Apple has announced an augmented reality headset called Apple Vision Pro that “seamlessly” blends the real and digital world. “It’s the first Apple product you look through, and not at,” CEO Tim Cook said of the device, which looks like a pair of ski goggles. As rumored, it features a separate battery pack and is controlled with eyes, hands, and voice.

Vision Pro is positioned as primarily an AR device, but it can switch between augmented and full virtual reality using a dial. The device is controller-free, and you browse rows of app icons by looking at them. You can tap to select and flick to scroll, and you can also give voice commands. On top of that, the headset supports Bluetooth accessories and lets you connect your Mac to use inside the headset.

You’re also not, Apple promises, isolated from people around you. The headset will display your eyes with a system called EyeSight, and if you’re in full VR, a glowing screen will obscure them to suggest you’re not available. The device uses passthrough video that lets you see the real world in full color, but you can also project 3D objects into real space, including pulling objects out of a message thread into the real world.

The headset has been in the works for years and has reportedly gone through several iterations as well as years of delays. It’s meant to be CEO Tim Cook’s signature to the Apple product lineup, and it’s garnered praise from industry insiders, even though it will enter a market that hasn’t taken off.

Its primary competitor will likely be Meta, which has enjoyed relative success with its games-focused Quest 2 headset and gotten a more mixed reception to its general-purpose Quest Pro.

“Apple Vision Pro will change the way we communicate, collaborate, work and enjoy entertainment,” Cook added.

Disney chief executive Bob Iger said the company would be building new experiences specifically for the device, showing examples like Star Wars-themed virtual cinemas, AR replays for sports, and a Marvel VR experience. “We believe Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary new platform that can make our vision a reality,” Iger said. “The thing that struck me most was how it will allow us to create deeply personal experiences that bring our fans closer to the characters they love.”

On a tech level, the device has the equivalent of a 4k screen for each eye, using pixels 64 times smaller than those in an iPhone, with the same M2 processor as in the company’s MacBook laptops, paired with an “R1” chip built from the ground-up for the headset.

Even before the device was officially announced at its worldwide developers conference, Apple’s rivals were competing to react to its entry into the space.

Mark Zuckerberg went on the offensive, announcing the Meta Quest 3 a $499 follow-up to its flagship VR device, in an Instagram post the week before Apple’s event – an announcement clearly pulled forward from the company’s 27 September Connect event.

HTC, which produces the Vive, took a more conciliatory approach, with its cofounder Cher Wang putting out a pre-emptive statement saying she was “thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Apple as they venture into the vibrant XR (extended reality) community”.

APPLE UPDATES MACS

Apple also announced a 15-inch MacBook Air powered by an Apple-designed M2 processor chip. The laptop with six speakers will start at $1,299 and be available next week. The 13-inch MacBook Air will drop to $1,099.

Apple updated its Mac Studio desktop machine, saying its new M2 Ultra chip can process artificial intelligence work that rival chips do not have enough memory to handle.

Apple also introduced a new version of the Mac Pro, its highest-performing desktop, with an M2 Ultra chip and a price tag starting at $6,999. The M2 Ultra chip is essentially two of Apple’s largest M2 chips bonded together, a similar approach Apple took to boosting the performance of its M1 chips.

Until Monday, the Mac Pro was the last computer in Apple’s lineup that still used an Intel (INTC.O) chip. Intel fell 3.9% after Apple dropped its chips from its most powerful desktop.

“For PC users, there’s never been a better time to switch to a Mac,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering.

The updates combine improvements to high-end machines aimed at the developer crowd at Monday’s event with tweaks to messaging and a new Mac Air aimed at a much broader group of customers, including potential switchers to Apple.

Apple introduced small improvements to its iOS software, some aimed at small annoyances like a “NameDrop” feature to more easily share contact information and others focused on safety and security, like a check-in feature to tell contacts when a user has arrived safely at a destination.

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