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Apple said a lot of words during its recent major event, in which it revealed a new headset and updates for all of its platforms over the course of more than two hours. But there was one specific word – or, more specifically, two initials – that it did not mention at all. The company did not reveal a single product powered by AI, and did not mention artificial intelligence even in passing. It was a marked contrast with other recent tech launches, which have seen companies attempt to link a wide array of new products with the hype over artificial intelligence. In advance of the event, many had speculated that Apple could be forced to discuss AI because of the increasing focus on how companies are using it in their products. Google’s recent I/O event, for instance, made heavy use of the word, seemingly in response to criticism from pundits and shareholders that it was failing to convince the world it had done enough with artificial intelligence. Apple instead opted to describe most updates that could be called “AI” as machine learning, using a more precise term that has fallen out of popularity as artificial intelligence has become so popular as a marketing term. But it even seemed to avoid using that phrase often, even when it could have done. It was not for want of new features that are built on tools that could be described as AI, if Apple wanted to. It showed off everything from automated transcriptions of voice notes and voicemails to AirPods features that can recognise sounds in the environment and filter them out or not depending on whether they seem urgent. Describing them in other ways therefore seemed as if it was an intentional rejection of what has become a voguish way of describing new features in tech in recent months. Apple generally tends to favour words of its own invention, over new and much hyped terms in the technology industry. It also avoided using the word “metaverse” throughout the whole launch event, for instance, despite launching a product that fits specifically with the new focus on virtual and augmented reality. But the lack of mention of AI seemed as if it was the result of an even more active choice to reject the wording. In that way, it seemed to reflect an increasing concern that the widespread use of artificial intelligence as a marketing term is serving both to water down the meaning of the word and confuse users about the actual nature of the product it is being used to describe. It may also be part of an increasing sense that AI is not necessarily viewed positively, and could reflect badly on the products that it is used to market. Recent months have seen a run of reports about both the danger of AI products and the techniques used to make them, such as the analysis of large amounts of data without the consent of those depicted, and so Apple may have decided that using the word could lead to negative connotations.

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Apple has unveiled an augmented reality headset which it claims to be “the most advanced personal electronic device ever”. Called Vision Pro, it is labelled as “mixed reality” as it combines “virtual reality” – in which the wearer is fully immersed in the digital world – with “augmented reality” – where digital images are overlaid onto the real world. Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “Blending digital content with the real world can unlock experiences like nothing we’ve ever seen.” The device, which resembles a pair of ski goggles, features a glass 23-million-pixel screen which covers the upper face and is controlled using the wearer’s eyes, hands and voice. It enables what Apple calls “spatial computing” – where the wearer can interact with digital content “just like it’s in your physical space”. The headset features built-in speakers and attaches using an adjustable headband, while a wire leads from the device to a battery pack which sits in the user’s pocket. Vents draw in air to cool the device down, rendering it “virtually silent”, Apple claimed. Vision Pro will cost 3,499 US dollars (£2,800) – roughly 10 times the price of the Meta Quest 2, the leading VR headset from Facebook’s parent company, which retails for £299.99. It will be available online and in Apple stores in the US from early next year and will come to more countries “later next year”. After years of speculation, the product was unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference at its California headquarters on Monday. This is the first augmented reality headset released by Apple, and the first new product it has launched since announcing the Apple Watch in 2015. Mr Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple CEO in 2011, said: “I believe that augmented reality is a profound technology. Blending digital content with the real world can unlock experiences like nothing we’ve ever seen. “Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real world with the digital world. “With Vision Pro, you’re no longer limited by a display. Your surroundings become an infinite canvas. “There are certain products that shift the way we look at technology and the role it plays in our lives. “Apple’s Vision Pro, together with Vision OS, introduces an entirely new spatial computing platform, a platform that presents incredible possibilities for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers.”

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Apple has revealed the price and release date for its upcoming virtual reality headset. The tool, known as Vision Pro, will cost $3,499, Apple said. That is even higher than the rumoured $3,000 price tag – which had already drawn comments around its high price. It will go on sale “early next year”, Apple said, at its website and its retail store.

Apple has announced the ‘Vision Pro’, a headset it hopes will be its most important product since the iPhone. The new virtual reality tool will allow people to see apps projected on top of the room around them, allowing apps to be “freed from the confines of a display”, Apple said. Users will be able to sit in their living room and see their apps – messages, phone calls, web browsing and more – projected on top of their coffee table, for instance. As such, it is the first Apple product “you look through, not at”, said Tim Cook as he introduced it during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Other apps, such as games, will take over the full view, Apple said. But even then the goggles had been made to ensure that users were never cut off from the world around them. :: Follow The Independent’s live coverage of Apple’s event here That includes a feature that means that if someone comes into the room, the headset will spot them and superimpose them. But the headset also has a feature called “EyeSight” – a display on the outside of the goggles, which shows people’s eyes, and gives an indication of what they are doing inside the headset. Read More Apple just added loads of new features to your iPhone Apple reveals big version of its smallest laptop Apple is about to update all its products – and release a very big new one

Apple has revealed iOS 17, with a host of new features for the iPhone. The new update includes updates to central apps, including Messages, FaceTime and the Phone app. It also adds a new app, in the form of “Journal”, which Apple says will help people practise gratitude. The new update also tweaks other parts of the iPhone experience, including AirDrop. Now users will be able to share more information through it – including contact details – and transfers will happen when users go out of contact. :: Follow The Independent’s live coverage of Apple’s event here