Connect with us

Boston, MA

Who’s using the Apple Vision Pro? Some Boston companies. – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Who’s using the Apple Vision Pro? Some Boston companies. – The Boston Globe


Still, tech industry analysts predict that wider corporate adoption of the Vision Pro will be a long time coming.

“I’m going to say 1 percent of enterprise users anywhere in the next five years,” said Tuong Nguyen, an augmented reality analyst at research firm Gartner. “It’s a very specific group of users who absolutely need 3D visualization to do their jobs,” Nguyen said.

Virtual reality (or VR) systems like the Meta Quest 2 surround the user with computer-generated simulation. But augmented reality (or AR) headsets like the Vision Pro blend video of the real world with digital images. With AR, workers can interact with humans and real objects, and operate advanced software at the same time.

The latest Meta headset, the Quest 3, is also an AR system. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg last week said (not surprisingly) that the Quest 3 is superior overall to the Vision Pro and much less expensive at just $500. But Zuckerberg conceded that the Vision Pro offers sharper video resolution and better hand and eye tracking, making it easier for users to control the device with glances and hand gestures.

Advertisement

Ghee’s firm, PTC, has created a Vision Pro app that lets workers design 3D models of all sorts of machinery, from wristwatches to robots. Meanwhile, Boston Children’s Hospital has developed an app to help teach vital medical skills to nursing students. And Boston-based home furnishings company Wayfair has launched an app that will let Vision Pro users redecorate their houses with 3D images of new chairs, sofas, and tables.

It’s all part of the plan for Apple, which sees corporate adoption of the Vision Pro as a vital part of its strategy to make augmented reality a mainstream technology. During a recent earnings call, Apple executives described upcoming enterprise apps developed for the device by Walmart, Bloomberg, medical device maker Stryker, and corporate management software firm SAP.

“I think there will be a great opportunity for us in enterprise,” said chief executive Tim Cook on the call, “and we couldn’t be more excited about where things are right now.”

With PTC’s app, engineering teams scattered around the world could use Vision Pro headsets to visualize and modify each other’s work. Using hand gestures, workers can reach inside a 3D model of an object — a pump, for instance. They can pull it apart piece by piece, upgrade a single component, and put it back together. When everyone agrees that it’s just right, the pump specifications can be sent directly to the factory for production.

Boston Children’s Hospital worked with Apple software engineers to create CyranoHealth, a Vision Pro tool for training medical personnel. Before using an unfamiliar piece of equipment, such as an intravenous medication pump, a nurse can review the procedure at the patient’s bedside by using Vision Pro to display a simulated pump alongside the real one. Once the nurse has practiced on the simulation, they can immediately follow the same procedure for real.

Advertisement

Boston Children’s has experimented with virtual reality headsets for years, but most of those devices didn’t let users interact with patients in the real world. Kate Donovan, the hospital’s clinical director of innovation for inpatient medical programs, said the Vision Pro’s blend of real and virtual images makes it a more powerful tool.

“To have this on someone and allow them to actually continue working, it’s going to be a game changer,” she said.

While other companies are using Vision Pro for internal activities, Wayfair is reaching out to consumers with Decorify, an app for consumers looking to spruce up their homes. The app leverages a web-based service launched last year that lets consumers upload photos of a room to see how the space would look if decorated in different styles, such as traditional, rustic, or industrial. Decorify uses artificial intelligence to recreate the room but with different furniture, carpets, and accessories.

The Vision Pro app lets users do the same inside the AR headset. But instead of seeing the results on a flat screen, the app displays 3D images of the redesigned room. The software makes it easy to generate multiple room makeovers in just a few minutes. “It’s a what-if app,” said Wayfair creative technologist Abhijit Gurjal.

But the Decorify app’s success depends on whether enough consumers purchase a Vision Pro. And Nguyen said that even big companies won’t be too quick to invest in the technology until it’s supported by a broad ecosystem of worthwhile apps.

Advertisement

The same thing happened with smartphones, Nguyen said. “There’s no killer app. It’s the suite of applications and services that made it practical and beneficial and useful,” he said. “That’s the same with this device.”


Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him @GlobeTechLab.





Source link

Advertisement

Boston, MA

What we know about accused Memorial Drive gunman Tyler Brown

Published

on

What we know about accused Memorial Drive gunman Tyler Brown


Investigators identified Tyler Brown of Boston as the man who allegedly opened fire on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leaving two victims with life-threatening injuries.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said Brown fired 50 to 60 shots on the busy road shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.

Two male victims were hit in vehicles, Ryan said. They are in critical condition and fighting for their lives.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper and a civilian with a license to carry a firearm went toward the gunman and fired their weapons at him. Officers treated Brown at the scene, and he was brought to a Boston hospital, where he is in intensive care, according to the district attorney.

Advertisement

This video shared with NBC10 Boston appears to show a man opening fire at cars on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 11, 2026.

Authorities have, so far, shared limited information about the suspect.

“Mr. Brown is from Boston, and apparently was in the process of moving here. We understand that Mr. Brown was under the supervision of either the Massachusetts Probation Department or Department of Parole,” Ryan said.

She did not elaborate on why Brown may have been on probation or parole.

“We will address Mr. Brown’s criminal record, if any, at the arraignment,” she said.

Advertisement

Ryan added that she did not know enough about Brown’s condition to say whether he would be arraigned in court or in a hospital bed. The timing was also not clear.

He will face two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and firearms charges, and “a variety of other charges as we unfold what took place, exactly, and we have a chance to speak to the many, many people who were out there,” Ryan said.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe


An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.

Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.

Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.

Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.

Advertisement

The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.

The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.

State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.

Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.

Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.

Advertisement

Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.





Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional

Published

on

Ole Miss softball to play Boston in NCAA tournament Lubbock Regional


This story has been updated with new information

OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.

The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.

Advertisement

Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).

The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.

Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.

Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.

Advertisement

Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.

What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional

Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.

Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.

Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.

Advertisement

Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending