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Worried about what apps will actually come with the Vision Pro? Here’s what Apple has planned
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Apple’s take on the virtual computing headset, the Vision Pro, will soon be in people's hands (and on their heads), but there's been some concern about what apps will actually be available to run natively – and thankfully, Apple has now given us an idea.

In an official Newsroom post, Apple stated that the Vision Pro App Store will offer “spatial computing experiences unlike any other platform.” The Vision Pro’s capabilities will allow users to experience apps in a whole new way – allowing users to scale apps to nearly any size and arrange them to anywhere in their field of vision.

These apps, which have been specially made for the Vision Pro, certainly sound exciting, but we've recently learned that major apps such as Spotify, Netflix and YouTube won't have native Vision Pro apps – at least at launch. This will be a blow to anyone wanting to use the Vision Pro as a media player, so what exactly can we expect app-wise?

An indication of what kind of apps users can expect

Vision Pro users will be able to experience productivity, communication, entertainment (including streaming), and gaming spatial computing apps. According to Apple, because the visionOS makes use of existing developer frameworks, there are already “more than 1 million familiar apps” compatible with the Vision Pro.

Some of the apps currently in development for productivity are Microsoft 365 apps, Fantastical, JigSpace, Slack, and Apple’s Freeform. 

Apple has already shown demonstrations of Keynote and Safari visionOS apps, which 9to5Mac speculates that they may be ready to download and use (or will be very soon) and assumes that more iWork suite apps will follow in quick succession. 

Communication apps for the Vision Pro will work with the help of its Persona feature, which will still be in beta upon the Vision Pro’s launch. Apps that already qualify for this include FaceTime, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Microsoft Teams.

Here's a list of the confirmed Vision Pro apps so far:

  • Microsoft 365
  • Fantastical (a calendar app)
  • JigSpace (for 3D presentations)
  • Slack
  • Apple Freeform
  • FaceTime
  • Zoom
  • Webex
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Apple TV (with support for Apple Immersive Video format videos)
  • Apple TV Plus (the streaming service)
  • Disney Plus
  • Max
  • Apple Arcade

The following apps have been demoed by Apple, but not yet confirmed for the Apple Vision Pro launch:

  • Apple Keynote
  • Safari

The Vision Pro's entertainment potential

One huge selling point for any virtual reality headset is how users can experience media like entertainment media and gaming. 

Some streaming services will be available and ready to use upon the Vision Pro’s arrival like Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Max (HBO Max and Discovery) and more, though as I mentioned earlier, there are some noticeable exceptions.

Apple has been talking about the Vision Pro’s visual display specs as one of its most cutting-edge features, particularly thanks to the new Apple Immersive Video format that makes the Vision Pro capable of processing and displaying 180-degree, 3D, 8K content with spatial audio. To take advantage of this Apple is making 150 titles available in the Apple TV app. 

Over 250 games will also be available on the Vision Pro with the Apple Arcade, with the potential for games outside of the Apple Arcade to be added as well. Apple is also adding support for PS5 and Xbox wireless controllers that can be used in conjunction with the Vision Pro for gaming.

Apple CEO Tim Cook declared the Vision Pro as “the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created,” which is certainly a bold claim. 

Virtual reality (and similar technologies) and virtual computing devices have had a mixed reception so far, and it’s an interesting move for Apple to launch an augmented reality headset (which is what it is, no matter what Apple wants us to think) when many of its competitors have instead turned their attention to artificial intelligence (AI) – something Apple has so far not shown much interest in. But who knows? If the product is really as good as Apple wants us to think it is, and the price point comes down a little in the future, this could be the next Apple product that becomes a part of our everyday life – but it'll need more apps before it can manage that.

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Early Apple Vision Pro testers complain about the headset’s weight
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Apple’s Vision Pro may be overweight as a group of reporters complained about experiencing discomfort while wearing the headset in a recent hands-on demo.

On January 16, the company gave tech news sites Engadget and The Verge an opportunity to try out their upcoming device ahead of its release on February 2. The preview was largely positive with Engadget’s Cherlynn Low commending the Vision Pro’s ability to create an immersive entertainment experience. But as Low states, “the best heads-up display in the world will be useless if it can’t be worn for a long time” and that’s exactly what happened. 15 minutes into the demo, she began “to feel weighed down by the device” with a modicum of pain arriving soon after. This sentiment was repeated by The Verge’s Victoria Song who felt the Vision Pro pushing down on her brow, resulting in a mild headache.

