At its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2023 event, Apple unveiled, among other things, its $3,499 Vision Pro mixed reality (MR) headset. With Spatial Canvas, as Apple calls it, the Vision Pro claims to seamlessly blend the digital world with the physical for those users that put the headset on.
Alongside the headset, Apple also showed off its new visionOS operating system that will work in tandem to help in delivering these kinds of immersive and engaging experiences with the aid of Spatial Computing. The company says visionOS is the world's first, designed from the ground up, OS to enable Spatial computing. (Perhaps Windows Holographic makers may want to have a word here.)
visionOS works with existing Apple ecosystem tools like SwiftUI, RealityKit, ARKit, and more. Hence, it has been built in such a way that developers do not find it difficult to transition to building applications for the Vision Pro as they are already familiar with such tools. This is essentially what visionOS and spatial computing is about. Apple adds that the new OS has additional optimizations to deliver low latency, something which is extremely critical for an enjoyable AR, VR, or MR experience.
In its press release, Apple stated:
Featuring visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system, Vision Pro lets users interact with digital content in a way that feels like it is physically present in their space.
visionOS features a three-dimensional interface that frees apps from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side by side at any scale.
Built on the foundation of decades of engineering innovation in macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, visionOS was designed from the ground up to support the low-latency requirements of spatial computing. The result is a revolutionary operating system that delivers powerful spatial experiences that can take advantage of the space around the user, unlocking new opportunities at work and at home.
And in case you were wondering what a Windows 11-version of visionOS would look like, this fan-made concept art is something you will probably love. The concept was designed by Twitter user @froggie621 (via FireCube).
The design is surprisingly good, so good in fact that perhaps even Apple and Microsoft would approve of it (although not really) in how well made it is. If users weren't aware, they may think this is the perfect Windows 11 port for the Vision Pro. Some of the characteristics of Windows 11 like the rounded corners stand out quite nicely and the attention to detail is praiseworthy.
_small.jpg)
11 Comments - Add comment