Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks under an image of Apple Vision Pro at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 5. Reuters
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks under an image of Apple Vision Pro at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 5. Reuters


Apple's Vision Pro could change the world for good (or bad)



June 07, 2023

The science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke once famously suggested that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". On Monday, at Apple's annual developers’ conference in California, magic was a word used more than once by Apple executives as they took turns to explain for more than 40 minutes what makes the Apple’s newest product, an augmented reality headset called the Vision Pro, the start of a revolution in consumer technology.

Apple hopes the Vision Pro will be the definer of a new category, like the Mac, iPod and iPhone before it. Given the company’s track record of intuitive user interfaces, the curiosity that Vision Pro has generated across the world – in tech circles and among the general public – in the hours since it was announced is unsurprising.

"It's the first Apple product that you look through and not at," Apple's chief executive Tim Cook said as he introduced Vision Pro to the audience. The device is a sophisticated headset that show a user’s apps in the space around them like a heads-up display, but the ability to see through them is more of an illusion. The user’s view of their surroundings is actually a live video feed, as is the image of their eyes seen by others through the lens.

The experience comes at a steep price. When it hits the market “early next year”, the Vision Pro will cost a hefty $3,499 – several times more expensive than competitors, such as Meta’s Quest device. And as extraordinary as some of its technology is, the product will still leave many wanting. The Vision Pro will be powered (for a mere two hours per charge) by an external battery, which users are expected to keep in their pockets and link to the device with a long and rather inelegant wire – an odd feature for a company famed for rolling out highly polished products.

Nonetheless, by focusing on augmented – rather than virtual – reality, Apple has staked part of its future on perfecting what industry experts believe to be the more achievable of the two spaces. The Vision Pro is not Apple’s final word on AR, but rather its opening line.

Consumers in previous years have failed to take as much of a shine to earlier iterations of AR and VR as the companies behind them would like. But the Vision Pro sets a new standard, and so it will serve as a laboratory rat for not only Apple, but thousands of app developers, to see whether a reimagined concept of AR appeals to those of us still living in the real world.

Apple has given assurances that a "foundational goal" of the Vision Pro was to "never be isolated from people around you” ("You can see them and they can see you," said Alan Dye, vice president of human interface design at Apple), but for parents already in the habit of dragging children away from their iPhones, a begoggled AR future is likely to be cold comfort. Technologies designed to be immersive are just that, and it is difficult to see how interacting with someone two feet away from you via a video feed is less isolating than looking them in the eye.

Proponents of AR and VR insist that the two technologies are not only revolutionary, but inevitable. Considering the way that screens and live feeds have absorbed billions of people the world over in recent decades, they are almost certainly right. But those technologies – from iPhones to social media platforms – have also presented many challenges, and reasons to exercise caution about the way they shape our lives. If we can achieve an augmented-reality future in which we have learnt from those challenges, that would be truly magical.

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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Company%20Profile
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'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

 

 

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule

August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland

Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE

December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman

February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG

June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland

September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal

February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal

Race card

4pm Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

4.35pm Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m

5.10pm Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m

5.45pm Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m

6.20pm Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m

6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m

7.30pm Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m

The National selections:

4pm Zabardast

4.35pm Ibn Malik

5.10pm Space Blues

5.45pm Kimbear

6.20pm Barney Roy

6.55pm Matterhorn

7.30pm Defoe

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Dolittle

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

What is double taxation?
  • Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
  • Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
  • The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
  • Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
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Company%20Profile
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Updated: June 07, 2023, 2:00 AM