Apple Vision Pro: A Step Toward a True Mixed Reality World

Apple announced Apple Vision Pro over a year ago at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). I was fortunate enough to attend the event and experience Vision Pro, and since its release in the USA early this year, I have had further opportunities to test it. A year on, my opinion has not changed: this product truly lives up to its expectations.

Every aspect of this device is extraordinary: the exceptional image quality, precise eye tracking and hand gestures, immersive 3D spatial photos and content, and undoubtedly, the user-friendly interface that makes using the device a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Apple has revolutionised augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences by introducing a device that surpasses the quality of any other headset I have ever tested.

Over the past ten years, more than 350 AR and VR headsets have been launched, and I have tested many of them. The Apple Visio Pro has brought the world of AR and VR to an entirely different level.?

This device is important in many ways: it will transform how we interact with the digital world at work and home by revolutionising the next generation of user interfaces. Throughout much of the latter half of the 20th century, the keyboard and mouse were the primary means of interacting with digital content. However, we have since witnessed the rise and widespread adoption of touch interfaces, multitouch, and voice control. Apple has been playing a leading role in the advancement of these technologies.

Over the years, various companies and brands have explored immersive technologies, and in the past decade, AR and VR have become accessible to consumers and businesses. However, no single consumer electronics brand has managed to truly transform our interaction with digital content. This is the ambitious goal that Apple aims to achieve with Vision Pro, and they have made a remarkable start toward that goal. With its unique features and capabilities, Apple Vision Pro has the potential to revolutionise how we interact with digital content, both at work and at home, without compromising security and privacy.

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Apple Vision Pro Market Performance and Opportunity

The success of Apple Vision Pro in the market is undeniable. With the product available only in the US, Apple became the second-largest player globally in units sold, with a 17% market share in Q1 2024. Furthermore, it captured a 57% share of the total value generated in the category globally, overtaking Meta (20% share) to become the market leader in value in the first quarter of sales.

Apple is expected to consolidate its market position by bringing it to strategic new markets. On June 28, Apple Vision Pro became available in China, Japan, and Singapore, and on July 12, customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK will be able to purchase it. These are strategic markets for Apple Vision Pro, as they accounted for 76% of the global sales of AR and VR headsets in 2023.

With the product becoming available in new countries, we expect Apple Vision Pro to continue growing its sales and market share. In 2024, IDC forecasts Apple to sell 400,000 units globally, generating over $1.4 billion in revenues.

This will set a new industry record: no other brand in the history of the AR and VR market has sold as many units or generated as much revenue with its first product in the first year as Apple is projected to achieve in 2024 with Vision Pro.

Over the next four years, IDC forecasts Apple to sell 6.9 million visionOS devices globally, capturing $13.8 billion in revenues. This means visionOS devices will grow on average 59% each year between 2024 and 2028, outperforming the market and consolidating Apple's position as the market leader in this category.

In the last ten years, the collective expenditure on AR and VR headsets has exceeded $24 billion, while the number of headsets shipped has reached 64 million units. The market is poised for even more significant expansion thanks to Apple's entrance, expected to ignite widespread adoption. To contribute to the growth, new products are expected in the future at lower price points. While the specific specs of new products remain unknown, a more affordable device will likely boost sales, especially among consumers.

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Uses Cases and Content

While Apple primarily emphasised its consumer-focused approach at the launch, it is seeing strong business interest. There is an emerging interest in commercial applications as enterprises seek ways to minimise expenses and enhance customer satisfaction. According to IDC, by 2027, training, collaboration, and improving customer experiences will account for more than 52% of the overall expenditure on AR and VR hardware. Healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive are among the industries developing applications for Apple Vision Pro.

Similarly, augmented reality has predominantly attracted enterprise users for troubleshooting, product development, and design purposes. However, there is also a rising consumer market opportunity for personal productivity and entertainment. Realising this potential relies heavily on Apple's ability to mobilise its extensive developer community. Given the large community of developers, the company is well-positioned to drive content creation through its developer base, which will be pivotal in reaching a significantly broader customer base. At its WWDC this year, Apple announced that more than 2,000 spatial apps were designed for Apple Vision Pro, and more than 1.5 million compatible iOS and iPadOS apps are already available with the latest release of visionOS 2. What makes a product great goes beyond its built quality; its value derives from the content it offers its users, especially local content, as the product becomes available in multiple countries worldwide.

Developers eagerly anticipate a device that enables them to offer premium and familiar experiences to users. At the same time, enterprises see the potential of mixed reality in reducing costs across various areas such as product development, training, industrial maintenance, and emergency response. Furthermore, embracing mixed reality can enhance collaboration and elevate customer experiences. Both enterprises and developers require a high-quality device with exceptional specifications that empower them to deliver outstanding experiences, all while minimising costs. Apple's new Vision Pro fulfils precisely this need.

To consumers, Vision Pro offers innovative ways to engage with digital content. Although we can access content on various screen sizes, an exceptional experience often requires the optimal screen size. This usually leads to compromising mobility to enhance the experience, as only smartphones, tablets, and laptops offer truly mobile screens. For instance, while movies can be enjoyed on smartphones, a larger screen in a theatre provides a significantly superior viewing experience. With Apple TV+ available, Vision Pro can display TV shows and movies on a screen that feels like a cinema.

Working with multiple displays in the workspace boosts productivity compared to relying on a single laptop screen. However, users cannot carry multiple screens when they change locations. visionOS 2 integrates with the Mac to allow the Apple Vision Pro to serve as an external display for the Mac. Later this year, visionOS 2 will bring new features to Apple Vision Pro. The Mac Virtual Display will feature a higher resolution ultrawide screen, equivalent to two 4K monitors side-by-side. This will appeal to professionals who need to work from different locations where multiple monitors are unavailable.

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The Importance of Privacy

Another key benefit of working in Vision Pro is privacy while on the move. The risk of others reading or photographing our laptop screens is high, whether on trains, planes or public spaces. This risk is particularly critical when accessing personal or confidential information on the go. A mixed-reality headset, like Apple Vision Pro, prevents others from seeing our work while offering robust security features. Vision Pro includes built-in privacy and security features that help prevent anyone from accessing the data on the device and in iCloud. It features Optic ID, an iris scanning function that unlocks the device, authorises payments and purchases, and allows users to sign in to third-party apps, similar to Face ID. This high level of security is essential, especially in a corporate environment where the device may be shared.

Apple has been a disruptive force across multiple categories and industries, transforming personal computers, music players, smartphones, and watches, to name a few. Their innovative products have set the standard for their respective categories and revolutionised our lives in unimaginable ways.

With the introduction of the Vision Pro, Apple has initiated the next revolution in personal technology.