How the Apple Vision Pro Will Transform Industries

The Vision Pro is Apple's first product designed to be looked through rather than at. It positions AR as its core, suggesting a shift from conventional devices towards 3D immersive digital experiences. This strategic focus heralds a future where spatial computing is integral to daily digital life. This device can place 2D and 3D objects in the space around you or even transport you to an entirely new space. So, for instance, with the headset on, one could watch a cinema-sized movie while seated in an airplane. This spatial computer enhances personal entertainment and pioneers new ways of interacting with digital content across industries, seamlessly blending physical and virtual worlds.

The metaverse or 3D internet, an expansive virtual space where users can interact within a digital universe, is gaining traction across various sectors. AR and VR technologies, epitomized by the Apple Vision Pro, hold transformative potential for numerous industries to leverage the 3D internet. They offer innovative solutions for immersive learning, remote healthcare, virtual shopping experiences, and more, significantly enhancing user engagement and personalizing consumer interactions.

Productivity in manufacturing

The Apple Vision Pro is set to revolutionize the manufacturing industry with its spatial computing capabilities, offering a new dimension in AR-assisted assembly, maintenance, and training. 

By allowing workers to overlay digital information such as step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and 3D models onto physical objects in real-time, the Vision Pro promises to streamline assembly lines and quality control, making processes more efficient, reducing errors, and optimizing maintenance schedules. Workers can instantly understand which part goes where while assembling components and receive updates and feedback as they go.

The Vision Pro can also enhance training and onboarding by creating virtual training environments, enabling realistic simulations for skill practice without physical equipment. It facilitates interactive learning and assessment, accelerating skill acquisition for new employees and keeping veterans updated with current methods, thereby enhancing overall workforce proficiency.

The device also supports remote collaboration, offering AR-enabled video calls for expert assistance, and improves inventory management through precise, efficient warehouse navigation. Additionally, it contributes to workplace safety by projecting critical alerts and hazard warnings directly into the user's field of view. 

Here are some leading examples of companies that have adopted AR technologies to streamline production and reduce errors:

Boeing 

Boeing has significantly improved its airplane wiring process by incorporating augmented reality (AR), allowing technicians to see schematics directly in their field of view, leading to a hands-free and more efficient workflow. This integration has resulted in a 25% reduction in wiring time, a 40% increase in productivity, and eliminated errors.

Additionally, Boeing uses virtual reality (VR) for training on complex tasks, like cargo door seal installation, reducing training time by 75% per person. AR and VR also enhance Boeing's space projects, such as the Starliner crew module, streamlining design and training. These advancements highlight Boeing's drive to pioneer aviation technology, optimizing manufacturing and training with AR and VR.

Volkswagen 

Volkswagen has utilized augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance its manufacturing processes significantly. The company developed the Marta app for their service departments, which serves as an interactive AR application to assist technical workers in performing car maintenance tasks more efficiently. This app has revolutionized how Volkswagen's service departments operate by providing a more interactive and practical approach to car maintenance.

AR has also helped Volkswagen design production lines and identify malfunctions. The technology allows designers and engineers to see how individual parts and equipment fit together and interact in the natural environment. This ability will enable them to make faster decisions and spot issues in advance, some of which would typically not be visible.

Retail Experiences

The  Apple Vision Pro will revolutionize the retail sector by offering immersive AR shopping experiences, bridging the digital and physical realms in unprecedented ways, and transforming shopping into a highly interactive, personalized, and engaging process. Mixed-reality headsets like the Apple Vision Pro allow users to interact with 3D content seamlessly, offering virtual store tours, try-ons, and enhanced product visualizations right from the comfort of their homes. 

AR headsets can allow shoppers to try on clothes, accessories, and cosmetics by projecting the items on themselves or their virtual avatars. Integrating AR-powered virtual try-on technologies into the retail sector significantly reduces returns, boosts customer satisfaction, and ramps up engagement levels by 200%, as per data published by Threekit. AR also offers product visualization capabilities, allowing customers to place products virtually in one's space. The more time consumers spend customizing and immersively experiencing products, the higher their likelihood of purchasing. 

Here are some retailers leveraging AR:

IKEA

IKEA has been at the forefront of adopting AR technology with its IKEA Place app, enabling users to position furniture and decor in their own spaces virtually. AR allows shoppers to see how various items will appear and fit in their homes, offering a precise and interactive way to plan their purchases.

The convenience and assurance provided by this technology remove the uncertainty from shopping, leading to a more fulfilling buying experience. In March 2020, the IKEA app was downloaded 490,000 times globally, rising to over 1.9 million by March 2021. Downloads peaked at over 2.3 million in August 2021.

