Apple finally announced the Vision Pro headset at its WWDC opening event on June 5, and much of what we saw was already expected. But a new report suggests that there was even more that we didn’t see.
According to that report, the Vision Pro headset still has plenty of work to be done before it’s ready for shipping, likely something that explains the vague early 2024 release window that was given earlier this month.
If accurate, the report paints a picture of features that have simply gone missing while others are in such an unfinished state that even those who were given time to wear the headset weren’t allowed to use them. Can Apple get its ducks in a row in time for the big release?
Missing features
According to The Information’s Wayne Ma, the features that Apple was known to be working on but didn’t announce at WWDC could give us an idea of what is still to come from a headset that has the potential to change the way people work and play .
According to Ma, Apple had planned for more advanced well-being and fitness features including support for a tai chi app. That app “would guide users in the practice” using its array of cameras. There was also talk of new “apps for yoga that included the ability for the headset’s downward-facing cameras to measure breathing by observing a user’s chest and torso.” None of that has so far been shown by Apple.
Some have suggested that Apple may have held back on such features due to the Vision Pro’s battery pack, while the use of glass and an externally-facing display also raise concerns about durability.
The lack of any real 3D gaming push was also notable when the Vision Pro headset was announced. My notes that “Apple’s App Store head, Phil Schiller, pushed for the Vision Pro to have more of an emphasis on games.” But that didn’t happen. It’s thought that the lack of physical controllers may be at play here.
There were other things, too. Apple reportedly worked on 3D Apple TV Plus content based on Prehistoric Planet and For All Mankind, but information was lacking at the event. Even features that were shown were kept behind lock and key when members of the press tested Vision Pro, too.
“No Apple executives or employees put on the device in front of a live audience, while the select group of journalists and critics at the private demo said they weren’t allowed to use Siri or the virtual keyboard or observe the device’s front-facing screen that shows a user’s eyes, suggesting those features aren’t finished,” Ma posits.
Apple has plenty to work on before the Vision Pro is ready for market, but it has other things to deal with as well. The best iPhones to date are expected to be announced later this year, with the iPhone 15 touted for a September launch.
