Apple Vision Pro Finally Revealed 🥽

The Dawn of Spatial Computing Has Arrived

🚀 Big Tech

Apple introduced its first spatial computer, the Apple Vision Pro, which blends digital content with the physical world, and introduces a three-dimensional user interface that can be controlled with the user's eyes, hands, and voice. Featuring the world's first spatial operating system, visionOS, Vision Pro provides an infinite workspace for apps, allowing users to interact with digital content as if it were physically present. The Vision Pro houses a dual-chip design for real-time experiences and a high-resolution display system, creating an immersive visual and auditory experience.

  1. Design: Similar to ski goggles with a digital crown for adjustments on the top of the device. The main body is made of custom aluminum alloy with ventilation holes.

  2. 3D-formed laminated glass: The glass flows into the frame, similar to the design of the Apple Watch.

  3. Modular system: Parts of the device that rest on the face can be swapped for comfort, regardless of head size. The back of the device has a flexible, magnetically attachable headband.

  4. Spatial audio: Two speakers on the side of the device deliver spatial audio, utilizing a technology developed by Apple called audio raytracing.

  5. Lenses: Apple has partnered with Zeiss for glasses that can magnetically attach to the lenses with vision correction if needed.

  6. Apple M2 chip powers the main system.

  7. Micro OLED display: Apple uses a micro OLED system which fits 44 pixels in the space of an iPhone pixel. The device promises true 4K resolution video with wide colors, and super sharp text from any angle.

  8. Sensors and Cameras: There are 12 cameras, five sensors and six microphones in total. Two cameras on the outside point at the real world and two cameras point downward to track hands. There’s a Lidar scanner and a TrueDepth camera. Inside the device, two IR cameras and a ring of LEDs are used for eye tracking. Apple has developed a feature called EyeSight to display user's eyes on the outside of the device, creating a sense of transparency.

  9. R1 Chip: A new chip designed for real-time processing of the real world and to reduce motion sickness.

  10. Battery: An external battery pack can be attached to the device. Apple promises two hours of battery life, but the device can also be used while plugged in.

  11. Price: The device is expected to be sold for $3,499 and will be available for purchase in early 2024.

⛓ Blockchain & Crypto

JPMorgan has announced that it will be using blockchain technology to settle US dollar forex trades in its India hub. This decision is aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing costs and risks. By utilizing blockchain, JPMorgan is hoping to enhance the transparency of transactions, streamline processes, and ensure immediate settlement. This move is an example of the increasing adoption of blockchain technology within traditional finance sectors and is expected to have significant implications for the future of the forex market.

The integration of blockchain technology into the beauty industry offers potential solutions to some of the industry's most persistent challenges.

  • First, blockchain can help increase transparency and trust in beauty products, by allowing consumers to verify product ingredients and origin.

  • Second, blockchain can help establish a stronger connection between brands and consumers, through digital tokens or NFTs that can be used to access exclusive services or experiences.

  • Lastly, the adoption of blockchain can further sustainability efforts by creating an immutable record of sustainable practices.

In a groundbreaking move, Warner Bros. joins forces with VeVe, a digital collectibles platform, to release 100,000 limited-edition Superman NFTs. This collaboration introduces the concept of Web3 movie bundles, merging ticket sales, merchandising, and NFT collectibles on a decentralized blockchain platform. This innovative approach promises to revolutionize the film industry, offering a new level of interactivity and fan engagement.

👩‍🔬 Tech Innovation

The Apple Vision Pro presents a substantial advancement in the execution of XR or mixed reality. Outclassing most consumer VR and AR devices with superior hardware, intuitive features, and user comfort, the device paves the way for the future of spatial computing.

  • The device boasts top-quality hardware including 24 million pixel panels, a comfortable and adjustable headband, and diverse light seal options.

  • Innovations like automatic eye-relief calibration and a magnetic solution for optical adjustments streamline the onboarding experience.

  • The R1 chip combined with the M2 chip ensures a crisp, responsive interface with minimal latency.

  • Features like near-perfect eye tracking, gesture control, and 4K real-time passthrough significantly enhance user experience.

  • The Personas Play creates effective digital avatars from facial scans, bridging the uncanny valley.

  • Despite a high price tag, the Vision Pro's superior design and potential marks it as the ideal XR headset.

Overall, while it's too early to fully endorse the Vision Pro's claims of heralding spatial computing, its remarkable design, execution, and user-friendly features set high expectations for the device's future.

Source: Apple

6. Digital twins gaining traction in military satellite programs (4 minute read)

Digital twin technology, creating virtual replicas of physical systems, is increasingly used in military satellite programs. The technology helps to manage the complexity of large satellite constellations and improves efficiency in system design. Companies like Sedaro and Istari are developing digital engineering tools and platforms to advance this application. Both companies see potential in the DoD satellite programs and the Space Force, which need to plan and operate complex networks. The ultimate aim is to create high-fidelity digital twins that evolve with their physical counterparts throughout their lifecycle, enhancing operations, security, and maintenance.

🎨 Art & Media
7. Welcome to the new surreal. How AI-generated video is changing film (8 minute read)

AI is transforming filmmaking, with AI-generated films like "The Frost" showcasing the strange and captivating possibilities of AI aesthetics. Despite challenges like the rapid evolution of tech and legal uncertainties, AI's potential to create unique imagery and efficient video advertisements signals a new era of visual storytelling.

🔬 Research

The paper proposes a metaphor for computation, viewing it as a journey through a data space involving elementary calculations along the path. This concept forms the basis for an experimental declarative programming language, MGS. This language introduces the concept of a "topological collection", defined as a set of values organized by a neighborhood relationship.

Imagine playing a fun escape room game, only to have a sneaky program quietly learning things about you - your height, age, gender and more, in just a few minutes! As more big companies dive into VR, this could become a common scenario.

While the field of text-guided 3D generative methods has made significant strides, current methods face challenges in creating high-fidelity 3D head avatars due to their over-reliance on pre-trained text-to-image diffusion models and the resulting issues with geometric distortions and fine-grained editing. To overcome these obstacles, this study presents a novel method called HeadSculpt. This method involves a coarse-to-fine pipeline that generates and edits 3D head avatars from textual prompts.

⚡️ Quick Bytes

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