Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset latest: everything you need to know

Apr 29, 2023

A mixed reality headset from the maker of the iPhone? It's looking likely....

Apple doesn't launch entirely new products very often, so when there's one imminent it is BIG news. Here's what we know about the Apple Vision Pro headset which has debuted at Apple's developer conference (WWDC23) today. Is this Apple's most revolutionary product since the iPhone?

Yes it is. But it's a hugely expensive one, costing $3499 and not fully available until "early next year". The price is higher than rumoured and availability is further off than predicted.

Apple reckons that Vision Pro is the "most advanced consumer electronics device ever". And it's probably not wrong. But is it actually for consumers? The jury is definitely out on that one.

Talk of an Apple virtual reality (VR) headset has been doing the rounds for years. The Apple Vision Pro is a mixed reality (MR) headset – Tim Cook suggests that this is the introduction to "spatial computing" as opposed to the iPhone bring for mobile computing. Apple says the device "seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others."

Instead of just being a virtual world that you see, it overlays information and images on the real world. That puts it somewhere in the sphere of Microsoft Hololens (not moving onto a third version, it seems) and Google Glass. That would also make sense given Apple's work on ARKit for the iPad and iPhone.

The Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset starts at $3499 and will be available from the start of 2024.

Vision Pro is made from aluminium, glass and carbon fibre. As you might expect from earlier rumours, the front of the headset is polished glass, while there is a lightweight aluminium frame that curves towards your face and fabric mesh pad (called a Light Seal) against the head. It's been designed so heat is drawn away from the headset itself.

There's also a dial-adjustable fabric headband which is ribbed and available in multiple sizes. If you wear prescription lenses you can buy them to fit inside the headset, made in collaboration with Zeiss.

There's an Apple Watch or AirPods Max style Digital Crown, alongside a pressable button for features such as photo taking. You can use the crown to focus on content to ensure full clarity.

The spatial audio setup is provided by audio buds that sit on your ears.

One of the major talking points is the battery pack, which is waist-mounted. This keeps the headset weight down, but sounds like a faff. It is connected to the headset via a MagSafe cable, so it will disconnect if it gets caught up.

The Vision Pro headset boasts state-of-the art hardware inside. It really is quite incredible what Apple has packed in here, though it has come at a high price. Firstly, there are two 4K micro OLED panels (each the size of a postage stamp) and boasting 23 million pixels.

There are 12 cameras plus five sensors (including LiDAR and IR), and six microphones underneath. Two Apple Silicon chips are used; the M2 and a new R1 chip – the latter is dedicated to processing input from all the cameras and sensors. Apple says that

There are 12 cameras plus five sensors (including LiDAR and IR), and six microphones underneath. Two Apple Silicon chips are used; the M2 and a new R1 chip – the latter is dedicated to processing input from all the cameras and sensors. Apple says that R1 streams images to the displays within 12 milliseconds which is eight times faster than the blink of an eye.

As we mentioned, Vision Pro boasts Spatial Audio that Apple claims matches sound to the size and shape of the room you’re in, although we’re not quite sure how that will work in practice.

The Vision Pro headset runs visionOS – a new operating system built on iOS, Apps can support real-time rendering but the software is clever to only render the graphics you’re actually looking at. visionOS brings a 3D interface freeing apps "from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side by side at any scale."

There's a honeycomb-style home view just like on Apple Watch. Apple says it has taken care to ensure that the different elements have depth to them so that it looks like they’re in the room with you. You can place apps anywhere you like and easily scale them up or down.

You can then control everything with gestures while apps respond to where you move your eyes.

Siri also works fully, so you can ask it to do various tasks or open apps as well as fill things like text boxes.

A feature called EyeSight shows your eyes when other people are nearby – and those people will also appear in your virtual view too.

Vision Pro will also work alongside the Mac, essentially as an extra 4K display for it – and you can use it with accessories such as the Magic Trackpad should you wish.

The headset uses Optic ID – iris scanning – for security and to unlock Vision Pro. You’ll be able to use it with Apple Pay and other features just like Face ID. All that information is stored on the headset and Apple says it won't track things like your eye movements. Info from the sensors and cameras is also processed on board.

Apple's own apps will work well, including FaceTime and Messages as well as Safari, though today's reveal is designed so developers can design new apps to support gesture controls and take advantage of the headset's capabilities. In Messages, you can send 3D objects while SharePlay enables you to watch content together.

FaceTime calls take advantage of your room around the user, with everyone in life-size tiles. Spatial Audio is also uses, so it sounds as if participants are speaking from where they are. If you wear Vision Pro during a FaceTime call you are reflected as a Persona — a digital representation of yourself created which reflects face and hand movements in real time.

Apple TV+ works with Vision Pro while Disney is also on board – Disney+ will work with it and there's additional interactivity. Apple says that its Immersive Video offering with bring 180-degree high-resolution recordings with Spatial Audio to the headset.

Unity based games and apps will make their way to the headset and there will also be a new App Store, where you can discover visionOS apps as well as download iOS and iPadOS apps. Over 100 Apple Arcade games will be available to play at launch.

You can view your photos and videos at a life-size scale. Panorama shots from iPhone expand and wrap around you.

