Highlights
- Vision Pro introducing Guest Mode for seamless sharing of the Apple Vision Pro.
- Exclusive content access from Disney Plus and popular streaming apps.
- Enhanced comfort with the new Travel Mode feature.
- Optional robust headband designed for extended use and travel.
In anticipation of this releases, the tech giant has announced the inclusion of a ‘Guest Mode’, a feature that allows users to share the headset with friends and family without the hassle of additional account setups.
Guest Mode: What is it?
The Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,499, initially raised questions about its shareability, given its steep investment.
However, Apple’s recent press release clears the air by introducing the Guest Mode feature.
This mode enables a guest user, not registered on the device, to access selected apps and experiences seamlessly.
What stands out is the ability for guest users to bypass the headset’s Optic ID requirement, which typically unlocks the device through iris scanning.
Apple has remained tight-lipped about the specifics, but guests can enjoy a range of content, such as viewing photo attachments in Messages, while certain sensitive features like Apple ID settings, Optic ID, and Apple Pay remain restricted.
Vision Pro Experience: Beyond the Individual User
Apple’s Vision Pro headset is not just a personal escape into virtual realms; it’s a device meant for sharing.
The inclusion of Guest Mode opens up new possibilities for users to introduce their friends and family to immersive 3D movies and experiences, notably from Disney Plus, and to streaming apps like Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and Peacock.
This approach is a clear indication from Apple that it wants to position the Vision Pro as a versatile entertainment hub, suitable for both individual enjoyment and group entertainment.
Enhanced Usability with Travel Mode
In addition to Guest Mode, Apple also confirmed the inclusion of a ‘Travel Mode’.
This feature is designed to stabilise visuals, making the headset more comfortable to use in various settings, such as on a plane.
However, it is worth noting that the Vision Pro, for all its technological advancements, is a rather heavy device to wear.
Prolonged usage of the headset can be a bit cumbersome and as such Apple is also likely to make available another more robust headband for the device to ease users who are traveling with the headset.
FAQs
What is the Guest Mode in Apple Vision Pro?
Guest Mode in the Apple Vision Pro allows a non-registered user to access certain apps and experiences.
This mode bypasses the need for Optic ID, Apple’s iris scanning security feature, making the device more user-friendly for sharing with friends and family.
However, it restricts access to sensitive features like Apple ID and Apple Pay.
How does the Vision Pro enhance the VR experience for individual users and groups?
The Vision Pro is designed not just for personal use but also for shared experiences.
With Guest Mode, users can easily introduce others to immersive 3D movies and a variety of content from streaming services like Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and Peacock, positioning the headset as a versatile entertainment device.
What is Travel Mode in the Apple Vision Pro, and how does it work?
Travel Mode in the Apple Vision Pro is a feature designed to stabilize visuals, enhancing comfort during use in moving environments, such as on a plane.
This mode adjusts the headset’s settings to ensure a smoother and more comfortable viewing experience while traveling.
Will there be additional accessories available for the Vision Pro to aid in comfort?
Yes, Apple plans to offer an additional, more robust headband for the Vision Pro.
This accessory is aimed at providing greater comfort for users, especially during prolonged usage or while traveling, addressing the concern of the headset’s weight.
Pre-Ordering Apple Vision Pro: What You Need to Know .When Will Pre-Orders Begin?
Apple Vision Pro is initially launching only in the United States, with pre-orders beginning at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, January 19. For those in other U.S. time zones, here is the full list of pre-order times:
8:00 a.m. Eastern Time
7:00 a.m. Central Time
6:00 a.m. Mountain Time
5:00 a.m. Pacific Time
4:00 a.m. Alaska Time
3:00 a.m. Hawaii–Aleutian Time
What’s in the box of Apple Vision Pro ?
Apple says customers can expect the Vision Pro packaging to include the following:
Polishing cloth
Solo Knit Band
Dual Loop Band
Light Seal
Two Light Seal cushions
Vision Pro cover
External battery pack
USB-C charging cable
Power adapter
For customers who want to use the headset on the go without pockets or a backpack, Belkin will sell an accessory clip that allows the battery pack to be attached to clothing.
What are Vision Pro Payment Options ?
Apple customers will be able to purchase the Vision Pro online and at retail stores using Apple Card installments.
