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Apple today shared a new "First-Timer" ad that emphasizes how easy it is to use the Vision Pro, which launched in the U.S. today.

"Apple Vision Pro is so simple to navigate using your eyes, hands, and voice," says Apple. "It's like you already know how to use it."

Apple also shared support videos with overviews of the Settings app, Control Center, Guest User mode, accessibility features, and more on visionOS.

Apple said the Vision Pro will launch in additional countries later this year.

A series of videos walking through the Vision Pro's features and settings are now available on the Apple Support channel on YouTube.

Four of the videos provide an overview of the Settings app, Control Center, Guest User mode, and accessibility features on visionOS. Other videos explain how to set up ZEISS optical inserts for the Vision Pro, how to turn on the Vision Pro, and how to capture spatial video on the iPhone 15 Pro for playback on the Vision Pro.

The videos can be found below.

Amazon today has the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for a new all-time low price of $737.99, down from $799.00. This deal is only available in the Indigo Alpine Loop (Medium) configuration, and only Amazon has this deal.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

If you have your eye on other models, there are quite a few more deals on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at $749.00, down from $799.00. This is still a solid second-best price on the wearable, and you'll find it in the Trail Loop and Alpine Loop band styles.

Apple Watch deals are abundant on Amazon this week, and you can also get the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $199.00 and the 44mm GPS model for $229.00, both of which are $50 off and great second-best prices. Likewise, you can get the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 9 for $329.00 and the 45mm GPS model for $359.00, which are both $70 off and also second-best prices.

As of last month, a sales ban was reenacted in the United States on any Apple Watch model sold by Apple that has blood oxygen sensing. While Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models purchased directly from Apple currently come with blood oxygen sensing disabled, retailers like Amazon are able to continue selling through their existing stocks that include the feature.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple today announced that Vision Pro demo appointments at Apple Stores in the U.S. on Monday and later can be reserved on Apple.com.

To reserve a free Vision Pro demo online, go to this page on Apple's website and follow the steps to book an appointment at your local Apple Store. It is also possible to make a reservation through the latest version of the Apple Store app. Apple will ask you a few questions to get started, including whether you wear prescription eyeglasses or contacts, in order to prepare ZEISS optical inserts for your demo if necessary.

In the meantime, Vision Pro demos are available from today through Sunday at all Apple Stores in the U.S. on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no way to reserve a demo on these days, so you simply need to show up and wait.

"Be one of the first to get a demo of Apple Vision Pro," reads a new banner added to Apple's website today. "We invite you to sign up for a demo at your local Apple Store. Demo times are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For demos on February 5 or later, you can also book an appointment online."

Vision Pro demos will take up to 30 minutes each, including setup time. During the demo, you will learn how to navigate the visionOS operating system, and explore built-in apps such as Apple TV, Photos, and Safari.

Developer Christian Selig of "Apollo for Reddit" fame has created what Google wouldn't – a dedicated YouTube app for Apple Vision Pro.

Called Juno for YouTube, the app lets Vision Pro owners browse the YouTube platform in a cleanly refined visionOS interface without having to resort to the lackluster alternative, which is visiting the YouTube website in Safari.

The video player includes native controls for interacting with the video, including resizing to create a home theater experience in your living room, repositioning, dimming your room around the video, and more.

In addition, there's support for aspect ratio detection, and buttons to increase or decrease playback speed, toggle captions, and share videos. As you'd expect from a third-party app, no YouTube account is required to use Juno, and it won't auto-skip ads, but YouTube Premium subscribers will enjoy the benefits that accompany the tier through the app.

Selig cautions that early adopters of the app may encounter a few bugs, since he has only been able to develop and interact with it in the Vision Pro simulator. But that's unlikely to concern users who are familiar with the developer's reputation and engagement with people who use his apps. Plus, he's getting a Vision Pro headset today.

YouTube said earlier this month that it is not developing a YouTube Vision Pro app, nor will it allow the YouTube iPad app to run on the device. Netflix and Spotify have said the same thing. Netflix and Spotify will instead be accessible through Safari, similar to YouTube.

Juno for YouTube is priced at $4.99 and the app is already available on the App Store for nascent Vision Pro owners to check out.

Apple Vision Pro launches in the U.S. today, with in-store pickups, demo sessions, and deliveries to customers now underway in the country.

Apple's first-ever mixed reality headset offers both augmented and virtual reality features, and it is controlled with a combination of your eyes, hands, and voice. Apple describes the device as a "spatial computer" instead of a headset.

"The era of spatial computing has arrived," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore."

