Apple Vision Pro is amazing. And I returned it. (MERGED)

[tacoshell]

I had the series zero Apple Watch. Used it everyday for a month. Then every other day. Then every couple days till it ended up in a drawer. I recently got the Apple Watch 8 or something about a year and a half ago and I can’t live without it. The always on all day battery is nice. The fact that I can just bring my watch and my air pods on a walk and stream music is amazing. But the real difference maker was the braided loop. I have poor dexterity so putting on the watch every morning with one hand was a monumental task. Now I just toss it over my wrist and go. Still not sure what my verdict is on the AVP, not going to return it but not sure if it won’t end up gathering dust in a drawer in a month or two. Either way, I am definitely getting the AVP Series 8.

 

[turbineseaplane]

That aspect about Apple is very frustrating to me. The AVP is running iPadOS and has an M2 chip. This product has so much potential that I'm certain Apple will leave on the table. At Apple, the name of a product determines its capabilities, not its hardware.

You're right to be worried about potential not being taken advantage of.

The iPad and iPadOS are the direct thing to look at -- and it's concerning.

Well over a decade in and folks really aren't doing much differently with their iPads than they were 4-7 years ago.
Things have mostly flat lined.

 

[aParkerMusic]

The glare is very subjective. I never found it to be bothering my eyes. I think the OP has very glare sensitivity issues. He can send a suggestion to Apple to include glaring reduction option in accessibility.

edit: I also suspect the same sensitivity issue with his vision also affects the smearing effect because I tried mine, quickly move left and right, and I didn’t see any smearing.

The glare was mentioned in the Verge review. It is not subjective. It’s there. Bright digital elements in anything less than a very brightly lit environment results in hazy flare along the edges of your field of view. People need to stop saying it isn’t happening. It might be unavoidable die to physics or whatever, but it looks awful. It means you can only watch lives without it in very bright environments. That’s fine. But it should be acknowledged.

 

[aParkerMusic]

Y’all just need a better fit. So stupid.

Completely wrong. Has nothing to do with light leak from the outside, it happens in pitch black rooms, negating the possibility of an improper light seal being the issue. Please don’t post messages that are unfounded.

 

[aParkerMusic]

It’s not sealed, that’s the problem. I asked multiple store employees and tried on multiple units including the one I purchased, and light leaks especially from the bottom near the nose, and also on the sides (for some people. For me it does leak on the sides slightly).

I agree with everything OP said. I am also going to return mine.

I could probably stand the discomfort if the visuals are outstanding. They’re not. The chromatic aberration / prismatic / holographic type effect is just too hard to deal with. The FOV is also tight.

I love the concept of spatial computing, and I want it to work. I’m normally a very early adopter and hope Apple succeeds. This is not something I could use productively.

For entertainment - yes, the 3d effects are cool. It’s just like you’d see at Disney or IMAX, and better. The blur and other effects mentioned above are less noticeable during movies. I don’t watch a lot of movies though. If I did, my main issue would be that the unit is not comfortable. Other than squeezing it more/less on your face, there is no real adjustment. Moving the solo band up/down in the back didn’t help relieve any pressure for me for more than a couple minutes.

Light appearing near the nose, particularly during setup, is normal. The light eventually fades in the peripheral vision. So, that portion of your post is unfair.

 

[aParkerMusic]

You should get your seal looked at, I have none of this. The stock head band fit like a charm, even without the extra peice which i have not even broke out of the box yet.As far as smearing goes I have not had this happen to me and have not noticed it when using but will look for it next time i use it. Optic ID works great even with my Zoie’s lens everytime. Low field of vision, well, I can not address that as this is the first “VR” head set I have used but it is not a significant factor for me yet. I get the relief part, I needed to take a break, it’s overwhelming for sure. The Zeiss lens are really great but I have to try with out and see if I notice a difference, I debated getting them as I dont need glasses to watch tv. Have not decided whether I am going to keep it but I wanted to say the issues you are complaining about are not a factor for me and would not be a reason I would return. So far, its been a good experience and I am sorry you have had such a negative experience.

Screen glare, in this case, has nothing to do with the light seal. The problem exists in a pitch black room with no light to leak through the seal. Why do people keep saying this?

in dark environments, the screen is reflecting back at the user!! That’s why there a white haze all around the edges!

 

[aParkerMusic]

I watched a movie last night and didn’t have any glare issues. Will be watching more over the next 2 weeks of return period for sure!

If I wear the fat light seal cushion, it lets a ton of light in around my nose. But not with the default one.

