Apple Vision Pro is an AR headset and Apple’s first “spatial computer.” Revealed at WWDC23 and released on Feb. 2, 2024, the $3,499 mixed-reality headset wins accolades for its high-end hardware and remarkable user interface. A passthrough video system allows augmented reality applications.
Vision Pro runs on visionOS, Apple’s intuitive new operating system designed to enable immersive virtual reality experiences. (Apple calls it the “ultimate entertainment device.”) Users control the headset with their eyes, thanks to the impressive eye‑tracking system, and a handful of simple gestures.
Below is Cult of Mac’s full coverage, including news, how-tos, reviews and opinions.
Apple unveiled its groundbreaking Apple Vision Pro at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2023, and released it to the public eight months later in February 2024.
The Apple Vision Pro stands is a “mixed reality” headset, capable of showing both virtual and augmented reality content. Unlike typical augmented reality glasses, Apple’s headset fully covers the user’s eyes, completely immersing its wearer by blocking out their surroundings entirely.
However, Vision Pro has six external cameras that show the surrounding space, offering users an accurate depiction of their real-world environment. While not transparent like see-through glasses, it effectively presents a lifelike representation of the user’s surroundings using passthrough video.
Inside the headset, users can interact with 3D windows, objects, and content seamlessly integrated into their physical space. Alternatively, the cameras can be deactivated by turning the device’s Digital Crown, immersing users into a fully virtual environment. Apple emphasizes the headset’s versatility, enabling users to work, consume content, engage in gaming, communication, and more, regardless of their location.
Designed to resemble ski goggles, Apple Vision Pro is a high-end headset that blends the digital and physical worlds. Here are some key features:
Apple Vision Pro runs visionOS, a spatial operating system built upon macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Interactions feel intuitive and magical:
Apple Vision Pro won early praise as a private cinema. Movies and TV shows appear in the headset to be projected onto a giant, 100-foot or larger screen. And with great speakers that support Spatial Audio, the experience is like being inside a private IMAX theater.
Spatial Photos and videos also received high praise. Thanks to the 3D effect, spatial videos and photos enhance the illusion of reliving the moment captured in them. Vision Pro is compatible with iPhone Panoramas, which wrap around the viewer in 180 degrees.
Using FaceTime, participants can collaborate on documents or other work files, bridging the gap between physical and virtual spaces.
Apple Vision Pro starts at $3,499. It’s available for purchase in the United States, with a worldwide launch on the horizon.
Cost depends on storage capacity, plus the optional lens inserts (which are usually necessary if you wear glasses).
Cost of Apple Vision Pro Zeiss lens inserts: From $99
United States: Apple Vision Pro first went on sale to the public on February 2, 2024, in the United States.
Worldwide: Availability in other countries has not yet been scheduled.
Based on the language support, it appears Apple will launch the AR/VR headset in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the UK. It might also release the headset in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Weight: 600–650g / 21.2–22.9ozs (Weight depends on Light Seal and head band configuration)
External battery weight: 353g
Interpupillary Distance (IPD): 51–75 mm
Storage capacity:
Displays:
Chips:
Camera:
Sensors:
Optic ID: Biometric authentication based on your iris; encrypted and accessible only to Secure Enclave processor; secures and unlocks device; authenticates purchases from iTunes and App Stores.
Audio:
Audio Playback:
Supported formats: AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
Video Playback:
Supported formats: HEVC, MV‑HEVC, H.264, HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
Battery life:
Connectivity and Wireless:
Operating System: visionOS
Input methods:
Supported Input Accessories:
Whether or not you intend to purchase one, we strongly urge you to take a free demo in any Apple retail store.
Since February 2, 2024, Apple has offered free in-store demos of Apple Vision Pro. Here’s a video we made showing what it’s like to get a demo at an Apple store.
The demo lasts 20 to 30 minutes. The demos are guided by an Apple Store employee, who uses an iPad mini to see what you see inside the headset.
If you wear glasses, your demo will began with an Apple staffer scanning your eyeglasses in a special machine that measures the lenses. The machine selects the appropriate corrective lenses to allow you to see properly inside the headset.
The demo is a quick, easy way to experience the Vision Pro and what Apple calls “spatial computing.”
The Apple employees who walk you through the process won’t pressure you to buy a Vision Pro. And you’ll get a fantastic look at Apple’s big bet on the future of computing.
