Steve Jobs would NEVER have allowed this

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

 

[radus]

too heavy - yes, but I can sit and work for 2-3 h in my big all glass front living room without a desk
regular content - could be more but Safari, Foto, ai - at least ChatGpt, microsoft office, X ... are there and Mac Virtual Display - means all Mac Apps
too isolating - as it should be - I work more efficient.
too expensive - it is expensive but it is a Computer, a Camera and Microphone, a very huge Display, a single Person Cinema ...

 

[turbineseaplane]

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Are the demos not using the fancy new strap everyone says is so great?
(specifically to help mitigate the overall weight)

 

[Roller]

Are the demos not using the fancy new strap everyone says is so great?
(specifically to help mitigate the overall weight)

I wonder that as well.

OP's characterization of wearing the AVP as unbearable leads me to think that no care was taken by staff to ensure that whatever strap was used was fitted properly. In my demo in early 2024, I wore the device with the single loop. Although I could feel the weight, it was certainly quite tolerable. Since then, I've mostly used my AVP with the dual strap for several hours a day without undue discomfort. I got the new dual knit strap last week, and it's made the experience even more comfortable. Notably, the choice of light seal and cushion have a lot to do with comfort – anyone going for a demo should insist on trying several. Would I prefer it if the AVP were lighter? Sure, but its current weight hasn't limited my use at all.

As for OP's complaint about immersion feeling like a gimmick, it technically is. But I don't understand the point about have to move one's head, which is what happens in the real world. I've watched several of Apple's videos (Flight Ready is a prime example) several times, and I notice new details on each viewing by looking up, down, or to the side. The technology isn't there yet to let the viewer move freely in a photorealistic virtual space, but the available offerings are still highly compelling to me.

The point about going on holiday is specious from a practical standpoint. There are many places the AVP can take me (the deck of an aircraft carrier is just one; an orangutan rehab center is another) that I will never be able to visit in person. As well, my AVP lets me relive personal events in ways that can't be duplicated with my other devices. Viewing panoramic shots, which largely fill my field of view on the AVP, is something I enjoy often. Watching 2D content on a large screen at home or while flying is another plus.

The AVP is isolating by definition. I don't use it for entertainment while I'm with my family, but there are plenty of times when I'm alone, and I use the Mac Virtual Display for work frequently.

The AVP was never intended to be a mass market device, and I think Apple did a poor job marketing it at the outset. I have no idea whether they will continue to develop the platform, but even at its current price, it's been worth it to me for work and play.

Finally, as for the statement that Steve Jobs would never have allowed this (OP didn't say whether that referred to the demo or the device itself), I question on what basis that conclusion was reached. And it's not as if Jobs had a perfect track record. The round "hockey puck" mouse, the Lisa, and the G4 Mac Cube, all come to mind.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I don't understand the point about have to move one's head, which is what happens in the real world. I've watched several of Apple's videos (Flight Ready is a prime example) several times, and I notice new details on each viewing by looking up, down, or to the side. The technology isn't there yet to let the viewer move freely in a photorealistic virtual space, but the available offerings are still highly compelling to me.

It felt like a gimmick because the world is fixed to one position, meaning that all you can do is look around by moving your head. Once you get over this novelty factor, it feels more frustrating that you can't move through the world naturally.

There was a scene where I was beside a lake that, at first, was quite nice; but then I thought... Now what? If this is designed for meditation or other wellbeing activities, then this is a VERY expensive way to calm down. The moon was another one. Okay, I'm standing/sitting on the moon, I can look around 360º, but what do I do after 5 minutes? I can't, for instance, walk around a recreation of the Lunar Module, which would have been genuinely fascinating.

I think Apple dropped the ball. If the device were thinner, lighter, cheaper (which I have no doubt it will be in the long future), then these features would be compelling for applications like education, engineering, but the device felt too cumbersome to be worn for long periods. That plus the value. People say Yeah but its a computer, the difference Vision Pro doesn't do anything that my iPad or Mac can do better.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I just wish they would've done a VP device that was optimized for content consumption, perhaps even requiring a different device (Mac or iOS) to provide the content/OS for it.

If priced right, I'd love to have something from Apple to do that kind of stuff.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

It felt like a gimmick because the world is fixed to one position, meaning that all you can do is look around by moving your head. Once you get over this novelty factor, it feels more frustrating that you can't move through the world naturally.

There was a scene where I was beside a lake that, at first, was quite nice; but then I thought... Now what? If this is designed for meditation or other wellbeing activities, then this is a VERY expensive way to calm down. The moon was another one. Okay, I'm standing/sitting on the moon, I can look around 360º, but what do I do after 5 minutes? I can't, for instance, walk around a recreation of the Lunar Module, which would have been genuinely fascinating.

 

[MBAir2010]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

THOSE were all the rage the first week they sold 'em!

yup
yup


yep!

 

[Roller]

It felt like a gimmick because the world is fixed to one position, meaning that all you can do is look around by moving your head. Once you get over this novelty factor, it feels more frustrating that you can't move through the world naturally.

