I bet these don’t hit the refurb market for quite some time. Apple needs all the full price $$$$ they can get and who knows how much it costs to refurbish it especially if you can’t buff out scratches on the lenses, or other small details that would blemish it.
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Apple Vision Pro is amazing. And I returned it. (MERGED)
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I agree with pretty much all of the things you pointed out in your post. I think pretty much everyone would agree after wearing AVP for a few minutes. However, it doesn’t bother me enough to return it (so far, on the second day). Personally, the typing is more annoying than the screen glare has been. The smearing while moving your head I didn’t notice until I read your post, but now that I do it I definitely see it. I think if you hyperfixate on these things, it will be impossible to use this product and actually enjoy the experience. I think Nilay Patel summed it up very well when he said something along the lines of - this device is great, but screens are still screens and cameras are still cameras. Apple’s marketing material does seem a bit misleading, because when you put this thing on you instantly realize that the world around you is the same but a bit less clear. If you’re going into it thinking you will experience the world around you EXACTLY how your eyes see it, you will be very disappointed.
I wonder how much of this will be ironed our via software updates. I think it’s clear that there are hardware limitations that likely won’t be solved until several generations.
I wonder how much of this will be ironed our via software updates. I think it’s clear that there are hardware limitations that likely won’t be solved until several generations.
Yep. The iPhone replaced my phone immediately. It was unbelievable. It was a phone and more. The Apple Watch replaced my analog watch immediately. It was a watch and more. The Vision Pro doesn’t replace anything without compromise.
Secondly, from my perspective AVP needed to fulfill two important tasks before it can be accepted:
1.) The screens have to be essentially perfect, because my existing monitors/TVs are “perfect.”
2.) It needs to be supremely comfortable, because looking at my screens for hours on end is very comfortable.
AVP did not accomplish either of those things (or the myriad other primary/secondary tasks other will want it to accomplish). I do suspect it will in time, but not this generation.
And honestly I’m not sure we will see anything remotely acceptable to the masses anytime soon.
It is amazing and I’m not returning it yet. Not even close at this point but it’s early and I’ve only had it since 2:00 PM Eastern today. So far I haven’t run into any deal breakers and have been very happy with what I’ve seen.
I was increasingly nervous before picking up the device I preordered after reading some of the reviews and comments in the forums here and elsewhere with people criticizing the device and the experience but once I got there and saw the demo I knew I had to take it home with 14 days to evaluate it and take it back. I would suggest that nobody buy it sight unseen. At a minimum pick it up at an Apple Store and let them make sure it fits and walk you through a demo. If you’re not interested after that you can cancel the order and walk out.
My experience has been the exact opposite of many of those who have reviewed the device and criticized it. The solo loop band worked OK for me and the device doesn’t feel too heavy on my head. I just got done wearing it for the full two plus hours that the battery lasted with three quick breaks for a few minutes each during use.
I did switch from the solo loop band to the dual loop band as it does feel better but wearing the solo loop wasn’t so off putting I felt I had to switch it out. I wanted to try both and, sure enough, the dual loop band felt better to me so I stuck with it. I also preferred the larger light seal cushion that came with it. Swapping out those two accessories provided the best and most comfortable fit.
There’s obviously a lot left to test. I setup the device, got logged into my Apple ID, downloaded the Disney+ and Max apps, got my Gmail account setup, got logged into Disney+ and Max, checked out some of the immersive content in the Apple TV+ app, watched a few minutes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and just generally familiarized myself with the UI, positioning windows, moving them around, increasing and decreasing their size, zooming in and out, etc. plus checked my email and browsed the web a bit. So far so good.
I’ll be watching the Alicia Keys immersive video and the others on Apple TV+ after it’s charged back up then hit up the App Store to look for and load some apps and games and go from there. I want to check out some of the apps and games we’ve heard about that are optimized for the AVP plus some iPad apps that haven’t been to see how those work.
