Apple presented, this Monday (5), its first glasses of “mixed” reality (virtual and augmented), called Vision Pro, a field in which the iPhone manufacturer was expected to enter for years and which is currently dominated by Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Quest).
“Mixing digital content with the real world will allow us to create new experiences like we’ve never seen before,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, introducing this “revolutionary new product”, which resembles ski goggles.
The new device will start to be sold for US$ 3,499 (R$ 17,225 reais) in the United States at the beginning of next year.
“If someone buys a new state-of-the-art television, high-quality speakers, a powerful computer with several high-definition monitors, a sophisticated camera and much more, it would not reach the level of the Vision Pro”, assured Richard Howarth, deputy director. chairman of the design group.
The Vision Pro, unlike the recent Quest (Meta) or Vive (HTC) models, is not wireless and was unveiled at Apple’s annual developer conference in Cupertino, California.
Users will be able to immerse themselves in parallel universes (meditative landscapes, personal videos, games, videoconferences, etc.) and choose the level of immersion through a button that allows adjusting the screen from augmented reality (superposition of virtual elements over reality) to reality virtual (total immersion).
“Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that enhances reality by seamlessly blending the real and the digital,” Cook summarized.
Users will control the apps and virtual screens with eye movements, hand gestures and voice commands.
Apple directors insisted on the device’s potential use for work, communication and entertainment, including a partnership with Disney.
“Apple was hoping to launch a product that was more like glasses than gaming headsets,” commented Yory Wurmser, an analyst at Insider Intelligence, recently.
“But it looks like they’re going to unveil something bigger (and likely more expensive) because they want enthusiasts and engineers to use it and start building an app ecosystem” before designing lighter, cheaper devices for the general public, he added. .
It is the most important product launch for Apple since the brand unveiled its smartwatch, the Apple Watch, in 2015.
Virtual reality is currently dominated by Meta: Its Quest-branded glasses accounted for more than 80% of the market at the end of 2022, according to Counterpoint.
On Thursday, the head of the group, Mark Zuckerberg, unveiled a new device, the Quest 3, the “first consumer device with mixed reality in high-resolution color”, which will be on sale for US$ 500 (R$ 2,460 reais) in the United States in the fall.
At the end of 2021, Facebook transformed itself into Meta with the aim of becoming a metaverse company, described by Zuckerberg as the future of the internet, after the web and mobile. However, the social media giant’s efforts so far haven’t translated into significant adoption by the general public.
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