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The digital dust has settled on the Apple Vision Pro launch — and while it’s certainly an exciting, expensive addition to the world of mixed-reality headsets, its arrival also raises a lot of questions.
For example, how do you use it if you wear glasses? And what’s the real point of the Vision Pro? To help clear up some understandable confusion, we’ve gathered all of the most popular questions raised about Apple’s headset and answered them all below.
The list of questions below is not yet complete – and we’re also in the process of clarifying some details with Apple about the Vision Pro, so we’ll update this page with some additional answers when we’ve got all the questions down. Will do official information.
But for now, here are all of the internet’s most popular questions about the Apple Vision Pro, answered in a nutshell. Want to find out whether Apple’s headset is really that good or not? While we can’t yet answer that for sure, our hands-on Apple Vision Pro review summarizes all our initial thoughts.
What’s the point of the Apple Vision Pro?
Apple says the Vision Pro aims to introduce a “new era of spatial computing”. It’s a standalone, wearable computer that aims to provide new experiences for watching TV, getting work done, reliving digital memories, and collaborating with people remotely in apps like FaceTime.
But it’s early days. And there certainly isn’t a ‘point’ yet for the Vision Pro. At launch, it’ll be able to do things like give you a giant, portable monitor for your Apple laptop or create a home cinematic experience in apps like Disney Plus. However, like the first Apple Watch, it will be up to developers and users to define the big new use cases for the Vision Pro.
How much does the Apple Vision Pro cost?
The Apple Vision Pro will cost $3,499 when it goes on sale in the US “early next year”. It won’t be available in other countries until “the end of next year”, but that price translates to around £2,815 / AU$5,290.
This makes the Vision Pro a lot more expensive than rival headsets. The Meta Quest Pro was recently given a price drop to $999 / £999 / AU$1,729. Cheaper and less capable VR-only headsets like the upcoming Meta Quest 3 are also available for $499 / £499 / AU$829. But there’s also no direct comparison to the technology offered by the Vision Pro.
Does the Apple Vision Pro work with glasses?
The Apple Vision Pro works for people who wear glasses, although there are a few things to be aware of. If you wear glasses you wouldn’t wear them with a headset. Instead, you’ll need to buy a few separate optical inserts that magnetically attach to the Vision Pro’s lenses. Apple has yet to announce pricing for these, currently only saying that “vision correction accessories are sold separately”.
Apple says it will offer a range of vision correction strengths that won’t compromise on display quality or the headset’s eye-tracking performance. But it also warns that “not all prescriptions are supported” and “requires valid prescription”. So while the Vision Pro works well for eyeglass wearers, there are some potential downsides.
Is the Apple Vision Pro a standalone device?
The Apple Vision Pro is a standalone device with its own VisionOS operating system and does not require an iPhone or MacBook to run. This is why Apple calls the headset a “spatial computer”.
That said, having an iPhone or MacBook with a Vision Pro does have some advantages. For example, to create a personalized spatial audio profile for the headset’s audio pods, you’ll need an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera.
The Vision Pro will also give MacBook owners a large virtual display that hovers above their actual screen, an experience that won’t be available on other laptops. So while you don’t need another Apple device to use the Vision Pro, owning other Apple-made technology will help maximize the experience.
Is Apple Vision Pro VR or AR?
The Apple Vision Pro offers both VR and AR experiences, even though Apple doesn’t use those terms to describe them. Instead, Apple says it creates “spatial experiences” that “merge the digital and physical worlds”. You can control how much of both you see using its Digital Crown on the side.
Turning the Digital Crown lets you control how immersed you are in a particular app. It reveals the real world behind the app’s digital overlay, or what Apple calls an ‘environment’. These extend into and beyond your physical room, giving you a view of a virtual lake, for example.
While some of the examples shown by Apple look like traditional VR, most err toward augmented reality, combining their real-world environments (captured by the Vision Pro’s full-color passthrough system) with digital overlays. We do.
Is Apple Vision Pro Transparent?
The front of the Apple Vision Pro isn’t see-through or completely transparent, even though a feature called EyeSight creates that impression. The front of the headset is made from laminated glass, but behind that lens is an outward-facing OLED screen.
If you’re in augmented reality mode, this screen will show a real-time view of your eyes (captured by cameras inside the headset) to the outside world. If you’re enjoying a fully immersive, VR-like experience like watching a movie, this screen will show a Siri-like graphic instead.
To help you see through the headset, Apple Vision Pro has a passthrough system that uses cameras on the outside of the goggles to give you a real-time, color feed of your environment. So while the headset feels like it’s transparent, your view of the real world is digital.
How does Vision Pro work?
Apple Vision Pro uses a combination of cameras, sensors, and microphones to create a controller-free computing experience that you control using your hands, eyes, and voice.
The cameras on the front of the headset capture the real world in front of you so it can be displayed on its two internal lenses (Apple says these give you “more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye”). . The cameras on the side and bottom of the Vision Pro also track your hand movements, so you can control it with your hands – for example, touching your thumb and forefinger together to click.
But the really unique thing about the Vision Pro is its eye-tracking, which is powered by an array of infrared cameras and LED illuminators inside the headset. This means you can simply look at app icons or even smaller details to highlight them, then use your fingers or voice to type.