How to set up a store demo: To sign up for a demo, head to Apple’s Vision Pro product page and click the “Book a demo” button. Alternatively, you can use the Apple Store app.
If you don’t want to book ahead, you can take your chances by going to an Apple Store and trying to get a same-day demo.
Apple Vision Pro has gotten rave reviews for its mind-blowing peek into the future of computing, but almost all reviewers balked at the $3,500 price tag. For that price, many reviewers suggested waiting until later versions, which would likely see price reductions.
“Apple Vision Pro is the most amazing technology I’ve experienced in my life,” we said Cult of Mac’s review:
Like all Apple products, it is subject to Apple’s Standard Return Policy, which allows you to start a return within 14 days from the date it was received from Apple. You then have another seven days to mail it back or take it in to an Apple Store.
The headset must be in good original condition with all the parts, accessories and packaging intact. If the headset is purchased through a third-party retailer, it must be returned to that retailer (and is subject to that retailer’s returns policy).
Returning Zeiss Optical Inserts: Even though they are custom made, Zeiss lens inserts can also be retuned within 14 days. Although the Zeiss Optical Inserts are sold separately by Zeiss, Apple is accepting returns on behalf of Zeiss within the 14-day return window.
Apple hasn’t released any official sales numbers, but analysts estimate the company initially sold up to 200,000 headsets.
But in the first couple of weeks, large numbers of people appear to have returned their Vision Pros to Apple; likely because of Apple’s generous no-questions asked 14 day returns policy.
An unofficial Cult of Mac poll also showed that a lot of early adopters were returning their headsets.
AppleCare+, Apple’s optional insurance program for its products, can be added for $499.
The standard warranty is one year for hardware repair coverage (and up to 90 days of technical support).
AppleCare+ extends hardware coverage for an additional two years. It covers unlimited incidents of accidental damage protection. But each incident is subject to a service fee, which ranges from $29 for damaged accessories to $299 to damage to the headset, including the front glass.
Seeing as Apple charges $799 for glass repair without AppleCare+, getting the extra coverage is worth considering.
AppleCare+ coverage also includes 24/7 priority access to Apple tech experts via phone, mail-in repair with a prepaid shipping box, and Express Replacement Service (Apple ships a replacement Vision Pro while the original is in the shop).
The battery is covered if it retains less than 80% of its original capacity.
AppleCare+ can be added at the time of purchase, or within 60 days.
To buy coverage later, go to Settings > General > About and choose Add AppleCare+ Coverage. AppleCare+ can also be purchased online or at an Apple Store.
Here’s what comes in the (surprisingly big) box. Here’s our unboxing; and our unboxing video on YouTube.
In a pinch yes, you can wear your glasses inside the headset. However, the headset isn’t designed to be used with glasses. If you wear your glasses, the fit is likely to be uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous if you trip or bump your head. However, if you want to try it out with glasses, it does work.
If you wear glasses to correct your vision, you may need Zeiss Optical Inserts, which are sold as an optional accessory starting at $99. The Zeiss lens inserts are necessary for most people who need glasses for vision correction. Even if you’re nearsighted, and the screens are just an inch from your eyes, you will need lenses for it to look clear as it simulates a focal distance of four feet (1.3 meters). Without inserts, images inside the headset will not appear sharp and in-focus. The imge inserts attach to the inside lenses with magnets.
If you wear soft contact lenses to correct your distance vision, you likely won’t need lens inserts: the headset works with most soft contact lenses.
To determine if you need lens inserts, during the online buying process, Apple’s website asks buyers a couple of questions about their vision.
If you need lens inserts, you must upload a current optical prescription to Zeiss, which makes custom inserts to match your prescription.
Yes, the headset can be shared with someone else via Guest Mode. You need to enable it from Control Center. Then, you have five minutes to remove the lens inserts (if you have them) and hand it to someone else to put it on.
I recommend you use screen mirroring to an iPhone or iPad, so that you can see what your guest is doing and help them if they get lost.
Guest Mode starts with a hand and eye setup process. Guest Mode is disabled as soon as the headset is taken off. Unfortunately, there’s no memory, so the hand and eye setup will need to be done again if they want to try it a second or third time.
