While one might assume the Apple Vision Pro is marketed squarely towards users who are not visually impaired, CEO Tim Cook says getting feedback from visually impaired users was integral in the design process.
In a new interview with Wired’s Steven Levy, Cook explains how blind music veteran Stevie Wonder had a demo with the Vision Pro, and that his feedback was “key” in designing the headset.
Describing Wonder as a “friend of Apple”, Cook explains: “It’s great to get feedback from Stevie. And of course, his artistry is just unparalleled. He’s so fantastic. But accessibility was always important for us, from designing all of our products. One of the common threads through Apple over time is that we don’t bolt on accessibility at the end of the design process; it’s embedded in the design process. And so getting that feedback was key.”
Cook is also asked about poor Vision Pro sales, to which he replies: “It’s an early adopter product, for people who want tomorrow’s technology today. Those people are buying it, and the ecosystem is flourishing. The ultimate test for us is the ecosystem. I don’t know if you’re using it very much, but I’m there all the time. I see new apps all the time.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cook speaks once again on Apple’s desire to ensure accessibility is at the heart of its products. Asked about the company’s AirPods Pro 2, which sport a clinical-grade hearing aid feature, Cook says: “The vast majority of people with hearing issues have not been diagnosed.
“For some people, hearing aids have a stigma, and we can counter that with AirPods. And we can have people diagnose themselves. It’s the democratisation of health.”
