The $3.5K Apple Vision Pro is a privacy nightmare

Mixed reality technologies are constantly developing, Apple released its new product – Vision Pro, which has already caused mixed reactions among users and analysts. The $3,499 price isn’t the only reason for the debate: the main concern is the potential privacy threat the device could pose. Billed as Apple’s latest flagship product, Vision Pro has big ambitions to change the way we observe and interact with the digital world. However, critics say the device contains potentially the biggest surveillance machine imaginable.

Main features and capabilities

Vision Pro offers users to immerse themselves in the world of 3D movies and streaming services with an advanced Spatial Audio system. The Apple TV app required to use the headset includes Cinema Environment, which turns any space into a personal cinema with the ability to control your eyes, hands or voice.

Vision Pro glasses are equipped with two depth sensors, 12 cameras and six microphones that constantly scan and track the movement of the user and others. This amount of surveillance raises privacy concerns, as it means a device could record every glance and eye movement and then use that data for advertising purposes.

Despite Apple’s assurances of protecting privacy through Optic ID encryption and processing data without sending it to servers or the cloud, concerns remain. The main concern is that data collection based on body movements is necessary for spatial computing to function.

Conclusion

Apple Vision Pro is, without a doubt, an impressive technological achievement that opens up new possibilities for immersion in the digital world. However, enthusiasm for innovation should not overshadow issues of privacy and personal data protection. Apple, a company that has long built its reputation on protecting privacy, faces the difficult task of balancing innovation with the privacy of its users in an era when technology is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives.