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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
A computer you wear like goggles? Yes, it's true—learn all about the new Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro For Dummies is a practical guide to Apple's first new product in eight years. Considered a “spatial computer,” Vision Pro lets you see your apps right in front of your eyes and interact with the interface using eye movement, hand gestures, and your voice. It fuses virtual reality, where you're completely immersed in a 360-degree digital space, with augmented reality, which lets you see the real world around you, but augmented (or enhanced) with digital information superimposed on top.
Futuristic, right?
This book helps you understand visionOS and get started with spatial computing. You'll find step-by-step instructions on using the device, navigating its interface, discovering its deep feature set, and using all the integrated applications. The Dummies series is your trusted tech mentor, and we're here to get you up to speed with the all-new Vision Pro.
- Learn about “mixed reality” and “spatial computing”
- Explore the hardware, user interface, and apps
- Use your new spatial computer to make calls, send messages, interact with media, and get work done
- Get easy-to-understand tips on how to make the most of this innovative device
Anyone interested in trying out the latest and greatest in wearable technology can get a jump start, thanks to Apple Vision Pro For Dummies.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 314
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Apple® Vision Pro™ For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Apple Vision Pro For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 1: Getting to Know Apple Vision Pro
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: It All Comes Together in Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro User Interface: Using Your Eyes, Hands, and Voice
Finding Out What’s in the Box
Covering the Apple Vision Pro Specs
Chapter 2: Setting Up Apple Vision Pro
Charging and Connecting the Battery
Putting on the Headset
Using Apple Vision Pro for the First Time
Maximizing Your Experience with Apple Vision Pro
Handling Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 3: Controlling Apple Vision Pro
Waking Up Apple Vision Pro
Navigating Apple Vision Pro
Understanding EyeSight on Apple Vision Pro
Understanding Apple Vision Pro’s Control Center
Typing on a Virtual Keyboard in Apple Vision Pro
Searching on Apple Vision Pro
Adding a Keyboard, Trackpad, or Game Controller to Apple Vision Pro
Identifying the Accessibility Features of Apple Vision Pro
Enabling Travel Mode on Apple Vision Pro
Setting Up a Guest Session on Your Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 4: Using the Home View
Getting to Know Home View
Accessing Apps on Apple Vision Pro
Contacting Friends, Family, or Whoever You Want
Viewing and Changing Environments
Chapter 5: Accessing and Changing Your Apple Vision Pro Settings
Opening the Settings App
Using the Settings App
Viewing and Changing Settings Options
Part 2: Using Apple Vision Pro to Communicate
Chapter 6: Making FaceTime Calls
Starting a FaceTime Call
During a FaceTime Call: Moving People, Using Apps, Sharing Views, and More
FaceTiming with SharePlay on Apple Vision Pro
Trying Out Spatial Personas on Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 7: Sending and Receiving Messages
Turning on iMessage
Sending and Responding to Messages
Sharing Your Name and Photo with the People You Message
Tweaking Notifications for Messages
Chapter 8: Reading, Writing, and Managing Email
Setting Up Your Email Accounts in the Mail App
Reading Your Email
Writing and Sending an Email Message
Organizing Your Messages
Changing Your Mail Settings
Searching for an Email in the Mail App
Part 3: Having Fun with Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 9: Watching TV and Movies
Getting to Know the Apple TV App
Accessing Content in the Apple TV App
Watching Apple Immersive Video and 3D Movies
Experiencing Encounter Dinosaurs in Apple Vision Pro
Watch 3D Movies in Apple Vision Pro
Watching Movies in an Apple Video Pro Environment