What are the lighting conditions you’re watching in? Please be honest.

In dark environments, there is glare. It’s universally known. It was mentioned in the Verge review. For you to be watching bright movies in a not-super-bright room, and not see glare….not sure I can buy that.

 

[Audentia]

If you don't notice it, you don't notice it (enjoy the Vision Pro!). But if you want to see it more easily, open up an Apple TV original, - that's the easiest place to see it, when the Apple logo appears - a white icon on a black background. Pause then. The glare inside the lenses is laughably bad. It's the only way to describe it. Some less sensitive types won't notice it on evenly illuminated material (like the spatial video with the lady in Norway on a tightrope during the day), but I tend to notice it everywhere, though some material is worse than others (anything high contrast/night scenes).

Hmm, so I agree with everything else you said, as I tried one as well. Particularly with regards to the smearing, I asked Apple engineers about this, it has to do with the camera pass through autofocus not being fast enough, not the oled screens. Which is why when you move a window around its crisp, but if you move your head its super blurry.
However the glare you speak of... I wonder if something in your setup (or lenses, I did not need any) was not calibrated correctly. I don't think this is an issue when it's properly setup for the individual.

 

[Scarpad]

The anxiety I'd have mailing a device that expensive back would be too much.

i prob should have returned it to the store but its in Fedex's hand now

 

[Audentia]

Smearing is due to OLED. Quest DK2 also had it

Glare is due to internal display reflecting on lenses.


These are normal issues on VR headsets, the problem here has been Apple overpromising their product

well no, the smearing is from the cameras pass through not updating fast enough (auto focus, iso adjustments, etc.)

 

[Scarpad]

I didn’t see it when I did the in-store demo. However, at home with my own AVP, it’s really bad and annoying.

However, everything else about it is amazing for content consumption. I can see gamers like it with a controller. My son says it would be like being right there in the game. I really think it’s the future. It’s just the technology isn’t there yet. When these get down to the size of eyeglasses, they’re going to be everything in our daily lives. I can think of so many great ways to develop apps and use this.

Not returning mine, but the glare is definitely there. I also wondered in the store they gave me a different light seal and wondering if I have the wrong size in my box. Would that cause the glare. I see it anytime there isn’t a lot of light either in the room or in the deepest levels of immersion.

remember the apple store is very bright white light, most people homes will use lower, warmer light. and passthru suffers like that

 

[WilliamG]

Hmm, so I agree with everything else you said, as I tried one as well. Particularly with regards to the smearing, I asked Apple engineers about this, it has to do with the camera pass through autofocus not being fast enough, not the oled screens. Which is why when you move a window around its crisp, but if you move your head its super blurry.
However the glare you speak of... I wonder if something in your setup (or lenses, I did not need any) was not calibrated correctly. I don't think this is an issue when it's properly setup for the individual.

It's been established the glare is nothing to do with the user/calibration. It's the nature of the OLED display shining through the Vision Pro lenses at you. And in case anyone was wondering, I didn't notice any additional glare with (or without) the Zeiss lenses attached.

 

[thelookingglass]

Hmm, so I agree with everything else you said, as I tried one as well. Particularly with regards to the smearing, I asked Apple engineers about this, it has to do with the camera pass through autofocus not being fast enough, not the oled screens. Which is why when you move a window around its crisp, but if you move your head its super blurry.
However the glare you speak of... I wonder if something in your setup (or lenses, I did not need any) was not calibrated correctly. I don't think this is an issue when it's properly setup for the individual.

I'll chime in as well. The glare has nothing to do with incorrect fit or calibration. It's a limitation of the pancake lenses used in VR headsets. There appears to be no good way around it, which is unfortunate because it ruins the main use case of this device for me (watching movies). Maybe some people are less sensitive to it than others, but once you see it you can't unsee it. It feels like it casts this haze across a good portion of the picture.

Now that I'm past the highs from experiencing new technology, I'm pretty firm in saying that this is nothing but a toy at the moment. It makes incremental leaps over existing VR headsets, but this is not something that the mainstream will adopt anytime soon. Not even close.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Now that I'm past the highs from experiencing new technology, I'm pretty firm in saying that this is nothing but a toy at the moment. It makes incremental leaps over existing VR headsets, but this is not something that the mainstream will adopt anytime soon. Not even close.

This is the most clear headed and concise summary of the entire AVP situation I've seen.

Once the fog of hype and hope (and Apple PR) is cleared away, AVP is just a slight advancement and iteration on things we already have and have already seen.

