What is VisionOS? An Overview of Apple's Spatial Operating System
Posted on June 10, 2023 4 minutes 789 words
Table of contents
VisionOS is Apple’s first-ever spatial operating system, marking the company’s entry into the era of spatial computing. It is the operating system that powers Apple’s revolutionary mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, announced at the WWDC 2023. Spatial computing is a form of computing where digital content blends seamlessly with your physical space, allowing users to interact with digital content as if it were a part of their real-world environment.
What is visionOS?
VisionOS is Apple’s first-ever spatial operating system, designed to power the Apple Vision Pro. It’s a revolutionary platform that brings digital content into your physical space, allowing you to interact with your favorite apps in an entirely new way. With visionOS, you can navigate with your eyes, tap to select, flick to scroll, and use your voice to dictate. It’s an intuitive, immersive experience that feels like magic.
The Era of Spatial Computing
Spatial computing is the integration of digital content into your physical space, creating a seamless blend of the real and virtual worlds. With the Apple Vision Pro, users can interact with their favorite apps in a whole new way, as they are now present in their physical space, thanks to VisionOS.
The user interface of VisionOS is both familiar and innovative. Users navigate with their eyes, tap to select, flick to scroll, and use their voice to dictate. The apps have dimension, react to light, and cast shadows, creating a realistic spatial experience.
Social Interaction and Privacy
A key feature of VisionOS is that it does not isolate users from their surroundings or other people. When someone else is in the room, users can see them, and they can see the user. This feature allows for more natural interactions and collaborations, even when the user is immersed in the virtual world.
Applications of VisionOS
Photos and Videos
With VisionOS, users can view their photos in life-size or any size, transforming their living room into a gallery. Panoramas wrap around the user, creating an immersive experience as if they’re right where they took them.
Apple Vision Pro also introduces Apple’s first-ever 3D camera, allowing users to capture photos and videos with remarkable depth. Users can then relive these memories as if they’re right back in the exact moment.
Entertainment
VisionOS brings the scale and wonder of a movie theater to any space. It automatically darkens the room and casts a beautiful glow, creating an immersive cinematic environment. The screen can be as big as the user wants, and spatial audio surrounds the user, making them feel like they’re a part of the action.
Work
VisionOS can create the perfect workspace, no matter where the user is. The web comes to life at a fantastic scale, with crisp and easy-to-read text. Users can see all their open tabs in Safari and work seamlessly across their favorite apps from Apple and the App Store.
FaceTime
FaceTime on VisionOS looks and sounds amazing. Users see people life-size, and with spatial audio, they hear them as if they’re right in front of them. This feature makes conversations more natural and collaboration even easier.
Design and Technology
The Apple Vision Pro, powered by VisionOS, is compact and beautifully designed. It features a single piece of three-dimensionally formed laminated glass that acts as a lens through which the cameras and sensors view the world. The lightweight aluminum alloy frame gently curves to wrap around the user’s face, and a high-performance battery reduces weight to a minimum.
The device uses advanced machine learning to represent users realistically when they’re in FaceTime. Their persona dynamically reflects their face and head movements, so when they’re chatting, people see their eyes, hands, and true expressions.
Conclusion
The era of spatial computing is here, and Apple’s VisionOS is at the forefront of this revolution. With the Apple Vision Pro headset, users can interact with digital content in a whole new way, transforming their physical space into a digital playground. Whether it’s for work, entertainment, or social interaction, VisionOS and the Apple Vision Pro headset are set to redefine our digital experiences.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore the exciting world of spatial computing with Apple’s Vision Pro and visionOS.
