The Vision Pro may just be an over-engineered devkit. There is some genius and audacity behind some of Apple's hardware decisions - gaze and pinch was a major industry 'a-ha' moment. However, the device's software/content story is dull and unimaginative and most people likely won't use the Vision Pro for watching media. The Vision Pro's debut was the best thing that ever happened to Meta's Quest brand as it elevated VR to a level of mainstream consumer curiosity, set new standards and pricing envelopes for VR devices, and created a competitor for Meta teams to chase.

The Apple Vision Pro's new Spatial Personas feature creates floating animated portraits in users' session spaces, using AI to sync the avatar to match users' head, mouth, and hand movements. It uses real-time movement tracking to create a more personal sensation of the other user being in the room. 2D tiles are still the default. The feature works with up to five users on a FaceTime call. Spatial Personas is still in beta.

A recent patent application by Apple describes techniques for enabling drawing in a computer-generated reality environment. It illustrates how the company plans to track users' hands and allow them to draw without additional devices on Vision Pro. The technology lets users pinch their fingers like a paintbrush to make an object appear over their hand. When the user switches tools, Apple Vision Pro changes the virtual object in the user's hand.

Apple's Personas, designed for their Vision Pro headsets, have evolved from initially "nightmarish" avatars to more lifelike versions, with ongoing improvements. The latest update introduces "spatial" Personas, enhancing collaboration by integrating them into various apps via SharePlay. The feature utilizes the Vision Pro's sensors to place the Personas in physical space.

Apple was recognized with a Black Pencil — the D&AD Awards' highest accolade — for its visionOS operating system, which powers the recently launched Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. According to Apple's head of design, the award is a testament to the tight integration and care the design studio and engineering teams at Apple have invested into crafting a truly magical experience.