DANIELLE PERETZ
The Beverly Hills Estates
Danielle Peretz is an accomplished real estate professional with over 20 years of experience in Los Angeles. She has a strong commitment to providing exceptional real estate investment services across Los Angeles, specializing in buying, selling and renovating homes. As a top-performing agent at The Beverly Hills Estates, Peretz is consistently ranked among the top 1% of agents in the Valley, receiving prestigious awards for her outstanding achievements. Known for her dedication and advocacy, Peretz ensures her clients feel relaxed and well-informed throughout the buying or selling process.
Apart from her professional endeavors, Peretz enjoys spending quality time with her family, traveling, and engaging in volunteer work, supporting organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital and local schools.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or plan to work for an established company, the real estate industry offers a variety of career opportunities, including those dealing with residential sales and leasing, commercial properties, industrial properties, and farmland, as well as property management appraisal, and counseling.
Here are 5 real estate career paths in the industry and their respective professional designations and certifications.
Key Takeaways
- Real estate professionals can work in different capacities, such as leasing consultants, commercial property agents, appraisers, and property managers.
- Real estate can be a highly competitive field, and certifications and designations may help you stand out.
- Different functions within the real estate industry offer professionals various designations and certifications.
- For residential real estate, professionals can earn the Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) designation, awarded by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS.
- Real estate appraisers can earn the Residential Accredited Appraiser (RAA) and General Accredited Appraiser (GAA) designations, awarded by the National Association of REALTORS.
All About Real Estate Agents and What They Do
Residential Real Estate
Residential real estate agents help people throughout the process of buying and selling homes. In addition to showing homes to prospective buyers, agents help clients with property valuation, financing, mortgages, and government programs. Agents and brokers must be licensed in the state they practice as there is no national license. Each state has a licensing system and requirements that include some pre-licensing and state-specific licensing examinations.
Designations and Certifications
Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR): Awarded by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council of the National Association of REALTORS (REBAC), the ABR designation is designed for real estate agents who focus on working directly with buyer-clients. Candidates must complete a two-day course and successfully pass an exam to achieve the ARB candidate status. Within the following three years, candidates fulfill experience and continuing education requirements before becoming an ABR Designee.
Accredited Seller Representative (ASR): Awarded by the Accredited Seller Agency Council, the ASR designation is designed for real estate agents who focus on working directly with seller-clients. Candidates must complete a 12-hour course, pass an exam, show proof of five closed sides of transactions where the candidate represented sellers, provide three letters of recommendation from three of those sellers, and be members of the National Association of REALTORS.
Commercial Real Estate
Commercial agents and brokers specialize in income-producing properties, such as retail stores, shopping centers, office buildings, industrial parks, and apartment complexes. Commercial real estate professionals help clients evaluate a property's income potential and offer guidance regarding local zoning and tax laws. Some states require a specialized license for commercial transactions, while others cover residential and commercial transactions under the same license.
Designations and Certifications
Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM): The CCIM designation is awarded by the CCIM Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS. CCIM candidates must complete a curriculum that includes ethics, interest-based negotiation, financial analysis, market analysis, user decision analysis, and investment analysis for commercial investment real estate. Also, candidates must submit a portfolio that demonstrates their commercial real estate experience and complete an examination.
Certified Commercial Real Estate Advisor (CCREA): The CCREA designation is awarded by the National Association of Commercial Real Estate Professionals. CCREA candidates must complete a curriculum that includes multifamily asset-class analysis, cash flow, equity projection and analysis, loan analysis and procurement, commercial foreclosure and short sale strategies, financial analysis, and negotiation. The CCREA designation is awarded to candidates who complete a comprehensive three-day live course and examination.
If you are interested in the real estate industry, learn what types of licenses your state requires for you to work in the field. Most jobs from agent to property manager require a state-issued license to operate legally.
Property Management
Property managers maintain properties that produce financial returns for the property owners and are responsible for maintaining and managing the property, including budgeting and leasing. Residential property management involves apartment buildings, condominiums, and vacation rentals.
Commercial property management entails properties such as office buildings and shopping centers. Property managers often work for real estate firms. Most states require a real estate license for property managers who collect rent, list properties, or negotiate leases.
Those interested in learning more about the different types of property management may want to consider enrolling in one of the best property management courses currently available.
Designations and Certifications
Certified Property Manager (CPM): The CPM designation is awarded by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). A CPM candidate must hold an active real estate license (where required), be a member of IREM, complete seven required courses (or equivalent education/experience), pass the CPM certification exam, and complete the IREM ethics education. In addition, they must submit three letters of recommendation, have three years of qualifying real estate management experience and be affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS.
Accredited Residential Manager (ARM): The ARM certification is awarded by IREM. ARM candidates must complete a week-long course or complete four individual courses (or hold a CPM, CAM, CRM, or RAM designation or have qualifying education or experience), pass the ARM certification exam, complete IREM ethics education, and have one year of qualifying residential real estate management experience.