This issue has been known for some time now with early testers complaining that the headset “feels too heavy” after wearing it for a couple of hours. TechRadar’s US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff, who has worn the Vision Pro a few times, admits that it “really needs [an] overhead strap” to support its weight. Fortunately, there is such a strap. It’s called the Dual Loop Band sporting a strap going over the top of your head and one around the back. 

It’s unknown how much of a difference the Dual Loop Band makes. The extra strap presumably worked well enough as neither report would go on to mention the weight as a problem again.

International release

But still, the issue will continue to exist. It’s unlikely Apple will address this in time for the American launch in February, but it's conceivable Apple could make changes for the international release.

Notable industry insider Ming Chi Kuo posted new details on the Vision Pro’s potential global roll-out to his Medium newsletter claiming it might come out just before WWDC 2024 in June. At the developers' event, Apple will also share information about visionOS with programmers to help promote a spatial computing ecosystem around the world. 

There are a couple of things getting in the way of the global release.

First, there aren’t a lot of Vision Pro units to begin with. Apple wants to make sure the US launch and subsequent roll-out goes as smoothly as possible. What's more, the company needs to adjust the headset’s software so it complies with international regulations. Kuo finishes his post by saying the faster these matters are addressed, “the sooner Vision Pro will be available in more countries”.

No word on exactly which nations will be a part of the initial group to get Apple’s shiny new gadget after the US launch. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims the tech giant is considering Canada, China, and the UK will be among the first.

While we have you check out TechRadar's list of the best virtual reality headsets for 2024.

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Apple confirms Dolby Vision HDR on Vision Pro, plus which streamers it will support – and 2 big ones are missing
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Apple has revealed more information about what watching movie and TV shows will be like on the Apple Vision Pro, including confirmation of which of the best streaming services will have full native support when it launches.

We already knew Disney Plus would be there – that was announced at the start – and obviously Apple TV Plus was always going to have great support, but now we know that Max and Prime Video will be available, too. 

On top of those, you'll also have ESPN, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, Discovery Plus, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, Crunchyroll, Red Bull TV, IMAX, and TikTok (which obviously is a little different to the others, but hey, it's all video).

There are two huge omissions from that list: Netflix and YouTube. We actually wouldn't have been concerned about that fact that YouTube's missing from the list because it's not like the other curated streaming services there… but then Apple mentioned TikTok, and suddenly the lack of YouTube leaps out, since it's the world's best portal for VR/immersive video.

Outside of that, Apple also confirmed for the first time that the headset will support Dolby Vision HDR in addition to Dolby Atmos for audio (through the built-in speakers, or via the AirPods Pro 2 version with USB-C). Dolby Vision will help to make sure that the micro-OLED screens really reach their full potential in movies (it's on most of the best OLED TVs), while Dolby Atmos is the most sensible way to make it sound like you're sitting in a real cinema with speakers around you, thanks to its 3D soundscape tech.

One nice extra touch that Apple confirmed about its virtual cinema room that you can watch in, is that you can choose whether to sit at the front, middle or back. People have strong opinions about this!

It's not unusual

It's not a massive surprise that Netflix is missing. The company's always had a hit-and-miss relationship with Apple; the two obviously have a deep connection, but Netflix has had issues with Apple's App Store revenue sharing scheme for a long time, and the Netflix Apple TV app often doesn't get new features until long after they come to other versions of the app.

But as someone who genuinely can't wait to experience the 'Cinema Environments' mode of Vision Pro as a way to watch huge-screen movies at home, it'll be a huge shame not to be able to do that with Maestro (a movie made for IMAX but trapped in the confines on Netflix), Society of the Snow (and its beautiful, terrifying vistas) or the many classics you can find among the best Netflix movies.

Google and Apple also have a complicated relationship. The two make a ton of money off each other, but we're in a very different place to the launch of the iPhone when there was a YouTube app as part of the default apps. Clearly, Google doesn't see Vision Pro as a priority, just as Netflix doesn't – and perhaps they're right. After all, it's not like the first run of 150,000 Vision Pro headsets will depend on streaming services to sell out or not.