Apple is offering free loans of the device as part of its Apple Vision Pro developer kit. Apple is loaning headsets to qualified developers who apply. It’s open to developers registered with Apple’s Developer Program or Developer Enterprise Program. Applicants must provide details of their team and current apps. Loaned headsets must be returned to Apple on request.
Apple Vision Pro is a great way to make FaceTime calls using the Persona created when setting up the headset. The Persona is a digital recreation of the person’s face that’s animated to show facial expressions and reactions. They range from remarkable to creepy.
Making a FaceTime call is as easy as tapping the FaceTime button in the Messages app. From the Home View, you can also tap the People tab and tap on a contact to start a call. Here’s how to place a FaceTime call.
Apple lowered production targets as Vision Pro demand drops for the mixed-reality headset in 2024, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. That suggests lower-than-expected demand among consumers as Apple plans to roll out the headset to new countries.
The company now plans to manufacture only 400,000 to 450,000 units this year, significantly lower than the initially anticipated 700,000 to 800,000 units.
The new Best Buy Envision app helps you find new purchases through a Vision Pro AR/VR headset and picture how they’ll look in your living space, the company said Friday.
“Today we’re announcing a new way that our customers can explore, discover and bring new technology to life in their own living space,” the big box store noted. “Best Buy Envision is an app exclusively available on the Apple Vision Pro that helps users plan their ultimate home technology setup.”
Want to see exactly what advanced engineering lies inside a Vision Pro AR/VR headset compared to Meta Vision Quest headsets? Lumafield dropped a fascinating video and a series of CT-scan images Tuesday to show you.
Lumafield pointed out it’s aim is not to present a head-to-head comparison or product review, but to reveal the companies’ “divergent design philosophies” through the headsets’ hardware engineering.
Vision Pro and spatial computing can help businesses find new ways to customize workspaces, collaborate on 3D designs, deliver specialized employee training and guide remote fieldwork, Apple said Tuesday, citing visionOS apps.
“There’s tremendous opportunity for businesses to reimagine what’s possible using Apple Vision Pro at work,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations and enterprise marketing, in a statement.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After pulling the plug on an ambitious project — creating a self-driving car — Apple sets its sights on making … home robots?!? Say it ain’t so, Tim!
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple will make Spatial Personas, a more lifelike enhancement of the Persona feature for the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, available in the visionOS 1.1 update coming Tuesday.
In beta test versions of the software, Spatial Personas allow Vision Pro users to create and interact with customizable, free-floating 3D digital avatars in virtual spaces. They enhance collaboration via SharePlay while going beyond the limits of a little box on a FaceTime call.
A version of Apple Pencil stylus that can be used with the Vision Pro AR headset is in testing, according to an unconfirmed report.
And there’s proof that Apple is at least considering the idea — it filed for a patent on methods of using a stylus to create virtual objects while wearing a headset.
Apple plans to release the first Immersive Video sports film Thursday at 6 p.m. PT. It’s a 5-minute recap of the 2023 MLS playoffs.
And the 180-degree 3D soccer blowout with Spatial Audio will be free in the Apple TV app for all Vision Pro users.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s trip to China apparently scored a big win: Tencent will reportedly bring some of its biggest apps to the Vision Pro AR headset. The company developed both the hugely popular WeChat super app plus a wide array of successful games.
Vision Pro has not yet launched in China but the debut is expected soon.
Apple launched Vision Pro on the 40th anniversary of the Macintosh. That’s surely not a coincidence — both are ground-breaking computers that show where the company is headed for the coming decades.
Anyone highly critical of Vision Pro because it appeals only to a niche audience and is very expensive needs to remember that those exact same criticisms were leveled at the original Macintosh in 1984. If the current problems really are proof the AR headset is inescapably doomed — as some have argued — then there never would have been a second-generation Macintosh.
I was around when both computers launched. That gives me perspective on what Apple’s past can tell us about the company’s future.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook confirmed during his visit to China that Vision Pro will launch later this year in the country. Currently, the company’s $3500 mixed reality headset is only available in the US.
Apple opened preorders for the Vision Pro in mid-January 2024, following its announcement at WWDC 2023. The headset went on sale in the US in the first week of February.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest rumors indicate 2024 will bring big changes to the AirPods lineup. In fact, Apple’s ramping up for “the biggest AirPods launch to date.”
But even this fantastic news can’t cheer us up after the Department of Justice files a wide-ranging antitrust lawsuit against Apple. We recorded this episode of The CultCast right after news of the DOJ’s suit broke, and some of us are fuming!