Apple Stores in the U.S. open at 8 a.m. local time today, and they are all offering customers free Vision Pro demos on a first-come, first-served basis through Sunday. It is also possible to reserve a Vision Pro demo online for Monday, February 5 or later.

Independent record labels have expressed concerns about Apple's plans to pay more money for songs recorded in Spatial Audio, claiming it will only benefit the biggest companies in the marketplace, reports the Financial Times.

Last week, Apple announced royalty incentives to encourage music artists and record labels to publish tracks in Spatial Audio. Apple said it will pay up to 10% more in royalties for Spatial Audio, which uses Dolby Atmos technology to replicate an in-person music experience with sound coming from various directions around the listener.

Apple has said that over half of Apple Music subscribers use the feature, and that the bonus is a reward for artists delivering the content, and also compensation to recognize the additional time and effort required to mix in Dolby Atmos.

However, several independent labels told FT that the new incentive will effectively channel cash towards established megastars and away from other musicians who do not have the resources to compete.

"It's literally going to take the money out of independent labels and their artists, to benefit the biggest companies in the marketplace," said a senior executive at a large independent record company.

"It's going to benefit the biggest player, Universal, because they're the ones with the resources to invest in that. Whereas the independent sector . . . we've found it hard to justify the expense of creating spatial masters . . . we're not in the business of chucking money just because Apple is saying you should be spending money on this."

Another independent label told FT that the new deal will badly impact its revenues.

Producing music in Spatial Audio is not cheap. Executives say it costs an extra $1,000 per song, or roughly $10,000 per album, and going back to remaster older tracks can double the costs. Some record executives have also questioned the artistic value of Spatial Audio, with one executive likening it to "hanging a digital 3D version of the 'Mona Lisa' and expecting Louvre patrons to prefer it."

Indie labels say they hope to work with Apple to make changes to the new policy. If those negotiations fail, they would explore legal or regulatory options, said people familiar with the matter who spoke to FT.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, which forces Apple to let third-party developers create alternative App Stores and use their own payment systems, amongst other things.

Speaking to investors on Thursday during Meta's Q4 earnings call, Zuckerberg called Apple's new rules "so onerous" that he would not be surprised if any developer adopted them.

"I don't think that the Apple thing is going to have any difference for us. Because I think that the way they have implemented it, I would be very surprised if any developer chose to go into the alternative app stores that they have. They've made it so onerous, and I think so at odds with the intent of what the EU regulation was, that I think it's just going to be very difficult for anyone, including ourselves, to really seriously entertain what they're doing there."

The introduction of the EU's DMA regulations were designed to increase competition in the bloc's app economy by allowing other companies to host their own app stores and collect payments, without them being subjected to Apple's commission rates. However, Apple has introduced a new fee structure as part of the change, including a €0.50 "Core Technology Fee" or CTF for every app install over one million installs, a model that could be prohibitively expensive for free apps like Meta's if they are distributed outside of the App Store.

Meta's comments broadly align with several other big companies critical of Apple's proposed DMA changes, including Spotify, Epic Games, Mozilla, and Microsoft.

Spotify CEO Daniel EK called Apple's plan "a complete and total farce" under "the false pretense of compliance and concessions." Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, another outspoken Apple critic, said that the ‌‌App Store‌‌ changes are a "devious new instance of malicious compliance" aimed at thwarting EU regulations. Microsoft said they are a "step in the wrong direction," while Mozilla said it was "extremely disappointed" and called the plans "another example of Apple creating barriers to prevent true browser competition on iOS."

EU regulators say they intend to study Apple's proposed plans after March 7, when the DMA goes into effect.

Cultured Code has officially released an all-new spatial computing version of Things 3, the popular personal task manager software, for Apple's Vision Pro headset, which launches today in the U.S.

Developed from the ground up to be a fully featured native app for visionOS, the productivity app brings the familiar Things interface into the user's virtual workspace, allowing them to open multiple Things windows and arrange them around their immediate environment.

The sidebar can be hidden to focus on a single list, or users can place it next to their other apps while they get things done. As you'd expect for a visionOS app, the Things interface can be navigated using eyes, hands, and voice. Available functions include the ability to search across lists, drag and drop to-dos, and dictate notes.

The app also works with a wireless keyboard connection, offering full keyboard support, and Things for Vision Pro syncs with the app on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.

Things 3 for Vision is available to download from the visionOS App Store from today, and is a $29.99 one-time purchase. The app supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).

