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With the hours ticking down to WWDC 2023 the excitement continues to grow. At the center of that excitement is undoubtedly the Apple Reality Pro headset, a product that we've been told to expect Apple to finally unveil today. Now, we might have been treated to a few specifications for what could be Apple's next big thing.

The Reality Pro headset is already expected to pack some high-end parts thanks to the rumored $3,000 asking price, although that's now been thrown into doubt.

Now, a new leak appears to have shared more concrete details about what kind of gear is going to make up the headset, and it makes for quite the laundry list.

The latest leak comes via Twitter user @URedditor, an account that has had some success in the past. According to them, the Reality Pro headset will have multiple cameras including what could potentially be a TruDepth Camera for Face ID authentication. Other cameras include two low-light infrared illuminators and two RGB cameras.

A follow-up tweet points to there being two Apple chips, a main processor, and another handling co-processing duties. Multiple sensors are also name-checked including a compass, magnetometer, and ambient light sensor alongside an accelerometer and gyroscope.

Interestingly, the same leak also suggests that "there's also some sort of audio accessory for it," although it isn't clear what that might be. It's possible that there will be some kind of built-in earbuds to handle audio, removing the need to also use a pair of AirPods or other solution.

The Reality Pro headset is undoubtedly the big draw for this year's WWDC, but it isn't the only product we expect Apple to announce. A new Mac Studio is a possibility while the first 15-inch MacBook Air is almost guaranteed to debut. That machine will no doubt become the best Mac for most people thanks to the large display and expected M2 Apple silicon.

As regular as the tides, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) has become a big and highly anticipated part of our calendar. As is usual, this year’s keynote announcements will include all the usual improvements for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, and more — but this year is also different, thanks to the reveal of a brand new area for Apple, the Vision Pro headset.

The keynote was jammed full of content, as usual, and there’s plenty to talk about. Here’s a recap of everything Apple announced at WWDC 2023!

Vision Pro VR headset

An Apple-branded augmented reality/virtual reality has been rumored for years and years, but it’s finally here. The final part of the WWDC keynote was dedicated to the Vision Pro AR headset, and Apple really went in-depth, offering insights into the many possible uses for the new product — which is understandable, as it’s one of Apple’s biggest new launches since the original Apple Watch.

It’s important to note that this product is not the long-awaited Apple-branded smart glasses, which are a purely AR experience and will probably look like a regular pair of glasses. Instead, the Vision Pro is a VR headset set to compete with the Meta Quest 3 and PlayStation VR2 and sports a similar style, with a broad visor and full head strap.

Except, it’s not exactly the same as its competitors. Most VR headsets are big and heavy items, and it’s clear a slim build and light weight were top of Apple’s goals with this headset. Light materials have been used wherever possible, with more premium and heavier materials only used where absolutely necessary — like the front of the device, which is entirely glass. There’s a Digital Crown on the Vision Pro, too, borrowed from the Apple Watch to provide a small element of physical control. The headset’s frame bends slightly to fit around your face, while the band has been designed to be as comfortable as possible. Inserts can be added for those who use glasses, while the battery is connected by wire and can be slipped into a pocket so it doesn’t weigh down the headset. There are no controllers. Instead, the Vision Pro is controlled by your voice, hands, and eyes.

This headset is an extremely high-end entry in VR headsets, too, with each of the two displays containing more pixels than a 4K TV for unmatched crispness. It’s powered by Apple’s powerful M2 processor., the same chip you’ll find in the latest Macbook Pro 13-inch laptops, and it’s backed up by a new R1 chip created especially for the Vision Pro. It makes sure images are sent to the display in a seamless manner, eradicating frame lag that would impair the experience and freeing up the M2 to handle the other processing.

A blend of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the Vision Pro is the first Apple product you look through rather than at. Apple is clearly intending the headset to be an extension of your existing Apple ecosystem. As such, the Vision Pro has all the same Apple apps as your iPhone and can access your photos, videos, and call contacts.

The array of sensors and cameras on the front of the device means you can see your home through the Vision Pro, much like the Meta Quest’s Passthrough feature. Apple intends for you to use this around your house as a place to construct your own augmented reality space. Apps can be placed in physical space and expanded or shrunk to your needs, and they can be anchored in place so they don’t move when you do. Would you rather the real world fade away? You can add an immersive landscape experience instead of the real world, transporting yourself to a number of places, and can fine-tune your immersion level (i.e., whether you want it to be slightly transparent or not) using the Digital Crown.

Incredibly, that passthrough of information extends to you. Using internal cameras and sensors, a live feed of your eyes can be displayed on the Vision Pro and indicates when you’re using Eyesight to see through your headset’s cameras. This means those around you can see your eyes, even while using the Vision Pro. This is a massive deal in the VR space, as it stops users from being as locked out as they are in other headsets … even if it does look a little “uncanny valley.” Those same cameras and sensors are also being used for security, which is, as ever for Apple, a big part of the Vision Pro. The headset will use your eye’s unique iris information to unlock your device, a feature Apple is calling Optic ID.

As you’d expect, the Vision Pro works well with existing Apple accessories. The Magic Keyboard functions within Vision Pro, and incredibly, so does your Mac. Load up your Mac, and it can spring to life within Vision Pro, giving you a much larger screen to work with. Apple boasts this will work well within an office environment, whether in person or when working from home. After work, you can load up a streaming service and immerse yourself into a 3D movie on an incredibly rendered 100-foot screen.