There was a scene where I was beside a lake that, at first, was quite nice; but then I thought... Now what? If this is designed for meditation or other wellbeing activities, then this is a VERY expensive way to calm down. The moon was another one. Okay, I'm standing/sitting on the moon, I can look around 360º, but what do I do after 5 minutes? I can't, for instance, walk around a recreation of the Lunar Module, which would have been genuinely fascinating.

I think Apple dropped the ball. If the device were thinner, lighter, cheaper (which I have no doubt it will be in the long future), then these features would be compelling for applications like education, engineering, but the device felt too cumbersome to be worn for long periods. That plus the value. People say Yeah but its a computer, the difference Vision Pro doesn't do anything that my iPad or Mac can do better.

The moon and lake are immersive environments. Although you can experience them by themselves, they’re primarily intended to be virtual places in which to run apps. This was obvious to me in my demo, but it should have been explained to you in yours.

Do you honestly believe that Apple released the device as it was when they could have made it much lighter and less expensive? Yes, they could do away without a front display and save weight in other ways, but those are lessons for the future.

You chose to ignore what I said about how to optimize comfort. Your characterization of the discomfort being unbearable doesn’t mirror my experience, and I’ve read of many AVP users who wear theirs for longer than I.

You also didn’t respond to my comments about things the AVP can do that other devices can’t as well, like viewing panoramas. The same is true for spatial photos and videos. How can you conclude that your Mac and iPad do everything better if you’ve never done them on an AVP?

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

How can you conclude that your Mac and iPad do everything better if you’ve never done them on an AVP?

Well think about watching a movie. You’d be lucky to get 3 hours on Vision Pro battery life, but on a Mac/iPad you would get a lot more - from a device that is more portable and better for travelling with, and which can run more and better applications more easily, for a fraction of the price.

For 4k, you could buy a whole suite of Apple hardware that would add more to a lifestyle than VP. You could get an iMac for home, a MacBook for work, an iPad for travel, an Apple TV, an Apple Watch, lots of Tim’s overpriced accessories and you’d still have money left over.

So the way I see it is that, for that price, VP needs to do certain things a lot better than any other Apple device if it’s to justify the price tag and inconveniences. And for me it doesn’t do that - spatial computing feels like a solution looking for a problem, until it’s cheaper, thinner, lighter, has better battery.

 

[Roller]

Well think about watching a movie. You’d be lucky to get 3 hours on Vision Pro battery life, but on a Mac/iPad you would get a lot more - from a device that is more portable and better for travelling with, and which can run more and better applications more easily, for a fraction of the price.

For 4k, you could buy a whole suite of Apple hardware that would add more to a lifestyle than VP. You could get an iMac for home, a MacBook for work, an iPad for travel, an Apple TV, an Apple Watch, lots of Tim’s overpriced accessories and you’d still have money left over.

So the way I see it is that, for that price, VP needs to do certain things a lot better than any other Apple device if it’s to justify the price tag and inconveniences. And for me it doesn’t do that - spatial computing feels like a solution looking for a problem, until it’s cheaper, thinner, lighter, has better battery.

Again, you’re passing judgement on use cases for a device that you’ve never used, though I’m impressed that you’re on a first name basis with Tim Cook.

You can respond, but I won’t.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Again, you’re passing judgement on use cases for a device that you’ve never used, though I’m impressed that you’re on a first name basis with Tim Cook.

You can respond, but I won’t.

As stated, this is all based on the demo that I experienced. If I really did purchase this when, who knows, maybe my perception would change - but I seriously doubt it.

Oh I call Tim Cook Tim all the time. I call my neighbours by their first name, too.

 

[Fallforward]

Really? Saint Jobs the Holy Perfect?

First tenure from founding to 1985:

• Apple III product flop plus design and QA failure with overheating and chips coming loose.
• Lisa product flop. Also limited software and significant reliability issues.
• Macintosh 128K botched launch in 1984. Shipped with limited RAM, few bundled applications, lots of frustrated buyers. Not a product flop but shakey start with serious quality issues.

Second tenure from 1997 to 2011:

• Power Mac G4 Cube product flop.
• iPod Hi‑Fi product flop.
• MobileMe botched launch with widespread outages, sync errors and billing problems and eventual flop.
• iTunes Ping flop. Low engagement. Infested with spam.
• iPhone 4 antennagate. Not a product flop but a serious quality flop.
• Final Cut Pro X launch. A botched ground‑up rewrite that dropped critical features with no compatibility to older Final Cut projects. Would have been a flop but they fixed it to work more like the previous version.
• Xserve flop.

 

[dumastudetto]

As stated, this is all based on the demo that I experienced. If I really did purchase this when, who knows, maybe my perception would change - but I seriously doubt it.

Oh I call Tim Cook Tim all the time. I call my neighbours by their first name, too.

Most of us in the Apple family call him Tim. He's one of us.

 

[rappr]

So the way I see it is that, for that price, VP needs to do certain things a lot better than any other Apple device if it’s to justify the price tag and inconveniences.

$3500 is too much for any Apple product.

