I spent a week working, exercising and relaxing in virtual reality. I’m shocked to say it finally works | Ed Newton-Rex

Bar some glitches, I think a tipping point has been reached – except when it comes to virtual gigs

I’m writing this from a room that’s slowly orbiting the Earth. Behind the floating screen in front of me, through a giant opening where a wall should be, the planet slowly spins, so close that it takes up most of my field of vision. It’s morning in Australia to my right; India and the first hints of Europe are dotted with lights up and to my left. The soft drone of the air circulation system hums quietly behind me.

I spent a week doing everything that I could – working, exercising, composing – on my virtual reality headset. This was the year virtual reality threatened to go mainstream, with prices becoming more attainable and Apple entering the market, and so I wanted to see how far VR has come since I first tried it in the mid-2010s, when the main experiences on offer were nausea-inducing rollercoaster simulators. I used a recent model from Meta, called the Quest 3, and the conclusion was clear: this thing now works. It feels a little unfinished, but we’ve reached the point where VR could at last become genuinely useful.

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Vision Pro review: Apple’s cutting-edge headset lives up to the hype

… but impressive, boundary-pushing device is priced so far out of reach for most that it isn’t yet the next big thing

On a sweltering summer’s day in London, I sat working in the middle of a snow-covered Yosemite national park surrounded by an array of floating apps and browser windows. Later I stared across a windswept Oregon beach reliving a holiday from years ago, and spent an evening sitting in a speeder on Tatooine watching Rogue One in 3D, before retiring for the night with some guided meditation.

These are the sorts of immersive experiences that Apple’s latest, most expensive gadget offers by blending the real and virtual world, all controlled by your eyes and hands. The Vision Pro may resemble virtual reality headsets such as Meta’s Quest series but it is attempting to be so much more.

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A PC emulator is now on the iPhone app store after previous rejection

Brett Jordan / Pexels A new game emulator for iOS has joined the party. UTM, an open-source PC operating system emulator, has released after a lengthy review process and a previous rejection. You can download UTM SE for free on App Store for iOS and visionOS, and it’ll be added to AltStore Pal, an alternative […]

Apple’s Vision Pro headset is impressive – but it’s hard to know its ultimate purpose | Josh Taylor

The most obvious function is for watching 3D movies or TV shows, but it may wind up being most useful at work

The Vision Pro has landed in Australia five months after the US launch, retailing at $5,999. At that price, it’s perhaps no surprise that Apple staff present it on a wooden platter like we’re in a five-star restaurant.

Next, the staff at Apple’s Chadstone store in Melbourne fit the device to your head, match your glasses prescription and get it up and running.

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Report: Apple Focuses on More Affordable Vision Headset Over High-end Follow-up

At $3,500, Vision Pro is undoubtedly expensive, which many are rightfully hoping will be remedied in a prospective follow-up. Now, according to a report from The Information, Apple may be ditching the ‘Pro’ aspect of its next-gen Vision headsets altogether, instead aiming to release a single “more affordable” device in late 2025.

It’s rumored that Apple was slated to release two headsets: an expensive Pro-style device and a cheaper version targeted more squarely at consumers, much like how the company positions iPhone in its lineup today.

Now, citing an employee at a manufacturer that makes key components for the Vision Pro, The Information reports Apple has suspended work on that high-end follow-up due to slowing sales of the $3,500 Vision Pro.

Image courtesy Apple

There may be hope though, at least for anyone without the budget to shell out what amounts to a good used Honda Civic. According sources both involved in the supply chain and in the manufacturing of the headset, the company is “still working on releasing a more affordable Vision product with fewer features before the end of 2025.”

Granted, it’s important to note that Apple often leaks incorrect information in a bid to nail prospective leakers, so this (and any Apple report for that matter) should be taken with a heaping handful of salt.

This follows Apple’s announcement it was getting set to release Vision Pro outside of the US for the first time, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.

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Whether it’s “more affordable” or not, there’s a lot Apple can do to appeal to the masses without drastically sacrificing quality. Check out our article on the 6 Things Vision Pro Needs Before It Can Go Mainstream to see how.

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Apple Launches Vision Pro Pre-Orders in UK, Australia, Canada, France & Germany Today

Apple launched pre-orders for Vision Pro in a number of Asian countries two weeks ago, and customers there are seeing units ship starting today. Today also marks the next slate of regions to get a crack at pre-orders too, with shipment coming in mid-July.

Apple today launched pre-orders for Vision Pro in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK; availability is set to begin on July 12th in those countries.

The company also revealed local pricing in those regions, with the cheapest 256 GB variant fetching $5,999 (AUD), $4,999 (CAD), €3,999 (EUR) and £3,499 (GBP). The original article announcing Vision Pro’s international launch follows below:

According to Chinese language outlet VRtuoluo, mainland China customers are being offered 30-minute trial slots at Apple’s China-based stores, which covers all 16 provinces and cities covered by the company. On-site demos start there from its June 28th launch date.

Apple first confirmed it was launching in mainland China in late March, underlining the company’s unique access to that country’s domestic market, which behind the US and EU, is the world’s third-largest consumer market.

Notably, Meta was hoping to collaborate with Chinese tech giant Tencent to bring Quest to China late last year, however talks reportedly stalled, ostensibly making Meta’s access to that country as a non-starter. Today, Meta’s social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, are all blocked there.

Meanwhile, Vision Pro is also coming to Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore today, with similar trial and pre-order schemes available through the official Apple Store in those less strictly-controlled regions. The original article announcing international availability follows below:/vc_column_text]

Original Article (June 10th, 2024): Previously only available in the United States since its initial launch in February, Apple says it’s now bringing Vision Pro to mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK, which includes keyboard support for major world languages used in those countries.

Apple says users in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore can pre-order Apple Vision Pro on June 13th, with earliest shipments coming June 28th. Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK can pre-order on June 28th, with availability beginning on July 12th.

Dual Loop band | Image courtesy Apple

Apple says Vision Pro will include DingTalk, Douyin VR Live, Migu Video, Taobao, Tencent Video, and Weibo in China; apps from Yahoo! JAPAN, LIFULL HOME’S, U-NEXT, and Nikkei in Japan; and Singtel CAST, StarHub TV+, and mewatch in Singapore.

Upcoming apps also include MUBI and Soul Spire in the UK; Canal+, Foxar, OQEE, and SeLoger in France; BILD, OTTO, and ZDF in Germany; Classix and Sportsnet in Canada; and Domain in Australia.

This follows earlier reports in March that Apple would indeed be launching in mainland China in addition to a number of the countries mentioned above. In practice, this gives the Cupertino tech giant a critical reach beyond Meta, which is barred from operating its apps and services in mainland China.

Earlier this year it was reported that talks between Meta and Chinese tech giant Tencent had stalled, which may have otherwise opened up some avenue for Meta hardware to launch inside the tightly-controlled country.

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