Apple Vision Pro Battery Isn't Hot-Swappable, Switching Requires Restart

[jimbobb24]

Not hot-swappable? That’s just a very bizarre choice. Probably couldn’t even manage a whole movie. Can you use plugged in?

Of course. It can work plugged in or via battery.

 

[Surf Monkey]

The interaction is with my hands. In my lap.

To use your own dumb rebuttal; you haven’t tried it so you don’t know that.

Regardless, your reply is a misdirect. Your comparison is bad and your attempt to rationalize it failed.

 

[jwdsail]

anyone who has used a vr headset will likely find 2hr life pretty reasonable. spending much more than that in vr without a break gets uncomfortable

I'm probably an outlier, but I heard the same about N95 masks..

I worked sanding and painting in 90f+ heat in the summer for years while masked/or a respirator.. never bothered me.. an hour in grocery store? Piece of cake...

So, a VR headset?

Spent every day in the summer growing up wearing a snorkel and mask at the beach for about 4-6hrs a day.. I figure my tolerance for a VR headset will be similar.

Sadly, the AVP 1.0 is not going to offer the basic features I'd require to justify my finding out.

Maybe v2.0 in a few years?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Re

It has a cord. Why does this silly comment continue to get made and upvoted.

Also per typical Apple they under promised and over delivered. Real world battery testing has been better.

Because if I did get the device, I don’t want to have to keep it plugged in all the time nor would I want to charge it over and over after short use. Nothing silly about my personal preference for a device.

No need to be rude.

 

[JosephAW]

After reading the reviews I ended up more interested in the competitor's products because of the sheer volume of the library of videos and the games.

 

[jimbobb24]

How long is the boot time on the AVP?

For me at least, that would be the metric that makes the fact batteries can't be hot swapped a non-issue, a minor annoyance, or a major design deficit.

One of the reviewers said .... from my memory... 37 seconds. So...minor inconvenience.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Of course. The handwringing about this is absurd.

I’m not ‘handwringing’ about anything. I’m not planing on buying it. I just heard that the battery can’t be swapped without turning it off. That’s ridiculous. Just double checking one could use it plugged in. It’s a normal question. It’s ok.

 

[jimbobb24]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall any advertisements or statements by Apple that a user is meant to be moving around while wearing it. In most marketing I have seen, the users are sitting.

But they can and it even allows you to place windows in different rooms and...they stay there. Someone even cooked a meal with it.

 

[jimbobb24]

I’m not ‘handwringing’ about anything. I’m not planing on buying it. I just heard that the battery can’t be swapped without turning it off. That’s ridiculous. Just double checking one could use it plugged in. It’s a normal question. It’s ok.

Apologies. Edited my post.

 

[Return Zero]

News flash: no other apple devices have hot-swappable batteries either. You have to plug them in when they run low in order to keep using them, or else they will go dead and shut off. I don't get the uproar here. No, you don't have to stop your 4-hour movie halfway through and restart the device. Just plug it in and keep going.

 

[m7ammed]

Not sure why it is a huge issue if it isn't hot swappable? Phones, tablets and laptops all die if they are not plugged in. I'm sure with further advancement in the future the battery life will be extended, but also as a first gen device it will be good to see how people use the device and for how long. The Verge review warned about VR motion sickness, so this could be one thing they are thinking about as well.

 

[cogitodexter]

I really don't get the derision some in this thread have displayed. You know what the simple answer to that is? If you don't like it, don't buy it! What do you people gain from pouring scorn on something that you're never going to buy? Let those who want it have it. It's not doing you any harm if they're happy!

 

[AlastorKatriona]

If you read Apple’s press release for the product, they mention mobility and wearability several times.

Pardon me if I'm not impressed with Apple' opinion on the mobility of it.

 

[8KYUP]

Definitely agree with you.

I cannot even do a workout with my over the ear headphones it bugs me so much.

And now while wearing a full on face hugger? Never going to happen. Try running or cycling in a gym. The motion and vibrations alone will cause the AVP to slide off… then the sweat.

Of course some folks' idea of what entails exercise or working out might vary. 🤣

Many people who seem to go to the gym just to sit or stand about, walk a bit on the treadmill, ogle the talent, stop at the juice bar for a donut "cause they've earned it" and call it a day.

So I guess that might be the kind of exercise a face hugger will allow.

It sounds like you've never tried supernatural. https://www.getsupernatural.com/press

Meta tried to buy them for 400 million a few years ago.

