Apple moves into virtual reality space with mixed reality headset

ITV News Digital Video Producer Daniel Ajose reports on Apple's latest release

Apple has stormed into the VR/AR world with its much-anticipated mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro.

This game-changing piece of technology aims to use 'mixed reality' to transport users into immersive environments or boost their productivity.

The Vision Pro, which blends the real world with digital content, has now gone on sale in the UK for the first time, and tech fans are eager to experience it.

Initially released in the US, the Vision Pro quickly took social media by storm. Videos of people driving, walking, and commuting with the headset went viral.

The Vision Pro is a "spatial computing" device - a wearable computer that overlaps apps and other content on top of the real world. Fans waited outside Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, eager to get a taste of this first-of-its-kind device.

The Vision Pro offers more than 1,000 specially-designed apps and some 250 compatible games.

The headset features built-in speakers and attaches using an adjustable headband, while a wire leads from the device to a battery pack that sits in the user’s pocket, enabling users to move around while wearing it.

The new Apple Vision Pro in Apple's flagship store in Regent Street, central London. Credit: PA

It was first released in the US earlier this year, followed by launches in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore at the end of June. This marks a major new product line for Apple and its first venture into mixed reality headsets.

Apple's guidelines emphasise the importance of using the device in a 'safe manner'.

This means not running while wearing it, using it while operating a vehicle, or using it while intoxicated or otherwise impaired. But it doesn't come cheap: the Vision Pro is priced at £3,499 in the UK.

Apple claims the Vision Pro has potential as a personal large-screen cinema or gallery for viewing photos and videos.

While virtual, mixed, or augmented reality headsets have yet to truly catch on with the general public, industry experts are watching closely to see if Apple's first move into this space will change that.

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