3D motion on videos and spatial audio means memories and experiences will be even more immersive than ever on Vision Pro and can be captured directly from the Vision Pro for experiencing later. Vision Pro also supports Apple Arcade games and comes with PlayStation DualSense controller support, making it the one-stop space for work and play. Over one hundred games will be ready for Vision Pro on launch.

Another surprise guest for the keynote, Disney’s Bob Iger, dropped by to endorse the Apple Vision Pro and announce Disney support. Disney Plus app support will be available from day one, but for now, the deeper implications of Disney’s and Apple’s partnership remain to be seen. A speculative video teased some features that Disney is apparently working on and included additional context windows when watching Disney shows, special Disney VR environments, the ability to watch sports games from inside the arena, interact with Marvel’s What If series, and more.

Apple clearly has a vision for the Vision Pro, with the presentation being chock full of people using the Vision Pro while packing for trips, fetching drinks from the fridge, and even playing with their kids. The small dimensions and weight of the device mean Apple is clearly hoping this will be a device people will be able to put on and keep on for a long time and not just use in short spurts. In short, Apple wants the Vision Pro to be as big a part of your life as your iPhone.

The price is a big hurdle for that goal, though. The Apple Vision Pro starts from $3,499, a far cry from the much more reasonable price of other AR/VR headsets. The Apple Vision Pro will be available in 2024.

15-inch MacBook Air

Apple kicked off WWDC by introducing a new Macbook Air, a 15-inch variant of the regular 13-inch Macbook Air. Apple claims it’s the world’s best 15-inch laptop, with a thin and light but durable design, an extremely powerful Apple M2 processor, and a gorgeous 15.3-inch Retina display. If you’ve seen and used an M2 Macbook Air 13-inch, then imagine that, but bigger. It comes in four colors and comes with the MagSafe charging port, two USB-C ports, and a headphone jack. The display tops out at 500 nits of brightness and has a 1080 webcam above and six spatial speakers below. Apple claims it will have 18 hours of battery life.

The Macbook Air 15 will cost $1,299 ($1,199 for educators). The M2 Macbook Air 13 will get a small price drop to celebrate, falling to $1,099, while the M1 Macbook Air will fall to $999.

New Mac Studio and Mac Pro

The professional-but-tiny Mac Studio is getting new versions using Apple’s most powerful new cores. There’s now an M2 Max and M2 Pro version of the Mac Studio, but the new Mac Studio will also sport a brand new Apple chip — the Apple M2 Ultra. Basically, two M2 Pro processors stuck together, the M2 Ultra is a stunningly powerful chip and is capable of 22 streams of 8K ProRes footage in Final Cut Pro, and is 6x faster than the fastest Intel-powered Mac Pro.

The Mac Studio isn’t the only Mac product getting the M2 Ultra. There’s a new Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra as well, giving the Mac Pro a much-needed and powerful upgrade to a 24-core CPU and a 76-core GPU. This new Mac Pro has eight Thunderbolt ports, six expansion slots for customization, and it comes in both tower and rack mount enclosures.

The M2 Mac Studio starts from $1,999, while the M2 Ultra Mac Pro starts from $6,999. Preorders open today, with shipping starting next week.

iOS 17

As has become tradition, the new version of iOS was a key part of the WWDC keynote. There’s no big headline-grabbing feature this time around, with Apple focusing largely on quality-of-life improvements over fancy new additions, but even with that in mind, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about iOS 17.

iOS 17 will add personal contact “posters” when called by specific contacts, giving you the ability to customize your contact screen the same way you’d customize your lock screen. That’s not the only part of the Phone app being updated, as Apple is also adding Live Voicemail. This feature, similar to the Google Pixel’s Call Screen, offers a real-time transcript of a voicemail, so you can choose whether or not you want to pick up a call. Finally, FaceTime is also getting video voicemails, so you can leave a message for someone even if they’re not available at that moment in time.

Messages is getting a few upgrades too. You’ll be able to create search filters and get a catch-up arrow to jump to where you left off in a particular chat, so you don’t have to keep scrolling to get back to where you left off. Messages is also getting a live location feature, which comes hand-in-hand with the new Check-In feature. Check-In is a safety-conscious feature that lets specific contacts know when you get home safely, and it’ll also let specific contacts know if it seems as if something has gotten wrong on your way home.

On a lighter note, the Sticker feature has been expanded with a new Sticker drawer, the conversion of all emojis into Stickers, and the ability to use Stickers anywhere on iOS.

AirDrop on iOS 17 will support NameDrop, a new way of transferring contact information between iPhones. To use it, simply place your iPhone near another and choose which contacts to transfer. It’ll even work with an Apple Watch. AirDrop will now also continue transferring over mobile internet if you leave AirDrop range.

The keyboard’s autocorrect is getting supercharged, with more intelligent corrections and automatic word learning for a more personal touch. Dictation will also benefit from these changes, making it more accurate.

Apple leaned hard into the lock screen changes last year, and iOS 17 is building even further on that. In iOS 17, your iPhone’s lock screen will morph into a smart home display-like state called Standby. When it’s not in use and in a horizontal orientation, it’ll show the weather, upcoming appointments, notifications, and other important information. Apple’s aim is to make your iPhone more useful even when you’re not using it, and it helps to fill a smart display-sized hole in Apple’s Homekit offerings. Siri works in Standby by just saying “Siri,” and it adapts for nighttime as well, shifting into a less intrusive red light.

The developer beta for iOS 17 is available today, with a public beta coming next month and a full release in the fall.

Journal app

One of the more surprising additions to iOS 17 is the Journal app. Essentially a diary app cranked up to 11, Apple’s new app will use machine learning to prompt users to add the details of their day, along with their thoughts and feelings.

