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Apple VisionOS 2 Debuts New 3D Photo Converter, Easier-to-Use Hand Gestures

VisionOS 2 was the first thing announced at WWDC 2024. It looks like a conservative update, but it brings some useful changes like a larger Mac display.

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Headshot of Scott Stein
Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR | Gaming | Metaverse technologies | Wearable tech | Tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Scott Stein
presentation slide showing Vision Pro stats and features

If you were hoping for major changes in VisionOS 2, you might be disappointed.

Apple/Screenshot by CNET

Apple announced the Vision Pro's first major software update, VisionOS 2, at the top of this year's WWDC developer keynote Monday. While none of the new features appear groundbreaking, there are some welcome additions like 3D photo conversion. The Apple Vision Pro debuted one year ago, and the mixed reality headset has been a US-exclusive for four months. It arrives June 28 in China, Japan and Singapore, and July 12 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the UK. 

VisionOS 2 has a few key new features. Apple's introducing new hand-tracking shortcuts to get back to the app grid, bring up the control center or check on time. There's also a clever new converter in the Photos app that promises to turn older photos into 3D "spatial" photos.

Watch this: Apple's VisionOS 2 Turns Photos Into 3D

Apple discussed new developer tools that should allow full 3D environments and apps to run side by side, or place mixed reality experiences more easily on tables. There's also a business toolkit for making manufacturing or other industry-focused apps, an area that seems like a growing territory for Apple's expensive headset.

Mac extended displays on the Vision Pro are getting larger, up to a promised double-4K resolution, and in a curved widescreen format. But it doesn't look like multiple monitors will be offered, and Apple mentioned nothing about Vision Pro working with other devices like the iPad, iPhone or Apple Watch.

New Gestures Will Enhance the Way You Interact with Apple Devices

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