Apple’s new mixed reality headset looks a little different up close: It features a wire connecting to a battery pack.
Shares of Unity, a popular apps and games company, are enjoying the Apple effect.
Unity’s stock climbed more than 17% on Monday after the announcement that the apps and games on its platform will gain full access to VisionOS features.
“We know there is a community of developers who have been building incredible 3D apps for years,” Apple’s Susan Prescott said at the event Monday,” adding that “Unity-based games and apps can gain full access to VisionOS features such as Passthrough, high-resolution rendering and native gestures.”
Apple’s stock, meanwhile, closed 0.76% lower.
Apple shares climbed to a record intra-day level but fell short of closing at an all-time high on Monday after the company unveiled a new headset at its annual developer event.
Shares of the iPhone maker closed down 0.76% at $179.58 on Monday after climbing to $184.95 at its high. The stock was on track to end the trading session above its record close of $182.01 in January 2022.
Still, Apple stock is up 38% for the year.
Meanwhile, shares of Unity Software climbed 17.2% after Apple said that its working with the company for its Vision Pro release
Vision Pro, Apple’s new VR/AR headset, will work with a slate of apps that the company mentioned Monday.
A large number of iPad and iPhone apps will be available on Vision Pro at launch, Apple said. For example: Users could fire up Adobe Lightroom and edit photos using just their eyes and hands.
Apple’s own Reality Composer Pro is a new app that makes it easy to assemble complex scenes with realistic objects.
Several popular apps and games from the platform Unity will gain full access to VisionOS features, as will productivity apps Microsoft Word, Excel and Teams along with Zoom and Webex by Cisco.
More apps will surely come, as developers can use tools like Swift UI, Reality Kit and others to build new apps for Vision Pro.
Vision Pro will have a brand new app store to download those apps specifically built for VisionOS, as well as compatible iPad and iPhone apps.
If you’re interested in Apple’s vision of the future, it’ll set you back. A lot.
Apple’s new Vision Pro AR/VR headset will cost $3,499. That’s more than twice the cost of the most maxed-out iPhone 14 Pro. It even costs more than Apple’s biggest MacBook Pro.
By contrast, its closest competitor, the Meta Quest Pro, costs $999.
Apple said the Vision Pro will go on sale early next year, after developers have time to build apps that work with the system.
Apple wrapped up its WWDC presentation after introducing the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, the company’s most significant hardware innovation in years.
The headset, expected to be for sale early next year for $3,499, will give users the chance to connect to apps from Apple and others in an entirely new way.
Among its hardware announcements, Apple also announced updates to MacBook Air and Mac Pro.
The company also introduced software updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods and Watch, including new health, video conferencing and privacy features.
Here’s a rundown of what the new products announced at Apple’s WWDC will cost:
Disney CEO Bob Iger joined Apple’s WWDC to discuss how Disney will create content for the new Vision Pro headset.
“We’re constantly in search of new ways to engage, inform and inspire our fans,” Iger said, calling the Vision Pro a “revolutionary technology.”
Apple teased new Disney, National Geographic, Marvel and ESPN experiences in the new headset. Iger said that Disney+ will be available on the headset at launch.
The company showed off a new mixed reality headset called Apple Vision Pro, in what promises to be its biggest and riskiest new hardware launch in years.
It will cost $3,499.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device, which blends virtual reality and augmented reality, is “the first product you look through, not at.”
Augmented reality is a technology that allows users to overlay virtual images on live video of the real world.
“It looks familiar but it’s entirely new … just like it’s in your physical space, using natural intuitive tools like your hands, face and voice,” he said.
According to Apple, once a user puts on the device, they’re able to see apps directly projected in front of them. The interface is designed to look “truly present” in your room, responding to light and casting shadows to help users understand scale and distance.
“It’s easy to make apps any scale .. anywhere in your space that feels natural,” an Apple executive said at the event. “It’s just you and your content … it feels like magic.”
The device responds to a users’ hands and eyes “as if your mind if guiding the experience.” But it even works if hands are in a lap.
Vision Pro, which features a custom R1 processor, will run on VisionOS, allowing developers to reimagine existing apps or create new experiences and worlds for the device. Users can
Apple said it previewed Vision Pro to a subset of developers ahead of the event – some of whom created experiences ranging from virtually seeing how the human heart works to support for Microsoft Office. Users can unlock the Vision Pro with their iris via Optic ID (think FaceID for the eyes).
The company said it filed 5,000 patents during the development of the device.
Apple’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset will display the eyes of its users on the outside of the headset, in a departure from how other headsets look and function.
The goal, according to Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of human interface, is for users to feel like “you’re never isolated from the people around you, you can see them and they can see you.”
The “eyesight” feature makes the headset look see-through, allowing the wearer’s eyes to be seen from the outside when someone else walks into the room.
If the wearer is engaged in an app, the headset will not show their eyes, to indicate they’re in the middle of something.
Building on its suite of health features, Apple highlighted a new tool called Screen Distance which measures if a device is too close to a user’s face.
In addition, new ambient sensors will be able to track outdoor time and keep eyes healthier. The data can be viewed in the health app on the Apple Watch and iPhone health app.
Apple introduced new health features for the Apple Watch and iOS Health app.
New mental health features will let users input information into their Health app about their current feelings and state of mind, including using sliding emotion scales, and include details about what is making them feel that way. The tool will also let users take standardized assessments to answer questions often asked in clinics to see their current risk of depression or anxiety, and access helpful articles and resources.
A separate feature will allow users to track the amount of time they spend in daylight.
The Apple Watch is getting a solid refresh, most notably with a smart stack that uses machine learning to show relevant widgets, from medication logs and calendars to viewing sleep data. It’s also adding Snoopy-themed watch faces that adapt with the weather, such as showing rain above Snoopy’s signature red house.
The Apple Watch is also adding more cycling features, such as the Bluetooth-enabled cadence and speed trackers, and a Compass tool that automatically generates a point the last time a user had reception to inform others in case of an emergency. The company said the feature will highlight where on the route a user can make a call using any carrier’s network.
Among AirPods’ most loved features is the ability to toggle between noise cancellation and transparency mode. Now Apple is giving people the ability to let their AirPods do the toggling themselves.
The company announced a variety of “adaptive audio” features for its wireless AirPods. The update intends to make it easier for users to move through changing environments, such as automatically reducing distracting noises, and learn user habits and preferences to make audio changes on the fly.
Adaptive audio will also focus on the voices directly in front of the user, and can more seamlessly transfer between apps, such as ending a conference call and streaming a playlist.
If you’ve ever wanted to FaceTime your friends and family on a much larger screen, Apple has you covered.
Apple is adding the option to launch the video calling app on Apple TV, which will connect to your iPhone or iPad’s camera and microphone.
You can also join a FaceTime call from a friend and move it to Apple TV. As you move around, you will stay framed on the call.
While on the call, you can pull up the entertainment options available on Apple TV and everyone on the call can watch.
Apple is adding the ability for users to share their passwords and passkeys — an alternative sign-in method — with other users of their choice.
Everyone in a group will be able to add and change passwords to keep them up to date. Users will be able to share the passwords through iCloud and Keychain, which keeps them end-to-end encrypted.
Apple announced changes to video conferencing on MacOS, including a new way for users to share their screens.
Mac users will now be able to share their screens while video conferencing and ensure their face stays on the screen. The “presenter overlay” feature will let users choose between having their face show up as a small bubble over their shared screen, or have their shared screen show up next to their face as if it’s in the same room.
Apple also introduced new video reactions on video conferencing, where confetti, balloons or fireworks will show up over their users’ faces.
The features will be available on a range of video conferencing apps on Mac, including FaceTime, Zoom ,Teams and Webex.