Then I’ll settle in and watch a movie before my wife gets home from work. She’s a second shift nurse who has to work weekends every third weekend so between today and tomorrow I’ll have plenty of time to familiarize myself with it.
I was increasingly nervous before picking up the device I preordered after reading some of the reviews and comments in the forums here and elsewhere with people criticizing the device and the experience but once I got there and saw the demo I knew I had to take it home with 14 days to evaluate it and take it back. I would suggest that nobody buy it sight unseen. At a minimum pick it up at an Apple Store and let them make sure it fits and walk you through a demo. If you’re not interested after that you can cancel the order and walk out.
My experience has been the exact opposite of many of those who have reviewed the device and criticized it. The solo loop band worked OK for me and the device doesn’t feel too heavy on my head. I just got done wearing it for the full two plus hours that the battery lasted with three quick breaks for a few minutes each during use.
I did switch from the solo loop band to the dual loop band as it does feel better but wearing the solo loop wasn’t so off putting I felt I had to switch it out. I wanted to try both and, sure enough, the dual loop band felt better to me so I stuck with it. I also preferred the larger light seal cushion that came with it. Swapping out those two accessories provided the best and most comfortable fit.
There’s obviously a lot left to test. I setup the device, got logged into my Apple ID, downloaded the Disney+ and Max apps, got my Gmail account setup, got logged into Disney+ and Max, checked out some of the immersive content in the Apple TV+ app, watched a few minutes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and just generally familiarized myself with the UI, positioning windows, moving them around, increasing and decreasing their size, zooming in and out, etc. plus checked my email and browsed the web a bit. So far so good.
I’ll be watching the Alicia Keys immersive video and the others on Apple TV+ after it’s charged back up then hit up the App Store to look for and load some apps and games and go from there. I want to check out some of the apps and games we’ve heard about that are optimized for the AVP plus some iPad apps that haven’t been to see how those work.
Then I’ll settle in and watch a movie before my wife gets home from work. She’s a second shift nurse who has to work weekends every third weekend so between today and tomorrow I’ll have plenty of time to familiarize myself with it.
As someone who isn't planning on getting an AVP right now, your well-written review was a pleasure to read, and gave me insight in what to look for with a possible future purchase with a subsequent release. Thank you.
For those wondering about point 8, here you go. First-world problems…
I’ve never seen people spend so much energy justifying to themselves and everyone else why they don’t need or want something. It’s truly weird.
Seems like a lot of people on this thread had ridiculous expectations swayed by … marketing? Apple marketing? Surely you know better than that?
As for me, I’m enjoying a novel (to me) way of interacting with a computer. It’s really a blast and I look forward to watching the platform evolve from within the game, not on the sidelines.
Seems like a lot of people on this thread had ridiculous expectations swayed by … marketing? Apple marketing? Surely you know better than that?
As for me, I’m enjoying a novel (to me) way of interacting with a computer. It’s really a blast and I look forward to watching the platform evolve from within the game, not on the sidelines.
The only way a cable develops kinks like that is by the battery dropping off your fancy chair or taking it in and out of your pocket repeatedly and reinserting it at a different orientation. It’s trivial to unkink. Topology not hard here. Extremely weak argument. Besides, who cares? How many collective human hours have been spent untangling the mess of cables that the consumer electronics industry has given us?
* I have almost that exact same upholstery
Can someone explain to our friend here what a first world problem is?
I’m not surprised either. You have the sweet spot and you have to make sure you position the headset correctly. Another thing people may not realize yet is that you have to move your head, instead of your eyes, with other headsets to stay in the sweet spot. Not sure about the AVP assume the same.And people were calling me moronic by pointing out the FOV “issue”.
I think this will disappoint a lot of new VR users
This will disappoint a lot of people that have never experienced VR before. The marketing video's and YouTube reviews doesn't show what you really are seeing. When the PSVR 2 launched I was also extremely hyped by all the YouTube videos... this was my first VR experience and I was immediately...forums.macrumors.com
directed at me?
