The feature was discovered this week by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, who inspected code within the Xcode beta of visionOS, Apple’s AR and reality operating system that will power the Vision Pro headset. Moser found references to Visual Search in the code, which suggests that the feature is still under development.
Visual Search is expected to work by using the Vision Pro headset’s cameras to scan the environment and identify objects. Once an object is identified, the headset will then display information about the object, such as its name, description, and price.
Visual Search could be a powerful tool for users who want to learn more about the world around them. For example, users could use Visual Search to identify plants and animals, learn about historical landmarks, or even find product information while shopping.
I think the new Visual Search tool will be a killer Vision Pro feature. Not only that, but I expect Visual Search to grow into a massive threat to Google Search. It may actually be an even bigger threat to Google than ChatGPT…
[T]he Vision Pro will be extremely important to Apple’s post-iPhone era. It’ll set the principles of spatial computing, which Apple will use to build towards sophisticated AR glasses. And Visual Search will sit at the center of it.
As I’ve explained, Vision Pro will be much faster than other computers. It tracks your eyes and hands to deliver instant results. Add voice control, and the Vision Pro might help you become even more productive.
Visual Search will let you search the world around you through the Vision Pro’s cameras. You’ll be able to point at things and ask for information about them. And grab information from the real world, like texts and web addresses. All of that will deliver Google Search-like results.