“Alexa”
“Hey, Google”
“Hey, Siri.”
“Hi Bixby”
What do the smart assistant launch phrases all have in common? They’re three syllables.
But Apple announced two new updates to Siri on Monday during its WWDC presentation, including dropping “Hey” from the Siri launch phrase. When iOS 17 launches later this year, you’ll be able to trigger Apple’s digital assistant just by saying “Siri.”
Apple also announced that Siri will allow you to carry on conversations with it after giving you an answer. So instead of…
“Hey, Siri, how tall is Shaquille O’Neal?” “Hey, Siri, how old is Shaquille O’Neal?”
You should be able to say:
“Siri, how tall is Shaquille O’Neal?” “How old is he?”
That kind of continued conversation has been a Google Assistant feature for a few years and makes conversations with digital assistants more seamless.
And you still have to use three syllables to trigger Siri’s competitors.
Adding to its suite of new social-focused apps, Apple’s new NameDrop tool lets users share their contact information by holding two iPhones close together to contacts.
The feature works alongside AirDrop, Apple’s existing wireless service that lets users transfer files between supported iOS and Mac computers.
Get ready for “NameDrop me?” to be a thing we say now.
Apple is building on the popularity of its Memories photo widget by launching a new app that will help users collect memories in one place on their devices.
The Journal app will use on-device machine learning to suggest what users might want to input and write about in their digital journal.
When users go on a trip, for example, Journal might suggest that they place in the app their locations, photos and the music they listened to while they were there. It can also provide writing prompts to encourage users to make notes about the experience.
With Journal, users can also schedule notifications to remind them to write. Apple said the Journal app will have on-device processing and end-to-end encryption, with the option for users to lock their journals.
Some existing lock screen features for iPhone are coming to the iPad. This includes the ability to personalize wallpapers, such as adjusting the font and color. There will also be more wallpaper options – hello, more backdrop planets to choose from.
But perhaps one of the more anticipated upgrades is the addition of interactive widgets that will allow iPad users to get more information at a glance and perform quick actions.
Another add-on: the ability to add multiple timers at once, which sounds potentially both productive and very exhausting.
Apple teased some changes coming to iOS 17 later this year, including a handful of new tools to make calling and messaging others more personalized and customized.
iOS 17 will now get contact “posters,” allowing iPhone users to design a custom image to appear when you call someone or receive their call.
A new feature called Live Voicemail transcribes a caller’s message in real-time, so users can decide whether to ignore it or take the call. Apple also showed off a new FaceTime feature that lets users record a video message that the recipient can play later.
Building on its safety features, a new inline location tool will enable check-ins directly within Messages; new information can now be shared with contacts such as how much battery life they have left (in case you don’t hear from them) and if they’ve stalled or haven’t started their commute yet.
Apple is introducing a check-in feature for iOS.
Starting a check-in with a family member or friend lets them know when you get home safely, according to Kim Beverett, senior enginerring program manager at Apple’s internet technologies.
“As soon as you arrive, check-in automatically detects that you’re home and lets your friend know,” Beverett said.
It can also recognize if you’re not making progress toward your destination and check in with you. If you don’t respond, it can share information like the route you took, battery level and cell service status so your friend or family member can know if you can take a call.
Say goodbye to the option to pick silly photos to pop up when you receive a call from your friends and loved ones.
As part of its iOS 17 update, Apple is rolling out a new feature that will let users choose their own caller ID photo, allowing them to have a “consistent look” no matter who they’re calling, the company says.
iPhone users will be able to personalize their contact card “poster” with a photo or “memoji” of choice, as well as text.
Apple introduced the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips as updates to its Mac Studio.
Jennifer Munn, director of engineering program management, introduced M2 Max as a “performance powerhouse.”
Developers can build new apps at immense speed with up to 25x faster performance than M1 Max. M2 Max is also 4x faster than the most powerful intel-based iMac, according to the company.