But from a product perspective, I think the general spatial computing interface is the high order bit. Combined with a keyboard and trackpad, you can turn pretty anywhere into your workspace and spread your work out without being constrained to a display. There’s a lot of value in that.

 

[Hajj.david]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

1. Staff is mostly useless at apple now, they hardly know anything besides the very basics of the product.
2. If the weight is a problem then the straps were not adjusted correctly. When I wear mine I feel zero weight on my face. In fact I dont even use the light seal and the AVP floats above my nose not touching anything.
3. The spatial scenes are to help you focus while working or watching a movie by removing visual noise from around you. While exploring the virtual environments would be cool, ultimately people will be slamming into walls etc.
4. It being isolating is the point, so you can be fully immersed in your movie, games, work without distraction. To make it not AS isolating I use it without the light seal, which as an added bonus lets me itch my eyes and see in my peripheral vision. When I watch a movie the light seal comes back on for obvious reason.

 

[bhodinut]

I had the M2 Vision Pro. Just got the M5 Vision Pro. I use it most days when I need 2-3 virtual monitors. I don't notice the weight or have any eye-strain. Out the door I think I paid $4500? Worth every penny. Cheaper than the XDR Monitor. Most of the film studio equipment I use makes the Vision Pro price seem like a rounding error.

 

[richinaus]

I had the M2 Vision Pro. Just got the M5 Vision Pro. I use it most days when I need 2-3 virtual monitors. I don't notice the weight or have any eye-strain. Out the door I think I paid $4500? Worth every penny. Cheaper than the XDR Monitor. Most of the film studio equipment I use makes the Vision Pro price seem like a rounding error.

My annual software subscriptions are more than the AVP...... some people are clueless to what the best professional tools are to do the job and the returns from using them.

I will be getting the M5 soon for similar uses - the price doesn't really bother me as I know exactly what the benefits are to me, in professional terms.

 

[Alameda]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

I tend to agree with you that Steve Jobs would not have shipped the Vision Pro as it is right now.

 

[Ctrlos]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

My issue is that there are very few use cases for the Vision Pro that a $400 Quest 3 cannot compete with on an even keel. Gaming is a lot better (Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect are worth it for VR alone), room-scale AR works incredibly well and hand tracking is also great. You can do 1:1 walkthroughs of Architectural models, use it as a screen for your laptop, view back spatial videos, watch anything on a huge display or just use it as a private screen for Gamepass Streaming. If you travel a lot for work its a wonderful thing to just kick back with in a hotel room.

 

[Kylo83]

My issue is that there are very few use cases for the Vision Pro that a $400 Quest 3 cannot compete with on an even keel. Gaming is a lot better (Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect are worth it for VR alone), room-scale AR works incredibly well and hand tracking is also great. You can do 1:1 walkthroughs of Architectural models, use it as a screen for your laptop, view back spatial videos, watch anything on a huge display or just use it as a private screen for Gamepass Streaming. If you travel a lot for work its a wonderful thing to just kick back with in a hotel room.

It’s true but 3d movies is so much better on Vision Pro because of the quality of lenses but apart from that I agree

 

[Piggie]

I wonder if Tim Cook still uses his headset every single day like he said he used to.
Wonder what he's using it for daily that keeps him so interested?

Be nice if he gave an update.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Uses Vision Pro Every Day

Apple CEO Tim Cook uses the Apple Vision Pro every day, according to an interview he did with The Sun to highlight the headset's launch in the UK. Cook said that he uses the Vision Pro "in all aspects of [his] daily life". For specifics, Cook said he used the headset to watch Ted Lasso season...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Rychiar]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

if you use the right head strap its not heavy at all. the isolation is one of the best parts about it, you don't get to experience how amazing it is to watch movies on it regularly in an inshore demo which is def the killer app. You can use it without the light shield when working with the Mac virtual display and it makes it even better.

 

[Rychiar]

I wonder if Tim Cook still uses his headset every single day like he said he used to.
Wonder what he's using it for daily that keeps him so interested?

Be nice if he gave an update.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Uses Vision Pro Every Day

Apple CEO Tim Cook uses the Apple Vision Pro every day, according to an interview he did with The Sun to highlight the headset's launch in the UK. Cook said that he uses the Vision Pro "in all aspects of [his] daily life". For specifics, Cook said he used the headset to watch Ted Lasso season...

www.macrumors.com

I mean I use mine every single day. if you live alone why watch tv any other way?

 

[Win$ton l]

I experienced the Vision Pro demo at my local Apple Store today.

The first blunder was that the staff were essentially almost talking me out of the product before I even finished the demo. I’m glad for their honest opinions but this is something else…

The weight of the device by the end was unbearable, I couldn’t wait to take it off. I could feel so much pressure on my eye sockets.

Interesting use of spatial scenes, but without regular content updates this feels like a gimmick. Plus, you’re fixed to one point and can only scan around by moving your head, which effectively made the immersion feel somewhat boring after a while. Your instinct is to want to move in the space. If I wanted to rotate my head somewhere different then I’d go on holiday!

The whole experience felt like some early proof of concept rather than a viable product. Too thick and heavy, too isolating, too expensive.

He’s dead. Who cares