Using Third-Party Streaming Services
Chapter 10: Listening to Music and Podcasts
Exploring the Apple Music App
Playing Podcasts on Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 11: Downloading and Reading E-Books
Downloading Books onto Apple Vision Pro
Creating a Collection and Adding Books to It
Buying Books and Audiobooks in the Books App
Reading Books on Apple Vision Pro
Listening to Audiobooks on Apple Vision Pro
Setting Reading Goals in the Books App
Reading PDFs
Chapter 12: Playing Games
Finding and Downloading Games onto Apple Vision Pro
Playing Games in Apple Vision Pro
Using a Bluetooth Game Controller
SharePlaying Games Using Spatial Personas
Playing with Friends in Game Center
Chapter 13: Capturing Photos and Videos
Checking Out the Photos App
Viewing Photos and Playing Videos
Taking a Screenshot or Video with Apple Vision Pro
Capturing, Viewing, and Sharing Spatial Photos and Videos
Looking at Memories
Casting Content from Apple Vision Pro to Another Screen
Part 4: Being Productive with Apple Vision Pro
Chapter 14: Searching the Web with Safari
Browsing and Searching the Web in Apple Vision Pro
Previewing Websites in Safari
Viewing, Saving, and Sharing Websites in Safari
Using Safari’s Reader Feature
Downloading Files from Safari
Chapter 15: Taking Notes and Making Voice Recordings
Using the Notes App
Using the Voice Memos App
Chapter 16: Getting Stuff Done with Freeform and Keynote
Launching and Using the Freeform App in Apple Vision Pro
Seeing Your Mac Screen while Using Apple Vision Pro
Using Keynote on Apple Vision Pro
Using Focus with Apple Vision Pro
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 17: Ten Awesome Things to Try in Apple Vision Pro
Capturing Spatial Photos and Videos
Viewing Immersive Content and 3D Videos
Using Personas to FaceTime
Playing Mixed-Reality Games
Sharing Your Apple Vision Pro View to Another Display
Practicing Mindfulness
Reading Books
Enabling Environments
Playing Steam Games
Collaborating in Style
Chapter 18: The Ten Best Apps for Apple Vision Pro
AmazeVR Concerts: Immersive 3D
CARROT Weather: Alerts & Radar
CellWalk
djay – DJ App & AI Mixer
JigSpace: 3D Presentations
MLB
Puzzling Places
Sky Guide
What If…? An Immersive Story
Zoom Workplace
Glossary
Index
About the Author
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 4
TABLE 4-1 Available Environments
Chapter 16
TABLE 16-1 Helpful Keynote Gestures
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: The Apple Vision Pro headset.
FIGURE 1-2: Encounter Dinosaurs brings dinosaurs into your living room … if you...
FIGURE 1-3: You can access content with gestures, as well as eye movement and y...
FIGURE 1-4: ZEISS Optical Inserts allow people who wear glasses to use Apple Vi...
FIGURE 1-5: Apple Vision Pro with its dark visor and Light Seal (the mesh gray ...
FIGURE 1-6: You’ll scan your face in Apple Vision Pro and use this Persona to v...
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Turn on Apple Vision Pro by rotating the power cable clockwise, ali...
FIGURE 2-2: An essential fit is key to your Apple Vision Pro experience.
FIGURE 2-3: If you don’t like the way the Solo Knit Band fits, you can use the ...
FIGURE 2-4: A top-down view of Apple Vision Pro, showing the right side, where ...
FIGURE 2-5: Apple Vision Pro scans your face to create your Persona.
FIGURE 2-6: The Univivi IR Illuminator is an example of an infrared illuminator...
FIGURE 2-7: Remember to pick up Apple Vision Pro by the visor and the headband ...
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: The X at the bottom of the app allows you to close it.
FIGURE 3-2: The horizontal “window bar” allows you to move the window around yo...
FIGURE 3-3: Viewing multiple apps at the same time.
FIGURE 3-4: This icon means Siri is “thinking” of a response.
FIGURE 3-5: My Home View screen.
FIGURE 3-6: The three views of Apple’s EyeSight feature on Apple Vision Pro.
FIGURE 3-7: The Control Center button appears when you look up.
FIGURE 3-8: The top image shows the main Control Center view. The bottom image ...
FIGURE 3-9: A view of the virtual keyboard.
FIGURE 3-10: Want to kick back and play a basketball video game? Bluetooth cont...