Apple also added M2 Ultra in its chip family. “It doubles the performance of M2 Max,” Munn said, adding that it will deliver 20% faster CPU performance than M1 Ultra.
M2 Ultra can support 192 GB of unified memory — 50% more than M1 Ultra.
The first hardware product unveiled on Monday is a 15-inch MacBook Air with Apple’s custom-made, lightning fast M2 processor.
Apple said the new MacBook Air is the world’s thinnest laptop, at just 11.5 mm. It also weighs just 3.3 pounds.
The new MacBook Air promises 18 hours of battery life, significantly faster performance than Intel-powered MacBook Airs and a six-speaker sound system.
It starts at $1,299, and $1,199 for education. Pre-orders start today and start shipping next week. Meanwhile, the13-inch MacBook Air with M2 is now $999.
Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the event by thanking the developer community, before playing a pre-recorded video to attendees outside on its campus grounds.
“It’s going to be a historic day,” he said. “We’re going to make some of our biggest announcements ever at WWDC.”
Apple has kicked off its developer event where the company is widely expected to unveil a new VR/AR headset. It would be Apple’s most ambitious new hardware product in years.
The company will also announce new software updates for the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Follow us as we bring you all the updates here.
It’s a crisp blue day here at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California – and there’s plenty of buzz on the ground ahead of its most highly anticipated product event in years.
Apple staffers are cheering reporters and developers as they check in at the company’s massive spaceship headquarters. There’s a long line of developers waiting to check in – and a somewhat shorter line for press.
Apple has also set up a viewing area outside for attendees to watch the event in a little over an hour. So far, there are no signs of anyone on campus walking around wearing a headset – but the day is still young.
For years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed interest in augmented reality. Now Apple finally appears ready to show off what it’s been working on.
Apple’s rumored new VR/AR headset could be called Reality One or Reality Pro, according to Bloomberg. It will reportedly have an iOS-like interface, display immersive video and include cameras and sensors to allow users to control it via their hands, eye movements and with Siri.
The device is also rumored to have an outward-facing display that will show eye movements and facial expressions, allowing onlookers to interact with the person wearing the headset without feeling as though they’re talking to a robot.
Apple’s new headset is expected to pack apps for gaming, fitness and meditation, and offer access to iOS apps such as Messages, FaceTime and Safari, according to Bloomberg. With the FaceTime option, for example, the headset will “render a user’s face and full body in virtual reality,” to create the feeling that both are “in the same room.”
The decision to unveil it at WWDC suggests Apple wants to encourage developers to build apps and experiences for the product in order to make it more compelling for customers and worth the hefty price tag.
The company is reportedly considering a $3,000 price tag for the device, far more than most of its products and testing potential buyers at a time of lingering uncertainty in the global economy.
Shares of Apple hit a record high mid-morning Monday ahead of its annual developer event, where the iPhone maker is expected to introduce an ambitious mixed-reality headset.
Apple shares rose as high as $184.36 on Monday, above its closing high of $182.01 in January 2022 and intra-day high of $182.94 that same month.
The company’s stock is up about 42% this year, with its gains driven by hype surrounding artificial intelligence and investors’ rush to mega-cap, defensive stocks to weather an uncertain economic environment.
Apple has clashed with Facebook-parent Meta over the years about data privacy online. Now the two companies may soon fight each other in virtual reality.
On Thursday, just days before WWDC, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried to preempt the expected Apple headset announcement by teasing the Meta Quest 3. The new headset promises improved performance, new mixed-reality features and a sleeker, more comfortable design, at a more affordable price ($499).
By comparison, Apple’s headset is rumored to cost $3,000.
The stakes are high for Meta: The company currently dominates the nascent VR market with its Quest headsets. Meta has also invested billions to build its VR technology and a future version of the internet called the metaverse.
So far, however, Meta has struggled to find mainstream traction for these efforts. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Meta had just 200,000 active users in Horizon Worlds, its app for socializing in VR.
