Latest news with #spatialComputing
Tahawul Tech
2 days ago
- Tahawul Tech
visionOS 26 introduces powerful new spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro
Widgets become spatial and anchor in a user's space, Personas are more expressive and realistic, and new APIs unleash exciting opportunities for developers, creators, and enterprises. CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — Apple previewed visionOS 26, an expansive update packed with groundbreaking spatial experiences and new features for Apple Vision Pro. Everyday interactions become more immersive and personal, with widgets that integrate into a user's space, spatial scenes that use generative AI to add stunning lifelike depth to photos, striking enhancements that make Personas feel more natural and familiar, and shared spatial experiences for Vision Pro users in the same room. visionOS 26 also adds support for 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon, while new enterprise APIs allow organizations to create spatial experiences unique to visionOS. And with support for PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, players can enjoy a new class of games on Apple Vision Pro.1 'Apple Vision Pro has defined what's possible in this new era of spatial computing, and with visionOS 26, we're excited to push the boundaries even further,' said Mike Rockwell, Apple's vice president of the Vision Products Group. 'With brand-new ways for Vision Pro owners to connect, explore, work together, and enjoy content, we're incredibly excited for users to enjoy features like apps and widgets that they can arrange in their spaces, spatial scenes that offer a brand-new viewing experience for their photos, and dramatically enhanced Personas on Vision Pro.' Widgets Become Spatial Across the Apple ecosystem, widgets offer personalized and useful information at a glance, and with visionOS 26, widgets become spatial, integrating seamlessly into a user's space and reappearing every time they put on Apple Vision Pro. Widgets in visionOS 26 are customizable, with a variety of options for frame width, color, and depth. Beautiful new widgets — including Clock, Weather, Music, and Photos — all offer unique interactions and experiences. Users can decorate their spaces with favorite widgets, including stunning panoramas and spatial photos of their favorite memories, clocks with distinctive face designs, and quick access to their go-to playlists and songs on Apple Music. The Widgets app helps users find widgets, including those from compatible iOS and iPadOS apps, and developers will also be able to create their own widgets using WidgetKit. Enhanced Shared Spatial Experiences Users love how visionOS lets them connect with family, friends, and colleagues remotely, and with visionOS 26, they can share spatial experiences with other Apple Vision Pro users in the same room. They can come together to watch the latest blockbuster movie in 3D, play a spatial game, or collaborate with coworkers. Users can also add remote participants from across the world via FaceTime, enabling connection with people near and far. Dassault Systèmes, a leading provider of engineering and 3D design software, is leveraging this ability with their 3DLive app, bringing the ability to visualize 3D designs both in person and with remote colleagues. With visionOS 26, Personas are transformed to feel more natural and familiar. Taking advantage of industry-leading volumetric rendering and machine learning technology, the all-new Personas now have striking expressivity and sharpness, offering a full side profile view, and remarkably accurate hair, lashes, and complexion. Personas are still created on device in a matter of seconds, and new improvements to the setup process allow users to adjust and preview how their Persona looks spatially, and even pick glasses from over 1,000 variations. Introducing Spatial Scenes visionOS 26 makes spatial photos even more realistic, leveraging a new generative AI algorithm and computational depth to create spatial scenes with multiple perspectives, letting users feel like they can lean in and look around. Users can view spatial scenes in the Photos app, Spatial Gallery app, and Safari, while developers can use the Spatial Scene API to make their app experience even more immersive. Zillow is taking advantage of the API for their Zillow Immersive app, allowing users to see images of homes and apartments with the rich depth and dimension that spatial scenes offer. New Ways to Browse, Play, and Watch Users can select spatial browsing to transform articles on Safari, hide distractions, and reveal spatial scenes that come alive as they scroll. Web developers have the ability to embed 3D models directly into web pages, letting users shop and browse with depth and dimension, and see and manipulate 3D objects and models right in Safari. visionOS 26 supports native playback of 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon. Users can enjoy their exciting 2D action footage the way it was meant to be seen. Developers can incorporate this new playback capability into their apps and websites. visionOS 26 also introduces support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller. Now, developers can deliver even more engaging gameplay experiences for Apple Vision Pro thanks to high-performance motion tracking in 6 degrees of freedom, finger touch detection, and vibration support. Enterprise APIs and Tools Companies around the world are harnessing spatial computing on Apple Vision Pro to supercharge their workflows for design, training, sales, education, and more. New capabilities like team device sharing let organizations easily set up and manage a shared pool of devices. Users can securely save their eye and hand data, vision prescription, and accessibility settings to their iPhone running iOS 26 and bring it to another Vision Pro, making sharing easier than ever. visionOS 26 adds support for Logitech Muse, a spatial accessory built for Apple Vision Pro that enables precise input and new ways to interact with collaboration apps like Spatial Analogue.1 Enterprise-focused APIs, like the new Protected Content