FIGURE 3-11: If you don’t care what you look like wearing your Apple Vision Pro...
FIGURE 3-12: By setting up a Guest User in Apple Vision Pro, you can choose wha...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: A close-up view of Apple Vision Pro’s main Home View, with a handfu...
FIGURE 4-2: Reading is surprisingly smooth on Apple Vision Pro, whether it’s sc...
FIGURE 4-3: MAX, one of the supported services inside the Apple TV app for Appl...
FIGURE 4-4: Toggle between Apps & Games, Apple Arcade, or Search.
FIGURE 4-5: Because it says “Get” where the price would normally be, this means...
FIGURE 4-6: Launching the People tab on the Home View screen, brings up icons o...
FIGURE 4-7: On the top, you see the Environments screen with a few options to c...
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: As with all Apple devices, the Settings icon looks like a gray gear...
FIGURE 5-2: The main view of the Settings app, where you have several dozen set...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: On Apple Vision Pro, you can FaceTime with multiple people at once ...
FIGURE 6-2: Tap People in the tab bar on the left.
FIGURE 6-3: Tap and hold on someone (like my daughter Maya, shown here) and cho...
FIGURE 6-4: A SharePlay-supported chat, where the Apple Vision Pro wearer sees ...
FIGURE 6-5: Two people discussing a Freeform board.
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: In Apple Vision Pro, you see a huge chat window hovering in the air...
FIGURE 7-2: Add emojis for fun!
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: Here’s what email messages look like while wearing Apple Vision Pro...
FIGURE 8-2: You can adjust how to be notified when new emails come in while wea...
FIGURE 8-3: Tap the More button and then tap Remind me to be reminded to respon...
FIGURE 8-4: It’s easy to search for an email by keyword, date, or attachments.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Watching TV shows and movies on the Apple TV app inside of Apple Vi...
FIGURE 9-2: Watch 3D movies, including
Dune,
on Apple Vision Pro.
FIGURE 9-3: Watch live sports on Apple Vision Pro.
FIGURE 9-4: Your jaw will be on the ground while experiencing Apple Immersive V...
FIGURE 9-5: Live among dinosaurs and other creatures in this awe-inspiring inte...
FIGURE 9-6: The Cinema Environment turns your real environment to darkness and ...
FIGURE 9-7: You can select a custom Disney+ Environment inside the Disney+ app....
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: The Apple Music streaming service supports lyrics so you can sing ...
FIGURE 10-2: The Apple Music MiniPlayer feature helps you navigate through cont...
FIGURE 10-3: Tap the Compatible Apps folder from your Home View to open Apple P...
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: The Books app in Apple Vision Pro. Appearance settings are visible...
FIGURE 11-2: Readdle’s PDF Expert gives you more functionality for reading PDFs...
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: Launch the App Store inside of Apple Vision Pro, and you’ll see a ...
FIGURE 12-2: Apple Arcade on Apple Vision Pro includes many spatial games.
FIGURE 12-3: Fruit was never this exciting! In Super Fruit Ninja for Apple Visi...
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13-1: The Photos app on the main Home View screen.
FIGURE 13-2: Similar to other Apple devices, photos and videos are organized in...
FIGURE 13-3: Wow, that’s wide! You can truly appreciate panoramic photos inside...
FIGURE 13-4: Choose a spatial photo or video and then tap the Immersive button ...
FIGURE 13-5: Apple creates Memories based on your photos, and ties them togethe...
FIGURE 13-6: Using Apple’s proprietary AirPlay feature, you can wirelessly cast...
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: Kick back and relax to browse the web, clearly and comfortably, wh...
FIGURE 14-2: You can preview websites before you open them in Safari by pinchin...
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: Tap the New Note button to create and view a new note in Apple Vis...
FIGURE 15-2: The Notes app isn’t just for text — you can also sketch and draw, ...
FIGURE 15-3: Recording and playing back voice memos while wearing Apple Vision ...
FIGURE 15-4: Musicians can quickly throw down a melody by humming, singing, or ...
