Video: Trying the Apple Vision Pro Headset

[jayducharme]

Thanks, Dan. That was a good summary. I was pretty excited about Vision Pro watching the Keynote, but I assumed it was just me geeking out over it. It's nice to see confirmation that everyone who's had a chance to use it has been pretty much blown away by it. Apple took their time getting this right, and I suspect it's going to evolve into the next major computing platform.

 

[cwedl]

I have one very similar to it, just different colors.

Brentwood Polo Cotton Fern Meadow | Loro Piana US

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If you look at other pictures it doesn’t have any white trims on the sleeve, not sure if it is that. This one looks very similar and a lot less: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/gorillo...hirts/Polo Shirts&fashioncolor=Blue&color=492

 

[krull1015]

MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera is in Cupertino this week to attend WWDC on behalf of the site, and today, he was given an opportunity to try the Apple Vision Pro in person.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Dan is one of the first people who has been able to test the headset, as Apple is only providing these demos to select people who were able to attend the keynote event.

While Apple did not allow filming of the headset and the usage experience, Dan did a video to recount his thoughts on what it was like and to answer questions from MacRumors readers and viewers.

Make sure to watch the video to get Dan's full overview of what it was like using Apple's new wearable for the first time.

Article Link: Video: Trying the Apple Vision Pro Headset

Hello, Thanks for the review. Do you know if Apple’s VisionPro has accessibility features? Did you get the opportunity to look at the settings menu. Just curious as a person with a visual impairment I think the VisionPro has a lot of potential for people like myself. Thanks again

 

[mattopotamus]

People look so ridiculous wearing these AR/VR headsets. I've tried a few of them and I couldn't get past it. I guess I'm not a fan of wearing goggles unless I am skiing or underwater. I'm surprised most people's narcissism will allow it, but then again it's all about being glued to a screen or screens and avoiding reality nowadays.

I think it is a lot different using something like a quest or even this in the comfort of your home vs in a work space.

 

[klasma]

Not gonna watch a video - can we just get a proper article on this summarizing his takeaways?

It’s not ideal, but you can read the text transcript on YouTube if you like. The description there also has semi-descriptive chapter breaks if you want to watch only part of the video. In this instance, I actually found it worth watching (or listening to, as it mostly just shows footage from the keynote).

 

[citysnaps]

I very much enjoyed your presentation, Dan! Thanks!

 

[bigandtasty]

Man, that headset looks pretty small on that big mug.. Like your headed to the local ski hill. Maybe 🍏 needs to make an XL version for folks with above average size dome’s. Thanks for your first impressions

 

[JosephAW]

I have a few questions: when watching a movie when you turn your head to the left or right to talk to someone I am assuming that the movie stays in the same place as if you're looking away as in real life and doesn't follow you left or right otherwise you might get nauseous.

Just watching his enthusiasm and others I was thinking that Steve Jobs would've been very proud of the next generation team of hardware and software developers.

The other thing is people with disabilities who cannot move their arms or pinch their fingers, I'm assuming that there will be custom gestures from sticking your tongue out or using your eyes completely or blinking or moving your feet or maybe an arm gesture or possibly a controller.

Will be exciting to use in the next five years when old models will be sold and newer models will be lighter and faster and cheaper. I'm looking forward to vistas from all around the world, I got a small glimpse of that with my Mattel headset where are you put your phone inside it and even though you could see a screen door there was a few interesting vistas to look at.

The next level of movie content creators and games will be that you can look behind yourself during a movie and see other actors and scenes.

I wonder if Apple could use the fans to cause a gentle breeze on your face when you're outside or as in this case the smoke is being blown in your face giving you a sensation.

It would be interesting if Apple would place two cameras on your iPhone so that you can record three-dimensional videos with your phone and then watch them with your headset when you get home. As the camera technology advances they can move that into the iPhone for remote recording and I can see 360 recording cameras being used to create a full surrounding content and sounds.

Obviously we know what the majority of contact creators and users will use this device for along with it's accessories.

 

[klasma]

I really want an AI that can transcribe videos into text, i hate those reviews that could be read in <1mn

You can feed ChatGPT the YouTube transcript and have it summarize it for you.

 

[trichardlin]

People look so ridiculous wearing these AR/VR headsets...

Haha, if you don't want to look at them that way, just put on the Vision Pro yourself!

 

[klasma]

I still think people look ridiculous in AirPods. Everytime I see them.

Most people look ridiculous even without AirPods.

 

[anthogag]

Thanks Dan, this is so far the best and most informative video talking about Vision Pro.

Apple did a good job, spatial computing starts with this device. I will get one. I have no problems with wearing the goggles because Vision Pro appears to be very good.

 

[klasma]

I hate YouTube reviews, but I find Dan's to be utterly relatable.

Unlike all Apple marketing and most YouTubers, he at least sounds natural and spontaneous.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

You can feed ChatGPT the YouTube transcript and have it summarize it for you.

not for me... i assume you have the pro plan ?

 

[klasma]

Do you feel like "WOW" because as you said this is something you've never experienced before but maybe after a while it just becomes "Yeah Meh" and expected? I'm just wondering if the Wow sense wears off after a while.

