14 Days to Return: Will I or Won't I?

[Blackstick]

That would make me nervous, personally

The buzz will wear off and you might end up really wishing you’d taken your money off the table when you could.

Reselling these looks like one might take a pretty big financial haircut

I hope to buy a lightly used one at 40% off 😉

 

[Ghost31]

I hope to buy a lightly used one at 40% off 😉

$1500 will be a great price point for this

 

[4sallypat]

$1500 will be a great price point for this

Wishful thinking.

Knowing Apple's certified refurbished devices, think more like $3000.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Tim should sell his

We all know he won't be using it

 

[robgreene]

DAYS 7 & 8​

Merging these two updates because a lot of was going on with Dad's health, and that's obviously top priority. Over these 2 days, I let Mom try the Vision Pro, and used it while getting Mom's car maintenance done, as well as on my flight home.

PROs:
• Shared my Vision Pro / Spatial Video story from Day 6 in an email to Tim Cook. He wrote back with a kind message wishing my dad well and thanking me for sharing the anecdote. One thing I've always appreciated about Tim, and Steve Jobs before him, is their willingness to engage with customers no matter how big their company grows.
• Mom (an Apple user who pays for things with her Apple Watch - pretty savvy for her 70's) took to the controls and gestures pretty quickly - though not without some technical quirks (more on that in CONs below)
• Mom enjoyed the experience. She hilariously was "roaring" back at the dinosaurs. But the best was surprising her with several panoramas of the house they raised us in. She loved looking around the back yard and seeing all the forts/swings/etc that Dad had built for us growing up. The sentimental value of this device is HIGH.
• The device was much easier to access in flight once I figured out it fit in a special compartment on my backpack (see Day 6)
• I shoulda have mentioned this on Day 1: the Control Center button can be adjusted higher or lower. If you've found yourself accidentally triggering it while looking toward the top of your content/app/experience, try raising the Control Center in System Settings. Game changer for eliminating accidental triggers!

CONs:
• The device is only as good as the initial setup. We think Mom had a couple hiccups during setup (I was watching on a mirrored computer, and saw it as it was happening), and it really impacted the device's responsiveness.
• I have yet to take a screenshot that is not lopsided. Not sure what's going on there, but everything is perfectly centered in my view, then slanted at a near 30-degree angle in the screen shot.
• The focus/sharpness of the device has been hit or miss for me. Some days it's tack sharp. Some days it makes me think I need to go back to the eye doctor, until I take it off and see that my vision is just fine again.
• I planned to try using the Vision Pro to edit photos on the flight home, but with everything going on with Dad, battery was low in the Vision Pro, MacBook Pro and phone. This meant pulling out a LOT of devices - AND CHARGERS - in flight. A cumbersome, tangled mess to be sure.
• The lack of a clock anywhere on the device is a surprising omission. Especially in immersive environments, knowing the time can help keep users connected to reality.

OVERALL AND WHAT’S NEXT:
With life's pressures bearing down the past couple days, it was a great chance to examine the practicality of the Vision Pro: its ease of use and desirability under non-ideal circumstances. On that front, it was a big swing-and-a-miss for me. The device's bulk (both in terms of its size and its add-on needs) really took the forefront of my experience the past couple days. I still plan on testing out a few more features (like the dual strap, and downloading a 3rd party clock app), but you'll notice a significant shift in my plans below.

WILL I OR WON'T I RETURN IT?
Day 1: 75/25 returning
Day 2: 60/40 returning
Day 3: 65/35 returning
Day 4: 55/45 returning
Day 5: 55/45 keeping
Day 6: 60/40 keeping
Day 7: 55/55 returning
Day 8: 80/20 returning

 

[4sallypat]

DAYS 7 & 8​

Merging these two updates because a lot of was going on with Dad's health, and that's obviously top priority. Over these 2 days, I let Mom try the Vision Pro, and used it while getting Mom's car maintenance done, as well as on my flight home.