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1: Apple Vision Pro and the built-in Freeform app are excellent ways ...
FIGURE 16-2: As long as you’re signed into the same Apple ID on your devices, a...
FIGURE 16-3: Use your hands in the air to select the desire palette tool and dr...
FIGURE 16-4: A video being edited on Mac Virtual Display.
FIGURE 16-5: If you ever have to give a presentation, take advantage of the int...
FIGURE 16-6: On Apple Vision Pro, you can rehearse your Keynote presentation in...
FIGURE 16-7: Focus settings on Apple Vision Pro, showing options to set up a fo...
Chapter 17
FIGURE 17-1: Relive memories with incredible depth and detail inside the Apple ...
FIGURE 17-2: LEGO Builder’s Journey is a “poetic puzzler” that brings the brick...
FIGURE 17-3: The Mindfulness app on Apple Vision Pro, showing options to start ...
FIGURE 17-4: Environments are visible even when you’re inside some other apps.
FIGURE 17-5: Apple Vision Pro is a multitasker’s dream — you can have multiple ...
Chapter 18
FIGURE 18-1: Whether you’re spinning alone or in a room full of friends, djay i...
FIGURE 18-2: Give lifelike 3D presentations with the JigSpace: 3D Presentations...
FIGURE 18-3: Puzzling Places brings jigsaw puzzles to the spatial computing sce...
FIGURE 18-4: Be amazed while marveling at the sky with the free Sky Guide for A...
FIGURE 18-5: Marvel fans, unite! Based on the animated TV series, What If… ? An...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Glossary
Index
About the Author
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Apple® Vision Pro™ For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.
Media and software compilation copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. Apple Vision Pro is a trademark of Apple, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Apple Vision Pro For Dummies® is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple, Inc.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
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Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024943817
ISBN 978-1-394-27990-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-27992-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-27991-3 (ebk)
Introduction
Welcome, friend, to the ultimate guide for using — nay, mastering — your Apple Vision Pro! Apple’s latest gadget is so different, and can do so much, that I’d argue you need a plain-English resource like this to get the most out of it.
For real. This thing is crazy. You’re literally using your eyes, voice, and gestures in the air to control content — not unlike Tom Cruise’s character, Chief John Anderton, in the sci-fi film Minority Report. As a result, without this book, Apple Vision Pro could be overwhelming.
Left to your own devices — pun intended — you may not fully take advantage of what the futuristic Apple Vision Pro is capable of. For this reason, I felt compelled to take everything this wearable headset can do and explain it in a way that anyone can understand.
What you’re holding is the definitive companion to Apple Vision Pro — but it’s much more than just an instruction manual.
About This Book
At a high level, this book explains how to take full advantage of the Apple Vision Pro, as well as its interface, features, and apps. Like all For Dummies books, this book is a straightforward and easy-to-follow handbook. I’ve organized it in parts that make sense and populate each part with related chapters that explore the many aspects of Apple Vision Pro.
Aside from a teeny booklet, Apple Vision Pro doesn’t include any information to get going, so consider Apple Vision Pro For Dummies the closest thing to an instruction manual — and a whole lot more. Like an instruction manual, you don’t have to read it from beginning to end or commit it to memory — there will no test at the end of the week. Instead, you can turn to it whenever you’re looking for information on how to use your Apple Vision Pro.
If you’re short on time, you can safely skip sidebars (text in gray boxes), as well as anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon (more on that later in this Introduction).
Keep in mind that Apple adds new features to its devices over time, or may remove or tweak a setting or app, so you may need to do a little experimentation on your own if things aren’t exactly the way I describe them in this book. Don’t fret — you can’t wreck your (expensive!) Apple Vision Pro by clicking the wrong thing.
Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.
Finally, while writing this book, I consulted Apple’s official online documentation on the Apple Vision Pro. When I quote directly from Apple’s documentation, I note that.
Foolish Assumptions
When writing this book, I made only two major assumptions:
You own Apple Vision Pro or are about to.
