As Apple Vision Pro Turns One, Here's What's Next

[0049190]

I’m not sure price and/or the product itself is the whole problem here. You can buy a Meta Quest for a lot less but they’re still not selling.

Is there sufficient demand for this technology to ever make it mainstream?

I remember 3D TVs a few years ago. They were supposed to be the next big thing but died a death because very few people wanted one.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I just love when people trash things like this. People do buy them and people still use them. People buy what they want when they want. Who cares what people think and criticize

People here who are defending the product certainly seem to care what people think and criticise.

 

[JapanApple]

People here who are defending the product certainly seem to care what people think and criticise.

It’s about people who bought it still have it and enjoying it. Those that criticize for no apparent . Other Criticizing with people to choose from selves.

 

[Jensend]

That's awesome - but many people don't want to sit in a theater all by themselves. For couples, families, etc - 'big screen media' is enjoyed as a shared experience, which the AVP is kind of the antithesis of.

The funny thing is, I almost exclusively watch my TV alone. But when I watch a movie in my VR headset, it's always with others: friends who live in other states and countries.
I also mostly play singleplayer flatscreen games, and multiplayer VR games. Just played some multiplayer VR minigolf this past weekend. I enjoy talking to friends while doing a shared activity. I should probably do that more often in "real life", but the alternative is usually just me playing a game alone.

 

[fizzyfizz]

Apple glasses with Vision Pro tech minus a tethered battery and I’m in. Otherwise, forget it.

 

[akbarali.ch]

Awesome tech, but sadly cant be made affordable.

 

[Ctrlos]

Lighter materials and a lower price have to take precedence over anything else. EyeSight needs to be dropped to save battery although a black plastic translucent front with some swirly LEDs as status indicators would be a good replacement. That glass front is by far the heaviest part. They should make the battery cable USB-C so you can plug it straight into a Mac and use it tethered. A Mac Mini with an attached Vision Pro would be a very efficient workspace.

Although $2000 per unit still seems like its too expensive for consumer use, Apple should pivot the marketing to reflect its 'Pro' moniker aiming it at industry, education and healthcare. Citizens who want one will buy it regardless.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I still use an old Oculus Rift S for PC VR.
Also have a stand alone Meta Quest 3, and a PSVR2 (with both can be used on PC as well).

I tried the Vision Pro once and the display quality was one of the best I tried.

But after experiencing all types of VR already since the Gear VR days of putting a Samsung phone into the headset, I've realized developers make the biggest difference in my visual experience vs the display quality. And having excellent display specs doesn't guarantee a great visual experience.

I've used some apps and played some games that make a mediocre VR display seem like it's top notch. And vice versa on VR headsets with excellent displays.

This is why I feel Apple won't have a problem creating a cheaper version, that users will barely notice much of a different in visual experience vs the the Vision Pro.

 

[kcwookie]

I do like the concept, but after 5 minutes of the in-store demo I realized: this is not a device providing anywhere near $4k of 'value' to the average consumer...yet. The core issue preventing mass adoption is that it is essentially without a real evolutionary antecedent, and has to work very hard to justify its own existence.

Every other successful Apple device, for instance, has a common consumer object counterpart that makes the digital version easily understood:

People already use personal desktops/laptops ----> Mac
People already use cell phones ---> iPhone
People already read books/newspapers/notepads -----> iPad
People already wear watches ----> Apple Watch
People already wear headphones -----> AirPods
People use home stereo speakers -----> HomePod
????? ------> Vision Pro

That's Apple's problem here: what am I doing now that could be vastly improved by this $4k device? For most people, there isn't a clear answer to that question. Yet.

Those of use who have use one for longer than 5 minutes disagree.

 

[Dr32Degrees]

Have you ever even put an AVP on? I'm going to bet NO. I have one and it is in ON way uncomfortable. 90% (research proven) of negative AVP posts are from people who have never even tried it, but are jumping on the "hate AVP" train because...

You are 100% correct. My opinion is the only reason these people want the AVP to fail is because they were unable to afford one.

In 1998, I bought a PowerBook for $3500 - my largest electronics purchase at that time. That equals to $6800 in 2025 dollars; funny that I don't remember anyone shittalking the PowerBooks for their price back then.

I use my AVP at least 4-6 hrs daily, and for WFH, it has been a gamechanger - if it weren't for Microsoft Teams, I'd never have to take it off during my workday, but I have to in order to be on camera for meetings.

If you have been an Apple fan since the 80's like I have, this is the most advanced product they have ever released and is the culmination of 40 years of incremental innovation by Apple. Even after having it one full year, it still feels like it was sent from the future; this should be a product that is celebrated by tech enthusiasts - not disdained because of its price.

 

[Dr32Degrees]

i'm genuinely curious as to what % of early adopters still use it on a regular basis.

I'm sure there's those that bought it for productivity purposes; and it'd be interesting to see whether it met their requirements or not.

And then there's though that bought it on a gimmick/fad; wehtehr they still use it regularly or it's been relegated to the back of the cupboard.

Apple would surely know these figures as they can see how many devices are active (and they certainly know how many were sold) unsurprisingly they don't say anything about it.

Since you asked - bought mine on release day, and currently use it while I WFH for 4-6 hrs daily; I travel twice a month for work, and it goes with me every time. It has completely changed my workflow for the better.

I definitely didn't plop down $3500 for a "gimmick/fad".

 

[Dr32Degrees]

So Apple literally did the VirtualBoy 2.0... congrats..

I love when someone who never used an AVP makes these kinds of comments.

It does have a great VirtualBoy emulator though...

 

[iamgalt]

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro launch, which means Apple's $3,500 AR/VR headset has now been available to consumers for a full 365 days.

