In October 2023 Patently Apple posted an IP report titled "Apple won Patents for a Virtual Online Store Experience with 'Vision Pro,' followed by a report in November 2023 titled "Apple wins a Patent for possible Future online AR Guided Consumer presentations with Apple Specialists." Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Apple that relates to users being able to interact with a computer-generated environment, such as by browsing a virtual store and customizing and/or purchasing products.

Method of Displaying Products in a Virtual Environment

A person can use an electronic device, such as Apple Vision Pro XR headset to interact with and/or sense an extended reality (XR) environment that is wholly or partially simulated. The XR environment can include mixed reality (MR) content, augmented reality (AR) content, virtual reality (VR) content, and/or the like. With an XR system, some of a person's physical motions, or representations thereof, can be tracked and, in response, characteristics of virtual objects simulated in the XR environment can be adjusted in a manner that complies with at least one law of physics.

Many different types of electronic systems can enable a user to interact with and/or sense an XR environment. A non-exclusive list of examples include heads-up displays (HUDs), head mountable systems, projection-based systems, windows or vehicle windshields having integrated display capability, displays formed as lenses to be placed on users' eyes (e.g., contact lenses), smartphones, tablets, and desktop/laptop computers.

In some embodiments, the one or more input devices includes a touch-sensitive surface as a means for the user to interact with the user interface or computer-generated environment (e.g., finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive surface). It should be understood, however, that the electronic device optionally includes or receives input from one or more other input devices (e.g., physical user-interface devices), such as a physical keyboard, a mouse, a stylus and/or a joystick (or any other suitable input device).

In some embodiments, the one or more input devices can include one or more cameras and/or sensors that is able to track the user's gestures and interpret the user's gestures as inputs. For example, the user may interact with the user interface or computer-generated environment via eye focus (gaze) and/or eye movement and/or via position, orientation or movement of one or more fingers/hands (or a representation of one or more fingers/hands) in space relative to the user interface or computer-generated environment.

In some embodiments, eye focus/movement and/or position/orientation/movement of fingers/hands can be captured by cameras and other sensors (e.g., motion sensors).

In some embodiments, audio/voice inputs can be used to interact with the user interface or computer-generated environment captured by one or more audio sensors (e.g., microphones).

Apple's patent FIGS. 5A-5o below illustrate a method of customizing and previewing a virtual product.

As you can imagine, this is a very detailed patent application with many twists and turns. To review the full details, review patent application number 20240062279. Twelve Apple engineers were listed in the patent  filing as inventors.