Apple Vision Pro announced, its first major product since 2014

apple The mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, was announced on Monday during its developer conference. The headset is its first major new product since the Apple Watch in 2014.

Vision Pro will allow users to see applications in a new way, in the spaces around them. Users can use their eyes and hands to navigate through apps and search with their voice. The headset can be used to watch movies, including 3D, with spatial sound, view their photos or videos and play video games.

Disney CEO Bob Iger came on stage to announce that Disney+ will be available on Vision Pro from day one of its release.

With a feature called EyeSight, the headset can become transparent or opaque to indicate to people around the headset user if they are immersed in an experience or available for interaction.

Apple stock was nearly flat at the time of the announcement.

Here are some images from Apple’s presentation showing how it works:

This is how the headset looks when the user is available to interact with others in the room.

The apps appear in front of the user, who can look around and indicate navigation.

This is what it looks like when viewing a panorama with a headset.

Apple has worked on headset hardware and software since at least 2016 in a division called Technology Development Group. Monday’s launch is the culmination of years of development — some in secret, others as a foundation to the public previously released for the iPhone, like depth-sensing cameras and software.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has spoken at length about the potential of augmented reality that puts computer graphics into the real world, saying that the technology could eventually be an everyday tool for most people and that its impact could be similar to the invention of the internet.

The debut of Apple’s VR headset comes at a time when the broader virtual reality industry is struggling to meet the high expectations of the technology. At present, it is a “mixed reality” or virtual reality that can access the outside world through cameras installed on the headset.

Monday’s launch also ushers in a new era of open competition between Apple and Apple Inc meta, which is developing its own virtual reality headsets. Meta said last week that its latest headphone model, the Quest 3, will be released later this year.

This story is evolving. Check back for updates.

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