Whenever a more affordable non-Pro 'Apple Vision' headset arrives, that's when Apple will need the two biggest video streamers in the world on board. Until then, those lucky enough to get a Vision Pro can probably find enough to watch from the entire Apple movies store and the streaming services already confirmed.

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LG plans to launch an Apple Vision Pro rival in 2025
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LG has announced that it’s bringing its OLED TV expertise to the XR (extended reality) space, and plans to launch some kind of device next year.

The report comes via South Korean news outlet The Guru (translated to English) in which LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan told a reporter at CES 2024 that “[LG] will launch an XR device as early as next year.”

Not much else is known about the device; however, there were rumors late last year (via ET News, also translated from Korean) that LG was working on a VR headset, which would be powered by the then-unannounced Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 from Qualcomm. The same rumor correctly predicted that the Samsung XR/VR headset would use this new chipset, so while we should still take this latest leak with a pinch of salt there appears to be a decent chance that it's accurate.

If the LG headset does indeed boast a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen then we should expect it to be a high-end XR headset that’ll rival the likes of the soon-to-release Apple Vision Pro. This would also mean the headset is likely to be pricey – we'd expect somewhere in the region of $ 2,000 / £2,000 / AU$ 3,000.

An Apple Store staff member shows a customer how to use a Vision Pro headset.

The Apple Vision Pro might soon get another rival (Image credit: Apple)

As noted by an Upload VR report on the LG XR device announcement, the Korean language doesn’t always differentiate between singular and plural. As such, it’s possible that LG wants to release more than one XR device in 2025 – and if that’s the case we’d expect to see a high-end Apple Vision Pro rival, and a more affordable option that competes with the Meta Quest 3 or the recently announced Xreal Air 2 Ultra. 

Is LG working alone? 

Alongside Qualcomm, LG might be working with another XR veteran to bring its headset to life – Meta, though reports suggest it would be LG helping Meta not the other way around.

In February 2023 we reported that Meta was looking to partner with LG to create OLED displays for its XR headsets – most likely the Meta Quest Pro 2, but possibly the Meta Quest 4 as well.

If a Quest Pro 2 is on the way we’ve hypothesized that 2025 is most likely the earliest we’d see one; Meta likes to tease new XR hardware a year in advance, and typically makes announcements at its Meta Connect event that happens in September / October, so we’d likely get a 2024 teaser and a 2025 release.

This schedule fits with LG’s plan to launch a device next year, suggesting that the next Meta headset and the LG headset are one and the same.

The Meta Quest Pro and its controllers on a grey cushion

The Meta Quest Pro is good, but not all that popular (Image credit: Future)

That said, there’s a chance that LG is working on an XR project without Meta.

A few months after the February leak, in July 2023, there were reports that Meta had cancelled the Quest Pro 2. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth took to Instagram Stories to deny the rumor, though his argument was based on a technicality – saying a canceled prototype isn’t the Quest Pro 2 until Meta names it the Quest Pro 2.

This confusing explanation leaves the door open to the Quest Pro 2 being delayed – likely due to the original’s seemingly very lackluster sales (we estimate the Quest Pro is around 86 times less popular than the Quest 2 using Steam Hardware Survey data), and the arrival of the Vision Pro. 

If LG is sitting on an excellent OLED display design – while Meta is back at the drawing board stage – why wouldn’t the South Korean display company leverage this screen, and its home entertainment expertise, to create a killer headset of its own?

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An Apple Vision Pro Pencil could be on the way, based on a new patent
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We now know that the Apple Vision Pro is going to be available to buy from February 2, with preorders opening on January 19, but a newly discovered patent suggests that Apple engineers are busy looking to the future of the mixed reality headset.

The patent, spotted by Patently Apple, shows what looks like a giant Apple Pencil. The idea is that the implement could be used to write or draw in virtual space, or to select and manipulate items that exist in virtual or augmented reality.

“A handheld controller with a marker-shaped housing may have an elongated housing that spans across the width of a user's hand and that can be held like a pen, pencil, marker, wand, or tool,” reads part of the patent application.

And while a “head-mounted device” like the Vision Pro is extensively referenced in the documentation, this peripheral could also be used with phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and other devices, according to the patent.

Apple Vision Pro Pencil patent diagram

Like the Apple Pencil… but bigger (Image credit: USPTO/Apple)

Virtual paint brushes

One of the cool little tricks that this implement might offer, as per the patent, is being able to display a range of “brush heads” that are only visible in AR – so it could change from looking like a paintbrush to a spray can inside the Vision Pro headset, for instance.