 

[cupcakes2000]

News flash: no other apple devices have hot-swappable batteries either. You have to plug them in when they run low in order to keep using them, or else they will go dead and shut off. I don't get the uproar here. No, you don't have to stop your 4-hour movie halfway through and restart the device. Just plug it in and keep going.

Not sure why it is a huge issue if it isn't hot swappable? Phones, tablets and laptops all die if they are not plugged in. I'm sure with further advancement in the future the battery life will be extended, but also as a first gen device it will be good to see how people use the device and for how long. The Verge review warned about VR motion sickness, so this could be one thing they are thinking about as well.

Well ‘all day battery life’ is a far cry from about 2hours. Especially on a product designed specifically to use a separate battery and be highly portable. One would naturally assume in the case of the vp that it would be hot-swappable.

 

[farmboy]

Having to tap someone on the shoulder to use the bathroom and have them look at you with a weird, poorly represented version of their eyes would be pretty bothersome. Headphones just require a tap and perhaps a gesture…

More bothersome than making someone scrunch in or stand up to let you by?
Snowflake-iness to be sure.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

anyone who has used a vr headset will likely find 2hr life pretty reasonable. spending much more than that in vr without a break gets uncomfortable

In truth most people find more than a few minutes uncomfortable, which is why these things end up in drawers everywhere sitting on top of 5W charging bricks and a myriad of half working Android phones.

 

[Damian83]

Everyone is upset about not being hot-swappable. But to me this is a great thing - if it was hot swappable, this headset would have a tiny battery, constantly being charged up/discharged to ensure it is always ready. That means the headset itself has a very finite lifespan, however long that tiny battery lasts. Then you would have to pay apple for a $700 battery swap because of how delicate the procedure would be. With this - the Vision Pro can be used 10 years from now by just buying an eventual third party battery with a cloned connector.

External battery discharged, vision pro automatically enters in stop mode, and it uses internal battery, u switch external battery, and continue your work (or watching a 3h movie). if internal battery dies, then u replace it for 1k $ at apple store with a certified-by-god genuine apple battery OR u no longer hot swap...

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Yeah how are Apple going to get away with this with the EU? Really hope future Vision Pros use type c on the device itself. Is there any reason why it’s yet another stupid proprietary connector?

The magnetic connector is ideal because it can rotate as needed. A little bump on the cord and will move to accommodate, unlike a plugged in USB cable which would be horrible. Hence why the EU is absolutely batshıt and needs to not involve themselves in things they don't understand.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Everyone is upset about not being hot-swappable.

I'm not particularly upset about it because:
1. It's not a mobile device, no matter what Apple says, so just plug it into the wall.
2. No one is going to be able to stand more than 2 hours at a time anyway. I doubt more than 30-40 minutes.

 

[JTK Awesome]

Where’s the Apple Vision Pro 50’ AC cord for $250?

More and more this product feels like an Alpha-level prototype. How long before this is declared a “hobby“ like the first Apple TV box?

 

[tomtad]

Yes we know, and that’s why it came with lockable power connector.

 

[Antoniosmalakia]

The magnetic connector is ideal because it can rotate as needed. A little bump on the cord and will move to accommodate, unlike a plugged in USB cable which would be horrible. Hence why the EU is absolutely batshıt and needs to not involve themselves in things they don't understand.

Watching MKBHD’s review, he shows the connector locking into place?! I don’t think it rotates.

 

[hagar]

I'm actually in favor of (voluntary) industry standards and common charging ports. What I'm against is an all powerful government that regulates every aspect of private commerce.

That all powerful government asked the tech industry nicely for over a decade to stop inventing new ports for profit causing consumers to have drawers full of incompatible chargers that end up in landfills.

The tech industry, including Apple, said no. So there comes a point the government has to step in and protect consumers and the environment.

Also, the government already dictates nearly all aspects of industry: product norms, hazardous waste, consumer laws, minimum wages and holidays, … a strong government is necessary to enforce all this.

 

[mrbofus]

This article is awful. Watt hours (Wh) is a more accurate and consistent way to compare the total amount of energy that similar types of batteries can store. The iPhone 15 Pro's battery is 12.7Wh, while the Vision Pro's battery is 35.9Wh. This article's headline is a lie.

The article does a very poor job of actually reporting the battery capacities. But the headline references nothing about battery capacity and is, "Apple Vision Pro Battery Isn't Hot-Swappable, Switching Requires Restart" which is true, isn't it? How is the headline a lie?