PROs:
• Shared my Vision Pro / Spatial Video story from Day 6 in an email to Tim Cook. He wrote back with a kind message wishing my dad well and thanking me for sharing the anecdote. One thing I've always appreciated about Tim, and Steve Jobs before him, is their willingness to engage with customers no matter how big their company grows.
• Mom (an Apple user who pays for things with her Apple Watch - pretty savvy for her 70's) took to the controls and gestures pretty quickly - though not without some technical quirks (more on that in CONs below)
• Mom enjoyed the experience. She hilariously was "roaring" back at the dinosaurs. But the best was surprising her with several panoramas of the house they raised us in. She loved looking around the back yard and seeing all the forts/swings/etc that Dad had built for us growing up. The sentimental value of this device is HIGH.
• The device was much easier to access in flight once I figured out it fit in a special compartment on my backpack (see Day 6)

CONs:
• The device is only as good as the initial setup. We think Mom had a couple hiccups during setup (I was watching on a mirrored computer, and saw it as it was happening), and it really impacted the device's responsiveness.
• I have yet to take a screenshot that is not lopsided. Not sure what's going on there, but everything is perfectly centered in my view, then slanted at a near 30-degree angle in the screen shot.
• The focus/sharpness of the device has been hit or miss for me. Some days it's tack sharp. Some days it makes me think I need to go back to the eye doctor, until I take it off and see that my vision is just fine again.
• I planned to try using the Vision Pro to edit photos on the flight home, but with everything going on with Dad, battery was low in the Vision Pro, MacBook Pro and phone. This meant pulling out a LOT of devices - AND CHARGERS - in flight. A cumbersome, tangled mess to be sure.

OVERALL AND WHAT’S NEXT:
With life's pressures bearing down the past couple days, it was a great chance to examine the practicality of the Vision Pro: its ease of use in non-ideal circumstances. On that front, it was a big swing-and-a-miss for me. The device's bulk (both in terms of its size and its add-on needs) really took the forefront of my experience the past couple days. I still plan on testing out a few more features (like the dual strap), but you'll notice a significant shift in my plans below.

WILL I OR WON'T I RETURN IT?
Day 1: 75/25 returning
Day 2: 60/40 returning
Day 3: 65/35 returning
Day 4: 55/45 returning
Day 5: 55/45 keeping
Day 6: 60/40 keeping
Day 7: 55/55 returning
Day 8: 80/20 returning

Appreciate the daily experience reviews.

Very touching, real life experience makes it real.

thanks!

 

[Macaholic868]

Wishful thinking.

Knowing Apple's certified refurbished devices, think more like $3000.

For this device anytime soon it certainly is but it’s definitely the price point at which you could expect mass appeal. I think $1999.99 is where it would start to catch on but $1500 with the ability to pay at 0% interest spread over 12 - 24 months via the Apple Card would be the sweet spot to see these things really start to fly off the shelves.

 

[Cape Dave]

DAYS 7 & 8​

Merging these two updates because a lot of was going on with Dad's health, and that's obviously top priority. Over these 2 days, I let Mom try the Vision Pro, and used it while getting Mom's car maintenance done, as well as on my flight home.

PROs:
• Shared my Vision Pro / Spatial Video story from Day 6 in an email to Tim Cook. He wrote back with a kind message wishing my dad well and thanking me for sharing the anecdote. One thing I've always appreciated about Tim, and Steve Jobs before him, is their willingness to engage with customers no matter how big their company grows.
• Mom (an Apple user who pays for things with her Apple Watch - pretty savvy for her 70's) took to the controls and gestures pretty quickly - though not without some technical quirks (more on that in CONs below)
• Mom enjoyed the experience. She hilariously was "roaring" back at the dinosaurs. But the best was surprising her with several panoramas of the house they raised us in. She loved looking around the back yard and seeing all the forts/swings/etc that Dad had built for us growing up. The sentimental value of this device is HIGH.
• The device was much easier to access in flight once I figured out it fit in a special compartment on my backpack (see Day 6)