Is that supposed to mean that qualifying a weak argument with “1st world problem” is the same as using a reflexive “, right” so that nobody can question the weakness of your argument?
Ive had a slightly better exp today. figured out how to force close apps etc. I hope a software update comes out soon to fix some of the buggyness. Sitting here in the dark typing on my MacBook Pro. I can easily see the lighted kb through the vision. This tech reminds me of the first Motorola brick phone. A true first of its kind but we will look back and laugh at how crude it was. This thing is very clunky and first gen but the coolest piece of consumer tech we have at the moment. Im kinda on the fence about returning it but I'm warming up to it. hate the FOV, glare, smearing, software bugs but it is what it is. sometimes I forget to put the battery in my pocket and get up and drag it for a second or vice versa I lay the headset on the table and get up walk away with the battery In my pocket. You get so immersed you forget about the obvious.
All this whingeing about the “FOV” and “glare” makes me think that most MacRumors forum readers have never had the pleasure of using a microscope for a prolonged period of time, or a telescope, or binoculars, or heck, even had to spend the best years of their lives behind a pair of GLASSES?
I mean, wow, what do you all DO for a living, interior design? Game in your parents basement and stream your speed runs on Twitch? Work at the box factory?
I mean, wow, what do you all DO for a living, interior design? Game in your parents basement and stream your speed runs on Twitch? Work at the box factory?
With all due respect, what does any of that have to do with our assessment of a VR headset? Apple is marketing this as an ultra immersive experience that will usher in a new era of computing.
But then we buy the thing and realize the screen is a lot grainier than we expected, our cheeks and forehead start to hurt from the strain after 20 minutes, and glare from the lenses clouds the movies we’re supposed to be enjoying.
It’s impressive technology, but it’s not perfect. And for a price that’s many times more than competing devices, many people are rightly expecting more.
Why do AVP fans get so personally hurt when someone doesn't think it's right for them? No one got this bent out of shape when some people said the new AS MacBook Pros were too chonky 😂
Other people returning it making you doubt your own purchase?
Other people returning it making you doubt your own purchase?
Fair criticism. Thank you. I take your points to heart and appreciate your response.
Anyone who’s used any device that requires you to look through sophisticated optics (some of them SEVERAL orders of magnitudes more expensive than this) understands inherent limitations. It’s not really a surprise. The OP was full of FUD and clearly not from someone with any experience using optics.
Does it change your sense of immersion to know that it is fake? Maybe everything is a simulation? I’m still absolutely BLOWN away by looking around the provided immersive enviros. I cannot wait for more of them, with seasonal bird species and foliage, etc. I cannot wait to watch immersive vids of Colin Anker on some new high mountain project,
Comfort is a different point. And a tuneable one, I might add. Sometimes to get the best performance out of anything requires some experimentation. That’s a fun thing, and frankly I’m dismayed how apathetic people are at just TRYING things. I have had an absolute BLAST tweaking my AVP. It’s like a gift from Q. I would do whatever I could to make this as comfortable as possible.
The cost/value equation is a personal one. I would never, ever use a hardware device from Facebook. You are the product.
There is the obvious sunk-cost fallacy, people trying to justify their purchase decisions, etc. But more than that I think it’s that people want this to work because the spatial computing premise is genuinely intriguing. The thing is currently the execution is just “ok” and downright bad by Apple standards even for a Version 1.
As I said in another thread, I think this is the worst / most premature big release from Apple in ~25 years and I imagine it will be their most returned product in recent memory. Probably their last substandard wide-release was the very first version of OS X which they quickly updated, which isn’t something you can do with hardware limitations like limited FoV and Camera quality in low-light (read: normal house lights) causing blurred motion passthrough that is shocking everyone.
They could have released a dev kit and sat on this for a year longer but maybe it was important to get the user feedback. Tim Cook’s customer satisfaction data is probably going to shock the hell out of him, though. This is definitely not a 95%+ customer satisfaction product, and that is the normal neighborhood of Apple’s standard of quality.
