visionOS and spatial computing
The most experimental front: visionOS and everything around spatial computing. Here we measure whether Apple can move the category beyond the early-adopter niche — new features, new content, new tools for those building immersive experiences.
At WWDC 2026 Apple showed how Kia uses the FoveatedStreamingSession framework with Autodesk VRED on a Windows PC to validate car designs at full scale on Vision Pro.
Apple introduces a dedicated spatial accessories framework that registers physical hardware system-wide on Vision Pro, letting any app track them without per-title integration.
The WWDC 2026 RealityKit session introduces automatic navigation via NavMesh, lightmap baking in Reality Composer Pro 3, and reverb meshes for customizable spatial audio.
The new Spatial Preview framework in visionOS 27 allows bringing 3D models from Cinema 4D or SketchUp directly to Vision Pro at real-world scale, with bidirectional real-time editing and without an intermediate headset app, eliminating an entire build cycle from the design review process.
Safari on visionOS 27 gains two distinct features: the ability to browse while immersed in spatial environments, and support for multiple tab views, two changes that transform the browser from a flat tool into a genuinely spatial experience.
WWDC 2026 sessions dedicated to RealityKit bring a substantial leap in rendering and physical simulation: soft shadows, baked lightmaps, gaussian splats, cloth simulation, navigation meshes, and ray-traced acoustics are now official APIs, no longer requiring custom engineering.
Apple has set the hardware baseline for visionOS 27: the new M5 Apple Vision Pro, which brings up to 3× faster Wi-Fi connectivity and a new Foveated Streaming framework to stream OpenXR content from Windows PCs or cloud instances without cables.
The visionOS 27 developer beta includes a new Environment inspired by the Icelandic highlands: Thórsmörk offers a mountain ridge with day and night experiences, Northern Lights, and immersive ambient audio.
Apple adds Thórsmörk to Vision Pro's Environments library: an Icelandic mountain ridge with day-night cycle, Northern Lights, and spatial audio. Landscape colors reflect dynamically in the background during video playback.
Apple announced Wheelchair Control for visionOS 27: the feature uses Vision Pro's eye tracking to let users control a motorized wheelchair simply by looking in the desired direction.
Apple Vision Pro gets a fully redesigned Control Center and new curvature windows in visionOS 27, alongside Siri AI integration.
On Apple Vision Pro, Siri AI materializes as a glowing sphere in digital space. Users can speak directly to it to delegate tasks, while the headset's external sensors allow the AI to answer questions about the physical environment.
On Apple Vision Pro, Siri AI appears as a 3D visualisation activated by gaze, without saying 'Hey Siri'. Additionally, personal panorama photos can now become immersive spatial scenes.
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