JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023, Apple introduced the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro is a Mixed Reality (MR) headset, more specifically it is a Virtual Reality (VR) device with an additional Video See-Through (VST) capability. The VST capability turns the Vision Pro also into an Augmented Reality (AR) device. The AR feature is enabled by streaming the real world via cameras to the (VR) screens in front of the user’s eyes. This is of course not unique and similar to other devices, like the Varjo XR-3. Nevertheless, the Vision Pro has some interesting features, like an inside-out screen that can show the headset wearers’ eyes to “outsiders” or a button on the top, called “Digital Crown”, that allows you to seamlessly blend digital content with your physical space by turning it. In addition, it is untethered, except for the cable to the battery, which makes the headset more agile, compared to the Varjo XR-3. This could actually come closer to the “Ultimate Display”, which Ivan Sutherland had already sketched in 1965. After a great response from the media and social networks to the release, we were able to test and review the new Apple Vision Pro ourselves in March 2024. Including an expert survey with 13 of our colleagues after testing the Apple Vision Pro in our institute, this perspective want to see if the Apple Vision Pro can overcome some clinical challenges that - especially - AR still faces in the medical domain, but also go beyond and discuss if the Vision Pro could support clinicians in essential tasks to spend more time with their patients.