It was released in 2024, which was a leap year. So it's been 366 days. Not that that helped any for the first year sales, but still.

 

[jeffpeng]

I tried the thing for half an hour in our Apple Store. And I really tried to like it. And it's close. Is it worth 4000€? That's something one really has to clear with their own conscience / wallet. It's an early adopter device with a very limited production run. Of course it's super expensive. Which is a fair point, but shouldn't go into evaluating the device from the get go.

The key problem I have with it is weight. Just the bulk of additional inertia it adds to the front of your face is super awkward, and after just 15 minutes there are visible marks around your eyes from the sheer pressure this thing exerts on you to stay on your face. Maybe an additional headstrap fixes a lot of that, but they didn't have one on hand.

The accuracy of the hand gestures is mind blowing, although there is pretty noticable latency - but I think unless you are gaming with it you will kinda learn to factor that in. Eye tracking was a bit hit or miss at first, but once you get used to it it's stunningly intuitive. And it's leaps and bounds ahead of anything else picture quality wise. Plus: it's maclike snappy. This alone is very impressive and a sharp contrast to most other head sets I've tried.

Carrying a battery on a pack is pretty weird, yes, but I get why they did it - and you kinda forget about it. Which might be a mixed bag, because you don't wanna get tangled up with your 4K device, I guess. But ... the.... uhm... face avatar? .... uncanny valley in the extremes, and I don't really get this feature. I get it conceptually, yes, but how much hardware went into that thing solely for that feature? And the first thing I wanted to know after I saw it on my wife was: how do I deactivate THAT? Forever? Pretty please? Stahp!

I think if Apple would be willing to simply cut this feature alone, saving some of the camera hardware inside, getting rid of the screen for it and swap the glass front for much lighter aluminum .... They could cut a good chunk of the price, and really reduce the frontloaded weight of it without making the device any less useful for the wearer. It would also save some battery life, which is a plus considering the battery life is rather limited.

 

[Ctrlos]

The funny thing is, I almost exclusively watch my TV alone. But when I watch a movie in my VR headset, it's always with others: friends who live in other states and countries.
I also mostly play singleplayer flatscreen games, and multiplayer VR games. Just played some multiplayer VR minigolf this past weekend. I enjoy talking to friends while doing a shared activity. I should probably do that more often in "real life", but the alternative is usually just me playing a game alone.

Online gaming with old friends who are now around the globe every week, I can't tell you how cool it would be to blast some Fortnite on the Vision Pro whilst being able to see some small 'YouTuber/Ironman' Persona closeups to one side of the display. As a teleconferencing device its second to none.

 

[Ctrlos]

Those of use who have use one for longer than 5 minutes disagree.

Were you angry at the suggestion of a lower price, cheaper materials or the industrial marketing?

 

[TechnoMonk]

Since you asked - bought mine on release day, and currently use it while I WFH for 4-6 hrs daily; I travel twice a month for work, and it goes with me every time. It has completely changed my workflow for the better.

I definitely didn't plop down $3500 for a "gimmick/fad".

Do you tether mac screen to AVP? How’s the experience working on wide screen of AVP?

 

[oink_oink]

Why is this company so dumb? Facebook has no problem making a whole bunch of far more affordable VR headsets. Can't even make a proper leather case for their phones. Can't even turn their macs into a properly viable gaming platform.

Has the EU porn app driven them to distraction to the point where they can't even function?

 

[swester]

Those of use who have use one for longer than 5 minutes disagree.

That's awesome - and you're clearly within the target niche for it. I didn't say AVP is for no one; it just isn't ready yet for wide consumer adoption, at least not in its current form factor, price point, software set, etc. It'll hopefully get there in a few more generations.

 

[carniesandrubes]

You are 100% correct. My opinion is the only reason these people want the AVP to fail is because they were unable to afford one.

Nah, you just have a classic case of post-purchase rationalization. Probably waited too long to return it. As someone who tried it and could easily afford to keep it (and buy one for everyone I know) it's not worth the cost. Those of us who can afford it easily didn't get to that point by wasting $ on gimmicks like this.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But there was this one chap, in the corner, with a big face hugger clasped to his head.
Waving his hands and pinching his fingers…

He looked so isolated as he sat there, cut off, sipping his coffee through a straw.

It honestly made me sad to read this

What a depressing view of the future this type of product is

 

[turbineseaplane]

My opinion is the only reason these people want the AVP to fail is because they were unable to afford one.

That is totally unsubstantiated and incorrect

 

[victorvictoria]

After one year, I remain mystified by the AVP. I don't know why it exists, I don't know the target market (and apparently neither does Apple). Is it a consumer product? Is it a business product? And the big one: I don't know anyone who has one.

If it were priced at $499-$999, I could understand people buying them to play with. But spending upwards of $5,000 (with tax, lens inserts and AppleCare) for what is not much more than a toy seems a big ask. And are businesses lining up to buy these as adjuncts to or replacements for computers and iOS devices that cost a fraction of the price (not to mention having to replace the lenses every time there's a new hire, or an employee gets a new prescription)? No, they're not. Numbers don't lie. It's a product with the narrowest appeal I've ever seen from Apple. At least since Newton!

 

[turbineseaplane]

It's a product with the narrowest appeal I've ever seen from Apple.

In a sane world, some heads would roll for this huge mistake (releasing it at all, at this time, as is)

The problem is that all the reporting indicates the literal CEO is the one who forced the release, as he continues to wish, hope and pray for his own "iPhone moment"

... and it just ain't happening

 

[thebarrkbyte]

my iphone 15 pro can play re4remake but my vision pro cant? id love this m5 solution and would upgrade from my og vision pro if they did that and allowed full access to the app store including the new games they added like lies of p and death stranding. imagine death stranding on the vision pro, that would be meta.