API, ensure that only people who have been granted access can see confidential materials like medical records or business forecasts, while preventing copying, screenshots, and screen sharing. Additional visionOS 26 features include: More Apple Intelligence features — including updates to Image Playground — come to Apple Vision Pro. visionOS 26 also adds support for new languages: French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, along with support for English in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, and the UK. 2 Look to Scroll allows users to explore apps and websites using just their eyes. Users can customize the scroll speed, and developers can integrate Look to Scroll into their visionOS apps. In the redesigned Control Center , features like Guest User, Focus, Travel Mode, and more are conveniently displayed in one view, letting users effortlessly manage their music, adjust their Environment settings, and connect to Mac Virtual Display. Users can unlock their iPhone while wearing Apple Vision Pro , even in a fully immersive experience like an Environment. This feature can be enabled in Settings for Face ID-enabled iPhone models running iOS 26. 3 visionOS 26 supports relaying calls from iPhone , so a user can now answer phone calls directly from Apple Vision Pro, or start a call from People View by selecting a contact's phone number or clicking on a phone number in a web page. 4 Home View now supports folders , letting users rearrange and group apps together. Availability All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at For more information, visit Apple Intelligence requires Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language: English (Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, UK, U.S.), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish (Mexico, Spain). Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions, all languages, or on all devices, and compatible hardware and software may be required.
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Gizmodo
Apple Didn't Design Controllers for the Vision Pro, but It Gave Us the Next Best Thing
Apple's bulky, powerful, occasionally beautiful, and way-too-expensive XR headset, the Vision Pro, is coming into the fold of Apple's software ecosystem as well as the wider VR market. At WWDC25, Apple shared more info about this first step to a more mature 'spatial' ecosystem with visionOS 26. The update should allow for easier controls with your eyes and—for the first time—actual controllers you can port from other headsets, like Sony's PlayStation VR2. While the rest of the Apple ecosystem is changing its look to match what was already on the Vision Pro, the look inside Apple's headset isn't changing much, despite the growth spurt from visionOS 2 to visionOS 26. The first big improvement is the introduction of eye-scrolling. It means users no longer have to pinch and drag to look through a web page or PDF. Apple's 'spatial computer' should instead use the headset's eye-tracking to help you jump to where you want to be on the page. There are additional all-new widgets designed specifically for the Vision Pro. These are designed to be placed against a wall within AR space. They include a subtle 3D effect to make each widget appear like it was set into a wall. Another widget can act like a fake window to look out at a panorama photo you've taken with a phone. Apple is opening up its OS to support more 180- and 360-degree footage from companies like Insta360 and GoPro, which means you may have more access to 3D content than what Apple's willing to share with users. One of the headlining features for the Apple Vision Pro was 'Personas,' which were supposed to act as lip-synced 3D avatars for users talking over FaceTime or other supported apps. At launch, these had a waxy, dead-eyed appearance that was equal parts intriguing and off-putting. The new update could finally offer a more lifelike appearance, with more texture on users' hair and eyes. Currently, the Apple Vision Pro hand-tracking recognizes several gestures for navigating through apps. Most important to daily use has been the pinch, though a bare few apps could also recognize the orientation of your fists as if you were holding onto an invisible steering wheel. This isn't anywhere close to enough for most VR games. Finally, the AVP will accept third-party controllers. First on the list are the Logitech pen for mixed reality art apps and the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. This should make it easier to use when you need pinpoint controls, like in drawing apps. Apple suggested this 'new class of games' available to AVP will include such heavy hitters as the pickleball simulator Pickle Pro. The introduction of third-party peripheral support could be a big deal—the headset tracks six degrees of freedom (DoF), and with vibration support, it could offer one of the more immersive VR experiences available. It also means we may finally get to experience more ports of other VR games. We can already imagine how nice it would be to get Steam Link working on a Vision Pro to play Half Life: Alyx on the relatively wide field of view with the twin 4K micro-OLED displays. We shouldn't feel too disappointed Apple didn't craft its own first-party controllers; PlayStation's VR2 Sense controllers are a solid option. The Apple Vision Pro sometimes feels like the red-headed stepchild of the Cupertino tech giant's larger brand. It's been around for more than a year, and it has improved significantly in the intervening months with every new update for visionOS 2 and onward. The latest updates to guest accounts made it a better device to share with people nearby. Plus, turning your Mac screen into an ultrawide monitor in AR space is both cool and surprisingly useful. What's missing is pure content. Apple has produced numerous short- and long-form content viewable exclusively on the AVP, including a full-length biopic about Bono and small movies like Submerged. But for every bit of passive content that arrives on the platform, there has been a dearth of active content we mostly associate with VR and AR—especially gaming.