Tangentially, a wow factor doesn’t say much about a its usefulness and value, unless you primarily want to be wowed, even if you otherwise have not much use for it. Personally I prefer boring, but practical and effective tools that don’t get in the way, and that don’t unnecessarily draw one’s attention to them.

 

[devinher]

I want it. Very curious about exercise applications with the Vision Pro. Right now, I mostly use the Quest 2 for Supernatural and it's pretty fantastic.

It also seems to have the potential to make work of all kinds a lot more fun. A massive screen to edit films with? Sign me up!

The price is too high and people will find fault with all kinds of things, but the vision Apple has put out is awesome. I'm sure we all remember Steve Balmer laughing at Apple for putting out the world's most expensive phone.

 

[Stevenyo]

I think the software integration is very cool and Apple nailed it but I don't like the hardware aspect! I just hate the fact you have to put it on to your head. Keep in mind this headset is also heavy. So, don’t expect to be using it at all times.

VisionOS is the product, the VisionPro is just the hardware needed to make the product work at the moment. Which is pretty normal for Apple, right? The original Mac was not sold on how amazing 128k of RAM or a 9" monochrome display was, but how it was just enough hardware to get the software working. Same for the iPhone, the software/interface was the selling point, the hardware just made it possible.

iPhone sold barely 1mm units in its first 6 months, and barely 10mm in its first full year (including the much improved 3G model for much of that time), but after 5 years was selling over 100mm units per year. OVER 99% of 2012 iPhone buyers did not find the 2007 iPhone compelling enough to buy. But a huge part of why they did find the 2012 iPhone compelling was developments in hardware, software, and awareness of the product's uses made possible by selling that first clunky little iPhone. It's easy to forget now that for everyday people the smartphone revolution started in 2009/2010, not 2007. It took almost 3 years for real momentum to build behind the iPhone/Andriod duopoly. This puts the rumored ~2027 timeline for a more glasses-like true AR product right in line with the smartphone adoption hockey stick curve moment.

Personally, my three biggest concerns are: trying to make myself wait for a better model before buying (losing battle, I'm ordering day one, ugh); if it's a whole new computing paradigm, will it be locked down and restricted hardware and/or software wise like an iPhone/iPad or be allowed to breathe on its own like a Mac; and how are they going to solve the FaceTime problem.

First one is purely a personal problem, I can't resist buying the new cool thing, even when I know it's not ready to become a daily driver and I'd be happier waiting for version 3 or 4 after the novelty wears off.

Second one is purely up to apple, to really let this thing take off to full potential it should be much more like a Mac than iPad in terms of user/developer openness. But Tim Cook's apple is almost certain to shoot themsleves in the foot by locking the thing down rather than trusting their products to sell on merit, even if other 3rd software or features exist. This also goes for hardware -- if VisionOS is going to really take off for things like productiuvty, it needs a lot more than just Bluetooth and Wifi for I/O. My Macs regularly have devices plugged into every port, many of whuch are hubs and adapters to reach even more devices. I'd love to use a VisionPro or successor hardware to edit video or photos, but if the only way to get data to the device is the cloud, content creation is DOA. And even using it as an extension of your mac is only good enough for visual work if they can connect via TB. Wireless display streaming to work with RAW photos or 4k60+ ProRes or RAW video is just not going to be good enough. Personally, I feel the battery pack is too small and limited. Not by the two hour runtime (which is short, but not egregious for a heavy headset imo), but by the lack of IO. The connector should be handling at least an 8x PCIe/2 thunderbolt port datalink, and the battery pack should have at least 2 TB ports, ideally with an additional USB-C or magsafe just for power. And we should be able to buy more capable batteries as well, some with 10G ethernet and HDMI/Displayport in, or card readers, or built in expanded storage, or longer runtimes.

Third one seems like a physics problem. Even when some sort of "glasses frame" rather than "ski goggles" version launches, how do you record an actual video of yourself to use for facetime? A floating virtual bust is not it, and never will be, for FaceTime to be truly better in VisionOS than iOS, we need actual footage of the person we're talking to, ideally with the abilty to capture their full body, to place them next to you on the couch, or across from you at the table while you share a meal or film with someone you can't actaully be with in that moment. I don't know how to solve this-- ideas such as a super wide angle cameras and very smart 3d reconstruction or a camera drone/pylon you can place in front of you are far from ideal, but it's a problem someone must solve if Facetime in VisionOS is going to take off.

 

[MacWiz_007]

Oh please. If you really believed that, you wouldn't be starring at a screen and posting here. And what is so terrible about sitting in front of a screen and watching a movie? As life and society gets more complicated and dangerous, a little escapism can be a good and necessary thing.

I do believe it. Anyone who doesn't believe this hasn't been in public in the past oh, ten years. The younger the people are (in general) the more glued to screens they are. Escapism is one thing, outright addiction is another.

 

[Black Diesel]

Will you be able to screenshare from your Mac and control the software on it with hand gestures? For example, culling photos in Lightroom or Photo Mechanic? I would love to be able to lay on my back and cull photos for hours without kinking my neck to look at an iPad or laptop display on my lap. The goggles would need to enable me to use Lightroom or Photomechanic to do this.

