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Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop

Inability to use with contact lenses makes this an automatic no for me. Can't wear glasses, won't be taking my contacts out every time I want to use the device. So no Vision Pro for me. Might have considered it even with the high price if not for this issue.
 
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jjrtiger said:
Yes, this is a killer feature. Looking at panoramic photos is an incredible immersive experience and the nostalgia it brings while looking at older panoramic photos is truly remarkable.
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You are absolutely right - VR goggles are awesome for panoramic photography.

I've been doing 360° panoramic photography for 30 years now. This was one of my biggest justifiers for spending money on a pair of VR goggles.

Here's how I decided what to buy:
  • AVP has better resolution, at $3500 cost;
  • PSVR2 + PC interface has pretty good resolution, at $600 cost;
    • I already had a powerful PC for work
    • I also wanted the PSRV2 goggles for Gran Turismo 7
  • Meta might turn around and release cheap and high-resolution Quest goggles "soon-ish"
Taking this all into account, I'd feel pretty foolish if I spent $3500 + tax just to have Meta undercut that in a year with just as good a solution for Panorama viewing for 1/3 the price.

Still, with that, the PSVR2 goggles stay in the drawer for 2.5 months at a time. The goggle-wearing exercise is just too obtrusive for the vast majority of people.

Also: I'm getting sick of viewing screens all the time. Technology is too much in my life. The idea of a cool immersive experience is sometimes interesting, but wrapping my head with a screen controlled by mega-maniacal überdork TechBro billionaires doesn't appeal to me at all.

Matter of fact, I'm going to go out and touch grass, right now.
 
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Abazigal said:
And then Apple proceeds to announce updates for the Vision Pro during WWDC 2026.

I see no named sources in the article, it contradicts earlier statements about Apple being excited about spatial computing, their continued investment in immersive video and the idea that a simple M5 chip refresh would somehow propel the Vision Pro into mainstream success.

Apple is in it for the long run, and the Vision Pro is not going anywhere.

I don't know whether to feel amused or dismayed that there are over 300 comments dogging on the vision pro in this thread over what is almost certainly a false rumour. This, together with the other thread on Apple dropping MagSafe, makes the timing sounds incredibly suspicious.

A little common sense goes a very long way. 😏
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The fact still remains that nobody is buying this or at least not enough people to justify developing app for. It’s a downward spiral. Unless they release something like Vision Neo …
 
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[
jbc25 said:
But, they should have also understood that the whole concept of the device is flawed. We've seen this form factor around since the 90s and it never took off for good reason. I get that AR is likely going to become a thing, but I'm just surprised that Apple thought that a 1995 style form factor was the way to go, as opposed to what Meta is doing right now with glasses (and I'm no meta fan).
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It didn't take off in the 90s because we didn't have the technology to make it decent in the 90s. We could barely render simple 3D graphics to a traditional monitor at a decent frame rate before the end of the 90s. We didn't even have inexpensive motion sensors in the 90s.
The first decent VR devices were released 10 years ago, and VR has been a moderately sized niche since then.

Whatever you think of VR, "they've been trying it since the 90s (or earlier)" is just an unserious argument against its viability. VR has an extremely high technological floor to be "good enough" at any tasks (such as some gaming and media watching) let alone for general computing.
 
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I did an in-store demo just for giggles. I do admit the tech was amazing and it was very "cool", but there's really nothing you can do only on it that justifies the price tag. That coupled with the downsides of wearing it and the stupid battery pack... completely made the product DOA. Hopefully they'll learn their lessons with this failure and it will be a stepping stone to a better and more useful product.
 
Wow. Didn’t know so many macrumors users were broke. The AVP is amazing tech and I have no problem wearing it for long periods of time. Spatial computing is the future. And unfortunately right now it’s AR/VR enthusiasts with expendable cash. In time it will mature and come down in price for the masses
 
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I remember picking up Apple stock in anticipation of this becoming VR's big break. However when I first learned about the price, I dumped all of it. It was doomed from the start IMO.

At least I didn't lose money on this. 😎
 
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Eric8199 said:
Inability to use with contact lenses makes this an automatic no for me. Can't wear glasses, won't be taking my contacts out every time I want to use the device. So no Vision Pro for me. Might have considered it even with the high price if not for this issue.
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Weird, contact lenses work fine for someone who often uses my AVP.

But appreciate not all are the same so maybe yours don’t?
 
It might be the best all-in-one content consumption device ever created, but unfortunately that isn’t worth $3.5k.
 
I said it would flop, and unfortunately, I was right.

It was due to a number of things IMO. Cost, practicality, odd battery pack, no killer app, vague talk of "spatial computing". Look, it had its use cases. Terrific device for a flight, or train ride. Great for extending a Mac desktop. Visual content was outstanding (I had a demo in the first gen).

But it just seemed half-baked and without purpose. And the price... wow.
 
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Virinprew said:
The fact still remains that nobody is buying this or at least not enough people to justify developing app for. It’s a downward spiral. Unless they release something like Vision Neo …
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Well, YouTube recently released their app for it.

The Vision Pro kinda struck me more as an expensive developer kit. Apple has shown that they are dedicated to ironing out the pain points and shortcomings in the software one by one and I feel that this shows Apple’s dedication to spatial computing.

I maintain that it’s way too premature to paint the Vision Pro as some kind of dead end product, rather than the first of many steps to come.
 
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I can see the price deterring a lot of people. I don't use mine much, but it is fantastic for the use case I bought it for - being able to have access to a 4k monitor that I can stick in my bag and travel with. I haven't found another product that has similar resolution and allows me to work just as productively as if I were at my desk at home. It can get heavy after a few hours, sure, but there's really nothing else like it on the market and I hope Apple continues to support it for years to come, even if they don't release future versions.
 
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I’m still interested in such a device, just not as a productivity device at $3,500. Make it a media consumption and gaming device at a better price and I’m all-in. I honestly have zero desire for augmented reality glasses. Not a knock on them, just not for me. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a pair in the wild either.
 
Well, they gave it a shot. Of all the Apple devices I wasn’t interested in, this was the one I wasn’t interested in the most.

jzuena said:
I was waiting for the Vision Air, or even the Vision Neo before jumping in.
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It’s vanished into thin air. Close enough? 😏
 
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Eric8199 said:
Inability to use with contact lenses makes this an automatic no for me. Can't wear glasses, won't be taking my contacts out every time I want to use the device. So no Vision Pro for me. Might have considered it even with the high price if not for this issue.
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Yes you can - just wear your contact lenses and enjoy - I do. When following AVP order process, this clarification is covered during purchase interview.
 
Notice how Tim, its champion, announces he will retire and less than a month later it’s dead. Not a coincidence.
 
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