Apple Vision Pro will launch in the US on February 2, and preorders will open next Friday.
The headset will be exclusively available from Apple's US web store and physical Apple Stores in the US. Preorders open at exactly 5am PT on January 19, next Friday.
Apple previously said Vision Pro will come to other countries "later" in 2024, but hasn't yet confirmed which countries this will include.
Apple revealed today that the $3500 base model has 256GB of storage. While the company hasn't explicitly confirmed higher storage models will be offered, it uses the pricing language "starting at" which strongly suggests it. At least one developer unit reportedly had 1TB storage.
Apple also revealed that the optical inserts from ZEISS will be available for $100 for readers or $150 for prescriptions, and that an alternative head strap with a top strap will be included in the box.
David Heaney
What Exactly Is Apple Vision Pro?
Apple Vision Pro is a physically opaque VR-style headset that can use its high-resolution passthrough cameras to show you your real environment with virtual interfaces and objects added to it, or a fully virtual world instead.
A dial on the side called the Digital Crown is used to gradually transition between full AR and full VR.
David Heaney
Vision Pro is powered by Apple's M2 chipset, also seen in Macs and iPad Pro, alongside a new R1 chipset used to process its plethora of sensors. All this power means the headset uses a tethered external battery, with a battery life of around 2 hours. It can also be plugged into a wall for perpetual use.
The headset uses near-4K OLED microdisplays for each eye, which should give it the highest resolution of any consumer headset when it ships. Uniquely, Vision Pro also has an 'EyeSight' lenticular display on the front that shows a rendered view of your upper face to other people in the room when they're nearby.
Vision Pro's operating system, visionOS, is controlled with eye tracking and hand gestures. Your eyes are the targeting system, like moving your mouse or hovering your finger over a touchscreen, while pinching your index finger and thumb together is the equivalent of the click or tap.
David Heaney
Apple said Vision Pro's App Store will include "nearly all" iPad and iPhone apps, which can be positioned freely in your space and can run alongside some AR apps and experiences. Developers can also build a native visionOS version of their app and use Apple's Universal Purchase cross-buy system to offer it for free to customers who have already bought it on iPhone or iPad, and vice versa.
For productivity, the headset supports running multiple windows side-by-side on large virtual screens, and Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad are supported for input. You can also mirror your Mac's display onto a virtual screen.
For entertainment, Apple is offering 4K and 3D movies on a giant virtual screen, either in AR or a VR environment, as well as immersive 180-degree 8K videos and fully immersive true VR experiences.
For gaming, you can play iPad games on a huge virtual screen with a gamepad, or AR/VR games like Rec Room, Demeo, What the Golf?, and Super Fruit Ninja.
The headset can also capture and play 3D videos called Spatial Videos, which you can also capture with iPhone 15 Pro.
Ian Hamilton
Vision Pro will introduce new features and specs never before shipped in a headset, and combined with its innovative visionOS, its release by the world's largest and most prominent technology company could represent a watershed moment for the XR industry.
