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Tag: EyeSight

  • Initial tests show Vision Pro front glass is highly susceptible to scratch-based damage

    Initial tests show Vision Pro front glass is highly susceptible to scratch-based damage

    If you get your hands on an Apple Vision Pro headset, please be careful with it.

    The new device is now in the hands of streamers and testers, who have been exposing its expensive self to drop tests and intentional scratches. While the front glass of the wearable device has proven to be highly resistant to accidental damage, it seems that it’s entirely prone to scratches.

    JerryRigEverything, known for putting new products under extreme stress to test their durability, has shared a teardown of the Apple Vision Pro. Although this isn’t the first teardown of Apple’s headset on the web, the YouTuber has done some experiments with the glass on the front that covers the EyeSight’s cameras, sensors, and display.
    The results are not so exciting for some people. Typically, laminated glass has a plastic interlayer to make it more resistant and less susceptible to shattering. However, for some reason, the Vision Pro’s laminated glass has a plastic layer placed on top of it.

    As a result, the external display is extremely easy to scratch. The test based on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness shows that the front glass of the Vision Pro gets slightly scratched at level two, with deeper scratches at level three. The glass on most smartphones scratches at levels six and seven.

    This means that the Apple Vision Pro’s front glass can be permanently scratched by objects such as keys, coins, and dust. This also shows why Apple ships the Vision Pro with a special cover for the external display and a polishing cloth in the box. Apple charges $799 to replace the front glass of the Vision Pro.

    In a drop test shared by AppleTrack, Vision Pro had to be dropped on the floor multiple times before the glass broke. However, as shown by JerryRigEverything, the glass gets scratched quite easily.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac, JerryRigEverything, and Apple Track

  • Code strings found in the visionOS beta hint at forthcoming video mirroring, and other new features for the Apple Vision Pro headset

    Code strings found in the visionOS beta hint at forthcoming video mirroring, and other new features for the Apple Vision Pro headset

    Once again, it’s the code strings found in beta versions of a developer kit that reveal the interesting stuff.

    Apple’s forthcoming Vision Pro headset will apparently support screen mirroring via AirPlay or FaceTime, as indicated by code strings found in the beta 4 release of visionOS 1.0.

    The code strings are as follows:

    Select a device to mirror content to from your Apple Vision Pro

    Only one activity is available when mirroring or sharing your view through ‌AirPlay‌ or ‌FaceTime‌.

    This suggests that users will be able to mirror the headset’s display to an external monitor or TV, or share their view with others through ‌AirPlay‌ or ‌FaceTime‌. Other headsets like Meta Quest have similar features which can help to reduce the feeling of isolation of the headset user from others.

    The visionOS 1.0 beta dev kit also references a new option to reset EyeSight data. EyeSight is the feature that displays a user’s simulated eyes on the external display of the ‌Apple Vision Pro‌.

    The option reads as follows:

    You can reset EyeSight by going to Settings > People Awareness and tapping Reset Personalized EyeSight. This will remove personalized eye details from EyeSight, like your eye shape and measurements, but EyeSight will still use your skin tone where available. After you have reset EyeSight, you can restore it by recapturing your Persona.

    A “Persona” reference located in the beta indicates that a user’s Persona will be sent to all participants within a FaceTime call, which will allow other participants to view the user’s Persona. ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ can generate Personas via machine learning that allows users to share virtual representations of themselves that reflect face and hand movements in real-time with others over ‌FaceTime‌.

    Where FaceTime calls on a visionOS device are concerned, a user’s Persona data will be sent securely to all users on the call, who can then view your Persona. Once the call is completed, the Persona may remain stored encrypted on the other call participants’ devices for up to 30 days. The other call participants will be able to access your Persona only when they are on a call with you.

    The code references also indicate that Personas, but not the data used to generate them, could be stored on Apple’s servers, though securely in a manner inaccessible to Apple.

    To create your Persona and personalized EyeSight, ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ cameras capture images and 3D measurements of your face, head, upper body, and facial expressions. The data used to build your Persona and EyeSight do not leave your device. Your Persona may be stored on Apple servers, encrypted in a way that Apple cannot access.

    Other new alerts referenced in the beta include the following:

    • Calling unavailable while in Travel Mode
    • Brighten your lighting to use your Persona.
    • This video has excess motion, and could cause discomfort if expanded.

    Apple has stated that the Apple Vision Pro headset will launch in the U.S. come early 2024 prior to expanding to other countries at later dates.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors

  • Rumor: Apple could release more affordable Vision Pro headset in 2025

    Rumor: Apple could release more affordable Vision Pro headset in 2025

    Following Apple’s announcement of its upcoming Vision Pro spatial computer/headset at WWDC last week, it could be argued that people were impressed with the technology, but skittish as to its $3,500 price tag.

    There may be a price break further down the line.

    According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple is currently aiming to release a more affordable AR/VR spatial computer product by the end of 2025. At the same time, Apple is also working on a new version of Vision Pro that features a faster processor inside for even better performance.