$4,000 is too expensive with the drawbacks it has and there are too many limitations in the hardware that can’t be fixed with software updates.
Again I strongly feel the best reviews are going to be in 6 months, when we can see how many of these “I replaced my $7,000 tv” points of view hold… I am very doubtful they will. I also bet they will be silent because nobody wants to admit they were wrong.
It’s fascinating technology, it’s good that Apple is pushing forward on developing it, but they have a lot more work to do in order to make it a successful product for consumers. I’m not happy about this either, I wanted Apple to hit a home run on this product but I do not think they did. Maybe with version 2, and I hope they succeed.
Tech enthusiasts online are talking about laser projectors that shoot beams onto your eyeballs being the future within 5 years and …I’ll have whatever they’re having. I’d love for that to be true but I don’t see it happening for at least a decade, if ever. There is so much to solve for there. We will get better and lighter versions of this with an expanded FoV that makes the product as it is somewhat useful for longer sessions though, and that will be interesting. But the glasses “vision” I doubt will come to fruition for a long, long time.
I literally have to lay on my back to watch movies. It’s the only way to get comfortable while watching movies with this thing. The 3-D quality on Avatar was absolutely phenomenal. But I agree, the smearing/blur is very noticeable with the light background scenes.
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Right on. Of all the reviews I watched or read no one mentioned the glare, chromatic aberrations or blurriness at the edges. John Gruber and other early hands on impressions made it seem as if the passthrough video was great. Yes it is better than the mainstream oculus and the like but come on, the AVP is $4000 out the door!!! and is only a bit better than the competition. I could have put out with some shortcomings. But when you combine ALL the small issues that the headset has I cannot justify spending $4k for it. I wish Apple luck and hope newer versions of the AVP overcome the myriad of problems this headset has. Spatial computing has a future, no doubt about that....we are just not there yet.
I don’t blame anyone for returning this with the issues described. AVP is amazing but relative to cost there are too many shortcomings being a gen 1 product. I look forward to seeing and possibly buying the 3rd or 4th generation.
Like I mentioned above, apparently nobody on MacRumors has ever used high quality, hand picked optics? Like “aberration free”
optics? Even THOSE, that come at an immense price point far above the AVP exhibit some of the same issues at the periphery. Anyone? Is there anyone here?
I really can’t understand what people here are expecting. Have you ever looked through a microscope? Binoculars? A telescope? Or any of those with an info window displayed ON TOP? If so, WHERE DO YOU WORK??
I honestly cannot understand what people’s expectations are for a $3500 device. You’re asking for one that’s $3,500,000 if it can even be built.
OMG. This thread brings back so many memories of some when the Apple Watch first came out. I remembern all of the people who thought that since it did not work for THEM, or be needed or useful for THEM, then NOONE is going to want or buy it. And as we all know, that apple watch was a HUGE failure.
Apple was NOT the first with a watch but they were the first to make one everyone wanted. This is the first VR device I have considered and I am likely to get one in a few months. I need to save up a little for my budget and also want to give them one or two udates to put out after this first mass testing.
In my retirement job I work in the tourist industry with guests who are not exactly budget travelers. Out of about 20 today I talked to three who either have one ordered or family has theirs. One person wanted one but has kids and would never have the time to use it but was excited to play with the one his brother ordered.
Apple was NOT the first with a watch but they were the first to make one everyone wanted. This is the first VR device I have considered and I am likely to get one in a few months. I need to save up a little for my budget and also want to give them one or two udates to put out after this first mass testing.
In my retirement job I work in the tourist industry with guests who are not exactly budget travelers. Out of about 20 today I talked to three who either have one ordered or family has theirs. One person wanted one but has kids and would never have the time to use it but was excited to play with the one his brother ordered.
This was an easy prediction by the price alone, way before it made it out to the public. Saw it coming a mile away. The vast majority had absolutely no intention of keeping it and just wanted to play with Apple’s shiny new creation for a couple weeks.
For some reason, people are expecting the views from virtual reality to be just like reality…