While the Apple Vision Pro headset is not launching until early 2024, some developers have access to the device in order to develop visionOS apps. Through Feedback Assistant, Apple is collecting opinions on the Vision Pro "Persona" that is created for each person for use with FaceTime.
The Persona is a digital representation of the user, with Apple using the headset's cameras to recreate the face and hands. While the FaceTime call is ongoing, the Persona is able to make the same facial expressions and hand movements as the user, so that FaceTime calls feel more like a person-to-person interaction.
There is likely some degree of uncanny valley with this experience, so it is no surprise that it is a feature that Apple is working to refine. Apple is asking developers a number of questions about the Persona experience.
How do you feel about your Persona?
To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance?
To what extent do you feel your Persona responds to your facial expressions?
What do you like most about your Persona?
What do you like least about your Persona?
What do you like/not like about this Persona?
Respondents are given multiple choice answers for most of the questions, with the last one being an open feedback form. For the "How do you feel about your Persona?" question, for example, responses include "Very Happy - I'm excited to use it," "Happy - I would be okay using it," "Unhappy - I would be hesitant to use it," and "Very Unhappy - I would never use it."
Exclusive: Apple is asking developers with the Vision Pro to fill out a feedback survey about FaceTime Personas.
Some questions include:
How do you feel about your Persona?
To what extent do you feel this Persona represents your appearance? pic.twitter.com/wKgQlKrODL
— Aaron (@aaronp613) September 14, 2023
Apple does not plan to release the Vision Pro headset until early 2024, so it still has several months of software refining and hardware tweaking to do before the device needs to be mass produced in order to sell.
The headset will be priced at $3,500 when it launches, and it will first be available in the United States before expanding to other countries.
Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors
This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system.
In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends.
Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below.
Apple in October
Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023.
In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest.
Apple often...
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Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions.
The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
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With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.
Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom.
The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak.
Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
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Pre-orders for LG's new UltraFine evo 6K display (model 32U990A) with Thunderbolt 5 support will begin on September 30, according to a major U.S. retailer listing.
LG first revealed the 32-inch display at CES 2025 in January, teasing its status as the first monitor to support Thunderbolt 5. At the time, LG only provided high-level specs, but left pricing, availability, and full technical...
Friday September 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The website ChargerLAB has tested the standard iPhone 17 model's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W.
The device reached a peak charging speed of around 27W to 28W with these Apple chargers:29W USB-C Power Adapter
30W USB-C Power Adapter
35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter
35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter
40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max...
Samsung Display president Lee Cheong has confirmed plans to make foldable smartphone displays for a major American company, which is widely believed to be Apple.
As reported in Chosun Biz, Cheong last week told journalists in Seoul that the company is accelerating preparations for mass production of OLED displays designed for foldable smartphones to be supplied to a "North American client."...
The Uncanny Valley is a real thing, and teams of digital artists spending hours doing 3D work have an enormously hard time making true-to-life CGI people that don't freak us out. I'm curious to see how Apple pulls this off in real-time practice.
I'd like customizable Personas, preferably clown-themed: Pennywise for calling the kids, Bozo for business associates, and Weary Willie for close friends.
It seems to me that until we gain the technologies to project holographic versions of ourselves into distant meetings/greetings, this has to be towards next best thing. All those FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/etc face-to-face conversations people have every day are all limited to that 2D flat screen experience... where you very much are reminded that you are not there and they are not with you. This moderates that feeling towards creating a face-to-face environment that will certainly feel like you are there and they are here with you.
I look forward to trying it out and hope it works at least as good as implied in the WWDC demo... if not even better.
