With Zwift confirming to BikeRadar that it is planning to do some early testing with Apple Vision Pro, let’s find out.<\/p>
What is Apple Vision Pro?<\/h2>The Vision Pro, released this week, is Apple’s new ‘augmented reality’ headset. – Justin Sullivan \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>First of all, it\u2019s worth defining what Apple Vision Pro is and what it isn\u2019t.<\/p>
Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset that runs Apple\u2019s new visionOS operating system.<\/p>
It uses a range of cameras and sensors, both inside and out, to track a user’s eyes, hands and voice.<\/p>
This then enables it to overlay apps, windows and virtual desktops in a 3D interface, over a live video stream or \u2018passthrough\u2019 of the real world.<\/p>![\"Man](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-lifestyle-working-230605-scaled.jpg\")
The Vision Pro uses cameras and sensors to track a user’s eyes, hands and voice, and then overlays apps, windows and virtual desktops over a live video stream or \u2018passthrough\u2019 of the real world. – Apple<\/figcaption><\/figure>This is distinct from \u2018virtual reality\u2019 headsets, which block out the real world and, as the name suggests, immerse users in a fully virtual world.<\/p>
Apple has also shied away from referring to it as an \u2018augmented reality\u2019 headset, which incorporates computer-generated content into the real world (think Pok\u00e9mon Go). The difference here is more semantic, however.<\/p>
Prices for Apple Vision Pro, which went on sale this week, start from $3,499 for a model with 256GB of storage and rise to $3,899 for a 1TB model.<\/p>
At the time of writing, Apple Vision Pro is only available in the United States.<\/p>
Can Apple Vision Pro be used with Zwift?\u00a0<\/h2>![\"Zwift](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/01\/20240124_SvB_X-E3_DSF3046-scaled.jpg\")
Could Apple Vision Pro bring Zwift to life beyond your TV or laptop screen? – Simon von Bromley \/ Our Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>While it runs Apple\u2019s new visionOS, Vision Pro is also compatible with iOS and iPadOS apps (although app developers were offered an opt-out from compatibility, if desired).<\/p>
The question many tech-savvy cyclists will be asking is whether Apple Vision Pro is compatible with Zwift<\/a>, the popular virtual indoor cycling app<\/a>?<\/p>Zwift told BikeRadar that while it hasn\u2019t yet done any specific development to optimise its app for visionOS, it also hasn\u2019t opted out of compatibility, so the app \u201cshould work fine\u201d.<\/p>
Similarly, other iPad-compatible apps, such as Rouvy<\/a>, Wahoo SYSTM<\/a> and TrainerRoad<\/a>, should also work on Apple Vision Pro (assuming the brands haven\u2019t specifically opted out).<\/p>Zwift also says its co-founder and head of product, Jon Mayfield \u2013 a former video game designer \u2013 has acquired a Vision Pro headset and will be investigating using Zwift with it soon.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/Wahoo-Kickr-Core-Zwift-One_001.jpg\")
Zwift is compatible with Apple Vision Pro, but the app hasn’t had any specific optimisation for the visionOS operating system. Zwift’s co-founder and head of product, Jon Mayfield, will be experimenting with Apple Vision Pro soon. – Zwift<\/figcaption><\/figure>Coincidentally, Zwift in virtual reality is something the brand has explored before. Back in 2017, Zwift demoed a prototype Zwift VR app<\/a> at Eurobike.<\/p>Paired with an Oculus Rift VR headset (a predecessor to the latest Meta Quest 3 headset), the Zwift VR app put the rider in a first-person view, as opposed to the third-person viewpoint typically adopted in-game.<\/p>
Riders could then move their head to look around in-game, for a more realistic and immersive experience.<\/p>![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-with-battery-230605-scaled.jpg\")
Zwift is “watching” the headset space with interest, but says the “hardware isn\u2019t where it needs to be just yet”. – Apple<\/figcaption><\/figure>When asked whether this is something it\u2019s still actively exploring, Zwift said the main challenge is the form factor of current VR headsets \u2013 \u201cthey simply get too hot and steamed up\u201d during hard workouts<\/a> and intense efforts.<\/p>Nevertheless, Zwift confirmed this is a space it is \u201cwatching\u201d. Until the hardware required is better-optimised for high-intensity sport (and, presumably, a bit more accessibly priced), though, it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll see a fully realised Zwift app for visionOS any time soon. \u201cThe hardware isn\u2019t where it needs to be for Zwift just yet,\u201d a Zwift spokesperson told BikeRadar.<\/p>
How else might Apple Vision Pro change cycling?<\/h2>![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1973656208.jpg\")
Will augmented or virtual-reality headsets ever be suitable for cycling? It’s very early days but, with Apple and Meta invested, the technology is unlikely to disappear any time soon. – David Paul Morris \/ Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>But what if you prefer your indoor training to be boring<\/a>?<\/p>Beyond simply putting riders in an immersive virtual world, it\u2019s also possible to imagine other ways headsets such as Apple\u2019s Vision Pro could integrate themselves into our cycling lives in a future tech utopia (dystopia?).<\/p>