We've got minions of swipes and waves and shakes, as well as writing and drawing, so there's clearly lots of potential for whatever this device is. All these movements would be measured via sensors built into the pencil itself.

Apple has made a point of saying that you only need your fingers and hands to manipulate the software environment inside the Vision Pro headset, but we've also seen other patents that suggest other input methods are currently being worked on.

The usual patent disclaimers apply here: these filings give us some ideas about the tech that companies are developing and thinking about, but at the same time there's no guarantee that an actual product will result from them.

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Apple tells developers NOT to use “virtual reality” when talking about Vision Pro
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The Vision Pro will go on sale next month, and we’ve just learned that Apple has requested that app developers for visionOS (the operating system that runs on the headset) don’t allude to visionOS apps as “AR” or “VR”. 

We first heard about Apple’s newest innovation in June 2023 – where it was marketed as a spatial computer that combines digital content and the user’s physical surroundings. It’s also equipped with some serious Apple graphics specs and visionOS, which Apple calls the “world’s first spatial computing system”. 

At first glance, the Vision Pro certainly appears to be similar to existing Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) headsets, so it’s interesting that Apple is at pains to ensure that it isn’t mistaken for one. The de facto ban on AR and VR references (as well as Extended Reality (XR) and Mixed Reality (MR)) was spotted in the guidelines of the new Xcode (Apple’s suite of developer tools) update that came after the announcement that Vision Pro devices will be in stores in early February. 

Vision Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple lays down the law

This recommendation is pretty explicitly laid out on a new Apple Developer page which goes through what a developer needs to do to prepare their app for submission to the App Store. 

Apple insists that developers will also have to use the “visionOS” branding beginning with a lowercase “v” (similar to how they brand their flagship operating system for desktop and laptop devices, macOS), and to use the device’s full name, “Apple Vision Pro,” when referring to it. These aren’t as unexpected as Apple’s more notable instructions to avoid VR and AR, however. According to Apple, visionOS apps will not be considered VR, XR, or MR apps but as “spatial computing apps”.

It’s an interesting move for a number of reasons; coining a new term can be confusing to people, meaning that users will have to build familiarity and actually use the term for it to stick, but it also means that Apple can differentiate itself from the pack of AR/VR devices out there. 

It’s also a pivot from messaging that until now has relied on existing terms like augmented reality and virtual reality. Most of Apple’s current marketing refers to the Vision Pro as  a “spatial computing” platform, but at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2023, Apple’s annual event for Apple platform developers, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the Vision Pro as an “entirely new AR platform.” Materially, this is mainly a marketing and branding move as Apple becomes more confident in its customers’ understanding of what the Vision Pro actually is. 9to5Mac reports that Apple engineers referred to visionOS as xrOS leading up to the device’s official announcement. 

Apple Vision Pro VR headset

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Apple charts its own course

The pointed effort to distinguish itself from its competitors is an understandable move from Apple considering that some other tech giants have already attempted to dominate this space. 

Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, was one of the most noticeable examples. You might have a not-so-distant memory of a certain “metaverse”. The metaverse has seen a reception most would call lukewarm, even at its peak, and Apple is making a bold attempt to have its own association in people’s minds, with Apple’s VP of global marketing Greg Joswiak dismissing the word “metaverse” as one he’ll “never use” according to 9to5Mac.

I enjoy watching Apple make bolder moves into existing markets because it’s often when we’ve seen new industry standards emerge, which is always exciting – no matter whether you want to call it AR, VR, or spatial computing. 

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The Xreal Air 2 Ultra is billed as an affordable Vision Pro and Quest 3 alternative, but we have doubts
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Just as Apple has officially confirmed that its Vision Pro headset will go on sale in February, Xreal has announced a spatial computing rival that’s way more affordable. Its new Xreal Air 2 Ultra AR glasses will come out in March, and will cost $ 699 (around £550 / AU$ 1,050), which is significantly less than the $ 3,499 Apple gadget (around £2,755 / AU$ 5,225).

The Xreal Air 2 Ultra launch happened at CES 2024, the massive annual tech expo in Las Vegas. The glasses are a follow-up to the AR smart specs we’ve tried in our Xreal Air review and Xreal Air 2 Pro review, with both delivering solid visuals in a comfortable-to-wear and sleek form factor. If you ask us, the Xreal Airs are the best version of this kind of smart glasses.

