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Operating Systems Apple

Apple Announces visionOS 2 With 3D Photo Transformations and An Ultrawide Mac Display (theverge.com) 20

Apple has announced visionOS 2 for its Vision Pro spatial computing headset, bringing mouse support, an ultrawide virtual Mac display option, and new Photo features. The company says it's expected to launch "later this year." The Verge reports: The most significant update, for all the productivity heads out there, is a new ultrawide virtual display feature. Apple says that in visionOS 2, you'll be able to connect a Vision Pro to a Mac to generate a dual 4K-equivalent curved ultrawide display. Right now, the virtual display feature only does a single up to 5K one. Also, the company will finally add mouse support to the Vision Pro -- at launch, the headset could work with trackpads like the one on a MacBook Air or the standalone Magic Trackpad 2, but oddly left out mouse support. You can still use one inside a mirrored display in the Vision Pro, but not outside of that screen in, say, an iPad or Vision Pro app.

Apple says that in the new update, users will be able to convert any image in the Photos app to a spatial one. Also, visionOS 2 will have train support, so the Vision Pro's travel mode will no longer be limited to just airplanes. The company also says it's adding SharePlay to the visionOS Photos app, which means that you can share the app with another Vision Pro owner using Spatial Personas [...]. The company says Red Bull is making a new immersive sports series, while Apple is making its first scripted immersive feature. Apple also said that Canon is releasing a new spatial lens for the EOS R7, one designed specifically for creating content for the Vision Pro.

Finally, the company is rolling out the Vision Pro abroad. Apple is going to start taking preorders in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore on June 13th at 6PM PT, and it'll be available in those countries on June 28th. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK will get preorders later, on June 28th at 5AM PT, with the headset officially available on July 12th.

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Apple Announces visionOS 2 With 3D Photo Transformations and An Ultrawide Mac Display

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  • by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Monday June 10, 2024 @05:00PM (#64539309) Homepage Journal

    The big missing feature is still Mac app support. It's okay as a virtual screen for the Mac (or will be if and when they fix the 100% reproducible problem where it only sees the Mac and shows the "Connect" button approximately once per Vision Pro reboot), but what I really want is to be able to hand off the entire app, files and all, temporarily have it on the Vision Pro, be able to use it wherever, whenever, and have the files magically synced over iCloud, and have that "just work" regardless of whether the app is a Mac app, an iOS app, or a Vision Pro app, regardless of whether it came from the App Store or somewhere else, whether the app is code-signed, etc.

    That's the point at which this becomes a practical tool for normal people.

    • by buz11 ( 534347 )
      Pretty big ask! I'm just happy that visionOS 2 will remember Guest user hands and eyes. I hope it automatically detects a new Guest user too. Sharing the Vision Pro now is highly non-optimal without those.
    • The big missing feature is still Mac app support. It's okay as a virtual screen for the Mac (or will be if and when they fix the 100% reproducible problem where it only sees the Mac and shows the "Connect" button approximately once per Vision Pro reboot), but what I really want is to be able to hand off the entire app, files and all, temporarily have it on the Vision Pro, be able to use it wherever, whenever, and have the files magically synced over iCloud, and have that "just work" regardless of whether the app is a Mac app, an iOS app, or a Vision Pro app, regardless of whether it came from the App Store or somewhere else, whether the app is code-signed, etc.

      That's the point at which this becomes a practical tool for normal people.

      I'd settle for something like what VMware Fusion did with Windows apps in a VM, pop them out in separate windows in the host OS, like all the data stays on the guest Mac but virtual windows vs virtual desktop. They definitely need to do something next level with the software integration because high resolution HMD's with all the extra VR doodads trimmed off and reduced weight, I feel like that's a particularly compelling use case that could get big if the costs come down. Competition could show up with chea

  • 1. It's WAY too heavy. If it already has a tether to the battery, then why not put the CPU and fan assembly with the battery pack?? The Apple employees I talked to about that spew some BS about overheating the battery (like it can't warn if there's heat buildup or inadequate venting in a pocket) or some debunked/disproven crap about sensor latency.
    2. For virtual desktop the resolution is too low for the text to be crisp. They're going to need 8K per eye displays.

    • Why bother at all? Two real 4k monitors would be quite a bit cheaper than one Vision Pro and then you have no batteries or overheating to worry abou at all.
      • Yes, that's a great idea. Will you help me argue that with the flight attendant?

        • by narcc ( 412956 )

          The Vision Pro sucks at productivity. It's not even particularly good at entertainment.

          If you want to watch movies on a giant screen while in an airplane or hotel room, grab an XReal Air or an Immersed Visor. Not only will they cost significantly less, no one will even notice that you're wearing a headset.

          For productivity on the go, it's hard to beat the Immersed Visor, though even the Quest 3 will easily beat the VP. Either one will give you a proper multi-monitor setup, not just a single display and som

  • Train Support... wtf is Train Support?

    <wipes tears of laughter>

    Honeyyy, Drop everything. I'm selling the Vision Pro and getting a Vision Pro... with TRAIN SUPPORT.
    It's so worth it.
  • For a moment I thought Apple has gone into OS/2

Real programmers don't comment their code. It was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.

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