At $3,500, will you buy a Vision Pro?

[mattspace]

Do we think that Apple will be arrogant enough to put in actual software blocks/locks that will make it unable to be used as a PCVR headset?

It doesn't have any cabled input (or output), and most likely can't communicate and spatial data BACK to the computer - I'm happy be corrected here, but from what I've seen, the Mac "connectivity" is literally just a VNC screen sharing session (in fact it's probably just an iPad VNC app) - ie the headset doesn't communicate any spatial, or sensory data back to the Mac.

I expect it to be more locked down than Sidecar for iPads.

Will the people with the most money, with the most powerful computers, and who want the best VR they can get, be blocked by Apple from being able to use their headset?

Yes, because Apple wants them to spend that money on Apple headsets, not powerful computers.

 

[redheeler]

Just as I predicted some time ago -- this WILL replace monitors.

Mark my words, Apple will cease making monitors as this thing matures and they can offer more functions such as (use your imagination here) a built-in projector which will allow you to project what you're seeing, so someone else can also look at it with you/you can show them what you are pointing at/working on/designing/engaging with, etc...

Just sucks that with this tech, as they even pointed out during the unveiling, people will become more and more reclusive -- I think the line was something along the lines of "now you won't even need to leave your house to attend the game"

People have been saying this for years about VR headsets and I’m just not convinced. The biggest problem is that one monitor or TV can have multiple simultaneous viewers and a VR headset can’t - you have to buy more than one for more than one viewer which is a significant downside. The projector idea is interesting but no one is going to want to watch TV using a projected image moving around on the wall. The second problem is that VR headsets are big and bulky, and using one to emulate a monitor on your desk is pointless when you can just have a monitor on your desk.

The gaming realm is always where VR headsets have had the biggest advantage, but even there people have been saying for years, decades even, that VR is the future of gaming and it has yet to materialize.

 

[mattspace]

The gaming realm is always where VR headsets have had the biggest advantage, but even there people have been saying for years, decades even, that VR is the future of gaming and it has yet to materialize.

It's there, and able to be bought off the shelf if you have enough money. Simulator fiends who used to set up multiple display rigs, they're all very big into VR.

But outside of gaming, industrial design, and training simulation is VR's BIIIIG market - where you have $20k tethered* headsets that sell to the aviation industry etc. The irony being gaming and professional both use the same technologies and both have the same needs. This old excuse Apple had of "its bad for games because it's designed for professional use" doesn't apply.

*because in the serious VR world, no one actually cares about the tether cable - it's a reasonable price to pay for the performance advantage.

 

[NJRonbo]

I came here to this thread hoping someone could convince me to drop nearly $4k on a Vision Pro.

And I say this because I am probably going to buy the Meta Quest 3 for 7 times less after playing with it this morning (my nephew got one for Christmas).

I am extremely impressed, from a gaming standpoint, with how fantastic VR looks on the Quest. It's razor-sharp with none of the screen door effects that I saw on my Playstation 4 VR system. I played a boxing game and was amazed at the level of depth in the virtual room and how lifelike everything was. I felt as if I were in a gym. It was amazing.

And I hope to use the Meta Quest 3 with my Macbook Pro to create a virtual office with 3 huge monitors to do all my productivity work. I have only seen videos of it in action, but many are saying that it works very well.

Still, one craves what the Vision Pro has to offer -- especially after just watching the product video a second time.

I fear that I would be owning a $4k paperweight within two years. While Apple will dumb down the Gen 2 Vision Pro, I think it will be a more compelling device. For instance, I am waiting for the refresh rate of 90/96 Hz to get to 120 Hz which will be better for 3D. I think that is going to be the big "get" for the Gen 2 release.

Right now it's easier to plop down $500 for a Meta Quest 3 and wait things out.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Piggie]

I came here to this thread hoping someone could convince me to drop nearly $4k on a Vision Pro.

And I say this because I am probably going to buy the Meta Quest 3 for 7 times less after playing with it this morning (my nephew got one for Christmas).

I am extremely impressed, from a gaming standpoint, with how fantastic VR looks on the Quest. It's razor-sharp with none of the screen door effects that I saw on my Playstation 4 VR system. I played a boxing game and was amazed at the level of depth in the virtual room and how lifelike everything was. I felt as if I were in a gym. It was amazing.

And I hope to use the Meta Quest 3 with my Macbook Pro to create a virtual office with 3 huge monitors to do all my productivity work. I have only seen videos of it in action, but many are saying that it works very well.

Still, one craves what the Vision Pro has to offer -- especially after just watching the product video a second time.

I fear that I would be owning a $4k paperweight within two years. While Apple will dumb down the Gen 2 Vision Pro, I think it will be a more compelling device. For instance, I am waiting for the refresh rate of 90/96 Hz to get to 120 Hz which will be better for 3D. I think that is going to be the big "get" for the Gen 2 release.