CONs:
• The device is only as good as the initial setup. We think Mom had a couple hiccups during setup (I was watching on a mirrored computer, and saw it as it was happening), and it really impacted the device's responsiveness.
• I have yet to take a screenshot that is not lopsided. Not sure what's going on there, but everything is perfectly centered in my view, then slanted at a near 30-degree angle in the screen shot.
• The focus/sharpness of the device has been hit or miss for me. Some days it's tack sharp. Some days it makes me think I need to go back to the eye doctor, until I take it off and see that my vision is just fine again.
• I planned to try using the Vision Pro to edit photos on the flight home, but with everything going on with Dad, battery was low in the Vision Pro, MacBook Pro and phone. This meant pulling out a LOT of devices - AND CHARGERS - in flight. A cumbersome, tangled mess to be sure.
• The lack of a clock anywhere on the device is a surprising omission. Especially in immersive environments, knowing the time can help keep users connected to reality.

OVERALL AND WHAT’S NEXT:
With life's pressures bearing down the past couple days, it was a great chance to examine the practicality of the Vision Pro: its ease of use and desirability under non-ideal circumstances. On that front, it was a big swing-and-a-miss for me. The device's bulk (both in terms of its size and its add-on needs) really took the forefront of my experience the past couple days. I still plan on testing out a few more features (like the dual strap, and downloading a 3rd party clock app), but you'll notice a significant shift in my plans below.

WILL I OR WON'T I RETURN IT?
Day 1: 75/25 returning
Day 2: 60/40 returning
Day 3: 65/35 returning
Day 4: 55/45 returning
Day 5: 55/45 keeping
Day 6: 60/40 keeping
Day 7: 55/55 returning
Day 8: 80/20 returning

LOL, connected to reality Isn't the whole thing about becoming disconnected from "reality"? There are no clocks in a Vegas Casino.

 

[robgreene]

LOL, connected to reality Isn't the whole thing about becoming disconnected from "reality"? There are no clocks in a Vegas Casino.

A Vegas Casino was the exact comparison that came to mind for me as well. Personally I do not like being disconnected from the time of day.

 

[deaglecat]

I think that if I were in the OP position, I would return it. That stops the return-window clock.

Then, if you really DO miss it... it can always be repurchased. A one-way bet, surely ?

 

[robgreene]

I think that if I were in the OP position, I would return it. That stops the return-window clock.

Then, if you really DO miss it... it can always be repurchased. A one-way bet, surely ?

I'm not worried about the return window clock. I'm interested in testing this thing out as thoroughly as necessary for my needs/use cases.

Based on where I'm at in that process, I'd probably return it before Day 14. Kinda hoping they release VisionOS 1.1 soon... would love to test out the updated Persona feature.

 

[romanof]

After 24 hours with the AVP, I can say it is an interesting device. There aren't enough apps yet to really road test it and most of my time is spent in searching for how to do this or that. Still it is fun and if you are into movies, it is unbelievable. I could see my actually removing my 64" 4k tv and just using the AVP. Of course, that assumes that you are a solo movie watcher. It would be useless for that unless your significant other has one also, but even then both of you would still be alone in your own private spaces. Not much good for a date.

However, the theater mode is fantastic - the outside world disappears and you have effectively rented an entire venue for yourself.

Getting used to the gestures takes a while until you realize that the cameras need to see the 'O' that your fingers make when pinching, but that becomes intutive in a short while. Yet to try... My Mac, photo and video production, streaming from various boxes like ATV and Ipad. A short test with the immersive video capture was very impressive.

Main problem so far... Wading through hundreds of worthless opinions on the AVP, mostly by posters who have never used one, to find the useful technical info that I am searching for.

 

[4sallypat]

For this device anytime soon it certainly is but it’s definitely the price point at which you could expect mass appeal. I think $1999.99 is where it would start to catch on but $1500 with the ability to pay at 0% interest spread over 12 - 24 months via the Apple Card would be the sweet spot to see these things really start to fly off the shelves.

Yes agree, the lower price point will appeal to the masses.

This first gen MR/VR/AR from Apple is a good start towards more affordable future devices.

