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.
It’s time for Apple to get into smart glasses. This is an emerging product category that combines AI, cameras and audio… three components that the iPhone-maker is either already expert at or is working hard to improve.
Apple Glasses could be critical for the company long term because it would be an important step toward someday making the Vision Pro AR headset into a viable product.
Will 2025 be a big year for Apple’s exciting new Vision Pro platform? With a fast new chip, a major software upgrade and more jaw-dropping content, there could be a lot in store for the AR/VR headset next year.
The fledgling device is likely to get worthy new hardware upgrades — and maybe even a price drop. visionOS 3, the next major software update, will have had a full 12 months in the oven. That means it could be a substantial release. And as production of 3D immersive content continues to get easier, there may finally be a lot more spatial video to watch on the headset. In fact, that could turn out to be the device’s killer app.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: According to the latest Apple rumors, the 5G OLED MacBooks we’ve been anticipating forever are finally on the way … in 2026.
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.
In a strategic move that could reshape the mixed-reality landscape, Google and Samsung announced a partnership Thursday to develop a new mixed-reality headset running on the Android XR operating system, according to a new report. Clearly, the Google and Samsung Android XR headset directly challenges Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s headsets in the premium market.
The collaboration aims to create a more accessible and diverse ecosystem for extended reality (XR) devices, potentially offering buyers, including Apple users, alternative options in the growing mixed-reality space. More competition could impact both features and pricing, of course.
The new Solos AirGo Vision smart glasses released Tuesday pair with ChatGPT artificial intelligence as a direct competitor to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Both cost a relatively affordable $300 or under. And the new entrant introduce several innovative features, including a modular design that addresses privacy concerns common with camera-equipped wearables.
“We promised to deliver on allowing consumers to have control of their experience with AI and smart technology, particularly with privacy options in mind,” said Solos co-founder Kenneth Fan. “That’s why we developed frames that can easily be changed to decide when and where a camera may be appropriate without sacrificing any of the fun features.”
Popular Science magazine named Apple’s Vision Pro headset one of its innovations of the year among new 2024 gadgets on Monday. Despite its considerable price tag and initial market challenges, the device’s revolutionary approach to augmented reality sets it apart from competitors.
“The device has its own hurdles to clear, but after just a few minutes of using it, it was clear that it’s something different, important, and honestly pretty amazing,” the magazine wrote.
Support for Sony PlayStation VR2 hand controllers is reportedly coming to Apple’s Vision Pro headset. The goal is supposedly to make playing virtual reality games easier on the AR headset.
Apple and Sony allegedly worked together for months to make this happen.
Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed details about the company’s approach to artificial intelligence and defended its Vision Pro headset in an extensive interview Wednesday. In a now-familiar refrain, he discussed the company’s strategic entry into generative AI while addressing criticisms about Apple’s seemingly delayed response to the AI boom.
“We never talked about charging for it,” Cook said of Apple Intelligence. “We view it sort of like multitouch, which enabled the smartphone revolution and the modern tablet.”
Apple’s Vision Pro will go on sale in Taiwan on December 17. Pre-orders for the spatial computing headset will start on Thursday, December 5.
Prices for the headset start from NT$119,900, with higher storage models costing extra.
Apple named the finalists Monday for its annual App Store Awards. These awards honor “exceptional user experience, design, and innovation,” according to the Mac-maker. App awards come in a range of categories, like iPhone App of the Year, Mac Game of the Year, and many more.
The nominations aren’t just kudos for developers — they’re a great way for users to find high-quality software.
In what could be a breakthrough for wearables and other electronics, xMEMS Labs unveiled Sycamore on Tuesday. It’s the world’s first full-range near-field MEMS micro speaker. Measuring just over one millimeter thick, the innovation promises to make some noise with compact gear you don’t put in your ears. Those would be items like open-fit earbuds, such as AirPods and sport earphones, smartwatches like Apple Watch, AR glasses and headsets like Vision Pro, and other consumer electronics.
Like other xMEMS micro speakers that bring solid-state sound to earbuds and headphones, the new technology uses a novel “sound from ultrasound” platform. It generates full-frequency audio from ultrasonic waves within a chip-sized form factor.
“With Sycamore, mobile electronics can now achieve thinner, more stylish form factors while maintaining big, rich sound,” said Mike Housholder, xMEMS VP of marketing and business development. “With better performance at both the low and high ends, Sycamore delivers powerful, full-range audio for smartwatches, smart glasses, and any other small, mobile form factor that engineers dream up.”
We’ve been on the hunt for a Vision Pro setup that looks like something a little more developed than the headset sitting on a table. And we found one this week when a developer showed huge enthusiasm for ultra-wide Virtual Display capability available in beta software. So now he hides his setup’s MacBook Pro, dons the headset and sits at a desk with nothing but a mini Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse on it. But his super-minimalist desk belies his expansive and productive virtual view.