Photos and Maps will be integrated into the experience, providing additional prompts and content for your daily entries. All processing will be done on-device in order to ensure user security. Journaling is a well-known mindfulness technique, so it’s easy to see this as Apple pushing further into the physical and mental health world. We’re excited to try this out.

iPadOS 17

Apple iPadOS 17 will be getting a lot of the same updates and tweaks as iOS 17 but with a few additions just for the large-screened operating system.

Widgets are getting improvements in iPadOS 17, and you’ll be able to quickly interact with any widget on your home screen without needing to shift to the widget’s app. Lock screen customization is also arriving on iPadOS 17, and it means you’ll be able to customize your iPad’s lock screen to match or contrast with your iPhone’s lock screen, with the benefit of seeing it on a much larger screen. Live Activities is also coming to iPadOS’s lock screen, as well as the ability to show multiple timers at once.

One of the biggest and best improvements to iPadOS, though, has to be the addition of the Health app. Apple provides a lot of health data, so it’s great to have the large screen of an iPad to really dive deep into your latest workouts, health reports, and more.

PDF support is getting improved too, and now iPads will be able to detect the text entry portions on a PDF, giving you the ability to quickly and easily fill in the entries you need to complete before sending it off. PDFs will now also be stored within the Notes app, giving you unparalleled ability to store multiple PDFs within a single note or work with someone else on the same information using Live Collaboration.

The developer beta is releasing today, while a public beta will come next month, and the final release dropping in the fall.

macOS Sonoma

As expected, the new version of macOS debuted at the WWDC Keynote. Named macOS Sonoma, this new update includes a lot of the new additions coming to iOS and iPadOS. Sonoma includes a number of stunning new video screensavers which slowly scroll across gorgeous scenes from around the world.

Do you love widgets? We do, and so does Apple. Sonoma is adding the ability to add widgets directly to your desktop. You can add them wherever you like, and they intelligently adapt to what you’re doing on your Mac at any time. They’ll change color depending on your wallpaper, and when you’re using an app, they’ll fade into the background so they’re less distracting. Like iPhone and iPad, Sonoma’s widgets are fully interactable directly from the desktop.

Gaming hasn’t traditionally been macOS’s strong suit, but Apple’s M-series processors are changing that. Sonoma is getting a Game Mode, which optimizes your Mac to run games, reducing non-game processes to make sure your Mac runs your games in tip-top condition. That wasn’t everything on the gaming side, too. Legendary game director Hideo Kojima made a surprise appearance to announce that the Death Stranding Directors Cut would be coming to Macs later this year.

MacOS isn’t all play and no work, too. A presenter overlay will pop up during video presentations, giving you more immediate feedback on your current presentation, while watchers will be able to respond to your presentations with interactive reactions. These will work on most video presenting platforms, including Zoom and FaceTime.

Some additional updates for Safari will now allow for secure password sharing and introduce a new Profile system, which will allow you to separate your browsing history and cookies between work and play or just between users on a single machine. If you use specific websites a lot, the new WebApp feature can turn those websites into a pseudo-app interface, removing the website from Safari and giving it its own specific window.

Sonoma’s developer beta is available today, while the public beta comes in July. As with the other software announced today, a full release will arrive in the fall.

Audio and video updates

The most popular headphones in the world, the AirPods, are getting new abilities. Adaptive Audio combines Noise Cancellation and the Transparency mode to intelligently adapt and swap between audio modes when required. So distracting noises will be tuned out, while anything important will be highlighted. Conversation Awareness plays into this by automatically lowering the music volume when it detects you’re starting to talk to someone and focusing the Transparency mode on the person you’re talking to.

AirPlay is also being improved. AirPlay will learn when and where you tend to use your different Airplay devices and will start to offer AirPlay ahead of time. AirPlay in Hotels is another new addition, which will allow for quick and easy pairing to specific hotel sound systems.

Apple’s TV operating system, tvOS, wasn’t left out. tvOS’s control center has been improved, making it easier and quicker to use. Your iPhone can also be used to find your Siri Remote, reducing that annoying time spent hunting for a remote. The most exciting addition to tvOS, though, is the addition of FaceTime to Apple TV. You can quickly and easily send your FaceTime calls to your Apple TV, and all the usual features, like Center Stage, will work great on Apple TV’s FaceTime. You can even use SharePlay for the ultimate viewing experience with friends.

watchOS 10

Did you think you’d had enough customization? Well, you haven’t — because watchOS 10 is getting customization options too. The new version of watchOS will allow you to change any of your watch faces for your own personal needs by adding Smart Stacks with widgets that are accessible by just moving your Digital Crown. You can add or remove widgets with a long press, and you can quickly access your favorite apps directly from the Smart Stack.

Apple has also been working on cycling tracking, and watchOS 10 will now support Bluetooth bike sensors, so you can track your cadence and power using your Apple Watch. This is a big addition for cyclists, as it helps cut down on the number of devices needed when going out for a long ride. Apple Watch cycling workouts will now show up as a Live Activity on your iPhone automatically, so you can put your iPhone in a bike mount and keep updated with your Apple Watch’s stats as you cycle.

The Compass app is getting some great new safety options, including a pair of features that show where you last accessed cell connection, as well as the nearest location that can be used to send an SOS message. There’s also an elevation view and the ability to search for nearby facilities and hiking trails.

The Apple Watch will also now be able to analyze your tennis or golf swing and keep you updated as to how you’re progressing in your chosen sport.