TechCrunch
3 days ago
- TechCrunch
From spatial widgets to realistic Personas: All the visionOS updates Apple announced at WWDC
Apple's updates to visionOS 26, the operating system powering its mixed reality headset, build on last year's Apple Vision Pro spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world. At WWDC, Apple announced a range of updates for both consumer and enterprise customers, from new spatial widgets and content to more realistic Personas and more. Personalized spatial widgets All widgets — including Calendar, shown here — are customizable, with a variety of options for frame width, color, and depth. Image Credits:Apple Apple's widgets offer personalized and useful information at a glance. With visionOS 26, they become spatial, integrating into your space. You can customize the widgets to the size, color, and depth you like, and place them where you want. New widgets include a clock that you can decorate, weather that adapts to the weather outside near you, music for quick access to tunes, and photos that can transform into a panorama or a 'window to another space.' Adding depth to 2D images Image Credits:Apple An update to the visionOS Photos app uses a new AI algorithm that leverages computational depth to create multiple perspectives for your 2D photos, bringing images to life. Apple says it will feel like you can 'lean right into them and look around.' Spatial browsing on Safari can also make web browsing a more immersive experience. With certain supported articles, spatial browsing can hide distractions and reveal inline photos that 'come alive as you scroll.' Developers can also add spatial browsing to their own apps. Talking heads With VisionOS 26, Personas are transformed to feel more natural and familiar. Image Credits:Apple Apple released Personas, an AI avatar to represent you on video calls, on the Vision Pro as a beta feature last year. With visionOS 26, Apple says Personas 'more realistically represent you.' The new Personas take advantage of 'volumetric rendering and machine learning technology' to enhance everything from how you look in full side profile view to delivering more accurate-looking hair, eyelashes, and complexion. Personas are all created on-device in a 'matter of seconds,' Apple says. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Immerse together Image Credits:Apple VisionOS 26 lets you and another headset-wearing friend watch a movie or play a spatial game together. This capability is also being marketed for enterprise clients, allowing users to collaborate. For example, 3D design software company Dassault Systèmes is leveraging the ability with its 3DLive app to visualize 3D designs in person and with remote colleagues. Logitech Muse is a spatial accessory that will enable precise input and new ways to interact with collaboration apps like Spatial Analogue. Image Credits:Apple VisionOS 26 also lets organizations easily share a common pool of devices among team members, and even securely saves your eye and hand data, vision prescription, and accessibility settings to your iPhone so users can quickly use a shared team device or a friend's Vision Pro as a guest user. Apple said it would add more APIs so enterprises can create apps designed for visionOS. There's a new 'for your eyes only' mode that ensures only those who have been given access can see any confidential materials. Finally, Apple announced Logitech Muse built for Vision Pro, a spatial accessory built for the headset that lets you draw and collaborate in 3D with precision. More Apple Intelligence features are coming to the Apple Vision Pro. VisionOS 26 supports new languages like French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, along with support for English in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, and the U.K. Users can also now 'look to scroll' using just their eyes to explore apps and websites. They can also now unlock their iPhone while wearing the Apple Vision Pro, even when wearing the headset, and visionOS supports relaying calls from iPhone so you can accept a call from the Apple Vision Pro.