According to a reputed Apple analyst, Apple’s cheaper Vision might only arrive after 2027. This contradicts recent reports of the AR/VR headset launching in 2025.
Instead, Apple will seemingly launch an upgraded Vision Pro with an M5 chip in 2025.
Apple is expanding Vision Pro’s availability to more countries. The company announced on Thursday that its spatial computing headset will launch in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on November 15.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s SVP of marketing, said in a post on X, “Apple Vision Pro is coming to South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on November 15! We’re excited that customers in a dozen countries and regions will get to immerse themselves in the world of spatial computing!”
Apple reportedly might end production of the Vision Pro by the end of the year. That doesn’t mean the mixed-reality headset is about to be discontinued, however.
Still, Cupertino apparently now has its focus on the cheaper Vision version that could launch in 2025.
You can encapsulate Apple’s approach to innovation in four words, according to a new profile of CEO Tim Cook: “Not first, but best.” It’s not a new sentiment, but Cook doubles down on it in a long magazine article that came out over the weekend, complete with interesting tidbits about his life and his journey with Apple, past and present.
And in a colorful side note: The man apparently loves Diet Mountain Dew. And yet Apple Park doesn’t stock it, so he doesn’t get to drink it as much as he used to. (Theory: Cook banned it himself in an act of self-discipline.)
After a full day of toiling inside Vision Pro, I often keep my headset on for evening entertainment — shows, games or looking at photos. Vision Pro has almost completely replaced my television. It enables a new way of watching videos as well; I watch video all around the house as I wander about doing chores.
The Vision Pro also excels for perusing my photo library. It’s the best way to view photos ever — and by a huge margin. Spatial photos are unbelievable. Videos look fantastic. Panoramas, a largely forgotten feature, are mind-blowing.
In other areas, Vision Pro disappoints. I’ve played some super fun games, but gaming isn’t a serious thing on Vision Pro yet. And while Apple’s own immersive 3D movies on Apple TV+ are super cool, it feels like we’ve only been given an appetizer.
Watch our video or keep reading for more detail.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iPad mini 7! But does this mean Apple canceled its October Mac event? And if so, are updated M4 Macs still coming this year?
Also on The CultCast, we discuss a “Cheaper” Vision headset, what Steve Ballmer is up to, plus Apple’s smart home strategy.
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.
Despite suffering modest sales with consumers, Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset seems to be finding an unexpected but promising application in the medical field, particularly in surgery, according to a new report Tuesday.
So as Vision Pro helps surgeons and patients — and even cash-strapped medical providers — it could be a big deal in healthcare.
Apple’s cheaper, lower-end Vision headset might reportedly arrive as early as 2025. It will seemingly cost around $2,000 and make several compromises to reach the lower price tag.
The Cupertino company is also “considering” launching its own pair of smart glasses in 2027 alongside AirPods with cameras.
After eight months of using my Apple Vision Pro, I’ve found it immensely useful for my writing work. I try to spend as much time writing with my Vision Pro as possible.
There’s still a lot I have to do on my Mac — but the work I can do from the Vision Pro is so good that I can’t wait for the platform to develop and grow even further.
Watch our video or keep reading to learn how.
Submerged, the first immersive scripted film for Vision Pro, is now out. But new show episodes, films, series and concerts captured in Apple Immersive Video will debut later this year and early next year, Apple said Thursday.
“Apple Immersive Video allows Apple Vision Pro users around the world to experience the next generation of sports, documentaries, and music performances. With Submerged, we’re excited to premiere the next generation of narrative filmmaking,” said Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of Marketing Communications.
“Vision Pro places you in the middle of the story — inside a densely packed submarine, shoulder to shoulder with its crew,” he added. “That deep sense of immersion just wasn’t possible before, and we can’t wait to see how it inspires filmmakers to push the boundaries of visual storytelling.”
Apple made a visual treat for owners of its Vision Pro headset: Submerged, a scripted short film recorded in Immersive Video. That means it’s in 3D and “You’re not watching a movie anymore, you are inside the story,” according to the director.
Watch the trailer for a first look at the action set on a WWII submarine under attack.
Update: Vision Pro users can watch Submerged now. Simply open the Apple TV app on the headset to find it.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: If Apple does host a big October event, M4 Macs and iPads likely will steal the show. We talk about what to expect from the upcoming Apple products.
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’s M5-powered Vision Pro will apparently enter into mass production in H2, 2025. The switch to a faster M5 chip will boost the AR headset’s computing power.
This should help improve the overall user experience, especially for Apple Intelligence tasks.