Apple is considering launching its first foldable in the next few years in the form of a 7- to 8-inch device that could ultimately replace the 8.3-inch iPad mini.

That's the latest claim to come out of Korean outlet The Elec. According to the report, Apple is reviewing a launch timeframe for the device between 2026 and 2027.

However, Apple is also actively developing an OLED iPad mini, so there remains uncertainty within Apple about the nature and specifications of the foldable. Speculation reportedly remains rife in the industry around whether it will be a foldable iPhone or foldable iPad model.

Samsung Display and LG Display have reportedly already been sending samples of 7-inch and 8-inch foldable panels to Apple since last year.

Among the panel companies, Samsung is said to be more active in developing Apple foldable panels than LG, and is the more likely primary supplier of a foldable panel if Apple decides on a 2026 release.

Apple, Samsung Display, and LG Display are also said to have "different ideas" about the ultra-thin glass material, foldable panel cover window, and the hinge concept, which is at the core of the product's mechanism. These differences reportedly involve contrasting judgements concerning product durability and reliability.

Once mass production is decided, Samsung is expected to create the foldable panel in the 6th generation A3 or A4 OLED line that it uses to make OLED panels for Apple's iPhones.

According to the report, Apple is also working on a larger 20.5-inch foldable product that is expected to be released later than the 7- to 8-inch device. The larger foldable has been rumored before by both The Elec, Bloomberg, and Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young. Young has also previously said that he expects a foldable tablet-like device in 2026 or 2027.

Apple today held its earnings call for the first fiscal quarter of 2024 (fourth calendar quarter of 2023), with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri sharing details on Apple's performance, recent product sales, services growth, and more.

We've highlighted the most interesting takeaways from the earnings call.

EU App Ecosystem Changes

Maestri and Cook were asked about possible economic results from the changes that are being made to the App Store in the European Union. Maestri said that the EU represents just seven percent of Apple's global ‌App Store‌ revenue, while Cook said that impact it is impossible to determine right now because Apple finds it difficult to predict what customers and developers will choose.

"We've really focused on privacy, security and usability," Cook said. "And we've we've tried our best to get as close it in the past in terms of things that people love about our ecosystem, but we're going to fall short of providing the maximum amount that we could supply because we need to comply with the with the regulation."

Vision Pro

Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that several big companies are planning Vision Pro apps for customers and employees, including Walmart, Nike, Vanguard, Stryker, Bloomberg, and SAP. "From everyday productivity to collaborative product design to immersive training, we cannot wait to see the amazing things our enterprise customers will create in the months and years to come," said Maestri.

Cook said that Apple is "incredibly excited about the enterprise opportunities" with Vision Pro. Walmart, for, example, has a "very cool" merchandising app. There are companies making collaboration and design apps, there are field service applications, apps for control center/command center work, and more. "Really all over the map," said Cook.

"We couldn't be more excited about where things are right now," Cook said. "This has been multiple years of efforts from so many people across Apple and really took a whole of company effort to bring it this far."

AI

Tim Cook said that Apple is spending a "tremendous" amount of time and effort on artificial intelligence, and that details on its AI work will be shared later this year.

In terms of generative AI which I would guess is your focus, we have a lot of work going on internally, as I've alluded to before. Our MO, if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work and not to get out in front of ourselves. And so we're going to hold that to this as well. but we've got some things that we're incredibly excited about, that we'll be talking about later this year.

Services

Apple's Services category set an all-time revenue record at $23.1 billion, up from $20.7 billion in the year-ago quarter. Paid subscriptions grew double digits year-over-year.

Apple set all-time revenue records in advertising cloud services, and payment services and video, along with December quarter records in the ‌App Store‌ and AppleCare.

Wearables

The Wearables, Home and Accessories category saw a drop in revenue, coming in at $12 billion, down from $13.4 billion last year.

Mac and iPad Sales

Mac sales were about flat at $7.8 billion (compared to $7.7 billion last year), but iPad sales were way down as Apple released no new models in 2023. ‌iPad‌ revenue was $7 billion, down from $9.4 billion last year.

Active Devices

Apple now has more than 2.2 billion active devices worldwide, which includes iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

During today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on Apple's work on artificial intelligence. He said that Apple is investing a "tremendous" amount of time and effort in AI, with details to come later this year.

"As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort and we're excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year."

Rumors suggest that Apple's upcoming iOS 18 software release might be the "biggest" software update in the history of the device, with multiple AI features rumored.

Apple is said to be working on generative AI technology that will improve Siri, the Messages app, and more. AI could be integrated across the operating system, in apps like Apple Music, Pages, Xcode, and more.

