Search the Community

During the WWDC 2023 keynote livestream, Apple finally revealed its long-awaited augmented reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. It also showed off a number of the apps that will be developed for the device. One of the most unexpected parts of the presentation came when it showed off Vision Pro versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, and Teams apps. A brief look at the productivity apps showed all three of them running at the same time on a simulated version of the Apple Vision Pro's twin displays. Apple stated that the apps will "make full use of the expansive canvas and sharp text rendering of the Vision Pro". We would assume the apps can be controlled via voice or gestures like all the other visionOS-based apps that are being developed for the Vision Pro. The video also mentioned that the Teams version of the app, along with versions of Zoom and Cisco's Webex, will use their support for digital personas for better collaboration while using the Vision Pro. Right now that's all we really know right now about these versions of Microsoft's productivity apps. Based on the few seconds of video, it looks like the apps will look and act similarly to the company's iOS app versions. As of this writing, Microsoft has not issued any press releases about the Teams, Word, or Excel apps that are coming to the Vision Pro. The Apple Vision Pro will also allow for hundreds of thousands of previously developed apps for its iOS and iPad devices to work on the headset. Apple is also letting developers use its current dev tools like Swift, XCode, and others to make all new apps for the Vision Pro. Apple's new hardware device is supposed to launch in early 2024 in the US. It will have a very high starting price tag of $3,499. It's possible that Apple could launch other versions with increased storage for a higher price. Microsoft Word, Excel, and Teams apps will be available for the Apple Vision Pro AR headset

During WWDC 2023, Apple finally and officially announced its augmented reality headset, The company is calling it the Apple Vision Pro and it will allow owners to interact with apps on its screens, while also viewing the real world at the same time. During the WWDC keynote video, Apple stated the Vision Pro can switch between being a full virtual reality headset and an AR headset thanks to a physical dial. The headset, unlike many other AR and VR devices, does not include hand controllers. Instead, the Vision Pro uses both gestures and voice commands to go through the apps on the displays. The two Micro OLED displays have a total of 23 million pixels, which should make watching content on the Vision Pro extremely sharp and realistic. That's more pixels for each eye than you will find on a big-screen TV. Apple added: This technological breakthrough, combined with custom catadioptric lenses that enable incredible sharpness and clarity, delivers jaw-dropping experiences. Users with vision correction needs will use ZEISS Optical Inserts to ensure visual fidelity and eye tracking accuracy. Inside the device, there will be two Apple-designed chips, The company stated: M2 delivers unparalleled standalone performance, while the brand-new R1 chip processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones to ensure that content feels like it is appearing right in front of the user’s eyes, in real time. R1 streams new images to the displays within 12 milliseconds — 8x faster than the blink of an eye. The device will come with a battery pack which Apple says will last up to two hours on a single charge. You can also connect it to a power supply. The device will use the visionOS operating system. Apple stated: visionOS features a brand-new three-dimensional interface that makes digital content look and feel present in a user’s physical world. By responding dynamically to natural light and casting shadows, it helps the user understand scale and distance. To enable user navigation and interaction with spatial content, Apple Vision Pro introduces an entirely new input system controlled by a person’s eyes, hands, and voice. Users can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping their fingers to select, flicking their wrist to scroll, or using voice to dictate. Some of the apps that are being developed for visionOS include one that shows a beating human heart in 3D for medical and educational use, and Microsoft will offer its Word, Excel, and Teams apps that will work while viewed in the headset. Apple will also be a gaming device, with the company stating there will be over 100 Apple Arcade games available to play on the Vision Pro on the first day it launches. Disney CEO Bob Iger also showed off some future plans the entertainment company has for the device. That includes watching Disney Plus with some extra features, watching games on ESPN in full 3D virtual environments, and more. Apple claims it has filed over 5,000 patents based on its development of the Vision Pro. It will launch in early 2024, for a starting price of $3,499. Apple Vision Pro AR headset revealed at WWDC 2023, priced at $3,499 for early 2024 launch

At its Connect conference Meta has announced that its Connect Conference will be livestreamed on October 11th at 1PM ET / 10AM PT. In a post on the Oculus blog, the company says it’ll cover the progress it’s made on the metaverse and offer “a look at what’s to come in the near and far future.” The announcements can’t measure up to last year’s Connect, where the company changed its name from Facebook to Meta, but the company has said we’ll see information on the Horizon Worlds virtual reality app and hinted that the high-end “Project Cambria” headset will show up as well. Last month, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the company is announcing a new VR headset in October, and on Tuesday, he backed up that idea with an image he posted to Facebook. The device he’s wearing in the photo looks very similar to what we’ve seen of Project Cambria already. Looks like Cambria to me (though that almost certainly won’t be its final name). Image: Mark Zuckerberg According to Zuckerberg, the headset will include eye and facial tracking and color passthrough, and it’s rumored to have a higher-res screen than what’s currently included on the Oculus Quest 2. It’s also expected to be significantly more expensive than the Quest 2, which recently got its price bumped up to $399.99. Last month, Zuckerberg also announced that there would be details about “Major updates to Horizon and avatar graphics” announced at the Connect conference. Horizon Worlds is the company’s flagship metaverse app, which lets people create their own experiences and hang out in virtual reality (similar to programs like VRChat). Zuckerberg recently posted a screenshot of Horizon that earned a lot of ridicule — and generated a lot of memes — because of its relatively low-quality graphics. The Meta CEO responded to the memes by promising significant upgrades, which we should hear more about on October 11th. A preview of the upgrades to Meta’s Horizon Worlds Image: Mark Zuckerberg The company has made a big bet that the metaverse will be the future and is spending billions of dollars a year on trying to make that happen. I suspect we’ll see it try to justify that expense at Connect, as well as try and convince the public that it should actually be paying attention to the metaverse rather than making fun of it. Meta will reveal its new high-end VR headset on October 11th