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Microsoft 365 Apps Coming to Apple Vision Pro
Microsoft announced this week that Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft Teams, will be available for use on the Apple Vision Pro headset, starting on Feb. 2.
Apple Vision Pro was introduced last year as Apple's "first spatial computer," running the visionOS "spatial operating system." It lets users access applications in a real environment, such as a room, which serves as an "infinite canvas" for apps. Users interact with the applications using "eyes, hands and voice." It has a three-dimensional camera that lets users scale photos to life size, and a Spatial Audio system designed to match sounds with the ambient space.
Microsoft indicated that "Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Loop" will be available at Apple's App Store for the Apple Vision Pro headset on Feb. 2. Users will be able to multitask using these apps. They can practice PowerPoint presentations, expand Excel charts, and use Teams for online meetings, chats and collaborations.
Microsoft Copilot also will be available on Feb. 2 for Apple Vision Pro, Microsoft indicated.
"You will be able to create, analyze and connect, using your own words and voice (literally), with Copilot while using Apple Vision Pro," the company added.
Teams users of Apple Vision Pro will interact in meetings using Apple's Persona feature, which Microsoft described as "an authentic representation of your face when you are wearing the headset." Teams will work with "3D content" using Apple's device.
Microsoft also is planning to bring "Microsoft Mesh to Apple Vision Pro in the coming year." Mesh in Teams, which lets people use cartoon-like avatars to meet in artificial spaces (which are called "immersive spaces"), recently reached the general availability release stage for Windows systems. Microsoft has its own "mixed reality" HoloLens 2 headset, but it doesn't support Mesh in Teams.
About the Author
Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.