Review: Two Weeks With the Apple Vision Pro

[MacRumors]

Today marks the two-week anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro launch, and the last day for returns for those who purchased on release day. With plenty of stories going around from those who decided not to keep the $3,500 device, MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera thought he'd share some of the reasons why he'll be keeping his headset.

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We need to have a few Vision Pro headsets on hand to write about them here at MacRumors, so that's one of the primary reasons that Dan will be keeping his. Apple is already working on visionOS 2, and we're interested in seeing what changes and updates are in store. We're also getting new apps on a regular basis, all of which make the Vision Pro a more appealing device.

The Vision Pro is the best way to be immersed in a movie, especially 3D movies, and that's another key reason why Dan won't be bringing his back to the Apple Store. The Cinema Environment that shuts out the world is hard to beat because it's basically your own personal movie theater.

Working on the Vision Pro needs some improvement, perhaps with support for multiple Mac displays, but it's useful when traveling with a laptop. It would also be nice to be able to use a mouse, but Magic Keyboard and Trackpad input work well enough.

There are some downsides to the Vision Pro. It's hard to wear for more than about an hour, the battery life is awful, and it doesn't hold a charge at all when not in use. Touch typing with the air keyboard is a poor experience, Personas need a lot of work to be less creepy, there still aren't a whole lot of groundbreaking app experiences, and Guest Mode is awful, so it is fully understandable why we're hearing a lot of return stories.

Make sure to watch Dan's full video to get his thoughts on the Vision Pro after two weeks, and let us know if you kept or returned your Vision Pro in the comments below.

Article Link: Review: Two Weeks With the Apple Vision Pro

 

[atomwork]

Its a cool product and the demo was amazing. But as a UXUI Designer, it's not helping me. And it's too expensive to play games. Quest 3 would be the better option

 

[AndiG]

„why we're hearing a lot of return stories.“. Interesting fact, any numbers?

 

[Someyoungguy]

Ha ha we finally know the use case for this thing and it’s to write more about it. It exists for its own sake, and nothing else.

 

[G5isAlive]

You realize all the people that have been putting this down with religious fervor are not going to look past "I kept this because its my job."

Having said that, I share your personal enthusiasm for the device and look forward to the time ahead with it. Ever day with it I discover more things that I like, and learn to work around the things I don't. I have never been a fan of panorama pictures on my iPhone, they always seemed warped (probably because they are). I read here yesterday from an actual owner how good panoramas are... and as I was wearing my AVP it was easy to go to the ones I had taken .. and.. was floored. So thankful for the Panoramas I did take on my travels. Took me right back there. Anyway, that's just the most recent reason I am keeping mine.

 

[antiprotest]

Its a cool product and the demo was amazing. But as a UXUI Designer, it's not helping me. And it's too expensive to play games. Quest 3 would be the better option

How would you compare the Quest 3 vs. 2, if you have used both?

 

[dannys1]

I think one of the so called "killer apps" or "app types" for this could be mental health related.

For anxiety i'm sure you could immerse someone in a calming world - on the other hand i'm sure you can trick someone into believing they're somewhere they're not, just using that fight or flight mechanism for people with agoraphobia etc to experience being somewhere else.

Also balance training seems possible in here. I have an issue where somehow my brain uses my eyes to balance rather than my inner ear and it's possible to retrain this (though it's hard and uncomfortable) i'm sure it'd be possible in the headset somehow.

Having only used a Meta 2 which isn't all that convincing you could still trick yourself into thinking you're in a room full of people or a place somewhere other than you are and with a device where the image is this sharp in comparison this impact can only be 10x stronger in the AVP. To allow people to calm down during travelling, to allow them to escape during strong anxiety - or to test their resolve by having them do tasks that trigger anxiety.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Thankfully Apple has a generous return policy

 

[Baritone_Guy]

Be interesting to see what the return numbers end up looking like.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Be interesting to see what the return numbers end up looking like.