You want to know how to get the most out of it.
Icons Used in This Book
The following icons are placed in the margins of the book’s pages to point out information you may or may not want to read.
The Tip icon offers suggestions to enhance your experience with Apple Vision Pro.
The Remember icon highlights anything worth committing to memory. You might consider bookmarking the page or jotting down the information elsewhere.
Apple Vision Pro is a promising new wearable platform, but the Warning icon alerts you to important considerations when using it, including health, safety, or security concerns.
The Technical Stuff icon warns you about geeky descriptions or explanations you may want to pass on — but don’t expect a lot of these throughout this easy-to-read guide.
Beyond This Book
In addition to the information in this book, you get access to even more help and information online at Dummies.com. Check out this book’s online Cheat Sheet for tips on mastering the gestures in Apple Vision Pro, getting the most out of the headset, and capturing incredibly immersive spatial photos and videos. Just go to www.dummies.com and type Apple Vision Pro For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
Where to Go from Here
If you have Apple Vision Pro, it’s time to take it out of the box, power it up, and get ready to use it for the first time. You can dive into the book whenever you’re good to go.
There’s nothing else you need to know before flipping through Apple Vision Pro For Dummies. I’m ready when you are, so turn the page and get started!
Part 1
Getting Started with Apple Vision Pro
IN THIS PART …
Understand what makes Apple Vision Pro unique, and get an overview of all the extraordinary things you can do with it.
Learn all the parts to Apple Vision Pro and successfully set up the headset for the first time.
Explore the many ways you can interact with Apple Vision Pro — using your hands, eyes, and voice — and find out how to navigate through apps and other content.
Get to know the Home View, Environment, App Store, and included apps, as well as optional Accessibility settings.
Set up your own unique Persona, a digital representation of yourself, for use with FaceTime video calls and SharePlay-supported apps and games.
Chapter 1
Getting to Know Apple Vision Pro
IN THIS CHAPTER
Seeing how virtual reality and augmented reality merge in Apple Vision Pro
Understanding the Apple Vision Pro user interface
Opening the box
Looking at the Apple Vision Pro specs
Apple Vision Pro is the most exciting new Apple product in years — perhaps decades. And it’s easily the most ambitious. Apple Vison Pro may be difficult to explain — especially if you haven’t played around with any other headsets that came before it — but you’ve come to the right place.
In this chapter, I introduce you to the Apple Vision Pro — covering everything from what it is and what it does to how it differs from other headsets and what it can do for you. If you’re curious about Apple Vision Pro, or if you have one and you don’t know where to start, this chapter (and book!) is for you.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: It All Comes Together in Apple Vision Pro
Apple refers to Apple Vision Pro as a “spatial computer,” but it’s really a high-tech headset that fuses virtual reality with augmented reality to create mixed reality:
Virtual reality (VR): In VR, you put on a special headset and you’re engaged with a fully immersive digital environment. You don’t see the real world through the headset — you only see a virtual world, and it’s super immersive because the visuals are all around you, in 360 degrees. What you see is also tied to head tracking, which means wherever you turn your head while wearing the headset — up, down, side to side, or even behind you — that same perspective is seen in the virtual world you’re in. Because of this feature, VR can trick your brain into thinking that what you’re seeing is the real deal.
But it doesn’t just stop there. Audio is also “spatialized” in a VR world, so you can hear sounds all around you, such as a moaning zombie creeping up from behind you, a towering dinosaur in front of you, or someone talking to you from the right or left of you. The audio helps add to the effect.
Augmented reality (AR): In AR, you can still see the real world around you — either through a headset you wear or by holding up your smartphone and looking through the camera lens — but what you see is augmented (enhanced) with digital information.
The hit mobile game Pokémon GO is an example of AR. You hold up your phone at, say, a park, and you see the real-world trees, bushes, and park benches on your phone’s screen — but superimposed on top are cute Pokémon creatures, so it looks like they’re right there with you.
Wearing a headset with AR works the same way, but it’s even cooler because you’re hands-free.