The new Ultra model looks set to take things up a notch with the addition of cameras – the first time Xreal has incorporated them into its Air specs. These will allow spatial computing apps to identify real-world objects that virtual elements can interact with, and will also enable hand-tracking. 

Xreal has also highlighted that its specs can let you enjoy immersive 3D spatial video, just as you'll be able to on the Vision Pro – which in our experience is the most mind-blowing Vision Pro feature. To view your own recordings on the Air 2 Ultra you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro and a third-party video conversion app to turn your file into the right format; the process sounds nearly identical to the way you watch spatial video on a Meta Quest 3.

The Xreal Air 2 Ultra floating on a red background with

Are they truly an Ultra XR gadget at an affordable price? (Image credit: Xreal)

One issue we’ve previously had with the Air glasses is that they lack the ability to interact with virtual elements – they’re effectively just wearable screens. So, with the introduction of cameras, the Air 2 Ultra glasses could finally feel like true AR glasses.

Unfortunately, there’s a big catch.

Familiar faults remain

While the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is billed as an affordable alternative to the Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3, the comparison isn’t exactly accurate, as the Xreal Air 2 Ultra is not a standalone product. Much as with the other Xreal Air products, you’ll need to hook them up to a compatible gadget with a USB-C display port (meaning it can output video and audio through USB-C).

That's just for screen mirroring though. If you want a bona fide spatial computer there are just three compatible devices listed on the official store page right now: the Samsung Galaxy S22, the Samsung Galaxy S23, and a “custom computing unit” that Xreal says is on the way. The list is slightly longer if you include the other phones in Samsung’s S22 and S23 lines – the Ultra and Plus models – but still, if you have any other smartphone it looks like you’ll have to buy a new handset to get the most out of these specs. 

As such, while the glasses and Samsung phone combo would still be a whole lot cheaper than the Apple Vision Pro – costing you not much more than $ 1,000 / $ 1,100 if you can find a Galaxy S22 on sale, for example with this $ 369.99 Galaxy S22 deal at Target – they don’t look like an affordable alternative to the $ 499.99 / £479.99 / AU$ 799.99 Meta Quest 3.

Girl wearing Meta Quest 3 headset interacting with a jungle playset

The Meta Quest 3 will probably still be the best affordable XR gadget (Image credit: Meta)

Maybe the “custom computing unit” will offer a cheaper alternative to a whole smartphone – it won’t need features like cameras after all – but the Xreal system will still cost more than a Meta headset, and it won't be as easy to use as a Quest given all those required add-ons.

What’s more, currently it’s not clear if Xreal will come close to matching the quality and range of dedicated XR software found in the Quest library (XR being a catchall for VR, AR, and MR). So you might have cool gear, but not all that much to look at or play on it.

We’ll have to try the Xreal Air 2 Ultra glasses for ourselves to get a proper sense of their capabilities. But, much as with the base Xreal Air 2, while the Ultra model is a clear leap forward it looks like it'll be let down by familiar faults.

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6 new things we’ve learned about the Apple Vision Pro as its first video ad lands
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We've had quite the wait for the Apple Vision Pro, considering it was unveiled back in June at Apple's annual WWDC event. Yesterday we finally got the news that the Vision Pro will be going on sale on Friday, February 2, with preorders open on Friday, January 19 – and some other new bits of information have now emerged, alongside its first video ad (below).

As Apple goes into full sales mode for this pricey mixed reality headset, it's answering some of the remaining questions we had about the device, and giving us a better idea of what it's capable of. Considering one of these will cost you $ 3,499 (about £2,750 / AU$ 5,225) and up, you're no doubt going to want all of the details you can get.

Here at TechRadar we've already had some hands-on time with the Vision Pro, and checked out how 3D spatial videos will look on it (which got a firm thumbs up). Here's what else we've found out about the Vision Pro over the last 24 hours.

1. Apple thinks it deserves to be in a sci-fi movie

Take a look at this brand new advert for the Apple Vision Pro and see how many famous movies you can name. There's a definite sci-fi angle here, with films like Back to the Future and Star Wars included, and Apple clearly wants to emphasize the futuristic nature of the device (and make strapping something to your face seem cool rather than nerdy).