Real Estate Appraisal
Real estate appraisers determine the value of properties to help people and businesses find the assessed value for tax purposes, investment value, present value for potential investors, book value for accounting purposes, rental value, and insurable value. Appraisers must know acceptable appraisal principles, have practical experience, and some knowledge of mathematics, accounting, and economics.
Often, appraisers work for banks or appraiser firms. Appraisers must be licensed by the state in which they work. You must first become an appraiser trainee by completing state-specified coursework. With additional coursework and experience, you can go on to become a licensed residential appraiser, a certified residential appraiser, and a certified general appraiser.
Designations and Certifications
Residential Accredited Appraiser (RAA) and General Accredited Appraiser (GAA): The RAA and GAA designations are awarded by the National Association of REALTORS. Candidates must be active members of the National Association of REALTORS, obtain state certification, have a minimum of 1,000 hours of experience (in addition to state requirements), and take tested coursework (45 hours for the RAA or 60 hours for the GAA).
MAI: The MAI designation is awarded by the Appraisal Institute to appraisers who are experienced in the evaluation and valuation of commercial, industrial, and residential property and who counsel clients on real estate investments.
MAIs must hold an undergraduate degree from a four-year accredited institution, complete 400 hours of classroom instruction, pass a series of examinations, successfully take the General Comprehensive Examination (a two-day, four-part exam), and show evidence of 4,500 hours of specialized experience over at least three years.
Real Estate Counseling
Real estate counselors advise on property issues and help investors decide how to select properties that are likely to appreciate. Rather than selling real estate, counselors focus on each client's unique needs to offer solutions that address those needs. Counselors (also called real estate advisors) must know many facets of the real estate business. Often, real estate counselors have a background in real estate valuation, development, investing, or property management.
Designations and Certifications
Counselor Real Estate (CRE): The CRE designation is awarded by the Counselors of Real Estate and is available only to individuals who have been invited by their peers into membership. Through the CRE Invitation Process, candidates must show evidence of at least 10 years of real estate experience (three of which must be in counseling). In addition, they must demonstrate that they are recognized by clients and peers for their professional knowledge, integrity, and judgment.
They must also have attained REALTOR designations such as CCIM, CPM, GRI, and SIOR and hold advanced degrees in business and related fields.
What Are Real Estate Certifications?
Real estate certifications prove your proficiency, knowledge, and skillset as a real estate professional. Certifications allow you to work in various real estate markets and illustrate your expertise in your particular field to potential clients.
How Much Does It Cost to Get a Real Estate Designation?
The cost of a real estate license varies depending on the state you live in, and other designations and certifications may run hundreds of dollars. Still, the price will depend on the type of certification. It may be possible to go to community colleges to get your real estate career underway, and that could cost anywhere from $600 to $5000 or more, depending on the school.
Can You Get Real Estate Training and Certification Online?
You can earn your real estate certifications online, along with necessary real estate training. However, it is worth noting that some in-person training may be necessary to complete some certifications, depending on the program.
How Much Do Certified Real Estate Professionals Make?
Professionals in the real estate industry earn a variety of salaries based on their job. For example, a real estate counselor's average base pay is $68,997. The average salary for a real estate appraiser is approximately $57,606, but overall salaries depend on the levels of certification.
Depending on where they work, certified residential real estate agents can make upwards of $91,640 a year, according to Indeed.com. However, since agents work on commissions of sales, salaries can fluctuate wildly depending on numerous factors.
What Certifications Do Real Estate Lawyers Need?
Real estate lawyers must (obviously) have their law degree and passed the bar exam. Real estate lawyers may need special training in the area of real estate law, and most law schools offer master of laws (LLM) in real estate degrees, plus certificates in real estate.
The Bottom Line
The real estate industry is robust, with numerous career opportunities. This article names only a few of the many career paths currently available. Other real estate career opportunities include:
- Construction
- Farm and land brokerage
- Investment
- Land development
- Research
- Urban planning
Real estate designations and certifications can help you increase your skills, proficiency, knowledge, and, ultimately, your marketability as a real estate professional. In addition to those listed here, there are dozens of other designations and certifications to show your experience and expertise in the various real estate sectors.
The Fed recently announced yet another interest rate hike, making borrowing more expensive and pushing the prospect of purchasing a new home out of reach for an even greater share of Americans. At the same time, inflation is easing and the economy is showing unanticipated strength, with strong employment numbers and greater than expected GDP. All this means one thing for current and prospective homeowners – they shouldn’t expect the Fed to begin lowering rates any time soon.
Though this would typically signal a time for panic across the residential real estate profession, those who can focus on servicing their clients with a mind for the future will be well positioned for whenever the economics for home buying become more favorable.
Double down on relationship building
High mortgage rates mean those on the margins of potential homeownership are moved one step further away from their goal. It also means those currently in homes — some of whom purchased or refinanced through the historical low interest rate period after the pandemic — are disincentivized to buy a new home at current rates. Furthermore, for those looking for their next home, higher interest rates effectively reduce their buying power, translating literally to fewer and fewer square feet, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Real estate teams may lament homeowners’ waning interest in buying (or selling) into this market. But there are things real estate pros can do to make productive use of the moment, and double down on relationship building with new and existing clientele.
