Apple Inc. (AAPL) moved into augmented reality (AR) with Friday's launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, setting it up for head-to-head co🦂mpetition with Meta Platforms Inc.

Apple's headset uses 12 cameras, six microphones, and five sensors to overlay applications on the user's surroundings, and is controlled entirely by hands, eyes, and voice.

The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:AR computing experience runs on the new visionOS operating system and is compatible with more than a million apps on the company's app store. Priced starting at $3,499, Apple's foray into virtual reality (VR) comes with a significantly steeper price tag than competitor Meta's (META) 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Quest 3 headset, which starts around $500 and uses controllers.

International Data Corp. analysts said in part that the "high price tag of the Vision Pro will likely relegate the device to businesses." Deutsche Bank Research analysts were more optimistic, saying that "while the high price may slow initial adoption, the Vision Pro launch expands Apple's ecosystem and diversifies revenue streams beyond the iPhone over time."

Apple has also announced a new Spatial Video format that can be recorded via the Vision Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models. It is designed to let users "relive their favorite memories." Thursday, Meta announced that the Quest 3 would be compatible with Spatial Video.

Although the VR market has slowed over the past year, analysts are optimistic about the Vision Pro. Wedbush Securities analysts estimate sales of more than 600,000 units this year, markedly ahead of the 460,000 Wedbush originally predicted.