How Apple’s Vision Pro will Impact Engineering

“Tomorrow’s engineering, today.” – Tim Cook, CEO of Apple on the Apple Vision Pro.

What is the Apple Vision Pro?

The Apple Vision Pro has the potential to change the meaning of “working from home.” Imagine, you’re working remotely from your living room, however you’re also experiencing a collaboration with your team as if you were physically sharing space with them. From meetings to tours to exploring new ground, the Apple Vision Pro can take you there from your home office, backyard, or even poolside. 

Apple is calling this new device the, “most advanced personal electronics device ever” and it is designed only as a headset with no physical controls. It uses 12 cameras, 5 sensors, and 6 microphones to track the user’s movements, eyes, and speech. Right now, the Vision Pro is being marked as a universal display that has the ability to replace a wide variety of other screens, including a complete macbook computer.  

“Through a tight integration of hardware and software, we designed a standalone spatial computer in a compact wearable form factor that is the most advanced personal electronics device ever.” – Tim Cook, Apple CEO

The high price point of the Apple Vision Pro, $3499.00, will most likely make it a product for executives for now, however in the future it could be a new way we experience connection in the workplace. It has the potential to completely merge the barrier between working from home and experiencing live connection and collaboration with coworkers.

What does this mean for Engineering?

The impact of the Apple Vision Pro on the field of engineering has the potential to be significant. Here’s just a few ways this might change the work of engineering in the future:

1. Increased Safety: This technology has the potential to ensure increased safety measures are followed in any situation necessary by allowing people to experience being physically present while at home or away. 
2. Increased Efficiency: The Vision Pro will allow engineers to design products faster and more accurately as it reduces travel time but increases connection between coworkers.
3. Increased Collaboration: As this product brings people together across space and time, this will allow increased collaboration between multiple parties to ultimately create designs and products of a higher quality. 
4. Increased Education: Using the Apple Vision Pro, engineers can become more quickly educated on important industry topics, share professional input more easily, and overall create a space for learning that is more accessible than ever before. 

While the Apple Vision Pro presents many opportunities for engineering, it also brings with it potential challenges. These include:

1. Adaptation of technology. With the Apple Vision Pro being a completely new line of personal devices, there will be a learning curve for everyone involved as to how to use the device effectively. 
2. Price point. Right now, with the price just under $3500.00, only a handful of early adopters will seek out the Apple Vision Pro for professional use. 

Like in all fields, the integration of the Apple Vision Pro will depend on many different factors that will largely remain unseen until it is released early next year. For engineers, it presents an opportunity to merge communities and bring people together, if people are willing to adapt this new form of personal computer. 

Sources:

• https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230605005752/en/Introducing-Apple-Vision-Pro-Apple%E2%80%99s-first-spatial-computer
• https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/the-apple-vision-pro-will-revolutionize-remote-work/453647
• https://www.geekwire.com/2023/analysis-apples-vision-pro-sets-up-a-clash-with-valve-sony-meta-over-future-of-vr-ar/