If you've got a good memory then you might remember that one of the first adverts for the iPhone also made use of short clips cut from a multitude of films, featuring stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Michael Douglas, and Steve McQueen. Some 16 years on, Apple is once again using the power of the movies to push a next-gen piece of hardware.

2. The battery won't last for the whole of Oppenheimer

Apple Vision Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

Speaking of movies, you're going to need a recharge if you want to watch all of Oppenheimer on the Apple Vision Pro. Christopher Nolan's epic film runs for three hours and one minute, whereas the Vision Pro product page (via MacRumors) puts battery life at 2.5 hours for watching 2D videos.

That's when you're watching a video in the Apple TV app, and in one of the virtual environments that the Vision Pro is able to conjure up. Interestingly, the product page text saying that the device could run indefinitely as long as it was plugged into a power source has now been quietly removed.

3. The software is still a work in progress

Apple Vision Pro on a person's head

Preorders for the Vision Pro open this month (Image credit: Apple)

Considering the high price of the Apple Vision Pro, and talk of limited availability, this doesn't really feel like a mainstream device that Apple is expecting everyone to go out and buy. It's certainly no iPhone or Apple Watch – though a cheaper Vision Pro, rumored to be in the pipeline, could certainly change that dynamic somewhat.

With that in mind, the software still seems to be a work in progress. As 9to5Mac spotted in the official Vision Pro press release, the Persona feature is going to have a beta label attached for the time being – that's where you're represented in video calls by a 3D digital avatar that doesn't have a bulky mixed reality headset strapped on.

4. Here's what you'll be getting in the box

Apple Vision Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

As per the official press release from Apple, if you put down the money for a Vision Pro then you'll get two different bands to choose from and wrap around your head: they are the Solo Knit Band and the Dual Loop Band, though it's not immediately clear what the differences are between them.

Also in the box we've got a light seal, two light seal cushions, what's described as an “Apple Vision Pro Cover” for the front of the headset, an external battery back, a USB-C charging cable, a USB-C power adapter, and the accessory that we've all been wanting to see included – an official Apple polishing cloth.

5. Apple could release an app to help you fit the headset

Two hands holding the Apple Vision Pro headset

(Image credit: Apple)

When it comes to fitting the Apple Vision Pro snugly to your head, we think that Apple might encourage buyers to head to a physical store so that they can be helped out by an expert. However, it would seem that Apple also has plans for making sure you get the best possible fit at home.

As spotted by Patently Apple, a new patent filed by Apple mentions a “fit guidance” system inside an iPhone app. It will apparently work with “head-mountable devices” – very much like the Vision Pro – and looks designed to ensure that the user experience isn't spoiled by having the headset badly fitted.

6. There'll be plenty of content to watch

A person views an image on a virtual screen while wearing an Apple Vision Pro headset.

(Image credit: Apple)

Another little nugget from the Apple Vision Pro press release is that users will be able to access “more than 150 3D titles with incredible depth”, all through the Apple TV app. Apple is also introducing a new Immersive Video format, which promises 180-degree, three-dimensional videos in 8K quality.

This 3D video could end up being one of the most compelling reasons to buy an Apple Vision Pro – we were certainly impressed when we got to try it out for ourselves, and you can even record your own spatial video for playing back on the headset if you've got an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

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We could get a big Apple Vision Pro launch announcement this week
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Cast your mind back to June, and you'll remember that the Apple Vision Pro was unveiled in a blaze of publicity and hype at Apple's WWDC event – and seven months on, it seems that the mixed reality headset is finally going to go on sale.

According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg (one of the more reliable Apple tipsters), a full launch is now “imminent”, and stock is now apparently on its way to warehouses, and from there will be sent to Apple Stores.

Gurman goes on to say that the headset is likely to be available to buy in February, and that Apple may well make some kind of announcement to that effect this week – in part to draw attention away from all the news coming out of CES 2024.

Selected representatives from Apple Stores are being given training on how to demonstrate and sell the Vision Pro, according to Gurman, with training meetings for all retail staff planned for January 21.

Store sales and spatial video

A person using an Apple Vision Pro headset. There are multiple virtual displays in front of them, as well as a virtual keyboard.

(Image credit: Apple)

While Apple has told us a lot about the Vision Pro, there are also still plenty of questions surrounding it – not least how Apple will set pricing internationally. We know in the US the device will start at $ 3,499, which is about £2,755 / AU$ 5,225 with a straight conversion.

