Apple Vision Pro transforms Zoom: facial expressions will come to life in the virtual world thanks to avatars
Apple Vision Pro will not have some important native apps at first, including Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube. However, users of mixed reality headsets will have access to the Zoom app, which will support the Persona feature in Vision Pro.
Vision Pro users will be able to create digital versions of themselves. Other Zoom users will see the user’s facial expressions and hand movements through the avatar, Engadget reports.
According to Zoom, the app’s spatial experience can be “scaled to the perfect size,” so it shouldn’t feel like someone’s avatar is too far away. While Vision Pro users will be shown as Persona (if they choose to), those joining the conversation from other devices will be presented as a floating screen.
Zoom will be one of the first major third-party applications to use this technology. Apple said that Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex will also join. The company claims that setting up a Persona in Vision Pro takes only a few minutes.
This spring, the Zoom app will have even more features. You will be able to share 3D object files and view them in virtual space through Vision Pro. Team Chat and a tool called real-world pinning will also be available. Zoom says it will be possible to use it to pin five meeting participants anywhere in the virtual space and be able to remove their backgrounds. The company suggests that this will help Vision Pro users “feel more connected to the people in the meeting.”