Educate and update
Stay connected. One of the biggest mistakes real estate professionals can make, regardless of the market, is not staying in touch with clients. Real estate can be a transient profession with many newcomers flocking to the industry when times are good, and falling out when times are tough. Times are decidedly difficult right now, reducing deal flow and overall revenue potential. Many will see the moment worthy of a pullback in their efforts, focusing on clients with a greater, real or perceived, likelihood of being able to transact. That state of mind is an absolute mistake.
Provide clients with market updates. Sharing exact news and its practical implications with current and prospective clients is an excellent way to check in and ensure they have a strong understanding of what impact rate increases, strong economic numbers and more will have on their immediate transaction prospects. Whether buying or selling a home, real estate pros who help their client base to have a clear understanding of what is happening, why, and what impact it will have, take advantage of a unique trust building opportunity. They provide clients with extra reassurance that they are indeed receiving good counsel on their (eventual) property endeavors.
Track and report on falling prices. High mortgage rates hurt home buying and selling prospects. However, for some, higher interest rates can bring home prices down just enough to account for the added cost of a higher interest rate. In some scenarios, if a prospective buyer can carry a more expensive rate, they may secure a home at a lower price, and then aim to refinance when rates have improved.
Understanding and activating home equity. Hikes in interest rates also affect the price of revolving debt. Most, if not all, revolving credit moves with the prime rate; meaning, it just got even more expensive to carry a balance from one month to the next.
Real estate professionals can educate clients on the prospect of leveraging the equity they have in their current home to consolidate consumer debt through home equity based products like HELOCs, home equity loans or other home equity based products, that tend to have better terms than other forms of debt. Home-equity products also provide a path to financing home improvement projects that can raise the value of a home, while clients wait for the environment for putting a home on sale to improve.
Keep the door open. Financial situations are constantly in flux. Did a client recently get a new job? Did a relative pass away leaving them with a large inheritance? Did your clients just become empty nesters? New occurrences in life bring about different new ways to view possibilities. No one wants to buy a home for more money than they have to, but new circumstances can open the door to revisiting property aspirations that weren’t reasonable conversations just moments before. Keeping an open door to those who have new circumstances will help real estate pros adjust their approach for specific clients.
Unprecedented and unfamiliar economic cycles like the one we are in today provide a great deal of room to drop the ball or lose interest. Those real estate teams that refocus on the basics of building trust through credible counsel and insight will see more deeply engaged client prospects, and eventually, transactions that can keep the business afloat during a time when the entire industry is facing headwinds.
Jeff Levinsohn is CEO and Co-Founder of House Numbers, a service to help homeowners gain financial independence by understanding and optimizing their largest asset — their home.
MICK PARTRIDGE
The Beverly Hills Estates
Mick Partridge of The Beverly Hills Estates is a highly accomplished real estate professional with an impressive track record of consistent sales performance. exact sales highlights include 1455 Oriole Way in the Bird Streets which sold for $5,250,000 and 635 N. Bonhill Rd, the longtime home of the late Angela Lansbury for $5 million, which he double-ended.
Partridge’s notable clients include fashion designer, Lubov Azria, the Angela Lansbury Estate, members of the Kennedy family and Los Angeles philanthropist June Sale. As the founder of The Partridge Estates Group at The Beverly Hills Estates, Partridge has over $100 million in listing inventory as well as $80 million in developments coming to market in the next six months, further firmly cementing Partridge’s position among LA’s real estate elite.
Apple Vision Pro is Apple's augmented and virtual reality headset, a device that has been in development for more than a decade. Vision Pro marks the company's first entrance into a new product category since the 2015 Apple Watch, with the device introduced at WWDC 2023 in June. A launch is set for early 2024, which means January to late April.
While the Apple Vision Pro is definitely a headset, Apple does not use that word when referring to it. Instead, Apple calls it a spatial computer because of its ability to blend digital content with the physical world.
Apple Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset that displays augmented reality content overlaid on world around you, and immersive entirely virtual content, but it's worth noting that the headset is not see through. Everything you see is digital. For augmented reality content that does not make your surroundings disappear, Apple uses cameras that map out what's in front of you, translating that into a digital image augmented by virtual elements.
For a virtual reality experience, Apple shuts off those cameras and can make it seem like you are completely isolated from what's going on around you, allowing you to focus solely on what's being displayed on the headset's screens. This shift between the "real" and the "immersive" can be controlled with an on-device Digital Crown.
Design wise, Apple Vision Pro is not unlike a pair of ski goggles, featuring a singular piece of laminated glass for the front that melds into an aluminum alloy frame. A soft, fitted Light Seal attaches magnetically to the frame and conforms to your face to block out light.
Two Audio Straps with built-in speakers are positioned at the sides of the headset, delivering Spatial Audio that blends what you're hearing on the headset with what's going on in the real world. The Audio Straps connect to a 3D knitted headband that holds the Vision Pro in place. Apple designed it to be breathable, cushiony, and stretchy for comfort, and a Fit Dial ensures the headset fits tight against your head. Apple plans to offer Light Seals and headbands in multiple sizes, and these components are swappable.
