We’re getting a steady stream of information about the Apple Vision Pro ahead of the headset’s February 2 release date (with pre-orders starting January 19) – and we’ve now got a hint of the kind of specs it'll be packing.
As MacRumors reports, references found within Xcode 15.2 (Apple’s toolset for app developers) suggest the Vision Pro will launch with 16GB of memory – the same amount as the dev kits (early versions of the Apple Vision Pro sent to developers to test their apps on) came with, as revealed in a report last year.
Interestingly, that earlier report (from well-known Apple leaker Mark Gurman) claimed the dev kits also came with 1TB of storage, and while Apple has announced that the Vision Pro comes with a 256GB SSD to start, it’s very likely that there will be configuration options for up to 1TB storage.
Apple’s specs problem
Assuming that the Vision Pro does come with 16GB of memory and up to 1TB of storage, those specs, along with the M2 chip and new R1 chip which will handle all the data from the headset’s 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones, show that Apple is being serious when it says that the Vision Pro is a spatial computing device, rather than just a VR or AR headset (in fact, Apple has explicitly told developers making Vision Pro apps not to refer to virtual reality or augmented reality).
It's clear that Apple views the Vision Pro not as an evolution of VR headsets such as the Meta Quest 3, but as an evolution of computers.
It’s a bold ambition, though one I’m not entirely sold on just at the moment (though that could change when I get to try out the Vision Pro). However, while Apple filling with Vision Pro with plenty of specs appeal will please people who are planning on buying the headset, it could leave Mac and MacBook owners a bit miffed.
This is because Apple continues to sell Mac devices that have base models with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage, an increasingly outdated-looking set of specifications for laptops in 2024. Apple has gone on the defensive, though, claiming that the 8GB of unified memory that comes in the $1,599 MacBook Pro with M3 chip could be compared to 16GB of memory in a Windows PC.
That suggestion, made by Apple’s worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers in an interview, rang rather hollow at the time – and if Apple doesn’t think 8GB is enough for the Vision Pro now, does it also mean its changed its tune on whether it’s enough for new Macs and MacBooks? Considering how purposefully difficult it is for users to upgrade even the best Macs and MacBooks that they own, I certainly hope so.
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