Mental and physical health tools

Having conquered the world of physical health, Apple now wants to shine a light on mental health. The Mindfulness app in watchOS 10, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17 will now be able to record how you’re feeling at any particular moment, as well as record what you think might be causing that mood.

Mindfulness will also use clinical questionnaires to help you stay on top of your mental health and will even let you know if it thinks you may need to speak to someone about your health.

Myopia (short-sightedness) has been a particular focus for Apple this year, and now, watchOS 10 will track the time spent in daylight for kids, which has been proven to help reduce the chances of myopia development in children. Also included is a feature that will measure the distance at which your child uses their iPad or iPhone, another key indicator of potential myopia.

Editors' Recommendations

Apple’s announced the long rumored headset – which will be called Vision Pro, probably indicating that one day in the not so distant future we will see a less ‘Pro’ version of the headset.

The company is referring to the headset as its “first spatial computer” with a big emphasis on how a user will be able to stay present in the physical world while wearing it. Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about how the Vision Pro ushers in “the beginning of a new era for computing”.

Apple Vision Pro headset release date

Apple has said that the Vision Pro headset will be available “early next year” so a spring 2024 release date looks likely.

Apple Vision Pro headset price

Apple has confirmed that the Vision Pro will start at $3,499. There will be an additional cost associated with any prescription lenses that are required, but we don’t yet know what that will be.

Apple Vision Pro design

Apple

Apple has picked the materials that the Apple Vision Pro is made from to make it as “wearable” as possible. A custom aluminum alloy frame curves around the user’s face and a modular design means if can be tailored to fit the user “perfectly”.

The Light Seal is made of a soft textile that comes in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit the user’s face for a precise fit. There are flexible straps that can be adjusted to fit the head and ensure that the Audio Pods are positioned near the ears. The cushioned Head Band is available in multiple sizes and can be changed for another size or style.

What about those who wear glasses?

Those who need glasses will be able to get custom optical inserts to correct their vision. These ZEISS Optical Inserts are sold separately, so if you require this upgrade expect to pay more.

Apple Vision Pro specs

The Vision Pro will, according to Apple, “deliver phenomenal compute performance.” It is built on the M2 chip and the R1 chip. The R1 chip is used to process input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, it also eliminates lag to avoid latency. Apple says it can update images at eight times faster than the blink of an eye. The headset “runs virtually silent”, according to Apple.

There are two ultra-high-resolution displays that combine to produce 23 million pixels and create a 4K display for each that could generate a display that appears to be 100 feet wide.

Video can be rendered at 4K resolution and text appears sharp from any angle.

There are two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod that can deliver Personalized Spatial Audio based on the user’s own head and ear geometry. As a result, sound feels like it is coming from the space around you. Vision Pro also matches the sound to the room using audio raytracing. There’s also an advance sensor array.

Inside the lenses a high-performance eye tracking system uses cameras and a ring of LEDs to project invisible light patterns on t the users eyes, as a result the Apple headset is able to tell what way the user is looking and use high performance eye tracking control the interface. Apple claims this is: “So precise it frees up your hands.”

The Vision Pro also recognises the user’s iris as a method to unlock the device.

Apple Vision Pro battery life

Apple claims that the Apple Vision Pro can achieve all-day use when plugged in. You can expect up to two hours of use via its external, high-performance battery.

visionOS software and apps

Apple

With a Vision Pro headset users will be able to watch a movie, listen to music, browse photos, look at 3D objects, and even collaborate on a presentation.

The Vision Pro headset will run visionOS, an operating system that Apple has designed from the ground up for vision computing. Developers will be able to use use familiar tools to create apps for this platform, according to Apple.

There will be an App Store via which users will be able to get familiar iPhone and iPad apps as well as new apps designed for Vision Pro. Apple says that there will be lots of apps available at launch, including: Microsoft Office Apps, third party video conferencing apps, and Adobe Lightroom. Apple also previewed a SkyGuide app that can “transfer” you to space.

Apple says that Vision Pro “Makes new types of games possible”. Apparently users will be able to play over 100 Apple Arcade games on a screen as large as they want with support for popular game controllers.

There will also be a number of well known Apple apps available at launch, such as Safari, Messages, and FaceTime.

Here are some of the apps you can expect to see:

Video Conferencing

FaceTime will be available for the Vision Pro and will be able to take advantage of the room around you so that you can see everyone you are talking to in life size tiles. The participant’s voice will also comes from the direction of their tile thanks to Spatial Audio. Users wearing Vision Pro during a FaceTime call are reflected as a Persona — a digital representation of themselves created using Apple’s most advanced machine learning techniques. reflects face and hand movements in real time.

Apple has created a novel solution to the fact that you have a mask on and don’t have a camera in front of you. It can show a “persona”–a digital representation of you–that is based on your appearance. It can even show your hand movements.

Apple Vision Pro features

Some of the new features are unique to this brand new device, such as:

Spacial Videos and Photos

One of the most impressive features is the ability to take photos and videos with the Vision Pro and them later look back at them as part of an immersive, 3D experience.

This is thanks to Apple’s first three-dimensional camera. Apple Immersive Video offers 180-degree high-resolution recordings with Spatial Audio.

Eye Sight

This nifty features projects the correct perspective of your eyes to the people looking at you. EyeSight also includes a visual indicator that makes it clear to others when a user is capturing a spatial photo or video.

Apple

Spacial Cinema

For the ultimate cinema experience, the screen can be adjusted to the perfect size and you can be surrounded with spacial audio. This way you can focus fully on the movie. Apple says users will be able to watch 3D movies.