Inside the frame, there are two micro-OLED displays that deliver over 4K resolution to each eye for a total of 23 million pixels. There's also an external display called EyeSight that projects an image of your eyes so people can tell whether you're using the headset in an immersive mode or if you can see what's going on around you. For glasses wearers, there are custom prescription Zeiss Optical Inserts that can be attached magnetically to the headset's lenses.
There are no controllers for Apple Vision Pro, with the headset instead controlled by eye tracking, hand gestures, and voice commands. An app can be navigated to and highlighted by looking at it and then opened with a tap of the fingers. Scrolling is done with a simple flick of the fingers.
More than a dozen cameras and sensors in Apple Vision Pro map out the world around you, keeping track of your hand and eye movements. Optic ID, which scans your iris with infrared lights and cameras, is used for authentication. Each person has a unique iris pattern, and Optic ID is akin to Face ID and Touch ID. It can be used for unlocking the device, making purchases, and as a password replacement.
There are two Apple silicon chips inside Vision Pro, including the same M2 chip that's in the Mac and a new R1 chip. The M2 chip runs visionOS, executes computer vision algorithms, and provides graphics, while the R1 chip processes input from the cameras, sensors, and microphones.
Apple Vision Pro can take 3D photos and videos using a built-in camera that's powered by tapping on the top button of the device. Apple says that users can capture videos and photos in 3D and then relive those memories like never before. Vision Pro will also show existing photos and videos in large scale, making them more immersive. Note that when you are recording video, Vision Pro makes it clear that recording is happening with an animation on the external display.
Due to weight constraints, Apple did not put a battery in Apple Vision Pro. Instead, it can be powered by a braided cable that is attached to a battery pack worn at the hip or plugged into an adapter. The battery pack offers two hours of battery life on a single charge.
With Apple Vision Pro, content is displayed in the space around you. You can position apps and windows in mid-air, rearranging them as you see fit, with multiple windows supported. Apple says there's an "infinite canvas" to work with. Apps can be displayed in the real environment that you're in so you can stay present with what's going on around you, or you can use a more immersive view that shuts out the world and puts content on a virtual background called an Environment.
A visionOS operating system runs on Apple Vision Pro, and it has a dedicated App Store with apps designed specifically for the device, but it is also able to run iPhone and iPad apps. You can connect the Vision Pro to a Mac, with the headset serving as a display for the Mac. It works with Bluetooth accessories for text input and control, or you can use virtual typing or dictation for text.
There is a main Home View that has all of your favorite Apple apps like Mail, Messages, Music, Safari, Photos, and more, with your data synced through iCloud. The interface is similar to the iPhone interface, but you can open apps and arrange them virtually. Apple is updating its main apps for visionOS and has created APIs for developers, plus Apple is providing Vision Pro test kits to developers for app testing. Apple Vision Pro offers an immersive experience for entertainment like TV and movies. Content can be expanded to feel like it's in your own personal theater, complete with spatial audio.
FaceTime has been redesigned for Vision Pro. People on the call are shown in large tiles to the headset wearer, while the headset wearer is shown as an accurate digital recreation using their Digital persona. With FaceTime, Vision Pro users can collaborate on documents with colleagues or share apps with others, and spatial audio makes it clear who is speaking.
The Cinema Environment allows you to watch shows and movies at the frame rate and aspect ratio chosen by the creator, or you can use a nature-themed Environment to make the screen feel 100 feet wide. Apple created Apple Immersive Videos that are 180-degree 3D 8K recordings that put users right inside the action, plus streaming services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are available on Vision Pro. As for gaming, Vision Pro supports Apple Arcade, with 100 iPad games to be available at launch. Games can be played with Bluetooth game controllers that connect to the headset.
Apple Vision Pro is priced starting at $3,499 and it is set to launch in early 2024. It will be available on Apple.com when it launches, and in stores only in the United States to begin with.
Note: See an error in this roundup or want to offer feedback? Send us an email here.
The Apple Vision Pro is Apple's first official mixed reality headset. And you can see our first impressions in our Apple Vision Pro hands-on review.
And let's be clear — when we say mixed reality, we mean it. While the headset may look like a contender for the best VR headset on the market, it is not designed to keep you immersed in a virtual world. Features such as EyeSight and Digital Persona ensure that not only are you still engaged with the physical world, but the physical world remains able to engage with you.
But, of course, these groundbreaking features come with an earth-shattering price. At $3,499, the Apple Vision Pro is easily the most expensive mainstream headset — virtual reality or mixed reality. And unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to get your hands on it, since Apple says it won't be available until 2024.
Here's everything we know about the Apple Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro latest news (Updated August 21)
Apple Vision Pro: What you need to know
- $3,499 U.S. price. U.S. only starting in early 2024, with availability in other countries to follow.
- Twin 4K displays inside the headset provide incredible HDR picture quality, but if you wear glasses you'll need to get custom Zeiss inserts.