Long ways to go
I'll be interested to see if Apple even sticks with this long term

Dev interest is going to be very low with such an abysmal install base.
Time is money and developing for this at this point is a waste of both.

 

[ThailandToo]

This is the most clear headed and concise summary of the entire AVP situation I've seen.

Once the fog of hype and hope (and Apple PR) is cleared away, AVP is just a slight advancement and iteration on things we already have and have already seen.

Long ways to go
I'll be interested to see if Apple even sticks with this long term

Dev interest is going to be very low with such an abysmal install base.
Time is money and developing for this at this point is a waste of both.

I think you haven’t used one or gone through all its use cases and demos. This isn’t technology all ready seen. This is a glimpse at the future. If you can afford it it’s worth it.

 

[Iskee]

I think you haven’t used one or gone through all its use cases and demos. This isn’t technology all ready seen. This is a glimpse at the future. If you can afford it it’s worth it.

I've got to respectfully disagree. I've been using my vision pro all weekend since Friday. I would have liked nothing more than to feel like this device is an obvious quality-of-life upgrade over our existing devices, but instead I have to agree with those who characterize this as an incremental improvement and essentially a toy at this point.

Is it an impressive piece of technology? Yes. Is it the state of the art for a mass-produced VR/AR headset? Yes. Is the software and hardware integration excellent? Yes.

But is it a better TV than my 77" OLED at home with a high end stereo attached to it? Not even close. Is the screen as sharp as my 16" MBP? It's not terrible, but still clearly not in the same league. Is it comfortable to use for extended periods of time? No, my face and head hurt after a while. Plus, my eyes feel strained, and there's something claustrophobic about half of your natural field of view being obstructed by the massive light seal.

Are there any killer apps? I think if you work in 3D modeling/design or something, maybe this has some added value. Immersive and 3D video content is cool, but there's hardly any of it available at this point, and what little there is often doesn't look very sharp and no matter how much better it is at displaying this content than previous headsets, it still doesn't feel very close to a real scene. There's no real immersive 3D games at all at this point.

I feel like it's OK to appreciate the sophistication of the Vision Pro and the fact that it represents the state of the art in this product category while still acknowledging that Apple has a ton of work still to do before this is something that the general public is going to want to use on a regular basis.

 

[Audentia]

I'll chime in as well. The glare has nothing to do with incorrect fit or calibration. It's a limitation of the pancake lenses used in VR headsets. There appears to be no good way around it, which is unfortunate because it ruins the main use case of this device for me (watching movies). Maybe some people are less sensitive to it than others, but once you see it you can't unsee it. It feels like it casts this haze across a good portion of the picture.

Now that I'm past the highs from experiencing new technology, I'm pretty firm in saying that this is nothing but a toy at the moment. It makes incremental leaps over existing VR headsets, but this is not something that the mainstream will adopt anytime soon. Not even close.

Ok thats interesting about the lenses. I agree its not for the mainstream, not at all, but I do think its a solid step above previous headsets (I've tried many of them). Just the simple fact that any other headset I feel sick after 30min, but vision pro I can wear for 3 hours, thats a big jump to me, and worthy of some hype. Still has a long way to go for sure though.

 

[Audentia]

It's been established the glare is nothing to do with the user/calibration. It's the nature of the OLED display shining through the Vision Pro lenses at you. And in case anyone was wondering, I didn't notice any additional glare with (or without) the Zeiss lenses attached.

Hmm I see

 

[Jony Ive]

well no, the smearing is from the cameras pass through not updating fast enough (auto focus, iso adjustments, etc.)

no, that’s motion blur
Another issue of the headset

Motion blur can come from cameras or from the screen

 

[Night Spring]

You're right to be worried about potential not being taken advantage of.

The iPad and iPadOS are the direct thing to look at -- and it's concerning.

Well over a decade in and folks really aren't doing much differently with their iPads than they were 4-7 years ago.
Things have mostly flat lined.

I agree that iPads have flat lined, but I think VP may be the solution to my main problem with iPad, which is lack of display space. Yes, there are software limitations holding the iPad back, but even if iPads run full MacOS, the fact that even the bigger iPad Pro is just slightly smaller than a letter-size paper limits what I can do with the device. The VP solves the space problem. Sure, it introduces a whole bunch of other problems, such as comfort while wearing, increased isolation, the glare problem being discussed in this thread, etc. But when I saw Apple's initial presentation on the VP, I thought if this worked, it could be my next iPad. I don't have $4000 to spend on the first gen, but if the price ever comes down, I'll be giving it a try. And if the glare is bad, I'll stick to my TV for watching movies, but I'll be happy if it doesn't bother me while reading and editing texts.