Since June, we've seen leaks of the software interface that we can expect, as well as hints at how the expensive gadget could be set up in stores. It's possible that buyers will have to pick up the headset in a physical store, even if they order online, so that it can be correctly fitted (and so users can get some basic training for how to operate it).

In December, TechRadar was one of the publications invited to take a look at how spatial video works in the Apple Vision Pro. Support for the 3D video format, which you can capture if you have an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPhone 15 Pro Max, could be one of the biggest selling points of the mixed reality headset.

We're very much looking forward to getting our hands on (and our heads into) the Apple Vision Pro, so stay tuned for our full review. This is a major new product category for Apple – although a second headset is apparently already on the way.

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Think Google and Samsung are sleeping on Apple Vision Pro? Qualcomm has news for you
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Among the new chips I saw from Qualcomm last year, the most impactful may have been the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 and Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipsets, found in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the Meta Quest 3 mixed reality (MR) headset, respectively. With Apple Vision Pro promising a new concept of spatial computing sometime this year, of course, Qualcomm is getting ready for the competition. Today it announced a new Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 chipset that will power new products from Google, Samsung, and others. 

Qualcomm did not name any headsets specifically, only those important partners, with more on the way soon. It said that products with the new XR2 Plus Gen 2 chipset, which is clearly aimed at taking on Apple Vision Pro, could hit the market as soon as 2024, but we will definitely see new devices in 2025. 

Unlike Apple’s super-expensive Vision Pro, which costs close to $ 3,500 in the US, Qualcomm says devices that use its new chipset will be priced closer to today’s XR2 offerings. The Meta Quest 3 starts at $ 500.

The Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 has more graphics power

Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 reference design headset and logo

The reference design for a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 headset (Image credit: Qualcomm)

What can the improved Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 offer that today’s chipset can’t handle? It’s all about the graphics performance. Qualcomm says its new platform can drive two displays at 4.3K resolution up to 90FPS. It's so advanced that Qualcomm admits the display technology doesn’t even exist today to support the chipset’s maximum capability, but they expect more advanced displays will hit the market soon. 

Improving the graphics performance on mixed reality displays is important because it makes the experience more comfortable in so many ways. Whether that is reducing motion dizziness, improving the clarity of details in the digital image, or even producing more natural colors and color gradations, every bit of performance improvement is necessary to create a world that not only looks real but also feels real and comfortable when you interact with digital objects. 

Qualcomm goes on to tout the advanced capabilities of the Snapdragon XR2 platform, like its ability to manage up to 12 or more separate camera input channels. Of course, until Samsung or Google (or maybe both working together?!) create a headset with 12 cameras on board, those capabilities are just for white papers and prototypes. It will take a manufacturer to bring this to market. 

Analysis: Qualcomm wants to be the 200lb gorilla

While folks with little mixed reality experience were totally blown away by the Apple Vision Pro headset, the MR industry was much more skeptical. If you’ve had a chance to try the Meta Quest 3, a product that costs less than 15% of what Apple’s headset will cost, you can understand why. 

The Meta Quest 3 isn’t as magical as Apple’s offering, but it’s much closer to achieving real magic than you’d expect, and we’re still very early in that headset’s lifespan. 

While all of the attention will certainly be focused on Apple Vision Pro this year, it’s unlikely you’ll actually be able to buy one (you might be able to test-drive it in an Apple Store, though). Most of us don’t have that kind of cash for a secondary device, especially one that runs an unproven computing concept.

Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 reference design headset and logo

Qualcomm’s announcement dropped big hints (Image credit: Qualcomm)

However, when the next holiday season rolls around, Qualcomm might be the brains behind a new Google or Samsung headset that gives you 80% of the Vision Pro experience, for 20% of the price.

Qualcomm was champing at the bit to tell us more about new products on the way and dropped a lot of “sooner rather than later” hints, so we might see more product news as early as CES. We’ve had our eyes on Google and Samsung, both of whom offered VR headsets in the past but no longer, to re-enter the market and take on Vision Pro and Meta Quest.

If you’re saving up for a cool mixed reality headset this year, keep saving, but don’t skip meals and sell your kidneys just to afford the Apple Vision Pro, not yet. Qualcomm has started 2024 with a promise that MR is going to get more interesting, and more affordable, all at once.

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