A recent patent may have inadvertently revealed that a feature from Apple Vision Pro could be coming over to the Apple Watch in the near future.
As originally reported by Patently Apple, the Apple Watch could get the Realistic Avatar feature from Vision Pro. For those unaware, this scans your face and creates a lifelike avatar, which can then talk and move in real time. This will initially be available in FaceTime, though there’s no timeframe for when it could appear on Apple Watch.
According to Patently Apple, the Vision Pro or Apple Watch feature would require the user to first ‘enroll images of their face and hands into an Apple Watch via the sensors/cameras on the backside.' If this patent is implemented, this could be a great entry point for Apple Watch users to have their first taste of Apple’s AR/VR headset without spending the $3,500 to own a Vision Pro headset.
A Bigger Ecosystem — iMore’s take
Apple Vision Pro is a ‘spatial computing’ headset designed to be used while doing traditional work or just hanging around the house. You can still see your surroundings with it on, and you can overlay your own desk or chair with widgets and more. It’s designed to be used alongside other Apple devices, which is why the new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 have lossless audio support for the headset, and the iPhone 15 will soon be able to record spatial video in iOS 17.2 to view these in Vision Pro.
The potential of this feature coming to the Apple Watch is a sign of further commitment to that ecosystem, especially as it only seems to be available in FaceTime from launch. This feature is good enough to make many swap from their video call service of choice over to FaceTime – exactly what Apple wants. These features only prove further that not only is Apple attempting to innovate on the hardware side with its Vision Pro, but this allows Apple to innovate its software, too. Apple needs to really give consumers a reason to pick up its headset, especially considering that eye-watering price tag of $3,500.
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