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Apple made the visionOS App Store available for anyone to look through. The change will give anyone thinking about buying the Vision Pro AR headset a preview at what software is available.
Previously, the list of available app was only viewable by those who already owned the cutting-edge computer that launched in the United States in February.
Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro is only available in the US right now. But this could change soon, with the company purportedly preparing to launch the headset in nine new countries.
As a part of the AR headset’s international expansion, Vision Pro’s virtual keyboard will gain support for 12 new languages.
Vision Pro demonstrated its healthcare chops recently, assisting a surgical team operating on a patient’s spine in the U.K., reports indicated. It marked the first Vision pro surgery in Europe and one of the first worldwide, undoubtedly.
Because a nurse assisting the surgeons wore the device, they could efficiently help prepare for and track the procedure.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Vision is a version of Apple’s premier handset modified so it matches the look of the Vision Pro AR headset. It’s from Dubai-based Caviar, and is actually a beautiful option for someone who uses both devices.
But buyers will need deep pockets. The modification adds tremendously to the cost of the iPhone.
And you have to see Caviar’s crazy mod that turns a Samsung S24 Ultra into a Tesla Cybertruck. Both creations are part of Caviar’s Future collection, designed to reflect “the most prominent futuristic hits,” according to the company.
Powerful new health and wellness apps take advantage of visionOS’s “infinite canvas” to use spatial experiences to improve patient outcomes in clinical settings and at home, Apple said Monday. It seems that Vision Pro health apps are changing medical care.
“We’re thrilled to see the incredible apps that developers across the healthcare community are bringing to Apple Vision Pro,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The imagination and drive of our developers, combined with the technical capabilities of visionOS, are igniting new possibilities for physicians, frontline workers, and even students, and we can’t wait to see what’s to come.”
Anyone criticizing Apple Vision Pro as a Meta Quest at seven times the price misses the profound difference between the two headsets. Apple made an augmented reality device, while Meta focused on virtual reality.
And the basic distinction between the two is that AR is the future of computing while VR will always be much more limited.
Both Apple and Meta seem to realize this, which is why their devices support AR and VR. The difference comes down to which one the rivals focus on, and that’s where Apple has the advantage.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Apple pulled the plug on Project Titan, its not-so-secret, decade-long effort to build a self-driving electric car. After spending a reported $10 billion on R&D, the moonshot Apple car project winds up canceled — in favor of generative AI!
Let’s just say we have some opinions.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Vision Pro may be Apple’s only AR headset until 2027. The company has yet to start work on Vision Pro 2 or Vision Air, according to a trusted analyst.
That said, Apple is allegedly working on ways to produce the current Vision Pro more cheaply, which could lead to a price cut next year.
Very few Vision Pro units are being returned to Apple, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He pegs the Vision Pro return rate at less than 1%, which flies in the face of previous reports that many of the headsets bought by early adopters would wind up in the refurbished bins.
The reason Kuo states for a large percentage of those Vision Pro returns is even more surprising!
Apple hasn’t released Vision Pro in China yet, but that hasn’t stopped scads of merchants from offering the headset for rent to enthusiasts. Many of them appear to think the AR headset may go beyond typical gaming uses, a new report says. Vision Pro rentals in China have attracted tens of thousands of customers.
Some eager testers think Apple’s pricey Vision Pro bests competitors like Meta’s Quest 3, as well.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 16 Pro rumor comes with a mockup that looks like a fidget spinner. Will Apple really do that? On the other hand, the latest iPad rumors sound totally believable.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
If you want to get work done on your Vision Pro, you’ll really want a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad for precision input and pointing. And for gaming, you can connect a controller, too. The Vision Pro officially supports Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch controllers, with support for some other Bluetooth models as well.
Follow these instructions to pair a Bluetooth device with Vision Pro.
The best Vision Pro apps, games, demos and experiences showcase the AR capabilities of Apple’s headset.
If you own a Vision Pro and don’t know where to start, I put together a list of apps and games to try out first. Alternatively, if you can’t afford a headset (or if you live outside the United States), you can live vicariously through me as I show you all of the most interesting Vision Pro apps I’ve found.
I highly recommend you check out the companion video to this article to see these apps in action. Alternatively, you can continue reading below.
