Apple's Vision Pro was announced during a WWDC 2023 event on Monday and we're still digesting everything relating to the hotly-anticipated headset. One of the things shown during the event was Personas, and it appears that Apple isn't finished with them yet.
Personas will be created when the Vision Pro headset scans the wearer's face and they'll be used for things like FaceTime calls. They do look a little on the uncanny valley side of things, but Apple says that there are already upgrades planned — although it remains to be seen whether we should expect an improvement in how a user's face will appear.
What we do know is that the new, so-called Spatial Personas, will allow people to show more than their heads, with hands also getting in on the act.
Persona upgrades
This is all according to Apple's Platforms State of the Union video, as spotted by MacRumors. According to that video, Apple intends Spatial Personas to make it appear that people in FaceTime calls are all together rather than having them appear in tiles as we're used to.
Apple says that Vision Pro users will be able to "look your friends in the eye, express yourself naturally with movement and body language, and best of all, enjoy a shared activity together using your app."
The Spatial Personals will be available in FaceTime including SharePlay, with a developer preview expected to be ready later this year. Apple hasn't made it clear whether they will be ready for the Vision Pro's release in early 2024, however.
The Vision Pro headset beat many people's expectations when it was finally announced, but at a $3,499 starting point and just a two-hour battery life when not connected to power, it could be a hard sell for this first-generation product.
