The excitement around Apple’s latest wearable Virtual Reality gadget is not unwarranted. After all, it adds more than one dimension to the way we experience apps – literally and metaphorically. It promises a breathtaking immersive experience to the users.
But is it worth jumping on the bandwagon for the app creators and businesses?
We, at Appmetry, say Yes. It is totally worth it, and more. Here are some features which sold it to us immediately.
BLENDING THE REAL AND THE VIRTUAL
VisionOS provides for different levels of immersive and augmentative experience for the users. To simplify what the viewer sees in the VisionPro viewport, let us think of it as a Mac/Desktop screen. On a desktop, at any time there can be multiple windows that share the 2D space. Some windows are from the same app and some from others. VisionOS does something similar in 3D. The shared space that the user sees is called, well, Shared Space. And just like a desktop screen, the space is shared by multiple windows from different apps.
As you can see, various ‘windows’ share the space and the user can navigate between them.
Wait, they don’t all look like Windows!
If you are thinking that, you are right. Adding another dimension comes with its own set of perks. VisionOS provides for different levels of immersion for apps – Spaces, Volumes and Windows.
Windows are just like the windows that we know, 2D objects containing Views. VisionOS also allows adding 3D objects right next to traditional views, creating a blend of 2D and 3D, giving developers the control for positioning them.
To take it further, apps can also define Volumes. These are bounded and well-defined 3D spaces which give us further control to exactly lay out 3D content.
A level higher are Spaces, that is the complete range space that a user can see by rotating their eyes and heads. The Shared Space we talked about earlier is one such Space. Think of it like a Home Screen or a Desktop. Now, just like we can choose to go full screen on a desktop, here we have what is called a Full Space. An application can be maximised to take up all the space, thereby obscuring all other apps. The user will see Windows and Volumes from only one application in a Full Space.
That’s not all. Sometimes, an application may want a fully immersive experience. For example, a Game. In this case, a single Volume from the app can take up the whole viewport and immerse the user in proper Virtual Reality.
What’s more, the Full Space can also be used as an Augmented Reality tool, using what is called Passthrough. This allows the application’s content to be laid over the user’s actual surroundings.
The ways a business can present their content to the user now is limitless.
So much for the various levels of immersion. VisionOS offers another indispensable feature for a completely smooth experience.
USER INTERACTIONS REDEFINED
Broadly, users can interact with the content in the Vision space in two ways: Direct Input, and Hands and Eye Input
In Direct Input, the user clicks/taps on an object in space with a finger just like on a touch screen.
Using Eyes and Hands input, the user can focus the eyes on an object and do certain gestures with the hands or fingers to take an action. VisionOS supports a wide range of gestures and combinations. Here’s a screengrab from a demo by Apple, to give you an idea:
MAKING CONNECTIONS MORE SUBSTANTIAL
One great thing about VisionOS is the support for sharing Spaces and Objects with other devices. For example, when a 3D object is shared using SharePlay, all properties like Orientation, size, position etc are shared and the experience is similar on connected devices. Augmented reality objects, for example, can be synced in different surroundings for different users. For example, see this Robot placed in different rooms. Changes to the bot in one room are reflected in the other.
This also opens up possibilities for a truly collaborative experience between users. Think, for example, a shared mood board that’s edited live by two users.
In fact, this opens up unimaginable possibilities for shared virtual reality. Apps can use a whole network of users to share an experience across devices. This is known as Shared Context.
Think of the ways these features can revolutionize applications. Accessibility for differently abled users is easy to implement, for one.
I’M SOLD, BUT HOW HARD IS THE MIGRATION?
As easy as Apple Pie, take our word for it.
VisionOS is built upon existing Apple frameworks such as SwiftUI, RealityKit, etc. Despite being a big step ahead, in terms of development, it is as easy as integrating additional functionality.
The Windows, the Views and elements are all SwiftUI components and can be built just like that. The development is facilitated by new tools in Xcode and just like SwiftUI, developers can see a live preview of what they are building. Look at this screenshot of workspace in development.
It’s just like any other iOS or MacOS app, isn’t it?
