While Apple Vision Pro will be Marketed as a Consumer device, Apple has a team working on solutions for Surgeons, Education and more
It's being reported late this afternoon that Apple, which is poised to launch its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset on Feb. 2, is already envisioning future workplace applications for the device, including using it for surgery, aircraft repair and teaching students.
In a video sent to employees this week, Apple executives Mike Rockwell and Alan Dye discussed the product’s development, as well as potential growth areas for the still-nascent technology. Bloomberg News obtained a transcript of the conversation, which came just before Apple began accepting preorders for the Vision Pro on Friday.
When asked about some “cool” ways that people could use the $3,499 Vision Pro, Rockwell cited health care, training and education as key areas.
“Oftentimes, surgeons struggle to look at displays during procedures, where information is spread out,” said Rockwell, the vice president in charge of the device. “Apple Vision Pro could bring all of that together and hopefully improve patient outcomes.”
On this theme, an article was published in July 2023 from ResearchGate titled "Apple Vision Pro: The Future of Surgery with advances in Virtual and Augmented Reality." The article's abstract states the following:
"The Apple Vision Pro (AVP) was unveiled by Apple on June 5th, 2023, and holds the promise of revolutionizing the manner in which people interact with technology, each other, and their environment. The AVP builds on recent VR developments and has substantial potential in the fields of medicine and surgery, by allowing users to interact with the device through eye-tracking, hand gestures, cameras, and sensors, which eliminates the need for keyboards or touch screens. All things considered, the AVP presents an exciting opportunity the future of surgery in a multitude of ways, from allowing real-time access to medical records while performing surgery, helping assess surgeon competence, and improving surgical training."
In June 2023 a news report was posted titled "Longtime Maine surgeon hopeful AI & Apple’s new headset will give doctors 'superpowers.' So this idea has been floating around for months.
The Bloomberg report went on to state that while Apple is focused on marketing Vision Pro "as a consumer device for gaming, video and communication, the company is looking for ways to broaden its appeal. Technicians or aircraft mechanics could use it to get “high-quality training in ways they’ve never been able to experience before,” Rockwell said.
Rockwell added that he’s “very excited about what we can do in learning and education because it is another superpower of Apple Vision Pro.”
Two of Rockwell’s lieutenants — Dave Scott and Yaniv Gur — are investigating new applications for the Vision Pro. Scott was previously an executive on Apple’s car team before briefly leaving to run a mobile MRI machine company. He’s now in charge of finding ways for enterprises to use the headset. Gur, who used to run engineering for Apple’s productivity apps, is overseeing potential education opportunities for the device. For more, read the full Bloomberg report (paywall).
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