Still not worth $3500 after a week of use - it's more of a glorified iPad with locked down features.

 

[romanof]

In my first hour of use, I had almost made the decision that it would be returned posthaste. I developed a significant case of eye strain that was definitely worrying, and I will take no chances with my vision. But, another hour of use, later, mainly to see what happened this time, did not give me the problem. Finally, I realized that the wrongly distributed weight was the cause. It wasn't my eyes that were complaining, but the muscles above them in trying to support the weight while keeping my eyes wide open.

The solo loop is worthless, IMO, and I had it off in about five minutes and back in the box permanantly. The dual loop works, but the straps have to be properly adjusted and tensioned and that takes some experimenting. I can see where a third party strap would be welcomed - one with BIG bands and made without worry of appearance or mussing of hair.

So, my advice is to not just strap it on in your first uses, but to take some time and get it fitted right.

 

[Night Spring]

Day 7: 55/55 returning
Day 8: 80/20 returning

Thanks for your daily reports -- they've been extremely informative, and I've been enjoying reading them.

Because you combined Days 7&8, it wasn't entirely clear to me what happened on Day 8 to cause such a dramatic shift toward returning. I take it it had to do with how complicated it was to take out and put away on the flight home? Could you confirm/clarify? Thanks!

 

[Macaholic868]

Yes agree, the lower price point will appeal to the masses.

This first gen MR/VR/AR from Apple is a good start towards more affordable future devices.

Still not worth $3500 after a week of use - it's more of a glorified iPad with locked down features.

I agree 100% with they iPad analogy. If I had to describe it in a sentence I’d say it’s an iPad built into an AR/VR headset. My issue is that the UI and keyboard make it difficult to be as productive as you can be with an iPad unless you‘re also using a keyboard and in some cases, a Magic Trackpad as well.

It will definitely improve over time as most of the issues I have with it are with VisionOS and some of the iPad apps I’d like to run that aren’t optimized for the AVP and it’s new UI yet. That’s where the keyboard and Magic Trackpad currently come in handy.

With those accessories for me it’s an iPad / iPad Pro replacement and I can use it to get enough work done that I don’t foresee the need to buy another iPad going forward as I just don’t need or use the Apple Pencil. That helps to justify the cost. I’m leaning 65/45 toward keeping mine for that plus the wow factor with the assumption that both VisionOS and the selection of apps available with better AVP support will all be forthcoming.

If my wife and I had kids or money was otherwise tighter for us I couldn’t justify the cost but we’re DINKS (dual income, no kids) and as such have a lot of disposable income compared to a lot of other couples with children. It may well prove not to be worth it but I have high hopes that Apple is in it for the long haul and will eventually deliver AR glasses that you can wear comforably in public that do actual AR/VR within the lenses themselves with no external cameras required for anything other than snapping photos and video. Until then the early adopters will hopefully help shape the product as they did with the Apple Watch. We’ll see.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I was going to say this device reminds me of a more functional iPad at launch. The iPad is my favorite Apple Device ever and this is probably threatening that. I need Apple Vision Pro to go on a diet for it to hit that rather large sweet spot for me. I quite love that all I need is a keyboard and AVP for regular use. I don’t even need a mouse.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I knew this would end up being a return once the wow settled a bit
(very common with this type of product)

AVP v1 is an overpriced tech demo

There is some very impressive and interesting tech and ideas, but there are way too many gotchas and rough edges for a successful mainstream product release.

I maintain that this should have been a devkit preview release for the time being.

I really don't know what Apple was thinking

"Getting this out there" isn't going to work as it's too half baked for much market penetration, and thus "good luck" getting developers to spend much time on Apps with little to no ROI

 

[Cape Dave]

A Vegas Casino was the exact comparison that came to mind for me as well. Personally I do not like being disconnected from the time of day.

I also notice the lack of a clock on my smart TV at times.

 

[surferfb]

Widgetsmith appears to have clock options, per Stephen Hackett at 512pixels.net

 

[robgreene]

Thanks for your daily reports -- they've been extremely informative, and I've been enjoying reading them.

