Apple launches Vision Pro computer glasses in Europe

Pre-orders will be available in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore from June 13th, and will be available from June 28th. The Glasses can also be pre-ordered in Australia, Germany, France, Great Britain and Canada, and the market launch is planned for July 12, as Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on Monday at its developer conference WWDC.

The purchase price starts at 3,999 euros. With the Vision Pro, users can immerse themselves in digital worlds. In addition to this virtual reality (VR), the Apple headset is also designed to mix digital content with the real environment.

Improved operating system

Apple wants to establish the device for use with its Mac computers, among other things: The large displays will be used in the Glasses displayed while typing on the visible real keyboard. At WWDC, Apple also announced an improved operating system version for the Vision Pro.

In the USA, the Vision Pro was launched in February at a price starting at $3,500 before taxes. As the biggest competitor in the market, the Facebook group Meta sells its VRGlasses Quest 3 starting at a price of 550 euros.

News via satellite connection

In addition, Apple will now allow its users to send text messages in areas without cell reception via a satellite connection. This will work for iMessage chats between Apple devices as well as for classic SMS. Both text and emojis can be sent. Previously, Apple had only offered an emergency call function via satellite.

AI features for iPhone

Apple also announced that it would be bringing new AI functions to the iPhone and other devices on a large scale. The software should be tailored to the individual needs of each user while offering the greatest possible data protection. The functions have been deeply embedded in the operating systems for iPhone, Mac and iPad, emphasized software boss Craig Federighi.

This would give Apple’s AI models access to the information users need in order to be useful to them. Instead of the usual umbrella term Artificial Intelligence, the company speaks of “Apple Intelligence”.

Many of the models run directly on the devices, Federighi emphasized. If necessary, the cloud is also connected – but with an encrypted connection. The Apple software decides on a case-by-case basis whether a task should be carried out locally or via the cloud.

Siri gets more powers

Apple’s voice assistant Siri, which recently seemed rather simple compared to chatbots like ChatGPT, will also take on more tasks than before thanks to AI. For example, you will be able to edit photos using voice commands or add a friend’s new address to your contact details directly from the chat app.

One of the new features is the ability to create individual emojis while typing text. Apple calls the feature “Genmoji” because they are newly generated using AI.

With the help of AI, for example, the Mail app will display a short summary in the quick overview instead of the first few lines. Since “Apple Intelligence” also understands the content of emails and messages, the software can also assess whether they are important and should be displayed with priority.

In addition to the in-house AI models, users can also access the chatbot ChatGPT from OpenAI if they wish. For example, Siri can suggest having ChatGPT answer a query if it is assumed that the chatbot has better information about it, explained Federighi.