Apple Vision Pro may get tunable lenses for vision correction without the need for custom inserts
The Apple Vision Pro may be failing to attract enterprise customers but that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t determined to continue improving it. A new patent just filed by Apple lays out the mechanisms for a theoretical lens that can be tuned to compensate for a prescription.
Now, if something like this actually becomes a reality, it would be pretty awesome in my opinion. But I suspect it’d also be quite expensive, much like Apple’s headset. Such lenses may save a consumer some cash by negating the need to buy custom lenses. But that depends on how much it costs Apple to manufacture these bad boys.
According to the patent, these lenses may have to be filled with fluid. In addition to compensating for a user’s prescription, the patent also points out that these lenses would be able to adjust according to different scenarios. If I had to guess, Apple is probably talking about improving visuals under different lighting conditions. The Vision Pro is a Mixed Reality headset, after all.
Now, if something like this actually becomes a reality, it would be pretty awesome in my opinion. But I suspect it’d also be quite expensive, much like Apple’s headset. Such lenses may save a consumer some cash by negating the need to buy custom lenses. But that depends on how much it costs Apple to manufacture these bad boys.
Vision Pro shows you your surroundings during almost all activities. | Video credit — Apple
The patent also says that the lenses could be designed so that they’re always adjusting based on where the user is looking. Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time Apple has filed a patent for fluid-based adjustable lenses for the Vision Pro. The first patent was filed in August, 2023 and the second was filed in October, 2023.
This, of course, also points to the nature of patents in general. Just because Apple has filed a patent for such a cool piece of hardware doesn’t mean it’s confirmed. For now, Apple is busy making sure visionOS 2 helps boost the poor sales of Vision Pro.
It may be one of the best AR headsets ever made, but it still has a lot of work to do — and zeroes to drop from its price tag — before it can take on other headsets.
This, of course, also points to the nature of patents in general. Just because Apple has filed a patent for such a cool piece of hardware doesn’t mean it’s confirmed. For now, Apple is busy making sure visionOS 2 helps boost the poor sales of Vision Pro.
It may be one of the best AR headsets ever made, but it still has a lot of work to do — and zeroes to drop from its price tag — before it can take on other headsets.
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