For the ultimate in-flight experience, you might want to book a flight with an airline that offers Apple’s Vision Pro headset to entertain and inspire select passengers. What an upgrade!
Beond is a Maldivian airline serving the luxury travel market. What better way to invite travelers looking for a luxury trip than to offer the ultra-premium $3,500 Vision Pro headphones as in-flight entertainment?
Apple’s Vision Pro is packed with the performance of a PC and features ultra-high-resolution displays in a compact, head-worn form factor. By placing a screen in front of each eye, Vision Pro can create stereoscopic effects and display large virtual screens that appear to float in space. For example, Vision Pro can scale a video to cinema size.
According to Beyond CEO Tero Taskila, Vision Pro will offer movies and games and “showcase amazing destinations and resort activities in the Maldives.” If done well, an interactive video presentation showing resort amenities and fun local experiences could be helpful and entertaining for travelers.
Beyond isn’t the first airline to offer an in-flight XR experience. Earlier this month, Hainan Airlines partnered with Rokid to offer smart glasses to passengers. The Rokid Max was paired with a Rokid station loaded with 3D movies to pass the time on a three-hour flight.
The Rokid solution pales in comparison to the Vision Pro’s display quality. However, the Rokid Max has a comfort advantage. As a pair of glasses, it is much thinner and lighter. Built-in diopter adjustments allow each eye to be adjusted to compensate for myopia.
Vision Pro requires a custom fit and prescription lens inserts for an ideal experience. It’s unclear how Beyond will handle its customers’ customization. Also, many people find the Vision Pro uncomfortable after less than an hour of use, which could limit the enjoyment of in-flight movies.
According to Beyond the press release, the first flights will travel “from Milan, Dubai and Bangkok to the Maldives in mid-2024”. Apparently, passengers can recline during these flights, which are described as “an all-flat seating arrangement.”
If you are planning an exotic vacation to the Maldives and are interested in the Apple Vision Pro, this opportunity may be worth pursuing.
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