Typically, Apple Card installments let customers spread the purchase over monthly payments with no interest. Mac and iPhone purchases can be made over 24 monthly payments, for example.
What are Vision Pro Pre-Order Requirements ?
Face ID Scan: Ensure you have an iPhone or iPad with Face ID available. This is required to scan your face for a custom fit of the Light Seal and headbands.
Apple Store App Update: Update your Apple Store app to the latest version (released January 11) to support Vision Pro face scanning.
Apple Giving Employees 25% Discount on Vision Pro. Details ?
Apple employees will be able to purchase the Vision Pro at a 25 percent discount, which drops the price of the device $3,500 to approximately $2624, not including tax.
Employees were told about the discount in a memo that was sent out today, according to Bloomberg.
In the past, Apple has offered 50 percent discounts on new products like the HomePod and the Apple Watch, but the Vision Pro is more expensive.
Every three years, employees are provided with a $500 credit toward a Mac, and that credit will also be able to be used for the Vision Pro, plus Apple is planning to reimburse employees that purchase the headset for the cost of any prescription lenses that are required.
Pre-orders for the Vision Pro begin tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with a launch to follow on Friday, February 2.
Apple Highlights Guest and Travel Modes on Vision Pro ?
In a press release outlining entertainment options on the Vision Pro, Apple also briefly highlighted Guest User and Travel Mode features on the headset.
With the Guest User mode, you can let family and friends use your Vision Pro with limited access to certain apps, such as Photos and Safari.
Apple says the primary user’s Apple ID account settings, Optic ID, passcode, passwords, Apple Pay, Persona, and health data will be restricted while the Guest User mode is active.
Guest User mode was discovered last year in the visionOS simulator, part of Apple’s app development tool Xcode. Once the mode is turned on, it will automatically shut off if the headset is not worn within five minutes, the simulator showed.
When turned on via Control Center, Apple says Travel Mode stabilizes visuals on the Vision Pro for users wearing the headset on an airplane.
Travel Mode was first discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser last year in visionOS beta code, with more details about this feature outlined in our coverage at the time.
In fine print related to Travel Mode, Apple warns that the Vision Pro should obviously not be used while operating a moving vehicle.
Vision Pro can be pre-ordered in the U.S. starting Friday, January 19 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, and it launches on Friday, February 2.
Which are the Streaming services and Sports Apps for Apple Vision Pro ?
Apple has confirmed that shows and films from top streaming services, including Apple Originals from Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, Max, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, Pluto TV, Tubi, Fubo, Crunchyroll, Red Bull TV, IMAX, TikTok, and the 2023 App Store Award-winning MUBI will be available for the Vision Pro.
Users can also watch popular online and streaming video using Safari and other browsers, it added.
At launch, Apple Vision Pro users can watch more than 150 3D movies from the world’s top studios with remarkable depth wherever they are, including all-time favorites and recent releases, such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Dune, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, said Apple.
Several streaming apps, including Disney+, will offer 3D versions of their latest and most popular movies on Vision Pro at launch, and will debut new 3D editions alongside or shortly following standard 2D releases.
Users can watch both 2D and 3D movies with Spatial Audio and in an Environment to make the experience even more immersive.
What will the App Store support with Apple Vision Pro ?
The visionOS App Store will feature both apps designed specifically to take advantage of the capabilities of the Vision Pro, and iOS apps that are able to run on the device in a 2D mode.
Existing apps can be ported to the Vision Pro easily with no action needed on the part of the developer, which means that most apps should be available in some capacity. Developers can choose to opt out of having their apps appear.
Netflix Won’t Launch An App For Apple Vision Pro.Details ?
Apple announced all the entertainment apps that would be compatible with its spatial computing device. However, it had a notable exclusion — Netflix.
According to a report by Bloomberg. Netflix has now confirmed that it has no intention of developing a native app for the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Moreover, Netflix has gone a step further, stating that it won’t allow users to run the iPad version of its app on the Apple Vision Pro either.
The Apple Vision Pro boasts compatibility with over a million iPhone and iPad apps from the App Store, presenting them as mini-windows in the user’s virtual space.
However, developers have the option to opt out of this support, and Netflix has officially chosen to do so. Instead, Netflix users on the Apple Vision Pro are directed to access the service through the Safari web browser.
“Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs,” Netflix told Bloomberg in a statement.
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