Disney’s Bob Iger CEO of Disney joined Apple on stage to demonstrate his excitement about the new technology. Iger said: “Apple Vision Pro can make our vision a reality” and explained that it will “Bring Disney to our fans in ways we previously didn’t think possible”. Apple and Disney are partnering to make Disney Plus available for Vision Pro on day one.

Apple says there will be an “exciting lineup of immersive videos” at launch.

What the Vision Pro is like to use

Right now we can only repeat what Apple has said about the experience of using a Vision Pro, but as soon as we get our hands on one we will update this section!

Apple says that the Vision Pro input system is controlled by a person’s eyes, hands, and voice. But it seems that the real control happens with your eyes. The Vision Pro being able to detect exactly where you are looking. As a result, users can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping their fingers to select, flicking their wrist to scroll, or using voice to dictate. You can just look at a text input and begin dictating, for example.

When you first put on Vision Pro you see your surroundings. You can freely move apps to fill the space around you and they can expend into your space. Apple says you can control how immersed you are Vision Pro with twist of the Digital Crown.

Apple described one design goal of Vision Pro as being to be “Never isolated from the people around you”. It achieves this in various ways, one is by displaying your eyes when there is someone near you. This is called EyeSight and it is designed to send a clear signal to people that you can’t see them when that is the case.

Similarly, if someone is near by they will appear in your view. This way it should still be easy to interact with the world around you while wearing the headset.

A user can bring Mac wirelessly into Apple Vision Pro just by looking at it. The contents of the Mac screen are then brought on to the 4K display you see through the Vision Pro.

An advanced Spatial Audio system is core to the Apple Vision Pro experience, creating the feeling that sounds are coming from the environment around the user and matching the sound to the space, according to Apple.

The Vision Pro will work seamlessly with familiar Bluetooth accessories, according to Apple.

When viewing Photos users can access their entire photo library on iCloud. Every Panorama shot on iPhone expands and wraps around the user, according to Apple.

What does AR/VR mean?

• VR = Virtual Reality (completely replaces your view)
• AR = Augmented Reality (overlays real world with graphics and information)
• MR = Mixed Reality (combining AR and VR)
• XR = Extended Reality (combining AR, VR and MR)

Apple

What Apps and software can we expect

Apparently, every app that comes pre-installed on an iPhone/iPad is going to get a custom app for the Reality Pro, including:

• Books
• Calendars
• Camera
• Contacts
• FaceTime – create a digital avatar and meet other users in a virtual meeting room.
• Fitness – watch a fitness instructor in VR while you work out in a virtual location (might be difficult to work out wearing a headset).
• Files
• Freeform
• GarageBand
• Home
• iMovie
• Keynote
• Mail
• Maps
• Messaging
• Notes
• Pages
• Photos
• Reminders
• Music
• News
• Numbers
• Safari
• Stocks
• TV – allowing users to view video content in a ‘virtual theater’ or other virtual settings like the desert or moon.
• Weather

Apple headset: Problems and prohibitions

If you have any of the following conditions you may not be able to use an Apple headset.

Those are all standard limitations for VR headsets, but none the less it illustrates the fact that this headset won’t be for everyone.

At WWDC 2023, Apple announced its first XR headset, the Vision Pro. As expected, the hardware blows away every other VR and AR headset on the market. Unfortunately, the advanced technology packed into the svelte and stylish Vision Pro headset drives the price out of reach of most consumers.

A new standard for XR headsets

For $3,499, the Apple Reality Pro sets a new standard for AR, VR, and the all-inclusive term XR. It allows you to place virtual screens around your Mac, take FaceTime calls without digging into your pocket, and write emails from your couch.

If tight Apple integration is all the Reality Pro provided, even early adopters might balk at the high cost. However, Apple did not disappoint, giving its XR headset truly revolutionary capabilities.

Intuitive control

Most VR headsets require controllers, but the Vision Pro allows full access with just your hands. Apple hasn’t shared all of the details, but it appears tapping and flicking your fingers, grabbing objects with your hands, and tracing with your index finger is enough to trigger actions and interact with visionOS.

Hand-tracking is well-supported by Meta’s Quest 2, Quest Pro and the upcoming Quest 3, but only in a few games and apps. Since Apple is making hands a primary input method, every app in the visionOS App Store should support hand interaction.

For authentication, the Vision Pro performs a retina scan to verify your identity quickly and effortlessly.

For gaming, you need more than hands. Thankfully, Apple realizes this and game controllers can be used for quick and responsive control.

Your private theater

Apple claims its headset provides a view that’s equivalent to a 100-foot wide screen. With the included Spatial Audio, this gives you a private theater for movies, TV shows, sporting events, and more. Of course, Apple TV+ will be available on the Vision Pro.

The image quality of Apple’s Vision Pro is also notably better than that of competitors, featuring 4K resolution for each eye packing a total of  23 million pixels into the two displays. That’s more than double that of Meta’s best VR headset and even eclipses the Varjo Aero’s impressive 2880-by-2720 pixel-per-eye resolution.

Apple didn’t share details about the display brightness or color space, but did mention brilliant color, spectacular detail, and high dynamic range. The presentation showed someone using the professional image editor Adobe Lightroom in Vision Pro.

The implication is that photographers, videographers, and graphic designers will be able use the Vision Pro instead of a monitor and still have confidence that picture quality will be good on traditional flat screens. The color fidelity is unconfirmed, for now.

Vision Pro apps

Apple’s Vision Pro has a home screen with apps, just like your iPhone. You can see the time and date, check the weather, and view notifications just as you can on any other Apple product.

