What Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset Launch Means for the Metaverse

By: Edward Chan

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Apple has recently unveiled its groundbreaking mixed reality (MR) headset, the Apple Vision Pro, setting new standards for the extended reality (XR) industry and taking us one step closer to mass-market XR adoption. The launch of Apple’s MR headset marks a significant milestone in the development of the Metaverse, as it showcases the potential of mixed reality hardware performance and the power of Apple’s new Vision OS. This set the foundation for new XR application development.

The Apple Vision Pro features an advanced display system that uses micro OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology, allowing the company to fit 44 pixels in the space of an iPhone pixel. Each pixel is 7.5-micron wide, and the headset boasts 23 million pixels across two panels. Apple promises video rendered at 4K resolution with wide colors, and text that appears super sharp from any angle.¹

A key component of the Apple Vision Pro is its wide array of sensors and cameras. The headset is equipped with 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, including two cameras pointing at the real world, two downward-facing cameras for hand tracking, a lidar scanner, and a TrueDepth camera. Inside the device, two IR cameras and a ring of LEDs enable eye-tracking, a feature Apple has named EyeSight.¹

At the heart of the Apple Vision Pro is the new R1 chip, specifically designed for real-time data processing of the physical world, and Apple’s own M2 chip. The R1 chip aims to reduce motion sickness, further enhancing the user experience.¹

The introduction of Apple’s Vision OS will provide a robust platform for companies to develop XR applications, accelerating the evolution of the Metaverse. The Apple Vision Pro is expected to sell for USD3,499 and will be available for purchase in early 2024.²

Initial feedback from reporters who have tried the device has been positive. The sharpness and definition of passthrough are well ahead of any competitors in the market. Seamless control with no physical controller enabled by the sensor suites is also the first of its kind in the industry.

In conclusion, Apple’s MR headset launch has set a new benchmark for XR hardware performance and has the potential to revolutionize the XR industry. With the introduction of the Vision OS, Apple is providing a key platform for XR application development, moving us closer to mass market adoption and the realization of the Metaverse.

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Issuer: Mirae Asset Global Investments (Hong Kong) Limited (Licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission for Types 1, 4 and 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance). This document has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission or the applicable regulator in the jurisdiction which this article is posted and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of MAGIHK.

Edward Chan (Licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission for Types 4 and 9 regulated activities under the Securities and Futures Ordinance). The author and their associate(s) do not hold the securities/fund mentioned in the article.