Validation for the AR/VR industry

A “watershed moment” for the industry is how executives of major players in the AR/VR space describe the debut of Apple’s mixed-reality headset. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, the company launched the Vision Pro, putting an end to months of speculation that it was developing its own AR or VR product.

“Apple’s entry into the market is a watershed moment for the industry, and a big validation of everything HTC VIVE has been working on,” said Cher Wang, CEO of Taiwanese tech giant HTC, one of the industry’s mainstays. However, she pointed to the “closed” nature of Apple’s ecosystem as something that could restrict developer reach.

Features

The headset will enable users to see apps in a new way in the spaces around them and use their eyes, hands, and voice to navigate and search. It can be used for movies, video games, videoconferencing through tools like Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom, and more. It will be available early next year, starting at $3,499.

Industry Milestone

The launch of Apple’s AR headset represents a significant milestone for the mixed reality market, according to industry executives. “Apple’s entrance into XR with Vision Pro is an important moment for our whole industry,” said Urho Konttori, CTO of Finnish Varjo, adding it indicated mixed reality would have more viable use cases in the business-facing side of things.