Because you combined Days 7&8, it wasn't entirely clear to me what happened on Day 8 to cause such a dramatic shift toward returning. I take it it had to do with how complicated it was to take out and put away on the flight home? Could you confirm/clarify? Thanks!

Great question! I mentioned in some of the earliest updates that one of my primary use cases for the AVP was to enhance remote / travel work. The bulk of the AVP plus all the extra power cables and cords I had to pull out to charge both the AVP and my MBP in order to work was extremely cumbersome. For me, that the process less appealing. Now... what I DIDN'T try (but will) is to see if the AVP can be powered from a USB-C port on the laptop. That could at least reduce SOME clutter (but not much).

I think it's also a byproduct of the return window drawing closer. Negatives early on weighed less heavily, because there was still more to explore, and more time to explore it. As we move in to the back half of the 14-day window. Those negatives weigh more heavily as they're discovered. You hope to find fewer negatives and more positives as the process goes along, and the return window closes.

 

[Surfer13134]

DAYS 7 & 8​

Merging these two updates because a lot of was going on with Dad's health, and that's obviously top priority. Over these 2 days, I let Mom try the Vision Pro, and used it while getting Mom's car maintenance done, as well as on my flight home.

PROs:
• Shared my Vision Pro / Spatial Video story from Day 6 in an email to Tim Cook. He wrote back with a kind message wishing my dad well and thanking me for sharing the anecdote. One thing I've always appreciated about Tim, and Steve Jobs before him, is their willingness to engage with customers no matter how big their company grows.
• Mom (an Apple user who pays for things with her Apple Watch - pretty savvy for her 70's) took to the controls and gestures pretty quickly - though not without some technical quirks (more on that in CONs below)
• Mom enjoyed the experience. She hilariously was "roaring" back at the dinosaurs. But the best was surprising her with several panoramas of the house they raised us in. She loved looking around the back yard and seeing all the forts/swings/etc that Dad had built for us growing up. The sentimental value of this device is HIGH.
• The device was much easier to access in flight once I figured out it fit in a special compartment on my backpack (see Day 6)
• I shoulda have mentioned this on Day 1: the Control Center button can be adjusted higher or lower. If you've found yourself accidentally triggering it while looking toward the top of your content/app/experience, try raising the Control Center in System Settings. Game changer for eliminating accidental triggers!

CONs:
• The device is only as good as the initial setup. We think Mom had a couple hiccups during setup (I was watching on a mirrored computer, and saw it as it was happening), and it really impacted the device's responsiveness.
• I have yet to take a screenshot that is not lopsided. Not sure what's going on there, but everything is perfectly centered in my view, then slanted at a near 30-degree angle in the screen shot.
• The focus/sharpness of the device has been hit or miss for me. Some days it's tack sharp. Some days it makes me think I need to go back to the eye doctor, until I take it off and see that my vision is just fine again.
• I planned to try using the Vision Pro to edit photos on the flight home, but with everything going on with Dad, battery was low in the Vision Pro, MacBook Pro and phone. This meant pulling out a LOT of devices - AND CHARGERS - in flight. A cumbersome, tangled mess to be sure.
• The lack of a clock anywhere on the device is a surprising omission. Especially in immersive environments, knowing the time can help keep users connected to reality.

OVERALL AND WHAT’S NEXT:
With life's pressures bearing down the past couple days, it was a great chance to examine the practicality of the Vision Pro: its ease of use and desirability under non-ideal circumstances. On that front, it was a big swing-and-a-miss for me. The device's bulk (both in terms of its size and its add-on needs) really took the forefront of my experience the past couple days. I still plan on testing out a few more features (like the dual strap, and downloading a 3rd party clock app), but you'll notice a significant shift in my plans below.

