Apple has finally revealed the release date for its first-ever mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro. First announced at last year’s WWDC, it is the most advanced consumer electronics device that Apple has created according to its CEO, Tim Cook.
Apple Vision Pro pricing, pre-order, release date
Even though the release date for Vision Pro was only revealed today, the headset’s price tag was announced during last year’s WWDC keynote. At the moment, it is not known how many variants of the headset that Apple will release into the market but the company has said that the Vision Pro has a starting price of USD3,499 (RM16,274).
Today’s announcement has also noted that the base model will come with 256GB of storage. Aside from the headset itself, a standard Visio Pro package will also include these items:
- Solo Knit Band
- Dual Loop Band
- Light Seal
- Light Seal Cushions x 2
- Vision Pro Cover
- Polishing cloth
- Battery
- USB-C charge cable
- USB-C power adapter
The Vision Pro will be available in the United States on 2 February and Apple will begin taking pre-orders starting from 19 January. However, the headset’s availability and pricing for other markets including Malaysia remained unknown for the time being.
Meanwhile, Apple has also revealed the pricing for ZEISS Optical Inserts which are designed for those who need vision corrections since you can’t wear glasses with the headset. They are two types of inserts with the Readers being USD99 (~RM461) while the Prescription is priced at USD149 (~RM694).
Apple Vision Pro quick specs
The Vision Pro is running on a specially-designed operating system called the visionOS. It features a three-dimensional user interface alongside an input system that can be controlled using one’s eyes, hands, and voice.
On the hardware side of things, Apple has equipped the Vision Pro with its own M2 processor to provide the new mixed reality headset with enough raw firepower to get things going. However, the headset also has another chip called R1 which covers all the input from Vision Pro’s 12 cameras, 5 sensors, and 6 microphones.
The headset comes with a pair of micro-OLED displays that Apple claimed can deliver more pixels than a 4K TV at 23 million pixels. In order not to isolate Vision Pro users from other people, the company has also implemented a nifty feature called EyeSight.
Once enabled, the feature would make the headset’s display “feel transparent” when someone approached the user. This would allow the user to see the other person who will also be able to see the user’s eyes.
Since Apple has referred to Vision Pro as a spatial computer, it does not come as a surprise that the headset has also been equipped with a Spatial Audio system which is being delivered through two dual-driver audio pods. There is also a high-performance eye-tracking system within the headset to ensure responsive and intuitive input.
While Apple did not reveal the capacity of Vision Pro’s battery, the company did say that the battery can deliver up to two hours of usage time. Of course, one can utilise the headset all day long by plugging it directly into the provided USB-C power adapter.
So, what do you think of Vision Pro’s RM16k price tag? Check out our take on the headset through our Let’s Talk About (LTA) show on YouTube or in audio form via the LTA podcast.