Apple also brought many of its core apps to the Vision Pro, making it easy for its iPhone, iPad, and Mac customers to put on the headset and see familiar icons and themes. Transitioning to an entirely new way of interacting with a device isn’t easy, so this soft landing is important.

However, as an entirely new product category for Apple, the Vision Pro won’t have as rich a library of native third-party apps as a Mac or an iPhone.

Meta’s Quest 2 and Pro headsets enjoy a vast library of games, and the platform has been around since 2019, picking up where the Oculus Rift left off.

This is where iPad apps come in.

iPad Apps

Apple has had key developers working on Vision Pro apps in advance of its announcement, but it will take years to develop new games and port existing content to the new platform. In the meantime, Apple is filling that gap with iPad apps, presumably including the recently released Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro.

The Apple Vision Pro will be able to run iPad apps, expanding its capabilities before immersive apps become available. Since the headset is powered by a high-performance M2 chip, it’s just as fast as an iPad Pro. The same chip powers the new 15-inch MacBook Air and other Macs.

When you put on an Apple Vision Pro, you can pick up where you left off with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, multitasking with multiple apps side by side or focusing on just one app.

Mixed reality

Unlike the passthrough of the Meta Quest Pro and other VR headsets that have noticeable visual flaws, Apple’s mixed reality view of your real surroundings seems nearly indistinguishable from what you’d see with the headset off. That’s thanks to higher-quality cameras and more processing power to align the generated images quickly and with great precision.

The Vision Pro’s digital crown, which looks like the one on the Apple Watch, allows for an easy transition between immersive view and seeing your room. When someone approaches you, the display will reveal them, and they can see you also.

Based on Apple’s Vision Pro demonstration, graphics processing has great enough performance to render objects that appear nearly as substantial as the physical desk or table you’re sitting at. This is the mixed reality we’ve all been waiting for. If only it didn’t cost more than a MacBook Pro.

Gaming

Apple’s Vision Pro uses Apple Metal 3 technology on an M2 chip, providing great performance for games. The challenge, of course, is getting enough content on the platform to compete with existing VR headsets with libraries that were built over several years.

Apple Arcade will provide over 100 apps at launch, drawing from the iPad library, but that won’t be enough to inspire gamers to buy Apple’s powerful, but gaming-constrained device.

Apple announced an intriguing partnership with Disney, but it is going to take time to meet the demand for gaming that takes advantage of the Vision Pro’s immersive capabilities, super-high resolution, and special features.

Eyes front and center

In what is certain to be the most controversial aspect of the Vision Pro headset, Apple placed a display on the outside of the headset so your eyes are still visible even when wearing the device. The view is a bit dark, but looks convincing.

We’ve previously seen Meta prototypes with a similar design called reverse passthrough. Apple’s implementation is much better, as if you’re wearing ski goggles.

Hardware

Apple packed the Vision Pro headset with cutting-edge technology. It’s clear that this had to be an expensive device. Earlier rumors suggested that the iPhone company realized this wasn’t a device for everyone. It’s meant for early adopters, developers, and corporations that can afford the cost given the potential it opens up.

With an M2 and a new R1 processor onboard, this will be a high-performance device with as much computing power as a MacBook Air. In the VR world, you’d need to connect to a PC with a powerful discrete GPU to match this speed.

Apple didn’t delve into the battery life in its presentation, but quietly admitted that it’s only about 2 hours. An external battery pack is used so a cable connection is required to use the headset.

While most of us look on in envy, rest assured a lower cost Apple XR headset is already in development to bring Apple’s plan for an augmented reality future forward.

Price and availability

Marketplace

Booz Allen dinged for management plan in lost $2.5B NSA contract (Washington Technology) The National Security Agency liked CACI International's bid for the FocusedFox cyber and intelligence contract for more reasons than just price.

GAO Rejects 2nd Protest Over CACI's $2.5B NSA Contract (Law360) The Government Accountability Office has rejected Booz Allen Hamilton's protest over a $2.49 billion National Security Agency contract for analyst services awarded to CACI Inc.-Federal, saying that Booz Allen failed to timely challenge the agency's alleged failure to follow a rule requiring discussions with bidders.

Introducing The Daily Record’s 2023 Cybersecurity Power List (Maryland Daily Record) Those chosen for The Daily Record's first Cybersecurity Power List are at the cutting edge of technological advances to protect our digital assets.

BIO-key International, Inc. Receives Notice of Non-Compliance from Nasdaq (GlobeNewswire News Room) BIO-key International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BKYI), an innovative provider of workforce and customer identity and...

Impact on Fortinet after cybersecurity incident will be minimal, says Goldman Sachs By Investing.com (Investing.com) Impact on Fortinet after cybersecurity incident will be minimal, says Goldman Sachs

Decoding SentinelOne's AI Edge: Next Big Leap In Cybersecurity (NYSE:S) (Seeking Alpha) SentinelOne demonstrates strong growth with a 92% YoY revenue increase in Q4 2022. Click here to learn more about S stock and its prospects in AI & cybersecurity.

SolarWinds Transforms Brand to Signify Ongoing Evolution, Portfolio Expansion, and Customer Empowerment (Business Wire) Refreshed version of iconic SolarWinds logo and vibrant new brand color palette honor company’s historic success while highlighting future vision

CrowdStrike adds generative AI assistant to security tools (Axios) CrowdStrike is the next major cybersecurity firm bringing generative AI into its product stack. Driving the news: CrowdStrike — a publicly traded company that provides a mix of cloud security tools, endpoint security, and incident response and threat intelligence products — rolled out its own generative AI assistant for customers Tuesday.