Sephora

Sephora's Virtual Artist feature, powered by facial recognition software, allows shoppers to test makeup products using their smartphones by uploading a selfie or utilizing their camera. Individuals can explore a wide range of cosmetic shades, from lipsticks to eyeshadows, effortlessly facilitating the discovery of the perfect match. This innovative approach boosts customer interaction and empowers shoppers to make informed purchase decisions confidently.

Education and Training

Equipped with gesture recognition, eye-tracking, and voice control, the Apple Vision Pro enhances accessibility and user experience, transforming classrooms into dynamic virtual learning environments. AR and VR are already popular among teachers, with seven out of ten wanting more of the technology’s integration into education, as per Statista. A publication by Verizon stated that experiential learning using these technologies results in 50% better learning outcomes than traditional teaching methods.

Using the Apple Vision Pro, complex topics and subjects like astronomy and anatomy can be brought to life in an immersive space, making educational content easier to grasp and more engaging. The technology can also empower students with learning disabilities to stay focused, complete challenging tasks, solve problems, and practice in a low-pressure environment.

Here are some examples of educational institutions and companies using AR and VR technologies for learning:

• Spain’s IE University develops AR apps: 6,000 students from Spain’s IE University’s Masters and Bachelor programs have experience with AR and VR learning content in sustainability, negotiation, marketing, and communication. The university is now developing native apps for the Apple Vision Pro to foster deeper learning, better decision-making, and collaborative discussions.

  
  

• Immersive VR Education recreates a historical experience: Created for the BBC, the 1943 Berlin Blitz in 360° experience utilized authentic footage from a nocturnal bombing over Nazi Germany, offering students a vivid glimpse into the realities of experiencing a pivotal moment in history.

  
  

• Google Expeditions’s virtual trips: Teachers may not be able to physically bring their students to the base camp of Mount Everest or the Louvre, yet with Google Expeditions, they can offer equally engaging and immersive virtual field trips to these and other remarkable locations.

Creativity and Entertainment

Nearly 50% of all investments in VR go into entertainment, as per a Bernard Marr publication, highlighting the industry’s keen interest in extended reality (XR) technology. These technologies enable new forms of storytelling, enhance audience engagement, and offer escapes into fantastical worlds by blending digital elements with the natural world or creating entirely virtual environments. This innovative technology opens up new revenue streams for the industry and fosters more profound connections between audiences and content. 

With advancements in technology, AR and VR are becoming more seamless, offering higher-quality visuals, more expansive fields of view, and more intuitive interfaces, making these immersive experiences more realistic and engaging. Integrating with artificial intelligence (AI), AR and VR create personalized and adaptive experiences, further enhancing their potential to transform the entertainment landscape.

Let's dive into how AR and VR empower creativity across various domains:

• Gaming: The VR gaming market was valued at $11.5 billion in 2019, with predictions to grow at an annual rate of 30% from 2020 to 2027. With immersive technology already a big part of the industry, game developers are looking for new ways to keep players engaged. One notable example is Ace Combat 7, a VR game with photorealistic environments and detailed aircraft models that allow users to completely indulge in the game and feel that they are flying in a fighter jet.

  
  

• Filmmaking: Films are becoming more interactive and dynamic through AR and VR. Sarah Ejionye, a filmmaker, photographer, and CGI artist studying at the London College of Fashion uses her art to highlight the experiences and narratives of women of color. A member of Riot Soup, an art collective promoting diversity, her AR project "Afrogenesis" combines sci-fi, jungle elements, and humanoid figures in a spaceship setting, offering a unique storytelling experience. Transitioning from analog photography to AR via 3D modeling with Blender, inspired by her university's new media unit, Ejionye's work has evolved into exploring interactive image-making. "Afrogenesis," featuring Dominic Waterfield's soundscapes and Daniella Chukwuezi's designs, represents a shift to a more iterative, user-engaged approach in AR, moving away from traditional photography to embrace technology's dynamic possibilities.

  
  

• Art: Several art galleries and museums, like the National Gallery in London, are offering virtual tours that allow visitors to view exhibits in 3D from anywhere. These engaging experiences are designed as 360-degree walkthroughs or 3D interactive exhibits, increasing engagement. One example of an artist leveraging AR is Meitao Qu, an artist operating between London and Beijing, delving into the intersection of costume and architecture to spark the imagination. Through "Dreaming of Red Mansions," inspired by "The Story of the Stone," Qu introduces AR filters on Twine, creating digital portals into a fictional universe. These QR-accessible filters guide viewers through a textureless 3D house, revealing rooms filled with images, objects, and sounds for a playful, immersive experience.