World reacts to ‘mind-blowing’ new Apple Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro has been launched to great fanfare and users are already coming up with incredible uses for the headset.

People are showing incredible ways to harness the latest technology launched by Apple.

The mixed reality headset Apple Vision Pro was launched to fanfare on Friday in the United States, with CEO Tim Cook on hand at the Apple Store in New York to welcome the customers who lined up outside.

The device, which retails for $US3499 ($AU5380) is the tech giant’s biggest release since the Apple Watch nine years ago.

Internet personality Aadit Sheth shared a thread on X explaining how people are already using the Vision Pro, describing it as “evolutionary technology”.

Touring homes for sale

Tech reporter Rich DeMuro explained that Zillow has a new app that allows people to tour homes for sale virtually.

“It’s going to be little use-case scenarios like that that will eventually make Vision Pro a must-have,” he added.

“Travel will be another huge win; checking out resorts before you stay.”

You can virtually inspect homes using the Apple Vision Pro. Picture: Rich DeMuro

Learning piano

If you don’t have the space (or money) for a grand piano, a new app on the Vision Pro reportedly helps people learn how to play the ivory keys.

Footage shared by M1 shows the Piano: Flowing Tiles app in action, with notes falling from the sky, landing on a virtual piano.

The Piano: Flowing Tiles app for Apple Vision Pro. Picture: M1

Real time captions and translation

Navi is an app built specifically for Apple Vision Pro that adds captions and live translations to the real world, as developer Jordi Bruin explained.

It’s available in more than 30 languages.

Jordi Bruin shows off the Navi app. Picture: Supplied

Draw to code

Using the power of ChatGPT-4, users can turn a drawing into computer code.

App developer Jacob Ilin posted a clip showing how to draw-to-code on Vision Pro as he built a functional unit converter.

You can write code using the headset.

Cooking in mixed reality

Another use for the Vision Pro is cooking in mixed reality.

I would advise extreme care if you plan on using a sharp knife with a headset on, but that didn’t deter Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern from posting a demonstration.

“You won’t find it in Apple’s marketing but the Vision Pro is the ultimate cooking computer. [It] was one of the moments where I could really see the future,” she wrote as she cooked a pasta dish using the headset.

She went to the full extreme, wearing the headset for nearly 24 hours straight. You can read about her experience here.

Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern shows us how it’s done. Picture: Joanna Stern

Cooking with a headset on is not for the faint hearted. Picture: Joanna Stern

Vacuuming

The Vision Pro can help you while doing chores.

Daniel Beauchamp posted a video showing vacuuming, with yellow dots being sucked up to ensure not spots were left dirty.

This could be a fun way to get the kids involved in cleaning the house!

Check out more on Aadit’s informative thread here.

Don't miss a spot by using the Vision Pro.

Customers keen for Apple’s augmented reality

Vision Pro’s arrival from the world’s most iconic device maker could be a milestone for lovers of virtual or augmented reality, who see the technology as the next chapter in online life after the smartphone.

“I am really eager to try it out and get ideas for applications,” Jose Carlos, a software engineer at Uber, said as he stood outside a San Francisco Apple Store.

“It is expensive, but I’m willing to pay the price to be an early adopter,” he added.

With the high price, and the middling success of similar and cheaper releases from Facebook owner Meta, early reviews expressed doubt that the Vision Pro would be a game-changer, at least for now.

A customer tries on the Apple Vision Pro headset. Picture: AFP

The Vision Pro is an “astonishing” product, wrote tech website The Verge, but “also represents a series of really big trade-offs” that are “impossible to ignore”.

It is “an impressive product, one that has been many years and billions of dollars in the making,” but “even after trying it, I still have no idea whom or what this thing is supposed to be for,” wrote The New York Times.

Critics acknowledge a definite “wow” factor, noting its state-of-the-art image quality and the joy of opening and closing apps floating in space using only your eyes and fingers.

However, the headset is heavy, messes up the user’s hair and requires a clunky battery pack, they add.

The New York Apple Store during the product-launch of the Vision Pro headset. Picture: AFP

Apple CEO Cook appeared Friday at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York to greet the first customers accompanied by the applause of staff.

“It’s tomorrow’s technology today. It’s the way I think about it,” Cook told ABC News when asked about the steep prices.

“But over time, who knows what will happen. But we think we priced it for the right value today.” Cook had appeared earlier this week on the cover of Vanity Fair wearing the Vision Pro.

He drew criticism at a conference in June when he revealed the device without ever trying it on.

Apple CEO Tim Cook greets customers in New York City. Picture: AFP

‘Spatial,’ not virtual

Apple refers to the Vision Pro as its first foray into “spatial computing,” refusing the term virtual reality, which is associated with tech geeks and gamers.

In ads, users wear the Vision Pro to work or chat with friends or toggle through apps, and stream movies.

Apple says 600 specifically designed apps and games are available for the Vision Pro, alongside one million compatible apps.

“These incredible apps will change how we experience entertainment, music and games,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations.

Disney has partnered with Apple to provide 150 3D movies, the companies said. Netflix, Spotify and Google for now have declined to modify their apps specifically for the headset.

In an earnings call on Thursday, Cook said Vision Pro would become available in other countries later this year.

The Vision Pro can be tested in US Apple stores.

The device requires finely tuned adjustments and some training, as “most consumers don’t have experience with gesture controls,” Forrester Research wrote in a note.

According to analysts from Wedbush Securities, pre-orders have been strong and Apple should expect to sell about 600,000 units this year.

- with AFP