    Gurman has speculated that the more affordable version of the headset could be dubbed the “Apple Vision” or perhaps the “Apple Vision One”. Gurman also posited the following steps to reducing the price of such a headset, scaling down the quality of the two 4K micro-LED displays as well as the camera and sensor hardware. Gurman also suggests using lower-spec processors as well as removing the spatial audio speakers from the headset itself and instead pushing users toward using their own AirPods Pro for audio:

    “Apple could also probably get away with a simpler headband design, require AirPods for spatial audio instead of the strap with speakers in the Vision Pro, move to a physical versus automatic IPD — distance between eye pupils — adjustment and remove features like the 3D camera. Combined with a more refined production process, economies of scale and a cheaper frame, I’d imagine Apple could knock several hundred dollars off the price.”

    Finally, Gurman cited the following areas where Apple would be unlikely to compromise quality:

    “But there are a few areas I believe Apple will not compromise on in a cheaper Apple Vision. The external screen, known as EyeSight, to show a wearer’s eyes, as well as the eye- and hand-tracking system, are as core to the Apple Vision as a touchscreen is to an iPhone. I would expect a cheaper model to keep those features.”

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

  • WWDC: Apple unveils Vision Pro headset, cites early 2024 release date, offers AR preview of device

    WWDC: Apple unveils Vision Pro headset, cites early 2024 release date, offers AR preview of device

    It’s been the subject of rumors and whispered about for years, and Apple finally brought it to the stage on Monday during the WWDC 2023 keynote. Apple’s Vision Pro headset, its first mixed-reality headset device, finally exists and is powered by visionOS, the company’s new operating system for the device.

    Apple describes the Vision Pro headset as “a revolutionary spatial computer that seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world.” The device features an all-new operating system that features a three-dimensional interface. Experiences in Vision Pro aren’t constrained to the boundaries of a display, users can make apps at any scale, and place apps wherever they wish. Users use a combination of their eyes, hands, and voice to control the device.

    The headset starts at a $3,499 price point and will be available in early 2024. It will be available in Apple retail stores in the U.S. only.

    The headset itself will be made of polished glass that flows into a lightweight aluminum frame. The unit also features a button and a Digital Crown that lets a user control how present or immersed they are in an environment.

    The headset has a modular system to achieve an optimal fit. Its battery is separate and links via a magnetic connection to the side of the headset.

    The Vision Pro incorporates a wide array of cameras and sensors that combine the physical world with digital content. The Light Seal, which connects to the user’s face, is made of a soft textile, and comes in a range of shapes and sizes, flexing to conform to a user’s face for a precise fit. A series of flexible straps ensure audio remains close to the user’s ears, while a Head Band, which is available in multiple sizes, is three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece to provide cushioning, breathability, and stretch. The band is secured with a simple mechanism, making it easy to change to another size or style of band.

    For users wearing glasses, a set of magnetic prescription ZEISS glass inserts must be used with the Vision Pro headset.

    The hardware itself features an ultra-high-resolution display system with 23 million pixels across two micro-OLED displays – more than a 4K for TV for each eye. A group of high-speed cameras combines with a ring of LEDs that project invisible light patterns onto the user’s eyes to track gaze. The headset also contains the M2 chip paired with a new “R1” chip, dedicated toward real-time sensor processing. The unit is powered by a unique dual-chip M2 system, while the new R1 chip processes input data 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. The R1 processor streams new images to the displays within 12 milliseconds. The entire headset is designed for all-day use when plugged in, and up to two hours of use with its external, high-performance battery.

    From an acoustic perspective, the device uses a new Spatial Audio system with two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod, which delivers Personalized Spatial Audio based on the user’s own head and ear geometry. It can match the sound to an environment using audio ray-tracing.

    The headset can be controlled by a user’s eyes, hands, and voice, and 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. It also supports Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad devices. The unit also offers passthrough video of a wearer’s eye via a feature known as “EyeSight,” which displays the user’s eyes to surrounding people. It uses a lenticular OLED display to show the correct perspective to anyone viewing the wearer.

    Other neat features include Environments, which allows users to connect to their Mac and expand its display in a virtual space, including alongside apps running on Vision Pro itself. The device’s Optic ID feature uses a wearer’s iris to authenticate users and unlock the Vision Pro headset. Vision Pro is also “Apple’s first 3D camera,” showing depth in video with Spatial Audio.

    For developers, the visionOS can import iPhone and iPad apps to run on the vision device. A new App Store segment will also be built to discover apps built for visionOS as well as compatible ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps.

    Other interesting tidbits include the Vision Pro’s age requirement, which is for users 13 years and older. It’s unknown how Apple might enforce this.

    Vision correct accessories are sold separately, Apple says, which should explain the $3499 starting price. However, and this is a big but, Apple adds that “not all prescriptions are supported.”

    Finally, Apple has published a hardware preview of Vision AR for the iPhone and iPad. While this isn’t the equivalent of a hands-on demo, it’ll give you an idea of what to expect should you snag one next year.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and Apple