- EyeSight uses a front display to show others that you are engaging with them or that you are immersed in the headset.
- visionOS allows for 3D experiences native to the Vision Pro. iOS and iPadOS apps will be available in a Vision Pro App Store along with visionOS apps.
- The crown on the top of the headset allows you to control how immersed in the headset you are, from augmented reality to virtual reality.
- No controllers needed — the headset relies on eye and hand tracking in addition to voice commands.
- Take spatial photos and videos with just the tap of a button. EyeSight will let others around you know that you're taking a photo or video.
- Disney is an official partner with the Vision Pro and is creating exclusive experiences for the headset, including Disney World, Marvel games and more.
Apple Vision Pro price
According to Apple's launch presentation during the WWDC keynote, the Vision Pro will cost $3,499 at launch. The headset will initially be available in the U.S. only, so we do not have pricing for other countries at this time.
Interestingly, one leaker claims Apple only spends $1,509 for each headset it builds. That would be quite a profit margin if true.
While the Vision Pro headset can't be pre-ordered right now, you can sign up for a notification from Apple so you can be alerted to when the headset will be available to pre-order. With such a high price tag (more on that below) don't expect the Vision Pro to be a device for the masses. Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper version for the Vision Pro for 2025 with some of the more premium features removed.
This is good news, because the current version of the Vision Pro may have serious supply chain constraints. According to a rumor, Sony, which makes the headset's Micro OLED displays, can only produce 100,000 to 200,000 displays per quarter. That means it's possible Apple can only manufacture 400,000 headsets per year due to the premium displays its chosen.
It seems this estimate of 400,000 could be right on the money. A report from Financial Times suggests that Apple's initial sales target of 1 million units in the first year has now been revised to — you guessed it — 400,000 units. That could make it nearly impossible for Apple to reach an install base of 20 million users in 5 years, which some analysts are predicting.
For more on the Vision Pro's price and if it's an obstacle, check out our interview with 3 analysts who tried the Vision Pro. We asked them if it will fly with consumers or flop.
Apple Vision Pro release date
Apple Vision Pro still doesn't have an official release date, but it does have an official release date window. Apple says that the headset will become available for purchase in early 2024, which tracks with a rumor we saw just before launch that the headset could get pushed into next year.
As previously mentioned, at its release the Vision Pro will only be available to U.S. customers, though other countries are expected to get a rollout not too long after the U.S. launch.
Once it's released though, you may be required to book an in-store appointment before buying the headset. This is similar to what Apple did with the first Apple Watch generation, and it's aimed at ensuring customers get an accurately tailored experience from the outset.
However, it seems that if you're not near an Apple store you may still be in luck. Apple is making developers get fitted for Vision Pro dev kits, all but indicating that you’ll probably need an Apple Vision Pro custom fitting. But these developers were able to use a Measure and Fit app that uses a camera to fit you for the Vision Pro's Head Band and Light Shield. If this app is used for the consumer version of the headset, getting fitted could become a much easier task.
Apple Vision Pro design
At first glance, the Apple Vision Pro doesn't look incredibly dissimilar from a traditional VR headset or even a mixed reality device like the Meta Quest Pro. But once you turn it on, there are some distinct differences.
The biggest one is that the front of the visor features a display underneath a curved pane of 3D laminated glass. This allows the Vision Pro to use EyeSight, a feature that shows others around you your eyes so they feel like they're interacting with you like they would normally.
This glass pane also serves as a lens for the Vision Pro's camera array, which is extensive. The Vision Pro includes 12 cameras and six microphones so that users do not need controllers to control the device. Instead, you will use a combination of eye tracking, hand gestures and voice commands.
But the front display isn't all that is crafted using Apple's typical eye for details. The mixed reality headset features a custom aluminum alloy frame that is curved to fit your face. Apple takes this focus on custom fit further by using a modular design so the Light Seal (what Meta calls a facial interface) fits to your face as perfectly as possible. The Light Seal comes in several shapes and sizes and is made of a soft fabric for improved comfort while using the Vision Pro.
Apple also continues its focus on fit with the Head Band, which is also available in a variety of sizes. It is made of a 3D knitted fabric and attaches via a simple locking mechanism at the front of the headband. It's around here that you'll also find the speakers, which Apple dubs "audio pods." These pods provide Personalized Spatial Audio that is designed to be as immersive as possible.
The Vision Pro has two buttons on the top of the headset. One is an action button that allows you to take spatial photos and videos. And for those worried about being unwittingly photographed, Apple promises that the front display will use EyeSight to signal that a photo or video is being taken. The other button is a crown similar to the Apple Watch, which can control the level of immersion you are in while wearing the headset.
One way we know this crown will be used is to engage the Vision Pro's Cinema Environments. These 13 locations will become the Vision Pro's background as you watch movies on the simulated 100-foot screen, provided you crank up the immersion on the Vision Pro's dial.