Given Apple\u00a0already has a web browser and podcast app, there\u2019s nothing to stop you from using Apple Vision Pro to browse BikeRadar.com<\/a> in glorious high definition, or to listen to the BikeRadar podcast<\/a> while relaxing in a calming virtual environment.<\/p>If that\u2019s not enough, though, perhaps we\u2019ll all soon be maintaining our bikes<\/a> with artificial-intelligence assisted instructions overlaid on the components.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2019\/03\/1399457692195-1fr2gmcuniiyd-a148347.jpg\")
The ill-fated Recon Jet smart sunglasses were an attempt to pair a set of standard cycling glasses with a small heads-up display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Or maybe one day we\u2019ll be riding around in the real world with an Apple Vision Pro strapped to our faces like today\u2019s cycling glasses<\/a>, replacing the functionality of bike computers<\/a> with a true heads-up display.<\/p>Assuming this so-called \u2018outdoor cycling<\/a>\u2019 is something people still wish to do in the future, of course.<\/p>
First of all, it\u2019s worth defining what Apple Vision Pro is and what it isn\u2019t.<\/p>
Apple Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset that runs Apple\u2019s new visionOS operating system.<\/p>
It uses a range of cameras and sensors, both inside and out, to track a user’s eyes, hands and voice.<\/p>
This then enables it to overlay apps, windows and virtual desktops in a 3D interface, over a live video stream or \u2018passthrough\u2019 of the real world.<\/p> This is distinct from \u2018virtual reality\u2019 headsets, which block out the real world and, as the name suggests, immerse users in a fully virtual world.<\/p> Apple has also shied away from referring to it as an \u2018augmented reality\u2019 headset, which incorporates computer-generated content into the real world (think Pok\u00e9mon Go). The difference here is more semantic, however.<\/p> Prices for Apple Vision Pro, which went on sale this week, start from $3,499 for a model with 256GB of storage and rise to $3,899 for a 1TB model.<\/p> At the time of writing, Apple Vision Pro is only available in the United States.<\/p> While it runs Apple\u2019s new visionOS, Vision Pro is also compatible with iOS and iPadOS apps (although app developers were offered an opt-out from compatibility, if desired).<\/p> The question many tech-savvy cyclists will be asking is whether Apple Vision Pro is compatible with Zwift<\/a>, the popular virtual indoor cycling app<\/a>?<\/p> Zwift told BikeRadar that while it hasn\u2019t yet done any specific development to optimise its app for visionOS, it also hasn\u2019t opted out of compatibility, so the app \u201cshould work fine\u201d.<\/p> Similarly, other iPad-compatible apps, such as Rouvy<\/a>, Wahoo SYSTM<\/a> and TrainerRoad<\/a>, should also work on Apple Vision Pro (assuming the brands haven\u2019t specifically opted out).<\/p> Zwift also says its co-founder and head of product, Jon Mayfield \u2013 a former video game designer \u2013 has acquired a Vision Pro headset and will be investigating using Zwift with it soon.<\/p> Coincidentally, Zwift in virtual reality is something the brand has explored before. Back in 2017, Zwift demoed a prototype Zwift VR app<\/a> at Eurobike.<\/p> Paired with an Oculus Rift VR headset (a predecessor to the latest Meta Quest 3 headset), the Zwift VR app put the rider in a first-person view, as opposed to the third-person viewpoint typically adopted in-game.<\/p> Riders could then move their head to look around in-game, for a more realistic and immersive experience.<\/p> When asked whether this is something it\u2019s still actively exploring, Zwift said the main challenge is the form factor of current VR headsets \u2013 \u201cthey simply get too hot and steamed up\u201d during hard workouts<\/a> and intense efforts.<\/p> Nevertheless, Zwift confirmed this is a space it is \u201cwatching\u201d. Until the hardware required is better-optimised for high-intensity sport (and, presumably, a bit more accessibly priced), though, it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll see a fully realised Zwift app for visionOS any time soon. \u201cThe hardware isn\u2019t where it needs to be for Zwift just yet,\u201d a Zwift spokesperson told BikeRadar.<\/p> But what if you prefer your indoor training to be boring<\/a>?<\/p> Beyond simply putting riders in an immersive virtual world, it\u2019s also possible to imagine other ways headsets such as Apple\u2019s Vision Pro could integrate themselves into our cycling lives in a future tech utopia (dystopia?).<\/p> Given Apple\u00a0already has a web browser and podcast app, there\u2019s nothing to stop you from using Apple Vision Pro to browse BikeRadar.com<\/a> in glorious high definition, or to listen to the BikeRadar podcast<\/a> while relaxing in a calming virtual environment.<\/p> If that\u2019s not enough, though, perhaps we\u2019ll all soon be maintaining our bikes<\/a> with artificial-intelligence assisted instructions overlaid on the components.<\/p> Or maybe one day we\u2019ll be riding around in the real world with an Apple Vision Pro strapped to our faces like today\u2019s cycling glasses<\/a>, replacing the functionality of bike computers<\/a> with a true heads-up display.<\/p> Assuming this so-called \u2018outdoor cycling<\/a>\u2019 is something people still wish to do in the future, of course.<\/p>Can Apple Vision Pro be used with Zwift?\u00a0<\/h2>
How else might Apple Vision Pro change cycling?<\/h2>