Apple announces visionOS 2, with 3D photo transformations and ultrawide Mac display

Apple has announced visionOS 2, the second version of the Vision Pro’s operating system, aiming to bring a lot of features that users have been asking for since launch.

Apple updated its Photos app to let you tap a button to create spatial photos using older images that weren’t already spatial to begin with. visionOS 2 will also have train support, so the Vision Pro’s travel mode will no longer be limited to just airplanes.

The company also updated the Mac virtual display feature, offering what it says is the equivalent of two 4K displays with a new virtual ultrawide display option. With the ultrawide option turned on, the display spreads out in front of users like a curved ultrawide monitor would.

The company also says it’s adding SharePlay to the visionOS Photos app, which means that you can share the app with another Vision Pro owner using Spatial Personas, a feature Apple introduced in April that puts the ghostly bust of your Vision Pro-having friends right in the room with you. It’s a surprisingly impressive feature that also lets you watch things or edit documents together in actual 3D space.

Apple also said that Canon is releasing a new EOS spatial lens designed specifically for creating content for the Vision Pro. And the company says it will be releasing its first scripted immersive video for the platform.

Finally, the company is rolling out the Vision Pro abroad. It’s going to start taking preorders for China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore on June 13th at 6PM PT, and it’ll be available in those countries on June 28th. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK will get pre-orders later, on June 28thh at 5AM PT, with the headset officially available on July 12th.

As flashy as it is, the Vision Pro is very much still a first-generation product. Apple has pitched it as a productivity device and a tool for enterprise use. (The company loves to talk about how doctors are using it.) But the headset has resonated most with me as a way to watch movies and shows. The trouble with it is that it’s also a lonely product that’s hard to share with other people. Apple has done some things to address that, though.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.