Finally, there's one last major design note. The Apple Vision Pro can be used all day when plugged in but otherwise needs an external battery to work. This battery — possibly dubbed 'Magic Battery' — lasts for about two hours and connects to the headset via a woven cable. Unfortunately, that means you'll need yet another proprietary Apple charger. What looks like a USB-C adapter was recently spotted attached to the headset in a WWDC developer video. However, it's unclear at this point whether the adapter (which appears to attach to the other side of the headset from the power cable) will be available to all or merely used as a developer tool.
Apple Vision Pro display
The Apple Vision Pro displays are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Meta offers so far. It features two Micro OLED 4K displays, one per eye. A leak following WWDC estimates these 4K displays will have a display resolution of 3800 x 3000 per eye once Apple reveals its official spec sheet.
Each display is the size of a postage stamp, which produces incredible pixel density. The two 4K displays combined have 23 million pixels, which Apple says is 64 times the pixel density of an iPhone. These incredible displays are a big way that the Apple Vision Pro beats the Meta Quest Pro, at least on paper.
If you want to learn more about Micro OLED technology and why it's perfectly suited for the small displays of VR headsets, check out our Micro OLED explainer to learn about how it works, the advantages and disadvantages of Micro OLED and more.
Apple says that the twin displays feature "wide color and high dynamic range" though it's unclear if that means the displays support HDR content in formats like HDR10 or Dolby Vision. And thanks to the new R1 chip developed by Apple, content will get to those displays in just 12ms. The refresh rate for 2D content is 90Hz according to Apple, with the ability to peak at 96Hz for content created at 24fps.
If you need glasses though, we do have some bad news for you. Due to its design, the Apple Vision Pro will not work with glasses. Instead, Apple has collaborated with Zeiss for optical inserts to replace your glasses while using the headset. It is unclear what these inserts will cost or if they impact the visual fidelity of the headset in any way, though Apple says they will ensure the headset works as intended.
Zeiss has launched its own site for the Apple Vision Pro inserts, which it says will be available early next year. At least that indicates that the inserts will be available at launch with the Vision Pro headset.
We also may have gotten a sneak peek at what the display for a future second or third Vision Pro could look like, and it's very futuristic. In a patent application, Apple laid out the possible design for a liquid display that uses a system of actuators, pumps and reservoirs to form and deform lenses within flexible and/or rigid walls.
Again, this won't be the route Apple goes with for this edition of the Vision Pro, but if they use it in the future, it could eliminate the need for the custom Zeiss inserts.
Apple Vision Pro apps and visionOS
Apple Vision Pro wasn't the only new product introduced by Apple at WWDC. It also introduced visionOS, a brand new operating system specifically designed for the Vision Pro. It allows developers to build apps natively for the mixed reality headset and introduces some new features as well.
The biggest new feature? EyeSight. We've talked about it already, but EyeSight could either be the coolest thing or the creepiest thing about the Vision Pro headset. It displays your eyes to the world around you or hides them if you're immersed in the headset. If you are immersed in a particular app or workflow, EyeSight also will bring you slowly out of that immersion and into the physical world when someone enters your direct field of view. As that person fades into the twin 4K displays, your eyes will simultaneously fade in on the front display of the Vision Pro.
Speaking of immersion, an alleged leak from the set of an unannounced Apple TV Plus show has shown off what looks like a camera designed for capturing 180-degree footage. As such, it's been posited that Apple could be making shows or movies that are designed for the Vision Pro and to make use of the wide field of vision the headset could provide. The first of these immersive Apple TV Plus originals could be Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a Godzilla TV series that was reported shot using the 180-degree camera we had already seen one rumor about.
The Vision Pro is all about staying in the physical space as much as possible, even if you can turn the crown on the top of the headset to make yourself more immersed in the virtual world. And visionOS works on the assumption of coexisting with your physical space. It creates a 3D user interface that responds to natural light and casts shadows and allows for apps to be expanded and moved with just a hand gesture.
Reportedly, a "Visual Search" feature will let Vision Pro users get information about objects in the real world and serve up text about those items in front of their eyes. From there, they can copy and paste the text into various apps, as well as translate that text into 17 different languages.
Speaking of apps, the Apple Vision Pro should come with a surprising amount out of the box. While native visionOS apps are still relatively few and far between, the mixed reality headset works with iOS and iPad OS apps as well to provide you with a ton of options all in one App Store.
Netflix is one example of a popular service that will be skipping the native VisionOS treatment, and leaving users to watch content on the native iPad app instead.
Apple showed off a few examples of how these apps operate on the Vision Pro. Photos can be viewed in a massive display right in front of you or in a panoramic view. The Mindfulness app expands into a full-room experience for some meditative bliss. And you can watch movies and shows through Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus on a massive theatre-sized screen.
The Vision Pro may not be aimed at playing the best VR games, but that doesn't mean you can't game with it. Apple Arcade provides over 100 games — including NBA 2K — that will be playable on day one. And you can even use a Bluetooth controller to play your games since the Apple Vision Pro has no first-party controllers.
However, while Apple hasn't focused on VR games, they do have a partner in getting as many games on the platform as possible. Unity's new PolySpatial tool allows game developers to port existing VR games or create new games, both as immersive experiences or in scalable windows.
