionise the way people think about their desktops. " With support for the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, users can create an optimal working environment or wirelessly integrate the powerful capabilities of their Mac with Vision Pro to create a giant, private and portable 4K display with incredibly sharp text rendering. ". Wow effect guaranteed...
The features unveiled at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23) are sure to excite Apple fans and meeting organisers alike. However, we'll have to wait before we can put on this new kind of headset, the release on the US market is scheduled for beginning of 2024. You will also have to pay the considerable sum of 3499 dollars (€3,260) to see if the end result lives up to the promises made at the keynote.
In the meantime, and over the next few years, VisionPro could well explore new fields of possibility. Because, as Tim Cook points out, " it offers both incredible experiences for our customers and exciting new opportunities for our developers ". " Apple's developer community will be able to go even further and leverage the powerful and unique capabilities of Vision Pro and visionOS to create entirely new app-based experiences, and reimagine existing ones for space computing. "Apple officials predict.