 

[Itinj24]

Most people were expecting it to be similar to the marketing and demos. It’s not, and not even close.

Is the eyesight feature really that big of deal? Because other than that, it’s pretty amazing.

 

[Itinj24]

to be fair - apple has been marketing this thing as an AR device.

It's just VR with video pass thru creating these issues.

Did they use the term AR? I thought it was spatial computing lol. But I don’t think they ever marketed it as having a real pass through glass. I may be wrong.

 

[RSB96]

You're wrong.

Tim Cook called it the next iPhone, the next iMac, the next iPod and the next iPad.

So no, it's not a prototype nor a tech exploration.

Nor that the CEOs never contradict each other....

Making an analogy with cars. Volkswagen presented the ID.3 in 2020, calling it the replacement for the Golf, because of what it meant for the brand (entering the electric world). You can see how they called it and how they compared it to Volkswagen's milestones, the Beetle and the Golf, and that this ID.3 was going to be the future of the brand and the one that would "indirectly" replace the Golf.

After the fiasco of the car, due to all the technical and software problems of the car, the replacement of the ID.3 is going to be... the Golf, the flagship car of the Volkswagen brand.

forococheselectricosVolkswagen confirma el lanzamiento de un Golf eléctrico, lo que supondrá la desaparición del ID.3 | forococheselectricosEl próximo Volkswagen Golf será un modelo 100% eléctrico, lo que supondrá la desaparición del actual ID.3..Hace 5 días

I am not saying that Apple is going to abandon this category and focus only on its "king", the iPhone, but I believe that CEOs have never been known for telling us the truth, they tell us what they have to say, in order to give an image of "stability" and "confidence", both to the consumer and to the investors.

The product is far from what I assume they intended at Apple, but the state of the art is what it is. It is a VR headset not an AR headset, even if it allows you to use it as an AR viewer. It has good things and bad things, like any product, especially considering it is a first generation.

Honestly, Tim Cook can say what he wants, but the reality of the product is what it is, and the state of the art does not give for more.

 

[cardfan]

I've got to respectfully disagree. I've been using my vision pro all weekend since Friday. I would have liked nothing more than to feel like this device is an obvious quality-of-life upgrade over our existing devices, but instead I have to agree with those who characterize this as an incremental improvement and essentially a toy at this point.

Is it an impressive piece of technology? Yes. Is it the state of the art for a mass-produced VR/AR headset? Yes. Is the software and hardware integration excellent? Yes.

But is it a better TV than my 77" OLED at home with a high end stereo attached to it? Not even close. Is the screen as sharp as my 16" MBP? It's not terrible, but still clearly not in the same league. Is it comfortable to use for extended periods of time? No, my face and head hurt after a while. Plus, my eyes feel strained, and there's something claustrophobic about half of your natural field of view being obstructed by the massive light seal.

Are there any killer apps? I think if you work in 3D modeling/design or something, maybe this has some added value. Immersive and 3D video content is cool, but there's hardly any of it available at this point, and what little there is often doesn't look very sharp and no matter how much better it is at displaying this content than previous headsets, it still doesn't feel very close to a real scene. There's no real immersive 3D games at all at this point.

I feel like it's OK to appreciate the sophistication of the Vision Pro and the fact that it represents the state of the art in this product category while still acknowledging that Apple has a ton of work still to do before this is something that the general public is going to want to use on a regular basis.

Decent summary. Nope there’s not a lot of immersive content. Apple went to the trouble to push out 3 such videos on its tv service so it’s kind of like a tease. Unless Apple cranks this out, the streaming apps sure won’t. Best bet is safari and YouTube but that’s not happening right now either due to apples inability to make it happen. Apple may even be defending themselves saying they want only high quality content.

Otherwise I’m not sure about your other points. It won’t be better than your tv or monitor quality wise. But this is a headset you can take those screens everywhere. The virtual screens can be bigger.

The apps are lacking. The content is lacking. Even being able to plug into a pc would be great but not happening.

At the very least safari needs to be better with vr content.

This is 1.0. You had to know going in it’s going to have its growing pains. It’s the worst this headset will be. Perhaps some are discovering they don’t want 1.0 at 4-5k of spending.

 

[macman01101]

Light appearing near the nose, particularly during setup, is normal. The light eventually fades in the peripheral vision. So, that portion of your post is unfair.

False. Search on Twitter. Ask other Vision Pro owners.

Outside, external light does not defy the laws of physics and somehow magically fade into the peripheral vision.