Right now it's easier to plop down $500 for a Meta Quest 3 and wait things out.

Just my thoughts.

I myself purchased a Quest 3 for a Christmas gift to myself.
Just the 128GB model.
The reason why is that I very much enjoy being part of the VR/AR experience, but I'm seeing this as the start of a very long journey which may take 10, 15 or even 20 years before we get where we want to be.
Like buying iPad 1, Apple watch 1, the first iPhone or the first black and white imac.

Now is not the time to invest in something which will be redundant and replaced very quickly.
We have a long way to go, and I wish to be along for the ride.
But I'm very aware anything purchased now is a very temporary stepping stone along the way.
And the cost of the Quest, which irrespective of my views of Mark/Facebook/Meta, they have done an incredible job with the Quest 3 with regards what it can do for it's price.
I look forward to future enhancements over the coming years

 

[NJRonbo]

I myself purchased a Quest 3 for a Christmas gift to myself.
Just the 128GB model.
The reason why is that I very much enjoy being part of the VR/AR experience, but I'm seeing this as the start of a very long journey which may take 10, 15 or even 20 years before we get where we want to be.
Like buying iPad 1, Apple watch 1, the first iPhone or the first black and white imac.

Now is not the time to invest in something which will be redundant and replaced very quickly.
We have a long way to go, and I wish to be along for the ride.
But I'm very aware anything purchased now is a very temporary stepping stone along the way.
And the cost of the Quest, which irrespective of my views of Mark/Facebook/Meta, they have done an incredible job with the Quest 3 with regards what it can do for it's price.
I look forward to future enhancements over the coming years

You know what?

Your response was EXACTLY what I was hoping to read.

It is too early to invest in something that will be redundant and replaced quickly.

I should go with the cheapest option, the Quest 3, which happens to be an excellent VR headset providing an exceptional VR experience.

Rather drop $500 now and wait for the Vision Pro to further mature and become more affordable.

Thank you for your help

 

[mattspace]

Yup, Quest 3 - Vive XR Elite is the pricerange for an obsolescing standalone VR system - closer to a games console than to an entry-mid level workstation.

 

[leifp]

Do we think that Apple will be arrogant enough to put in actual software blocks/locks that will make it unable to be used as a PCVR headset?
Will the people with the most money, with the most powerful computers, and who want the best VR they can get, be blocked by Apple from being able to use their headset?

Well, since the only announced product thus far is a self-contained computer, I’d guess that a “block/lock” isn’t required, since there will be no way to hook anything other than a battery into the headset…

 

[Piggie]

Well, since the only announced product thus far is a self-contained computer, I’d guess that a “block/lock” isn’t required, since there will be no way to hook anything other than a battery into the headset…

I will admit, I'm 100% assuming that Vision Pro will be able to link/stream to your Mac Desktop/Laptop machine.
To be able to use MacOS Software in a floating virtual window / multiple windows in front of you when wearing the Vision Pro headset.
And for example being able to enjoy a LARGE screen/s when working on your small Macbook.

As a wild guess I am going to say that pretty much everyone thinks this will be something that will work.
To block this from working would be like Apple wanting the Vision Pro to fail.

Now..... Whether that means blocking FULL access to everything the Mac can do is another matter.
they may not want to allow say Safari from visiting a 3D Pron website for example.
So perhaps the connection would be heavily controlled on an almost app by app basis.

That's my thoughts right now anyway.

 

[throAU]

Probably not, but i'll likely buy in at version 2 or 3.

This is an expensive prototype device really, and first gen buyers of anything Apple make pay a premium for something that is generally superseded massively in performance in short order.

See the early iPhones, first gen ipad (lacked retina display, etc. which came only a couple of short years later), early watch vs. s2, s3, s4, etc.

You'll be paying a lot for something that will come down in price and go up in performance drastically in a few years. Which is fine if you're a super-fan, developer or whatever. But outside of that it's a lot of money for what will be immature technology with a limited use case until software catches up. Expect v2 and v3 hardware to be significantly different once Apple has real world usage data and real world app developers playing with the thing figuring out where the limitations are (or what is overkill and not required to reduce cost).

 

[leifp]

I will admit, I'm 100% assuming that Vision Pro will be able to link/stream to your Mac Desktop/Laptop machine.
To be able to use MacOS Software in a floating virtual window / multiple windows in front of you when wearing the Vision Pro headset.
And for example being able to enjoy a LARGE screen/s when working on your small Macbook.

As a wild guess I am going to say that pretty much everyone thinks this will be something that will work.
To block this from working would be like Apple wanting the Vision Pro to fail.

Now..... Whether that means blocking FULL access to everything the Mac can do is another matter.
they may not want to allow say Safari from visiting a 3D Pron website for example.
So perhaps the connection would be heavily controlled on an almost app by app basis.

That's my thoughts right now anyway.