So, where does Apple Vision Pro fit into all this? It seamlessly blends AR and VR into one device to create a mixed reality (MR) experience, allowing you to toggle between AR and VR, depending on the application and/or your environment while wearing what looks like futuristic ski goggles (see Figure 1-1). So, you can stay “present” with what’s going on around you in the real world, or you can completely close yourself off from your surroundings.
For example, you may be video chatting with someone online over FaceTime, but you’re still able to pour dog food into a bowl and serve it to your furry friend doing the dinnertime dance at your feet. This feature is often referred to as passthrough, because you can see the real world when you want to.
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-1: The Apple Vision Pro headset.
Alternatively, if you’re alone on the sofa and you want to kick back and watch a movie, Apple Vision Pro will automatically dim the family room so you see only the giant (virtual) video screen in front of you. Or you can choose to engage in a VR experience like Encounter Dinosaurs, where you come face-to-face with the prehistoric beasts, and you’re completely immersed in the experience (see Figure 1-2). You can even “interact” with the dinosaurs — try to touch different creatures, and they’ll likely respond differently. Plus, if you move around during the experience, the dinosaurs’ eyes will follow your movements. Turn to Chapter 9 for more on Encounter Dinosaurs.
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-2: Encounter Dinosaurs brings dinosaurs into your living room … if you dare!
Other headsets, such as the Meta Quest 3, can straddle AR and VR and have passthrough. Part of what makes Apple Vision Pro unique is how you access the content (see the next section).
The Apple Vision Pro User Interface: Using Your Eyes, Hands, and Voice
Instead of using videogame-like controllers, you control three-dimensional user interface of Apple Vision Pro using your eyes, hands, and voice. You highlight an app or image merely by looking at it; reach into the air to “touch” (select) the digital content or “pin” it to one side of the room you’re in; use gestures (see Figure 1-3) to swipe up, down, and side to side to navigate through virtual items (say, while inside a game or photo library); and summon Siri, your voice-activated personal assistant, as yet another way to interact with it all. (Turn to Chapter 3 for much more detail about how to use the Apple Vision Pro controls and Chapter 5 to tweak Apple Vision Pro settings.)
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-3: You can access content with gestures, as well as eye movement and your voice.
In all fairness, Microsoft paved the way for Apple Vision Pro with its HoloLens mixed-reality headset, which debuted in 2016. Although primarily used for business applications, HoloLens introduced many of these gesture-based controls popularized by Apple today.
You can also add a wireless Magic Keyboard and/or Magic Trackpad, if you want to treat Apple Vision Pro like an extension of your Mac experience.
If you haven’t ordered Apple Vision Pro yet, be aware that you must scan your face using an iPhone or iPad with Face ID for fitting purposes. It’s similar to setting up Face ID to log into your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. If you can’t do this or don’t want to do it, you can do a facial scan at your local Apple Store, with the help of a staff member.
LIVING IN THE APPLE UNIVERSE
A key differentiator between Apple Vision Pro and other headsets is that only Apple Vision Pro can run popular Apple apps you may already use on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This includes default apps like App Store, Books, Calendar, Camera, Contacts, FaceTime, Files, Keynote, Mail, Maps, Messages, Mindfulness, Music, News, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari, Stocks, Voice Memos, and more — all in mixed reality. Check out the figure — don’t these apps look familiar?
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
Plus, because most of these apps are synchronized over iCloud, when you log into, say, Photos or Notes, what you see in Apple Vision Pro is the same as what you see on your other Apple devices (and vice versa).
Apple Vision Pro is powered by Apple’s visionOS, billed by Apple as the “world’s first spatial operating system” (though Microsoft and the HoloLens team may have something to say about that!). visionOS now joins other Apple operating systems: iOS (for iPhone), iPadOS (for iPad), macOS (for Mac computers), watchOS (for Apple Watch), and tvOS (for Apple TV).
