The "virtual world" revolution?

Overlaying the "virtual world " onto the real world.

This gadget, called Vision Pro, will be available “early next year.” It combines virtual reality (VR) with augmented reality (AR), capable of overlaying digital imagery onto the real world. Apple says it will sell for $3,499, higher than most analysts expected and nearly 12 times the price of Meta’s Quest 2, the world’s best-selling VR headset.

Apple launches a new hybrid virtual reality experience, revolutionizing the virtual world (Figure 1). — CEO Tim Cook at the unveiling of the new Vision Pro mixed reality glasses. Photo: AFP

Vision Pro is the biggest gamble a product has ever taken from CEO Tim Cook, who replaced Steve Jobs in 2011. Cook has long been lauded as an executive genius who has taken Apple's market value from around $350 billion in 2011 to nearly $2.9 trillion today, but has long been criticized for repeating past ideas and delaying projects like the Apple Car.

Cook said on Monday that the device, consisting of glasses and headphones, would be used to “seamlessly blend the real world with the digital world” and was “Apple’s first product that you look through without looking in.” However, he said this launch was just “the beginning of a journey” toward what the company calls a revolutionary “space computer.”

In a demonstration video filmed before the start of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple showed the device being used to play video games, watch entertainment content on a large “virtual” screen, and work on documents and make various video calls.

Bajarin, who has used the device, said: “When you actually try it and see it work, it’s amazing. If you’re watching a sporting event, you’re practically on the field. You’re in front of the action. And if the movie is 3D, you’re almost in the 3D world.”

From playing games, watching movies, browsing the web to doing office work.

Apple is targeting this device at office workers, saying it will be the “optimal workspace.” It can also help people view photos and videos, read documents, and browse the web, potentially replacing how people access technology and the internet.

Apple says Vision Pro can be your own "personal movie theater," with a screen that's "100 feet wide" and automatically dims the real world around the screen.

Apple launches a new hybrid virtual reality experience, revolutionizing the virtual world (Figure 2). — Apple's Vision Pro glasses are predicted to be able to perform the functions of both computers and phones. Photo: Reuters

Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, called Vision Pro “a revolutionary platform” and said it would allow Disney to create content never before possible.

A video produced by Disney shows Mickey Mouse jumping out of a picture frame and into the wearer's living room, hopping onto furniture. However, the only service Disney announced for the device at launch was the existing Disney Plus video streaming content.

Due to its relatively low cost and limited application scope, analysts predict the company will only sell around 200,000 Vision Pro glasses in its first year. Nevertheless, Wall Street is hoping the device will contribute significantly to the company's revenue within five years, potentially becoming the most important computing platform since the iPhone's launch.

Apple's stock hit a record high before the announcement, rising more than 2% to $184.91 and surpassing the previous record set in January 2022, before falling back down as Vision Pro was launched. Apple shares ended Monday down 0.8% at $179.58.

Hoang Hai (according to FT, Reuters, AFP)

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