Described as a “spatial computer,” the Apple Vision Pro will debut early next year, marking the tech giant’s first major product launch since 2015. Announced on June 5th, Apple’s augmented reality (AR) headset promises a uniquely cinematic experience, delivering movies, games, sports and photos in breathtaking quality.
Tech blogger John Gruber of Daring Fireball was invited to Apple’s Silicon Valley campus for a 30-minute demo earlier this week, marveling at watching live sports in “incredible” definition with all images displayed “perfectly to scale.”
“We saw two sports demos—an at-bat from a baseball game at Fenway Park and a scoring play from a Nuggets-Suns NBA game,” wrote Gruber, blown away by watching Kevin Durant (looking every bit of 6’10”) from a courtside perspective. “It was incredible. I would genuinely consider buying a Vision Pro if the one and only thing it did was show entire sporting events like this.”
Launched as a competitor to Facebook’s Meta Quest VR headsets, Vision Pro could change the way we consume sports, though its exorbitant price—$3,499—presents a significant hurdle to mainstream acceptance. Even if casual sports fans are priced out of the market, Apple still has plenty to hang its hat on, particularly with Wednesday’s news that Lionel Messi is headed to Inter Miami, with subscriptions expected to skyrocket for MLS Season Pass, streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.