LOS ALAMITOS, CA — It’s a Friday night and you’re at dinner with your friends. Everyone’s talking to each other and having a great time, but nobody is in the same room, and there isn’t a phone in sight. What could possibly be going on? They are all wearing headsets that allow them to virtually attend dinner with each other from the comfort of their respective houses. 

This situation seems far-fetched, but recent technological innovations have made it possible. The Apple Vision Pro is a new product that allows users to access augmented reality from anywhere, and the scope of possibility with this device seems unlimited. 

How does it work?

The device is worn by strapping it around the user’s head, covering their entire field of view with a screen. Sensors attached to the outside of the device simulate the surrounding area so the user can maintain their bearings while wearing the headset. The device also needs to plug into a small battery pack so the headset can survive for long periods of time when a charging port isn’t readily accessible. This design makes the device easy to use and carry around, further expanding the headset’s boundaries.

The Apple Vision Pro is priced at $3500, but given its capabilities, many people are willing to spend that much on the product. One of the main features people buy the Vision Pro for is its ability to use apps and digital features in the headset while interacting with the real world. Users can call friends, watch videos, or surf the web in the virtual world, all while carrying out their daily activities in the real world.

The Foreseeable Pros and Cons

The Pros

With the technological options available with the Vision Pro, many positive aspects could start appearing from this technology in upcoming years. Apple stated that The Vision Pro would allow for more creativity in the workplace and different forms of communication that have yet to be explored through new immersive video technology, allowing people to interact with video calls and digital technology in 3D. Having the ability to interact with objects in real-time with the headset without having to go out and buy the equipment or find a workspace would be especially helpful for medical careers where they could test out expensive equipment before having to buy it.

“A more interactive and immersive experience may increase interactions as the lines between the digital and physical world become blurred,” said Mrs. Bigley, the History and the Future teacher at Los Al. “In education, students could engage in interactive learning experiences and personalized training, [and] in healthcare, remote surgery and “hands-on” training would be advantageous.”

The Cons

Living in a virtual and physical world simultaneously raises concerns about the future of technology and what day-to-day life could look like due to these advancements. Some worry that despite the potential increase in digital social interactions that could come with the device, there would be a significant decrease in physical social interactions and important social developmental skills.

“We have already [encountered] decreased social interactions as a result of cell phones and social media,” she said. “Even though you would be interacting with others in an augmented setting, I don’t know how that might shape our in-person interactions.”

In addition, people fear for their privacy and the safety of their personal information when new pieces of technology enter the public market. People entrust a lot of their personal identification to technology, and the Vision Pro would be no exception, with people being able to access Apple apps that store their sensitive data. 

“We’ve seen with Google and social media [that] the amount of personal data these tech companies have access to is unsettling,” Bigley said.

Despite the security risks, the Apple Support team stated that the Apple Vision Pro has advanced security features built into the headset that will prevent unwanted people from accessing people’s personal data. They state that these features will protect the user’s Apple ID information, iCloud data, as well as passwords that are saved to the device.

Safety also becomes a concern beyond digital safety, but safety in the real world as well. Even though Vision Pro allows its users to have full bearings on the world around them, it still poses a distraction, which could be a safety hazard when it comes to driving and spatial awareness.

“People will stop looking at where they are going and could fall or walk into something,” said senior Ashlynn Mengel. “They could also become an easier victim to getting robbed because they aren’t looking around.”

To Conclude

No matter your opinion on the Apple Vision Pro, both negatives and positives can be seen about the power it holds on people in the near future. Technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and augmented reality has the capability to guide the future of innovation if used correctly and safely.