Why Palantir's Latest AI Initiatives Make It a Screaming Buy (The Motley Fool) Management says it has already seen "unprecedented demand" for its latest product.

Loews Corp Invests $10.53 Million in CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) (MarketBeat) Loews Corp purchased a new position in shares of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD - Get Rating) during the fourth quarter, according to its most exact disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 100,000 shares of the company's stock, value

Thales wins cyber security deal with Indonesia’s Cyber and Crypto Agency (APDR) In the first quarter of 2023, Indonesia’s Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) took a major step in this direction with the signing of a Memorandum-of-Understanding (MoU) with Thales,

Lowell to Spend $1M on LifeLock After Cyber Attack (GovTech) The city and school district of Lowell, Mass. have allocated more than $1 million combined to purchase LifeLock protection for all city and school employees impacted by a ransomware attack earlier this month.

Q&A with ReversingLabs COO Peter Doggart: With software supply chain security, 'your brand is at stake' (ReversingLabs) The new Chief Operating Officer at ReversingLabs, Peter Doggart, talks about the challenge of securing software supply chains — and the promise ReversingLabs offers.

Interest in cybersecurity and career opportunities surge in May 2023 (Upper Cumberland Business Journal) People are becoming increasingly aware of the potential consequences of cyber threats

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says has no plans to leave Europe (Reuters) OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe, CEO Sam Altman said on Friday, reversing a threat made earlier this week to leave the region if it becomes too hard to comply with upcoming laws on artificial intelligence.

Bytes thrives from demand for security and cloud with double-digit growth (CRN) The reseller’s FY23 results were propelled by both public sector and corporate clients

WSJ News Exclusive | Israeli Cyber Company NSO Group Has New Ownership After U.S. Blacklist (Wall Street Journal) The Israeli maker of the controversial Pegasus software used to target government officials and activists has been pushed into a restructuring by its lenders.

Castellum, Inc. Set to Join Russell Microcap® Index (GlobeNewswire News Room) BETHESDA, Md., May 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Castellum, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE-American: CTM), a cybersecurity and electronic warfare services...

Hopr Raises $500K to Revolutionize API Protection (Business Wire) Maryland-based startup develops technology to secure workloads, APIs and data across all cloud environments; Funding to accelerate product-led go-to-market strategy

authID INC. Announces Closing of $8.2 Million Concurrent Registered Direct Offering and Private Placement led by Existing Shareholders and $8.9 Million Notes Exchange (GlobeNewswire News Room) authID to Continue Efforts to Eliminate Authentication Fraud and Deliver 100% Zero Trust Identity Protection on the Internet DENVER, May 26, 2023 ...

Castellum, Inc. Announces $6 million Cost Reduction Plan (GlobeNewswire News Room) Castellum, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE-American: CTM), a cybersecurity and electronic warfare services...

An Accelerator Implodes, Leaving Founders in Shock (The Information) If you ask a startup founder what they look for in an accelerator program, they’d probably hope for access to startup veterans and connections to prominent venture capitalists.By all accounts, they didn’t get much of that from Newchip, whose parent Astralabs last week entered into Chapter 7 ...

OpenText Celebrates 10th Consecutive Year as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Security Testing (PR Newswire) OpenText™ (NASDAQ: OTEX), (TSX: OTEX) announced today it has been recognized as a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant review for...

Why aren't venture capitalists flocking to fund cybersecurity startups? (TechCrunch) Cybersecurity companies are enjoying stellar growth and multiples, but VCs are still hesitant to invest in these startups. What's going on?

Ransomware is being excluded from cyber insurance policies (Security) According to a exact report, some cyber insurance policies aren't covering ransomware attacks as the volume of attacks continues to rise.

Agile Defense acquires XOR Security (Intelligence Community News) Agile Defense, an end-to-end provider of large-scale, digital transformations solutions to the Department of Defense (DoD) and other national security customers, announced today that it has acquired Falls Church, VA-based XOR Security.

High Wire Launches Cybersecurity Job Training Program for Military Service Members and Veterans in Partnership with U.S. Department of Defense (GlobeNewswire News Room) High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a leading global provider of managed cybersecurity and technology...

Five reasons why a career in cybersecurity is worth pursuing (SecurityBrief Australia) The demand for cybersecurity professionals has increased exponentially, and the trend is expected to continue as the world becomes more digital.

Products, Services, and Solutions

New infosec products of the week: May 26, 2023 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from: Axiado, Delinea, Netscout, Radware, and Veriff.

Datacipher Announces New Service Offering, Security Audit, Which Will Keep Track of Organisation's Cyber Security Health (Yahoo Finance) Mumbai, India--(Newsfile Corp. - May 26, 2023) - Datacipher, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its latest service offering, "Security Audit". The program helps organizations maintain and enhance cybersecurity by proactively identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring robust protection against evolving threats.Developed to address cyber threats at their earliest stages, Datacipher's Security Audit assists businesses in assessing their cybersecurity hea

ClassNK endorses fleet cyber security solution (Riviera) Fleet Secure Endpoint provides cyber security and threat detection for IT networks on ships

Infinite Blue Improves Cybersecurity Solution Providing Users... (Enterprise Security) One of the leaders in total enterprise resilience, Infinite Blue, revealed that it had enhanced the real-time threat intelligence feature in Cenari....

Cyber startup Onwardly builds consortium to bolster cyber resilience (Reseller News) Auckland ​Cybersecurity SaaS startup Onwardly is partnering with Brightly, SafeAdvisory and Theta to "democratise" security and privacy.