It’s certainly possible. But it’s a bit like Apple setting up a 5K iMac to just function as a screen for a Mac Studio… (man do I miss Target Display Mode)

 

[mattspace]

It’s certainly possible. But it’s a bit like Apple setting up a 5K iMac to just function as a screen for a Mac Studio… (man do I miss Target Display Mode)

What it's actually like is using ANY iMac to run ARD over WiFi / Ethernet to see the screen of a Mac Studio.

 

[Eric Idle]

Is apple. They don’t flop often and stick to releases for a lot of years unlike google that drops products left and right

Apple Hi Fi has entered the chat.

 

[soulreaver99]

I’ll wait for Apple vision 2 which is already in development

 

[MarkNewton2023]

Count me as a maybe. It’s expensive, but it seems like Apple has put of a lot of fancy technology in it and may have some new use cases for it.

Definitely a no for me as it does not have any place or need in my life. If it can be used for anything in my lifestyle, I will definitely get it. I hope all who plan to get it will enjoy it to the max. Keep calm, no need to get what is not needed, and enjoy what we have for our need to the max. 😊 Life is too short for not enjoying what we have for our need.

 

[ke-iron]

Absolutely getting it. I work long hours, so I watch a lot of TV and catch up on lots of reading on my days off from work, if I’m not out running errands. So for me being able to sit or lay back and relax as I catch up on everything by just using my eyes and a twitch of the finger is a hell yes for me!

 

[mackinmike]

Hard no. 3500 for something that tries to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Who are they trying to target for the product? Definitely not the general public.

 

[leifp]

Hard no. 3500 for something that tries to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Who are they trying to target for the product? Definitely not the general public.

I would agree: definitely not for the general public. I’m not the general public but it’s also not clear this headset would be of immediate interest. I’ll wait until developers figure out what it’s for or I have too much money burning a hole in my pocket…

 

[ke-iron]

I would agree: definitely not for the general public. I’m not the general public but it’s also not clear this headset would be of immediate interest. I’ll wait until developers figure out what it’s for or I have too much money burning a hole in my pocket…

Why wouldn’t this be for the general public? Because of price? Why isn’t it clear who this headset is for and why would you need to wait for developers to figure out who it’s for?

I keep seeing threads and comments like this but Apple has done a really good job advertising this at the unveiling and on their website. They’ve literally showed examples of gaming, productivity, movies, lifestyle things, taking pictures and videos and surfing the web, FaceTime, meetings etc. It has a laptop class processor in it! They’ve shown way too many examples for anyone to still be confused about who it’s for or what it can do.

I really think people are posting these comments because of the price and they cannot afford it. If it were the price of a cheaper VR or mixed reality headset such as meta devices, people wouldn’t be acting so oblivious as to why this device exists.

 

[ke-iron]

Hard no. 3500 for something that tries to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Who are they trying to target for the product? Definitely not the general public.

See that’s where you’re wrong. A problem does exist. The problem it existed the moment humans developed these type of headsets, they created devices that caught people’s attention but never really did any of the things it was designed to do exceptionally well. People wanted a better experience so Apple created one.

 

[RyanFlynn]

If it can replace my Pro Display XDR, maybe

 

[ericwn]

See that’s where you’re wrong. A problem does exist. The problem it existed the moment humans developed these type of headsets, they created devices that caught people’s attention but never really did any of the things it was designed to do exceptionally well. People wanted a better experience so Apple created one.

I wouldn’t call a potentially nicer experience for some at a significant expense a problem that needed solving but to each their own.

 

[leifp]

Why wouldn’t this be for the general public? Because of price? Why isn’t it clear who this headset is for and why would you need to wait for developers to figure out who it’s for?

I keep seeing threads and comments like this but Apple has done a really good job advertising this at the unveiling and on their website. They’ve literally showed examples of gaming, productivity, movies, lifestyle things, taking pictures and videos and surfing the web, FaceTime, meetings etc. It has a laptop class processor in it! They’ve shown way too many examples for anyone to still be confused about who it’s for or what it can do.

I really think people are posting these comments because of the price and they cannot afford it. If it were the price of a cheaper VR or mixed reality headset such as meta devices, people wouldn’t be acting so oblivious as to why this device exists.

Do you remember the Apple Watch unveiling?

 

[mattspace]

If it can replace my Pro Display XDR, maybe

Can an iPad Pro running a VNC session to your Mac (which will only show the Mac’s physical display that is actually plugged in), replace your Pro Display XDR?

Because that’s what a Vision Pro’s relationship with a Mac is.

 

[RyanFlynn]

Can an iPad Pro running a VNC session to your Mac (which will only show the Mac’s physical display that is actually plugged in), replace your Pro Display XDR?

Because that’s what a Vision Pro’s relationship with a Mac is.

Yeah it probably won't work, but if it can improve my workflow, that will make me money and I will buy it. If it doesn't, won't.