Aside from games, typical productivity apps that you use on your other Apple devices are available on the Vision Pro too. Safari is viewable in a massive display and you can expand it to see all your open tabs at once. FaceTime is there too, and you can move people's video feeds to one side of your display while keeping other apps in view.
You, however, won't be visible on FaceTime. At least, not the real version of you. Instead, the Apple Vision Pro will create a Digital Persona to represent you in FaceTime that will simulate your face and hand movements.
But the biggest productivity upgrade? You can expand your Mac display into a larger 4K display just by looking at a compatible machine. This wirelessly beams the Mac's display to your headset, letting you view things in the same view as other visionOS apps.
With this in mind the Vision Pro is compatible with Bluetooth devices like the Magic Keyboard or Magic Trackpad, though it does have onboard tools to handle productivity — including voice and sight, and a virtual keyboard.
And if you want to work — or relax — on a plane, there's also a visionOS feature for you. Travel Mode has been spotted in the visionOS developer beta, and it is totally focused on the experience of using the Vision Pro on a plane. It does this by toning down or disabling many of the headset's awareness features to combat the fact that you're in a cramped space.
Travel Mode won't be the only unique mode that the Vision Pro gets either. According to early looks at the developer beta for visionOS, there will be a Guest Mode for the Vision Pro that allows you to lend the headset to friends and family while keeping some personal data secure.
There are also several features we won't get to see — at least for this generation of the Apple Vision Pro. Multiple Mac desktops displayed in the headset, FaceTime with multiple Digital Personas and access to Apple Fitness Plus are all missing features from the Vision Pro that are still planned for a second-generation headset.
If you want to see how visionOS might look, there's an unlikely source. Supernova Technologies managed to get visionOS on a Meta Quest Pro and it's a bit of a shock looking at the new OS out in the wild.
Unfortunately, looking at it is about all you can do. The apps won't work, and you'll need some tech savvy to even get this visual demo working on your own Quest Pro, so it's not the most practical thing to try out for yourself.
One other unique experience that may be coming to the Vision Pro? NBA games in mixed reality. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said “the league is working with Apple to bring a tech-enhanced viewing experience” to its upcoming headset.
Apple VR/AR mixed reality headset rumored specs
We don't know the full spec sheet for the Apple Vision Pro yet, but Apple did confirm some key details.
First, let's take a look at the outside of the headset. The headset features 12 cameras, six microphones and five sensors to allow for eye tracking, hand tracking and voice commands to be all you need to control the device. Then inside the headset is a ring of LED lights that project invisible patterns onto your eyes to assist with the eye-tracking. These LED lights also power Optic ID, which is the Vision Pro's version of Face ID.
Under the hood, the Vision Pro is powered entirely by Apple silicon. An M2 chip does most of the heavy lifting, but a brand-new R1 chip handles the sensor inputs and ensures the display doesn't lag behind. Apple says the R1 chip keeps the input lag of the twin 4K Micro OLED displays at just around 12ms — on par with a lot of the best TVs.
We haven't seen an official storage spec from Apple for the Vision Pro yet, but there is one rumor out there. Reportedly, the Vision Pro could come with a 1TB SSD on board for storing apps, games and more.
Finally, Apple promises spatial audio thanks to a speaker on each side of the headset, near where it connects with your Head Band. These speakers — or audio pods — provide what Apple calls "the most advanced Spatial Audio system ever." The individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod can even be fine-tuned to deliver Personalized Spatial Audio based on your head and ears.
And it's not only the Apple Vision Pro spec sheet that matters here. Apple wants to insert the Vision Pro into its greater ecosystem of devices, so it's potentially upgrading the ultrawide-band chip in the iPhone 15 to a 7nm chip for greater power efficiency when used in concert with the Vision Pro.
Apple Vision Pro battery
Here's arguably the biggest knock against the Apple Vision Pro, aside from the other-worldly price tag. While headsets like the Meta Quest 3 are true standalone headsets that can also tether to a PC, the Vision Pro needs to be attached to something to work.
Now thankfully, you do have options. Option one, you can plug in the headset and use the Vision Pro all day long. Unfortunately, Apple didn't say if that works if the headset is plugged into a Mac or MacBook, so the assumption is you'll need to plug straight into the nearest wall.
If that doesn't appeal to you though, there is an alternative. Apple has designed an external battery pack, possibly called 'Magic Battery,' that connects around the temple of the headset via a woven cable.
The good news? The battery is slim enough to fit in your pocket, at least according to Apple. And it may even come in multiple sizes, as one rumor tips the Vision Pro to get three different battery pack sizes.
The bad news? The only confirmed battery pack lasts just two hours and does seem to be a proprietary charger. Oh, and you may need to buy it separately, which would add to the Apple Vision Pro's $3,499 price tag.
Apple Vision Pro controls
While the battery may be one of the lamer aspects of Apple's first headset, the controls are not. That's because Apple ditches controllers entirely with the Apple Vision Pro, instead using the headset's many sensors and cameras to allow you to control the device using just your eyes, hands and voice. Forcing this trend with the Vision Pro could benefit Apple, as it's rumored other VR headset developers are now pushing internally to go controller-free following the Vision Pro's unveiling.