Apple is planning to incorporate large language models into ‌Siri‌ to allow ‌Siri‌ to automate complex tasks, which will allow for deeper integration between ‌Siri‌ and the Shortcuts app.

There are more than two billion active iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices worldwide, Apple said today in the earnings report covering the first fiscal quarter of 2024.

"We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in Apple's press release.

2.2 billion active devices is a new record for the company. Apple last shared its active install base numbers in January 2023, when the company had 2 billion active devices worldwide.

Apple did not provide numbers for individual devices, but Apple has long had more than a billion active iPhones worldwide.

Apple today announced financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2024, which corresponds to the fourth calendar quarter of 2023.

For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $119.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $33.9 billion, or $2.18 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $117.2 billion and net quarterly profit of $30.0 billion, or $1.88 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

Gross margin for the quarter was 45.9 percent, compared to 43.0 percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple also declared a quarterly dividend payment of $0.24 per share, payable on February 15 to shareholders of record as of February 12.

"Today Apple is reporting revenue growth for the December quarter fueled by iPhone sales, and an all-time revenue record in Services," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments. And as customers begin to experience the incredible Apple Vision Pro tomorrow, we are committed as ever to the pursuit of groundbreaking innovation — in line with our values and on behalf of our customers."

As has been the case for over three years now, Apple is once again not issuing guidance for the current quarter ending in March.

Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q1 2024 financial results conference call at 2:00 pm Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.

Conference call recap ahead...

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The Vision Pro is set to come out tomorrow, and Apple has already released a visionOS 1.0.2 update, which means there will be a day-one update that Vision Pro owners need to install.

CNET's Scott Stein today shared a video that demonstrates what the Vision Pro looks like when an update is installed. While the update is in progress, there's a bar on the front display that slowly fills up as the update is installed, and when it's done, an Apple logo is shown during a restart.

Apple plans to regularly update the software on the Vision Pro going forward, and we are expecting to see visionOS 2.0 unveiled at WWDC in June.

While Apple officially launched the visionOS App Store in mid-January, apps were not showing up on the ‌App Store‌ website. That has now changed, and the Vision Pro ‌App Store‌ is now live on the web as well.

When viewing an app's webpage, visionOS screenshots and compatibility are listed, giving more insight into which apps will support the Vision Pro.

App listings include insight into an app's visionOS capabilities as well as several screenshots of what the app looks like on the Vision Pro.

The Vision Pro is set to launch in the United States tomorrow, with customers who pre-ordered receiving their deliveries. Apple also plans to begin accepting demo appointments in its retail store locations as of tomorrow morning.

Apple Vision Pro launches in the U.S. this Friday, and you will be able to try out the headset at your local Apple Store on the same day.

Starting tomorrow at 8 a.m. local time, all Apple Stores in the U.S. will allow customers to receive a Vision Pro demo, which is expected to last around 20 to 25 minutes. From Friday through Sunday, you can only sign up for a demo in person on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Demos on Monday and later can be reserved online.

Given that the Vision Pro starts at $3,499, these free demos will be especially important for customers who want to experience spatial computing without spending a fortune. During the demo, they will learn how to navigate the visionOS operating system, and explore built-in apps such as Apple TV, Photos, and Safari.

The Meta Quest VR headset will soon be able to play spatial videos captured on an iPhone 15 Pro or ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max, Meta announced today. The upcoming v62 update will add support for the feature.

Spatial videos can be uploaded to the Meta Quest headset using the Meta Quest mobile app, so that the stereoscopic videos captured on the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro models can be relived on Meta's device for those who do not have an Apple Vision Pro.

Spatial videos uploaded to the Meta Quest will be converted to the correct format for playback on the device, and it will be stored in the cloud. Spatial video content can be selected from the Files menu for an immersive viewing experience. Several demo videos are available on the Meta Quest so users can experience what spatial videos are like.

Apple added the ability to capture spatial videos specifically for ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ headset owners. On Apple devices, spatial videos can only be viewed on the Vision Pro headset, which is priced at $3,500. Other products show the spatial videos as standard 2D videos.

We are thrilled to announce support for spatial video playback on Meta Quest! If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can now upload spatial videos (a.k.a stereoscopic videos) to your Meta Quest headset using the Meta Quest mobile app--letting you relive the moment with surprising depth. With this new feature, you can experience your memories and media content like never before.

At $500, the Meta Quest is more affordable than the Vision Pro, so the option to watch spatial videos on a lower-cost device might be appealing to some ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro owners.