New infosec products of the week: May 26, 2023 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from: Axiado, Delinea, Netscout, Radware, and Veriff.

Tufin Enables Enterprises to Unify Network Visibility and Control Across On-Premise and Cloud Environments with Launch of R23-1 (Business Wire) Latest Release Prevents Security Blind Spots with Improved Network Access Automation, Enhanced Policy Management and New Network Topology Capabilities

Black Ink Tech and Incode Partner to Make Everywhere Identity a Reality (Yahoo Finance) Black Ink Technologies Corp, a digital pioneer connecting physical objects, services, and events to a permanent graded data record through immutable ledger technology, is pleased to partner with Incode on a transformative solution that delivers validated global identity. Incode is the leading provider of digital biometric verification and world-class identification authentication solutions. Operating within Black Ink Tech's ChainIT platform, this powerful solution creates a global, ubiquitous di

Socure Makes Progress Toward Helping More State and Local Governments Deliver Accurate and Inclusive Identity Verification (Business Wire) “Progressing” status designation marks next step toward full authorization under StateRAMP certification program for cloud security

WinMagic partners with Lumen Technologies to offer mission-critical cybersecurity solutions (GlobeNewswire News Room) New partnership leverages expertise in network, security and cloud solutions...

NordPass introduces advanced File Attachments functionality (GlobeNewswire News Room) On Wednesday, NordPass announced that its password manager now offers new features. NordPass Premium users can...

Corvus Insurance Unveils Corvus Signal™, a Cyber Risk Prevention Solution Shown to Reduce Cyber Breaches (Business Wire) Policyholders who engaged with Corvus Signal in the past three years saw a nearly 20% lower frequency and cost of cyber breaches

ThreatBlockr Announces Milestone of Blocking One Billion Threats Per Day (ThreatBlockr) The company also doubles down on support for higher education institutions as the industry continues to face rising threats

KnowBe4 and TDI Collaborate To Enhance Cyber Performance, Risk and Compliance Capabilities (KnowBe4) KnowBe4 and TDI Collaborate To Enhance Cyber Performance,Risk and Compliance Capabilities

Coro Named One Of Top 5 Security Solutions (Coro Cybersecurity) We are thrilled to announce that we’ve been recognized as a finalist for Best SME Security Solution in the 2023 SC Awards.

NordLayer launches a new and one-of-the-kind Browser Extension (GlobeNewswire News Room) The NordLayer team is happy to announce that from now on, people can access their business resources via a...

People

Stephen Lee Hired as New Chief Sales Officer at Avalon (Avalon) Avalon, which offers technology-based services like digital forensics, cybersecurity, and eDiscovery, as well as business-critical document services, announced today that proven sales leader and legal outsourcing industry veteran Stephen Lee will serve as the company’s new chief sales officer.

High Wire Appoints Seasoned Tech Executive, Curtis Smith, as Chief Financial Officer (GlobeNewswire News Room) BATAVIA, Ill., May 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a leading global provider of managed cybersecurity and technology...

MISI Welcomes Veteran Technology Industry Leader Gregg Smith as CEO (Business Wire) USCYBERCOM’s successful Industry Days event held May 22-23 at MISI’s DreamPort facility highlighted the importance of collaboration between the private cybersecurity industry, academia and government

Bishop Fox Adds Cybersecurity Product and Engineering Veteran as Chief Product Officer (GlobeNewswire News Room) Kevin Tonkin joins as company’s first CPO to lead expansion of industry-leading Cosmos ASM and pen testing platform...

Lantronix Announces CEO Transition and Continuity Plan (GlobeNewswire News Room) Lantronix Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRX), a global provider of secure turnkey solutions for the Industrial Internet...

Darktrace appoints Chris Kozup as CMO (Security Systems) Cybersecurity AI provider Darktrace has announced the appointment of Chris Kozup as their Chief Marketing Officer, effective June 6, 2023.

OdysseyRe names Shafer head of North American cyber (Insurance Day) Global reinsurer hires <span>Christopher Shafer from Guy Carpenter to provide facultative and treaty cyber coverage  </span>

Christopher Shafer Named Head of North American Cyber at OdysseyRe (Business Wire) Odyssey Reinsurance Company (OdysseyRe) today announced the appointment of Christopher Shafer as vice president and head of North American cyber underwriting. He will support the Company’s business partners in addressing cyber risk on both a facultative and treaty basis, offering rich product-line expertise in a critical and growing segment.

Rubrik appoints former Zscaler VP to head up UK and Ireland (CRN) Toby Keech will lead the go-to-market sales strategy as Rubrik eyes growth in the region

Sectigo Announces Executive Appointment of Christopher Bray as Senior Vice President of Partner and eCommerce Sales Channels (GlobeNewswire News Room) Former Symantec, McAfee Exec Hired to Scale Sectigo’s Partner Programme and eCommerce Offering...

Darktrace Appoints Chris Kozup as Chief Marketing Officer (PR Newswire) Industry veteran brings more than 20 years of experience leading high performance marketing teams for enterprise technology companies including...

Jon Bates Promoted to Chief Executive Officer at Avalon (Avalon) Avalon, which offers technology-based services like digital forensics, cybersecurity and eDiscovery as well as document services, announced today that former chief operating officer Jon Bates has been promoted to chief executive officer.

There’s been a lot of speculation lately about Apple’s Reality Pro launch plans, and also about the pricing of the device.

The consensus view so far has been that Apple will announce the Reality Pro AR/VR headset at WWDC on June 5, and that pricing will be around $3,000. But some are questioning both …