And these intuitive controls are meant to feel natural as well. Apple says all it takes is turning your head to shift the focus of the display, or a simple tap of your fingers to simulate a mouse click. You can even keep your hands in a natural position rather than holding them in front of you when making gestures. Glancing at a search bar and speaking will even allow you to type into the search bar for easy use.
Aside from these new methods of controlling the mixed reality headset, there are two familiar features. First, Siri is back, giving you Apple's famous voice assistant right out of the box. Second, the headset does work with a range of Bluetooth products. In addition to supporting controllers like the PS5 DualSense, it also supports the Apple Magic Keyboard, Mouse and Trackpad in case you don't want to rely on hand gestures or a virtual keyboard.
Apple Vision Pro vs Apple Glass
According to reports, the Apple VR/AR mixed reality headset — which we now know as the Apple Vision Pro — was designed to be a precursor to Apple Glass.
And now that we've officially seen the Vision Pro, it's clear that Apple wanted to have a true mixed reality device rather than a VR headset. The Vision Pro at times feels like an AR glasses copycat, particularly with features such as EyeSight that allow others to see your eyes while you're using the Vision Pro.
Based on everything we've heard, Apple wants the Apple Glass to look and act like an ordinary lightweight pair of glasses rather than adopt the Vision Pro's approach. That means glasses that are able to project information, and presumably imagery, onto the lenses. Unfortunately, Apple Glasses may not arrive for a long time, with Apple reportedly delaying the project due to technical challenges.
Still not sure what the difference between mixed reality, augmented reality and virtual reality actually is? We have an explainer that tells you exactly what mixed reality is and what Microsoft, Meta and Apple have planned for it.
Both Apple and Meta have announced new headsets touting mixed reality features, but the two headsets are definitely different. Granted, that should be expected when the Apple Vision Pro is nearly seven times the price of the Meta Quest 3, but it's more than that. Both headsets tackle the issue of experiencing mixed reality in notably different ways, and each makes a case for being the better headset for most people. Check out our Apple Vision Pro versus Meta Quest 3 face-off for the full breakdown.
The Meta Quest 3 isn't the only Meta headset that Apple has to contend with. The Meta Quest Pro is also a mixed reality headset, with a more professional user base that will definitely be interested in the Apple Vision Pro as an alternative.
And unfortunately for the Quest Pro, the Apple headset is the clear winner between the two — as long as you can stomach the $2,499 price difference. Still, we found seven ways Apple Vision Pro beats the Meta Quest Pro, from superior specs to a better software ecosystem for productivity.
A gold miner has stunned the internet after sharing the reality of finding 6,700 Australian dollars ($4,300) of gold lying around in the dirt during a search.
For Tyler Mahoney finding gold is how she makes a living, and it takes her all across Australia and New Zealand at times. Most people would marvel at the prospect of finding more than $6,000 worth of gold, but for Mahoney this is her livelihood, regularly referring to herself as a "professional gold digger."
As it is such an unusual occupation, she often shares the realities of the job on her TikTok account (@tylermahoney8) to educate others. On June 19, Mahoney posted a video of the moment she discovered "a different nugget" of gold on the ground in Boulder, Australia.
As the camera pans around, viewers might think that gold worth $6,700 might be quite obvious—but Mahoney reveals that it's a tiny amount, the size of a rock, weighing just 56 grams (0.12 pounds). Many TikTok users have been amazed by Mahoney's video, and it has already generated more than 5.7 million views and over 366,000 likes.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains that hard rock mining involves the discovery and extraction of non-fuel metal and mineral deposits of solid ores. Gold isn't the only mineral that is mined however, as the EPA adds that copper, iron, lead, platinum, silver and zinc are also mined.
The mining process can be lengthy, and it's not simply a matter of stumbling upon a piece of gold by chance. The first step is exploration of the area, including surveys to learn about the conditions, and drilling to obtain samples of the ore body for inspection.
Another way to gather information about the site area is by doing seismic surveys to measure shock waves, which will have different readings depending on the geological formation beneath the surface.
Once an area has been pinpointed, the extraction phase can then begin. The EPA says that the most common way of hard rock mining is through surface mining, which involves digging the necessary area. However, other methods include open pit mining, or strip mining when the deposits are near the surface.
Once the mineral has been discovered, the process doesn't end there. In order to turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry, for example, it has to go through beneficiation, which separates the desired mineral from the waste rock around it.
The attention that Mahoney's video received has encouraged her to continue sharing her occupation with TikTok followers. She regularly shares videos of herself on excavation sites, digging for the gold and operating the machinery.
The viral post has received over 3,200 comments so far, with a lot of social media users sharing their reaction to Mahoney's line of work.
One comment reads: "Sis is living my dream job."
Another person wrote: "That's my tuition on the ground."
"It's a lot cleaner and larger than I thought," responded another TikTok user.
Newsweek has reached out to @tylermahoney8 via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the video.
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