First look: Here's what Apple's Vision Pro prescription lenses look like
When Apple introduced its $3,499 Vision Pro headset a few weeks ago, my first question was, "How will it accommodate my eyesight?" (Alright, my actual first question was, "How will I afford this thing?" But you already know that.)
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As a glasses wearer, my instincts, whenever there's a new AR/VR headset, tell me to look for focus dials, myopia rotary knobs, and any other medium of vision adjustment. Because the last thing I'd want to see in the virtual world is blurred depictions of my MacBook screen, Disney movies, and Digital Personas.
To my delight, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro with optical inserts made by German camera and lens company, Zeiss. There's no price for the prescription lenses, and there's a good chance that availability will also be kept under wraps until Vision Pro goes on sale early next year. But for now, we have a first look at the magnetic corrective accessories to appreciate.
As shown above, the lens attachments look exactly like what you'd expect them to look like. (There's a cooler, more exciting rendering of them on the official Zeiss website that I converted to a GIF below.)
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According to Apple, the attachments will snap over the Vision Pro's custom micro-OLED 4K displays. The high-resolution output of the headset was well-praised when ZDNET's Editor in Chief, Jason Hiner, tested it at WWDC.
Ideally, Zeiss' add-on won't detract from the Vision Pro's native display quality, or how responsive the headset's eye-tracking sensors will be -- the latter of which is perhaps the most important aspect when it comes to operating and navigating in VisionOS. It would certainly help if Zeiss builds the insert with anti-glare material to reduce any excessive reflections caused by the layering of glass.
Also: Inside VisionOS: 17 things developers need to know right now
Again, the price for the Zeiss Optical Inserts remains up in the air. We've seen companies like Meta and Snapchat charge upwards of $100 for tailor-made prescription lenses. But for how much Apple is willing to sell its next-gen headset, and the company's rich history of up-charging for the most basic of add-ons, I wouldn't be surprised if the Zeiss-branded inserts end up adding an extra $300 to $500 to your Vision Pro bill.