It remains unclear if any company can convince tens of millions of consumers to buy headsets right now. But if anyone can, it’s probably Apple, with its vast customer base, impressive hardware chops and access to hundreds of stores where consumers can potentially try on the device.
With his decision to tease the Quest 3 last week, Zuckerberg certainly appears to be bracing for Apple to enter the market.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has long expressed interest in augmented reality.
In a 2016 interview with the Washington Post, Cook said: “I think AR is extremely interesting and sort of a core technology. So, yes, it’s something we’re doing a lot of things on behind that curtain that we talked about.”
In an interview earlier this year with GQ, Cook talked up the potential for AR to help people communicate and collaborate with each other:
The early potential for AR can be seen in some iPhone apps like Ikea Place and Measure, as well as various Apple Watch apps. For example, iPhone users can point the device’s camera at a table and a virtual tape measure appears to allow them to take its measurements.
On Monday, Apple may show how it plans to take AR to the next level.
The event will be livestreamed on Apple’s website and YouTube.
It is set to start at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET.
Even for Apple, with its formidable track record on hardware, the decision to launch a VR/AR headset is anything but a sure bet.
The company is reportedly considering a $3,000 price tag for the device, far more than most of its products and testing potential buyers at a time of lingering uncertainty in the global economy.
The overall headset market also remains small. There were 8.8 million AR/VR headsets shipped globally last year, according to data from market research firm IDC. That represented a 21% decline from the prior year. By comparison, Apple is reported to sell hundreds of millions of iPhones a year.
Facebook-parent Meta, which dominates the nascent VR market, has come under pressure from investors for losing billions on its efforts to build VR products and a virtual world called the metaverse. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Meta had just 200,000 active users in Horizon Worlds, its app for socializing in VR.
Other headsets and smartglasses have struggled over the years. Google recently stopped selling Glass, a decade after it was first unveiled. And Snapchat’s parent company has made multiple efforts to create smart sunglasses, after taking a nearly $40 million writedown for excess inventory of the product early on.
Indeed, in the years that Apple has been rumored to be working on the product, the tech community has shifted its focus from VR to another buzzy technology: artificial intelligence.
Read the full story.
While much of the focus of the event may be on VR, Apple may also attempt to show how it’s keeping pace with Silicon Valley’s current obsession: artificial intelligence.
Apple reportedly plans to preview an AI-powered digital coaching service, which will encourage people to exercise and improve their sleeping and eating habits. It’s unclear how it could work, but the effort comes at a time when Big Tech companies are racing to introduce AI-powered technologies in the wake of ChatGPT’s viral success.
Apple may also demo and expand on some of its recently teased accessibility tools for the iPhone and iPad, including a feature that promises to replicate a user’s voice for phone calls after only 15 minutes of training.
Most of the other Big Tech companies have recently outlined their AI strategies. This event may be Apple’s chance to do the same.
Considering WWDC is traditionally a software event, Apple executives will likely spend much of the time highlighting the changes and upgrades coming to its next-generation mobile operating systems, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
While last year’s updates included a major design overhaul of the lock screen and iMessage, only minor changes are expected this year.
With iOS 17, Apple is expected to double down on its efforts around health tracking by adding the ability to monitor everything from a user’s mood to keeping tabs on how their vision may change over time. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will also launch a journaling app not only as a way for users to log their thoughts but also activity levels, which can then be analyzed to reveal how much time someone spends at home or out of the house.
The new iOS 17 is also said to get a lock screen refresh: When positioned in horizontal mode, the display will highlight widgets tied to the calendar, weather and other apps, serving as a digital hub. (iPadOS 17 is also expected to get some of the same lock screen capabilities and health features.)
Other anticipated upgrades include an Apple Watch OS update that would focus on quick glances at widgets, and more details about its next-generation CarPlay platform, which it initially teased last year.
