For the ultimate flying experience, you might want to book a flight with an airline that offers Apple’s Vision Pro headsets to entertain and inspire select passengers. What an upgrade!
Beond is a Maldivian airline that caters to the luxury travel market. What better way to invite travelers looking for an extravagant trip than offering the ultra-premium $3,500 Vision Pro headset as in-flight entertainment?
Apple’s Vision Pro is packed with the performance of a computer and features super high-resolution displays in a compact form worn on your head. By placing a screen in front of each eye, the Vision Pro can create stereoscopic effects and display large virtual screens that appear to hover in space. For example, the Vision Pro can scale a video to cinema size.
According to Beyond CEO Tero Taskila, Vision Pro will offer movies and games and “showcase stunning resort destinations and activities in the Maldives.” If done well, a video presentation with interactivity that shows resort amenities and fun local experiences could be helpful and entertaining to travelers.
Beond 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’s much slimmer and lighter. Built-in diopter adjustments allow each eye to be adjusted to compensate for myopia.
The Vision Pro requires a custom fit and prescription lens inserts for an ideal experience. It’s unclear how Beond will handle fitting its customers. 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 the Beond press release, the first flights will travel “from Milan, Dubai, and Bangkok to the Maldives in mid-2024.” Apparently, passengers can lie down during these flights, described as “an all-lay flat seating configuration.”
If you’re planning an exotic vacation to the Maldives and are interested in the Apple Vision Pro, it might be worth keeping an eye on this opportunity.