Original feature continues below with all the previous leaks and rumours

According to Bloomberg, Apple's headset has been in the works since 2015. And that means the specs will have changed dramatically over time. The most recent version is said to be powered by a version of Apple's own M1 chip, with 8K resolution, a 120-degree field of view and eye-tracking technology on the inside, and multiple cameras on the outside. More recent rumours unsurprisingly peg a newer M2 chip as being used.

Thanks to leaks via display analyst Ross Young, we now have more details on the dual 4K OLED displays (so 8K). Each display will measure 1.4in in diameter and offer a large 5000 nits of brightness and come in at a huge 4000 pixels per inch (ppi). With that kind of brightness capability, it should support HDR.

Both the brightness and the 8K resolution will be hard to match by rivals – Meta's Quest Pro 2 uses LCD tech for example. The Apple Reality displays are rumoured to be the main reason why the headset is expected to be very expensive initially.

The headset is predicted to come with motorised interpupilary distance (IPD) adjustment, and support prescription lenses with a magnetic mounting system.

Apple has been pushing AR apps pretty hard on iOS in recent years, and a dedicated set of Apple AR glasses have been long rumoured. References to ‘realityOS’ have been spotted in pre-release iOS builds, App Store upload logs and trademark filings going all the way back to 2017. More recently, there have been trademarks leaked for ‘xrOS’, which could be an alternative name for the software.

Reports in early 2022 suggested that Apple's board was given a demo of the aforementioned mixed-reality headset. Apple reportedly shelved its plans to release a more comprehensive augmented reality headset. Previous rumours suggested that the first device, codenamed N301, would offer VR/AR capabilities, while a second pair of AR-only glasses (codename N421) was originally set to follow later. Trademarks seen last year suggest that Apple is considering the Reality One and Reality Pro names for each device.

There were issues with prototypes overheating and a subsequent delay reported in February 2023.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the latest delay was because "product testing showed that both hardware and software issues still needed to be ironed out" but this seems rather unlike Apple to have not sorted issues at such a late point – unless the upcoming reveal is just a preview and the headset won't actually be released until much later. It's likely this rollback was decided several months ago and there are many possible reasons.

Rumours in April 2023 suggested the unsurprising news that Apple is developing a bunch of apps to generate interest in the device, with sports, gaming, health and collab apps in the offing. This rumour comes courtesy of Bloomberg, which also suggests that iPad apps will be able to be adapted for the headset, with Apple's own apps like Calendar and Photos being readied for the platform. There will be a Fitness+ app to work alongside instructors, for example as well as an immersive FaceTime interface with virtual meeting rooms. A 3D version of Freeform has also been developed for collaboration with others, too.

Render creator Ian Zelbo debuted the following renders at the end of May, gathering together all the patents, rumours and other information – pretty much everything we’ve got in this article, in fact. As you can see the Apple Reality headset is basically a trendy pair of googles, but with a unique Apple twist. Read on for more tidbits on the design development.

This is Apple Reality Pro based on patents, reports, and more (concept) I can't wait for #WWDC23 ! pic.twitter.com/aYdLSnRdRr

A report by The Information in 2021 said it would feature a "sleek, curved visor" with "swappable headbands", which sound similar to the canopy on the AirPods Max. That knitted, breathable mesh is designed to reduce pressure on the wearer's head, so would make sense for a device that you’d be likely to wear for long periods. It’d be a small departure from existing headsets like the Oculus Go (below), but still recognisable as a VR device.

Materials will apparently be a mix of aluminium, glass and carbon fibre, in order to keep weight down. The depth-sensing and location-tracking cameras will be hidden, for a more visually pleasing design.

The report also mentioned one prototype that included a physical dial, much like the Digital Crown found on the Apple Watch and AirPods Max. This would make sense from an ergonomic point of view, allowing the wearer to navigate menus without having to fiddle about looking for multiple individual buttons. You can bet it’ll support Siri for totally hands-free use as well, though.

The same source more recently suggested a waist-mounted battery pack, which would connect to the headset via a MagSafe-like cable. Two hours of use is predicted per charge, with hot-swappable packs an option.

Some other rumours in 2022 suggested users would be able to use Face ID tech that would actually work with just the eyes and that users would be able to point at apps and pinch their fingers to launch them, which would be a huge challenge to get right.

We hoped that Apple would decide to focus on a mixed-reality set that would cost around the same as an iPhone. That would be anywhere between $800 and up to $1600 for a Pro version. Call it hope or delusion, but our hopes weren't answered as the rumoured retail price hovers around the $3000 mark.

Another report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple doesn't expect it to sell well initially, with unit sales somewhere in the region of a million per year – not surprising if the price point suggested proves to be where it is pitched.

There have been rumours the headset would make an appearance at every Apple WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) since around 2019. But the noise is a lot louder for WWDC23 and we now believe it will debut at that event with a full launch later in the year.

A lot of the noise around earlier launch dates haven't been helped by wrong predictions. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in 2022 that an Apple VR headset could be announced in January, but backtracked at the start of 2023 when he changed his prediction to the second half of 2023.

The Financial Times also reported in March 2023 that the headset was set to be revealed this summer. If a summer release is met, it would be because of reported "huge pressure" to ship the product out, says the FT. This decision would also be at odds with the Apple design team, according to the report.

Can Apple Reality be the most revolutionary product since the iPhone launched? For us, this claim might be easier to believe if it wasn't rumoured to cost as much. Surely that's no way to turn AR and VR into a mainstream success story like the iPhone?