 

[klasma]

I have no problems with wearing the goggles because Vision Pro appears to be very good.

Good to see sound logic in this thread.

 

[mattopotamus]

Tangentially, a wow factor doesn’t say much about a its usefulness and value, unless you primarily want to be wowed, even if you otherwise have not much use for it. Personally I prefer boring, but practical and effective tools that don’t get in the way, and that don’t unnecessarily draw one’s attention to them.

I think long term, if this was to eventually be in glasses form, practical use is very important. As it stands today, it better wow be at this price point. I actually am more interested in the wow factor because that is what would keep me using it. If movies are seriously as immersive as these first impressions suggest, I might consider buying it just for that. I have a home theater right now, and I would be super curious to see how this compares.

 

[crees!]

Is this a one device per user account or can it support multiple users?

 

[bigjnyc]

I do believe it. Anyone who doesn't believe this hasn't been in public in the past oh, ten years. The younger the people are (in general) the more glued to screens they are. Escapism is one thing, outright addiction is another.

You're really giving off this vibe in here

the world is changing. Things are not going to be the same as they were in yesteryear. devices are becoming more and more part of society and thats what the younger generation knows... I'm sure when you were young you did things that your grandfather found apalling, and wore/used things that looked weird to him. Times change get over it.

 

[persona1138]

My takeaways from the video:

- Dan admits to only having tried the Quest 2 (which retails for $300, as opposed to the Apple Vision Pro’s $3500), but elsewhere seems to compare the Vision Pro to “other headsets.”

First of all, I should hope that a $3500 headset is better than a $300 one. I expect that.

I would be personally interested in comparisons from people that have had experiences with higher-end headsets like the Valve Index ($1000), Quest Pro ($1000), or even Pimax. Those are more comparable products, in various ways.

Still, it’s encouraging to hear how - for a person like Dan who says he doesn’t really like VR in general - he feels like he would use the Apple Vision Pro much more.

- The external battery’s cord apparently “locks in” to the headset and is not magnetic. Which is good. You do a lot of arm waving in VR, and I was worried about knocking the cord out of the headset, which doesn’t sound like it has any chance of happening.

Also, the plug that goes into the battery pack itself is USB-C, so if you’re watching a movie that’s longer than the Vision Pro’s measly 2 hours of battery life, you CAN plug it into the wall. Though, I do worry about the length of the cord, in that case. And it severely limits your movement, theoretically… Especially if you’re multitasking and watching a movie while doing other things in the headset.

- Dan mentions the headset is still surprisingly heavy, even with the battery moved off the headset. (Mostly due to all the metal and glass and various components inside the headset itself.)

That’s disappointing.

He mentions the weight distribution is excellent. But honestly, I’ve experienced great weight distribution on other high-end headsets, as well. (Even ones WITH a battery like the Quest Pro.)

My hope was for this thing to be extremely light, because I hate the idea of the battery Fanny pack (but at least it would be, theoretically, much lighter)… Instead, it’s not.

- Dan didn’t try typing on a virtual keyboard. And admits to thinking that, if you’re going to type something long, it’s best to use an actual keyboard.

While basic navigation sounds intuitive and fluid, I’m still skeptical about the precision of the hand tracking (for things like virtual typing or especially any gaming… which he didn’t try.)

- The screens sound great. (I’m sure they are, at $3500.) I wonder how the refresh rate and field of view compare to higher-end headsets that I have, which is something not addressed in the video.

- All of the software experiences he described - while he was very, very positive about them - are things I’ve experienced for years now on other VR headsets. I’m sure those basic VR experiences are even better on the Apple Vision Pro (thanks to better screens, better tracking, etc.), but… I still wonder what’s UNIQUE about any of the software Apple has shown. (As of right now, it’s not unique at all.)

- FaceTime avatars with the headset look and sound creepy. Real uncanny valley territory. But I’d have to try it for myself.

- The headset will have various modular pieces so that it fits perfectly to your head.

On the one hand, that’s great! Because it will be a perfect fit for YOU.

On the other hand, this likely means that it will be very hard for friends to try mine (if I ever bought one).

Sure, you can go to an Apple Store and have a more personalized fitting experience there. But VR is often best to try at a friend’s house, in a more private, casual environment. Which doesn’t sound like it’s very possible.

When you buy an Apple Vision Pro, it’s really only made to fit YOU. No one else. (At least, that’s what it sounded like to me.)

- In short, while it’s nice to hear that it’s an excellent experience for what it is… All of my concerns about the Vision Pro - as a VR user and enthusiast myself - seem validated. Despite the positivity.

And while the experience of using the Apple Vision Pro may entice users that generally don’t like VR - which is a very good thing - you still run into that $3500 barrier of cost for anyone with a casual interest.

 

[klasma]

not for me... i assume you have the pro plan ?

If you’re on mobile, you need to switch Safari to Request Desktop Website. Then there’s “Show transcript” in the video’s “…” menu. This works for me without being signed in to YouTube.