WILL I OR WON'T I RETURN IT?
Day 1: 75/25 returning
Day 2: 60/40 returning
Day 3: 65/35 returning
Day 4: 55/45 returning
Day 5: 55/45 keeping
Day 6: 60/40 keeping
Day 7: 55/55 returning
Day 8: 80/20 returning

Wow, I was not expecting it to be updated to "Returning" after I've been following your updates. But I must agree with you that now that the "Wow" factor is wearing off the buyer's remorse is setting in. The first 4 days I've used mine it was nonstop wearing it all day long (8+ Hours) but the past 2 days I have barely touched it. Ive watched all the 3D movies I wanted to watch and the lack of apps for it is disappointing and the main reason I wanted to get it to screen mirror my M3 MBP just results in a lower res and laggy mess when using Final Cut and Adobe Suite.

I LOVE this thing but at this time I just cant justify the $4000 I spent for it when the MAIN thing I'm using it for is watching movies.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Wow, I was not expecting it to be updated to "Returning" after I've been following your updates. But I must agree with you that now that the "Wow" factor is wearing off the buyer's remorse is setting in. The first 4 days I've used mine it was nonstop wearing it all day long (8+ Hours) but the past 2 days I have barely touched it. Ive watched all the 3D movies I wanted to watch and the lack of apps for it is disappointing and the main reason I wanted to get it to screen mirror my M3 MBP just results in a lower res and laggy mess when using Final Cut and Adobe Suite.

I LOVE this thing but at this time I just cant justify the $4000 I spent for it when the MAIN thing I'm using it for is watching movies.

Why do people keep saying things like "I LOVE THIS THING"...but then also want to return it?
Just because of the cost or is it more than that?

Isn't it more accurate to say that you love an idealized and much more refined and better version of this concept?

If you actually "loved" the AVP as it is, you'd keep it, somewhat irrespective of the actual cost, right?

It just feels like we are trying to give this more of a pass than other similar attempts in this space because...

...well..."It's Apple" or something like that.

If this exact product were released by Meta or Google -- I think this forum would bash the heck out of it, and rightfully so.

 

[robgreene]

If this exact product were released by Meta or Google -- I think this forum would bash the heck out of it, and rightfully so.

I'm fully bought in to the Apple ecosystem, so I would have no use for any device from Meta or Google. This is a great device. And I have still not ruled out keeping it, though I'm certainly leaning more that way.

I think for me, a lot of it IS actually the cost. When you've just spent $5,000 on something, you weigh the investment a bit more carefully than if you dropped $300 on it. At $5,000, the device needs to add significantly to my quality of life or work production. The Mac Virtual Desktop feature is a huge value add for me. Being able to edit photos on a massive screen in public, while protecting client privacy, has been tremendous. The more thoroughly I test the device, the more I'm learning about how it fits my workflow.

 

[B S Magnet]

Why do people keep saying things like "I LOVE THIS THING"...but then also want to return it?
Just because of the cost or is it more than that?

Isn't it more accurate to say that you love an idealized and much more refined and better version of this concept?

If you actually "loved" the AVP as it is, you'd keep it, somewhat irrespective of the actual cost, right?

It just feels like we are trying to give this more of a pass than other similar attempts in this space because...

...well..."It's Apple" or something like that.

If this exact product were released by Meta or Google -- I think this forum would bash the heck out of it, and rightfully so.

“I love this thing, but I can’t really bring my friends along for the experience or the journey. It’s especially prone to its environment, particularly when it’s cold out. And I can’t pack much to take with us, much less use it for grocery runs.” —new owner of 2015 Polaris Slingshot, shortly after taking delivery in 2014 at $24K

I think for me, a lot of it IS actually the cost. When you've just spent $5,000 on something, you weigh the investment a bit more carefully than if you dropped $300 on it. At $5,000, the device needs to add significantly to my quality of life or work production. The Mac Virtual Desktop feature is a huge value add for me. Being able to edit photos on a massive screen in public, while protecting client privacy, has been tremendous. The more thoroughly I test the device, the more I'm learning about how it fits my workflow.

At those prices, its designer and manufacturer should also show some bona fide effort to make it future-proof as well as useful for a very long time to come — at least on par with the durable components used in the assembly of the product.