Finding Out What’s in the Box
When you open the Apple Vision Pro box for the first time, here’s what you’ll find inside:
Apple Vision Pro headset with cover
Battery with attached power cable
30W USB-C power adapter
USB-C charge cable
Light Seal
Two Light Seal Cushions
Solo Knit Band
Dual Loop Band
Enclosure and audio straps
Polishing cloth
Information booklet
Before you can begin using Apple Vision Pro, you’ll need to charge the battery, connect the power cable, and attach your ZEISS Optical Inserts (if you use them). Sold by Apple and developed in partnership with ZEISS, custom optical inserts are supported for users with prescription glasses; the optical inserts magnetically attach to the main lens inside the headset (see Figure 1-4).
Apple also sells other accessories for Apple Vision Pro, including the Apple Vision Pro Travel Case ($199), Light Seal ($199), and Light Seal Cushion ($29). For developers, there’s also the Developer Strap for Vision Pro ($299), which includes a dongle to connect the headset to a PC or Mac via a USB-C cable, which helps with creating and transferring large apps, games, and files. At the time of this writing, the only official third-party accessory available is a battery holder made by Belkin.
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-4: ZEISS Optical Inserts allow people who wear glasses to use Apple Vision Pro.
Covering the Apple Vision Pro Specs
After you remove the soft cushion cover from your Apple Vision Pro, you’ll see it has a smooth, curved laminated glass display on the front and a flexible cushion, called a Light Seal, on the inside surrounding the two 1.41-inch micro LED displays (one for each eye), as shown in Figure 1-5. The Light Seal connects magnetically to the inside of the visor.
The twin 4K screens (3,660 x 3,200 pixels each) displays a total of 23 megapixels, running at a smooth 90 frames per second (but depending on the content, it could automatically increase to 96 or 100 frames per second). Also on the front of the headset are five sensors, six microphones, and 12 cameras.
The cameras and sensors allow you to see the room you’re in. They’re also used to capture amazingly realistic photos and videos (see Chapter 13). Infrared cameras and sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) read your face, too. They use iris-tracking technology (so Apple Vision Pro knows where you’re looking on the screen), mirror your real-time facial expressions in a FaceTime call (see Chapter 6), and much more.
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-5: Apple Vision Pro with its dark visor and Light Seal (the mesh gray part) covering the twin 4K screens.
An accelerometer is a sensor that measures acceleration, which is a change in speed or direction. Similarly, a gyroscope is used for rotational tracking in a three-dimensional space (sensing movements of pitch, yaw, and roll). In a device like a smartphone or headset, the accelerometer and gyroscope work together to provide more complete and accurate movement tracking.
As you set up your Apple Vision Pro for the first time, your face will be scanned by the headset (see Figure 1-6) to generate a Persona (a realistic-looking avatar of yourself to use in FaceTime calls and other applications).
Courtesy of Apple, Inc.
FIGURE 1-6: You’ll scan your face in Apple Vision Pro and use this Persona to video chat with others online, among other things.
An Apple Vision Pro feature called EyeSight shows the eyes of your avatar through your Apple Vision Pro headset, which appear dimmed when in AR apps or opaque when in full VR immersion. When someone approaches you and/or speaks, EyeSight shows their Persona’s virtual eyes normally, and the person is visible to you. (Turn to Chapter 2 for more information.)
The headset has an aluminum frame on its sides, a removable and adjustable headband, and the Digital Crown (a twistable knob) on the right side of Apple Vision Pro to tighten or loosen the fit.
For audio, Apple Vision Pro has a bone conduction speaker inside the headband, which is placed directly over each of your ears and supports surround sound. At any time, you can add Bluetooth wireless headphones or earbuds, too, if you want.
Twin cooling fans (about 1.6 inches in diameter) are near the eyes to help dispense heat, and noise-canceling technology makes it so you don’t hear the fans.
Apple Vision Pro is powered by the M2 chip. The M2 is custom Apple-made silicon, with a unique dual-chip design. It’s accompanied by a co-processor referred to as Apple R1, used primarily for real-time sensor input processing.
