Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515592
11 WORLD 8.2.2024 TECHNOLOGY company Apple has released its Vision Pro head- set, a wearable device that allows users to project visual applications in a 3D environment controlled by eye and hand movements. e Vision Pro is a mixed-real- ity headset with an alloy frame and fabric head strap that holds a "spatial computer" over the eyes of the user to project a computer interface. A piece of laminated glass bends over the front of the headset and holds a variety of sensors and cameras that project the exteri- or surroundings into the lenses within the headset so that users can see what's going on around them. Computing systems within the headset simultaneously project a digital user interface into the room, so that applications such as web browsers appear to be float- ing three-dimensionally wherever the user looks. is digital interface is con- trolled by eye movements. e eye works as a "cursor" selecting the various apps and screens and the hand, without any hardware, can make minor movements to select options, change screens, arrange multiple windows in the spatial array and expand or con- tract the various screens. e interface also includes a key- board function that appears be- fore users. ey can type directly onto this keyboard with auditory settings to make the haptic ele- ments feel more physical. Voice commands can also be used and the headset is equipped with spatial-audio speakers. It can be directly connected to a power source or a portable external bat- tery that allows for two hours of use. Its frame has a dial on the up- per right that acts as a power and "home" button and controls the "blend" between the virtual and actual physical environment pro- jected into the headset. When turned up, the virtual el- ement can blot out the actual en- vironment, completely immersing the user in a 360-degree digital environment, using visual assets filmed with spatial image-capture technology. Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models can directly capture this spatial video, which can be uploaded to the Vision Pro, allowing users to send each other manually cap- tured 3D environments. Hundreds of apps have already been built for the interface, on top of the apps available with past Apple devices, with more from third-party developers expected as the device gains more users. Current hardware, such as the MacBook laptop can also be used with the device, allowing users to integrate physical keyboards with the interface. Integration with the physical en- vironment was an important ele- ment of the interface. When the virtual dial is turned all the way up, spatial awareness sensors will indicate to a user when someone interacts with them in the physi- cal environment. When this happens, people out- side appear through the veil of the interface. e laminated glass fronting of the device also allows for certain functions that indicate the state of awareness of the user. When in full use, the screen will project a colourful pattern and when the person needs to speak, their eyes can be captured by in- ternal cameras that are then pro- jected onto the laminated screen in real-time. When the design was announced in June 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device would usher in a "new era for computing". Hundreds of people gathered at Apple's 5th Avenue retail store in Manhattan last Friday for the re- lease of Apple's marquee headset. Cook was present for the launch and press and potential customers were ushered into the subterrane- an, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson-de- signed store. Because the device requires some customisation to fit on the face of the user, a sales represent- ative was required to walk each person through the interface, and Apple installed a series of special benches to facilitate this process. Other mixed-reality headsets include a device by Finnish tech- nology company Varjo, which was announced in 2018. Apple releases Vision Pro "spatial computer" headset Wowed by their experience with Apple Vision Pro, analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley see "immense" long- term potential for the Spatial Computing headset that Wall Street has yet to fully appreciate. In its first weekend of availability, the Apple Vision Pro received considerable interest from early adopters and industry observers alike. Among them were members of Morgan Stanley's AAPL equity research team who spent a full three days immersed in device's world of spatial computing, having an eye-opening experience that left them jazzed up about its future. "The long-term potential of the Vision Pro is immense, and against low investor expectations," analyst Erik Woodring said, adding that the success of the device and its successors are "effectively a free call option on Apple innovation." In particular, the analyst is bullish on the Vision Pro's prospects to mature into a desirable productivity tool for consumers while serving a variety of interest within the enterprise, such as remote training, digital showrooms and in-field remote repairs. Others have lauded potential use cases in surgical, construction and industrial applications. For the time being, Woodring sees content consumption serving as the Vision Pro's "killer app." He was duly impressed by the clarity and sharpness of its dual displays, which are "incredible" and make you feel like you are have teleported yourself into the environment you're watching. "It's an entirely new way of consuming content, and is as close to the 'real world' as you can get without physically being there," he said. In general, his team found experiences of roughly 30 minutes in a mixed-reality setting to be most preferable. Ultimately, he sees the device emerging as a "content powerhouse" with the advent of live sports, graphic-intensive flicks, and mixed- reality games on its platform. At $3,500 plus tax, Apple Vision Pro certainly isn't for everyone. It's not sharable, has some pixelation issues around the periphery, and will require a physical Bluetooth keyboard to actually be productive in its current incarnation. Woodring expects these limitations to be addressed as the product matures, believing there's "immense" potential for upside surprise to Apple's bottom line over next three to five years. On Wednesday, Morgan Stanley reiterated its overweight rating and $220 price target on shares of AAPL. The stock was up a fraction of a percent to $188.32 in afternoon trading on the NASDAQ. Morgan Stanley dubs Apple Vision Pro a 'free call option on spatial computing'