These days, the appointment to try on Apple's Vision Pro glasses—which were just released for sale in the US—is described in Apple stores in the Washington region as “the invitation to a guided trip to an amazing place.” They caution that destiny "has nothing to do" with virtual reality or the metaverse. They refer to this as "spatial computing," which is something different.
To be honest, it feels quite similar to seeing inside an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer.
You must schedule a half-hour appointment with a professional to experience the company's most recent introduction, which is the first new product in years. In certain stores, the wait time is several days.
Even more, intrigue exists because the product won't reach Europe until a later date in 2025.
The first step after scheduling an appointment is to pass a facial recognition test to measure the skull. This won't be the only time the prospective customer, who might not have the $3,500 the glasses cost, opens that big, modern box where you have to enter personal information to pay for something that looks free. They eventually bring a model that has been made to fit your head size. The device is attached to a two-hour-long battery, similar to that of a wireless microphone; the seller makes it clear that this battery is necessary for the device to function, so anyone planning to take it out into public must make space in their pockets to carry it.
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The primary novelty of Apple's glasses is their ability to be worn about without causing dizziness, in contrast to other brands' glasses that, like those of rival Meta, isolate the wearer from their surroundings. Stated differently, the Vision Pro gives you the ability to exist in both one world and another. The first thing you notice when you turn them on is this: even if the reality is filtered by the device's twelve cameras and six microphones, you can still see what's going on behind the home screen, which provides a summary of the available apps.
Its size, which covers half of the face, and weight, which ranges from 600 to 650 grams, are greatly influenced by its accessories. It's difficult to imagine using them in the summer heat, much less till the battery runs out. For the most part, the gadget is a design showcase in Apple's alluring lineup, which this time also takes a chance with the textile of the glass protector and the rubbery band that secures the glasses to the wearer's head.
Three main buttons are present on the device: one for taking pictures and movies, one for adjusting the band with a wheel, and another button known as the "digital crown" that can be used for nearly anything else, such as turning on the device, cranking up the volume, or going back to the beginning. The rest is done by visual means. To open a photo, for example, focus your attention on it and press your thumb and index finger together, as if you were squeezing a pinch of salt.
The examination in the store concentrates on the audiovisual component, which is undoubtedly the innovation's strongest point. The panoramic format of the photographs makes it seem as though you are actually in the center of an Icelandic landscape that you can view from top to bottom and left to right from the location of the photo. To get the most out of the glasses, it is recommended to use the iPhone 15 Pro, the company's most recent phone model, which may be used to record videos with the Vision Pro.
When seeing the video selected for the exam, which depicts a toddler blowing out the candles on his birthday cake, one cannot help but wonder how much technology will alter mourning in the future and whether or not it would be possible to recreate some events in three dimensions. joyful time spent with a departed loved one.
The Vision Pro can be used for tasks that can be combined by opening many windows at once, such as writing (though it is recommended to connect a wireless keyboard), consulting Internet pages, and reading newspapers. They are also helpful for watching movies, albeit it is preferable to watch them in three dimensions and for no more than two hours. The prospective customer, who ought to be aware that Apple has prohibited the viewing of explicit movies in virtual reality in an action that has been likened to a "chastity belt," is presented with two videos: one is a Super Mario Bros. trailer, and the other is a parody in which you can swim with sharks, watch a tightrope walker cross two peaks dizzily, or watch from the back of the goal as a member of Inter Miami (Messi's team, with which Apple signed a million-dollar exclusivity contract).
"Isn't that outstanding?" the salesperson asks after that portion of the exam is over. Indeed, it is, even though it might not be feasible. Big platforms like Netflix and Max haven't created apps for that kind of setup yet, so the only big catalogs that are accessible are Apple TV and Disney+. Furthermore, there are still few three-dimensional film options available to fully utilize technical advancements. In addition, Apple reports that there are currently 600 apps accessible, not just audiovisual ones, and official data on the device's sales during the first few weeks of its release. Although the company has not yet disclosed its numbers, estimates place the number of units at roughly 200,000.