Following yesterday’s announcement of the Vision Pro at WWDC, Apple provided more details about the glasses themselves and the VisionOS software platform at a developer conference. In a session on Tuesday called “Designing for Spatial Input,” Apple showed developers two ways to use the Vision Pro to type text: a virtual keyboard that floats in the air, and an external keyboard connected via Bluetooth. .
The virtual keyboard allows users to use their fingers to enter text in the air, and Apple explained that the special design of the keyboard can help users better find the location of the keys. There will also be feedback of spatial sound effects during the input process to make up for the lack of tactile information.
The keys actually protrude from the base of the keyboard, which gives the user an urge to press them. When a finger is over the keyboard, the key displays a hover state and a highlight that becomes more pronounced as the finger approaches the surface of the key. This provides a distance cue and helps the finger locate the target. When the finger touches the key, the state changes very quickly, accompanied by a matching spatial sound effect.
These extra layers of feedback are important to make up for the missing tactile information and make direct interaction feel reliable and satisfying.
But Apple also emphasized a problem in this WWDC meeting, that is, typing in the air with hands raised for a long time will make users feel tired. In order to solve this problem, users can also connect an external keyboard via Bluetooth to work with the glasses, and can use voice to control and input text, and the game handle is also supported.
In addition, as you can see in this video, you can swipe web pages or documents directly with your fingers instead of using the traditional slider interface.