Nobody but Apple execs will ever know

 

[saboteur]

I always thought this was a bad bet. The technology is just not there yet. Apple spent a lot of effort on this and this is going to died in 2 years time, just like google glasses did. Meanwhile they are years behind in AI and are going to struggle to get near what other companies are doing. This is the kind of vision Tim lacks that Steve had.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I doubt he/MR will be the only ones keeping their Vpros. Of course, the pessimists seem confident that all 100% of the buyers plus maybe 10% more than 100% will be returning Vpro... including the pessimists passionately returning the Vpro they did NOT buy and being sure to tell us all why they are returning what they did NOT buy in this and every Vpro thread hereafter and up to forevermore.

 

[Djones96]

Nobody but Apple execs will ever know

I WISH we were able to see the return numbers for this thing.

 

[Pakaku]

The Vision Pro is the best way to be immersed in a movie, especially 3D movies, and that's another key reason why Dan won't be bringing his back to the Apple Store. The Cinema Environment that shuts out the world is hard to beat because it's basically your own personal movie theater.

I’m wondering if Dan has ever owned or used any other VR headsets. They all seem equally isolating and capable of showing video, and it’s hard to say something is the best without comparing it to others.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I doubt he/MR will be the only ones keeping their Vpros. Of course, the pessimists seem confident that all 100% of the buyers plus maybe 10% more than 100% will be returning Vpro... including the pessimists passionately returning the Vpro they did NOT buy and being sure to tell us all why they are returning what they did NOT buy in this and every Vpro thread hereafter.

Huh?

I’ve read this three times and I’m still confused

Been a long week. Might be that.

 

[TigerNike23]

Its a cool product and the demo was amazing. But as a UXUI Designer, it's not helping me. And it's too expensive to play games. Quest 3 would be the better option

I was in the Estero, FL store last weekend and they had two display models out. Smaller than I expected.

100% agree with you on the gaming.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Huh?

I’ve read this three times and I’m still confused

Been a long week. Might be that.

It's a joke- see that wink at the end. I'm poking at the pessimism being so extreme that they can't just expect 100% returns but 110% returns because 100% would not be enough to support the contempt some feel for this thing... and make sure the rest of us know that in every Vpro thread.

All entitled to their own opinion of course but I just don't grasp the waste of time & energy some put into a product discussion they very obviously have no interest in trying or ever buying.

I happen to have no interest in Watch. You won't find many of my thousands of posts since 2004 in Watch threads. I'd rather focus my learning and/or insights I might offer on products in which I AM interested than where I am not. But again, to each their own.

 

[blairh]

Got to demo it today at Apple. Honestly the only element that really impressed me was footage from a soccer and baseball game. I see the potential overall, but it is still way too early for most people to get excited for what it currently offers.

 

[G5isAlive]

I’m wondering if Dan has ever owned or used any other VR headsets. They all seem equally isolating and capable of showing video, and it’s hard to say something is the best without comparing it to others.

Have you tried the APV? Seems rather easy to say they are all capable of showing video. Not all video displays are created equal. Just ask the tv industry In this case most people who make it their business to know concede the APV is superior. Some have said, far superior. The best.

 

[citysnaps]

Thanx for the video review, Dan - greatly appreciate it!

 

[Surf Monkey]

“Doesn’t hold a charge when not in use.”

😅

 

[citysnaps]

I’m wondering if Dan has ever owned or used any other VR headsets.

He addresses that in the video. Did you watch it?

 

[DMG35]

I really like it but I feel like it’s crushing my face no matter what band I use. I really don’t want to return it but wearing it is really uncomfortable for me.

 

[TigerNike23]

Nobody but Apple execs will ever know

That’s too bad because I’m very curious what the return rate is.

Obviously they don’t want any bad news leaking out.

 

[TigerNike23]

I really like it but I feel like it’s crushing my face no matter what band I use. I really don’t want to return it but wearing it is really uncomfortable for me.

I didn’t try it on but it looked small, was the weight dense in the front?

EDIT: I’m a big guy with a big face.