Vision Pro and Flying

[OW22]

Working in the aviation industry, I can say with near certainty there is no way airlines will allow passengers to wear this headset for taxi, take-off and landing. They will insist on removal during taxi so as to pay attention to the safety demo (even though nobody does) and then at take-off and landing they won't allow you to wear this in case an emergency happens, and this headset blocks you from hearing or seeing instructions from the cabin crew.

In the cruise, no issue but with battery life of 2 hours, that's already an issue.

Plus, the other fact is you will look like **** wearing this imho it's another bulky item to pack into your carry-on.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Julien]

Well it is VR so just "create" an airplane trip and you can sit in first class and even open the passenger door on takeoff.

Why is 2 hours on 1 battery a big issue? If you can afford >$3,500 I'm sure you can pitch in another $50 for an extra battery or 2. Apple may even decide to make a larger optional battery sizes too. Also don't many airline seats offer USB power?

 

[MyRumors]

It will be strange in the beginning, and maybe have some inconvenience. But there will be bigger batteries and you can probably power from seat or use battery bank. 3rd parties will be all over this.

In the beginning, airlines will make sure people take them off, but at a certain point they may just let it slide, like with headphones during safety briefing.

It’s going to take some time, but society will adapt as always.

 

[ct2k7]

Wearing it during taxi, departure and landing wouldn't be advisable anyway: there's acclimatisation risks and personal injury risks during those phases.

 

[Rigby]

Working in the aviation industry, I can say with near certainty there is no way airlines will allow passengers to wear this headset for taxi, take-off and landing. They will insist on removal during taxi so as to pay attention to the safety demo (even though nobody does) and then at take-off and landing they won't allow you to wear this in case an emergency happens, and this headset blocks you from hearing or seeing instructions from the cabin crew.

So what? They don't allow passengers to use a laptop either during takeoff and landing.

In the cruise, no issue but with battery life of 2 hours, that's already an issue.

Most planes have power outlets in the seats these days.

Plus, the other fact is you will look like **** wearing this imho it's another bulky item to pack into your carry-on.

True, you'd look like a dork with your $3500 device on the face. At least at first. Maybe in ten years the planes will be full of zombies with headsets on.

Just some things to think about.

One potential positive I can think of besides watching movies: you could finally have some privacy to work on documents etc. without someone looking over your shoulder. And if you fly economy you'd no longer live in fear of the person in front of you suddenly reclining and crushing your laptop screen.

 

[jz0309]

Working in the aviation industry, I can say with near certainty there is no way airlines will allow passengers to wear this headset for taxi, take-off and landing. They will insist on removal during taxi so as to pay attention to the safety demo (even though nobody does) and then at take-off and landing they won't allow you to wear this in case an emergency happens, and this headset blocks you from hearing or seeing instructions from the cabin crew.

In the cruise, no issue but with battery life of 2 hours, that's already an issue.

Plus, the other fact is you will look like **** wearing this imho it's another bulky item to pack into your carry-on.

Just some things to think about.

so no different from say a laptop - is this really a big deal?

and regarding the "looks" - you'll get used to it ...

 

[chabig]

I work in the industry too. We'll follow whatever rules the FAA wants to enforce. If the FAA allows it, we'll allow it. But I agree with you about paying attention during safety briefings, takeoffs, and landings.

 

[JPack]

Why is 2 hours on 1 battery a big issue? If you can afford >$3,500 I'm sure you can pitch in another $50 for an extra battery or 2. Apple may even decide to make a larger optional battery sizes too. Also don't many airline seats offer USB power?

It's about not wanting to carry a few heavy batteries around your waist. Women aren't going to switch from skirts to cargo pants. And no, airline USB ports don't provide anything close to 30W of power.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I see it no different than using a laptop. Just slip in couple of extra battery packs in to the bag.

 

[Julien]

It's about not wanting to carry a few heavy batteries around your waist. Women aren't going to switch from skirts to cargo pants. And no, airline USB ports don't provide anything close to 30W of power.

Not meaning to sound like a smart a$$$ but if you are prepared to carry and deal with the large and heavy (relative to any extra battery) container that will probably be the size of a bowling ball bag that holds the Vision Pros then sticking an extra battery pack in the same container seems kinda small and trivial.

 

[JPack]

Not meaning to sound like a smart a$$$ but if you are prepared to carry and deal with the large and heavy (relative to any extra battery) container that will probably be the size of a bowling ball bag that holds the Vision Pros then sticking an extra battery pack in the same container seems kinda small and trivial.

Bowling ball bag? Apple designed all the components to be magnetically detached/attached. I would expect the Vision Pro case to be just a bit larger than an AirPods Max case.

If the batteries are 20,000 mAh (500g) each, it'll quickly add up if you want 6-8 hours of play.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

The device won’t prevent you from hearing others around you, anymore than headphones do right now. And depending on what you are engaged in, it won’t necessarily block out seeing the cabin crew. The representation of the user eyes sounds like it is automatic depending on proximity of another person, but maybe using the crown will allow for user “eyes” to show through. This may alleviate any issues the cabin crew might have.

 

[Mellofello808]

I wore a VR headset on an airplane all the way back in 2016 with no issues, besides looking like an idiot.

The bigger issue is that you get vertigo from the plane moving around.

 

[dugbug]

It's about not wanting to carry a few heavy batteries around your waist. Women aren't going to switch from skirts to cargo pants. And no, airline USB ports don't provide anything close to 30W of power.

Oh shees nobody will care what you do on a plane and taking the thing off for takeoff and landing is not going to matter. The battery packs were super light according to the folks that got the demo, take two and thats probably all you need.

but curious where you get the 30W number from. To my knowledge apple has not announced anything about power other than we have a battery pack or passthrough.

BUT... on the 30W number:
"Most power systems on airplanes are limited to 75 watts of power per seat"

Guide to Laptop Power Ports on Planes | SeatMaestro

Our guide to laptop power ports on planes can save your day if you need to know which airlines have chargers in each seat and what type of adapter you need.

www.seatmaestro.com

USBs are going to be 15W.

 

[JPack]

but curious where you get the 30W number from. To my knowledge apple has not announced anything about power other than we have a battery pack or passthrough.

BUT... on the 30W number:
"Most power systems on airplanes are limited to 75 watts of power per seat"

Guide to Laptop Power Ports on Planes | SeatMaestro

Our guide to laptop power ports on planes can save your day if you need to know which airlines have chargers in each seat and what type of adapter you need.

www.seatmaestro.com

USBs are going to be 15W.

30W is a guesstimate, based on M2 + R1 + OLED + active cooling. It's roughly what a MacBook Air draws.

75W if you bring a power brick. Most airlines don't offer USB-C with 15W charging.

My concern was do normal people want to carry all that on a plane, not what other passengers care about.

 

[Fumblerooskie]

Might be a bit nauseating during acceleration and turbulence, eh? I’d remove it for TO/LAND so I don’t impede my ability to egress during an emergency, no matter what the FA’s require. Self preservation and common sense.

 

[LiemTa]

Wearing it during taxi, departure and landing wouldn't be advisable anyway: there's acclimatisation risks and personal injury risks during those phases.

Not really. The risk is like 0.000000001%

 

[Ledgem]

30W is a guesstimate, based on M2 + R1 + OLED + active cooling. It's roughly what a MacBook Air draws.

Sure, but a MacBook Air has to power a much larger screen. Screen brightness massively impacts battery life. The Vision Pro doesn't need to fight with ambient lighting for brightness because the unit is designed to block out ambient light. The R1 chip and powering the sensors are unknowns for power draw but I'd be surprised if this is so power-hungry that it can't be powered off of an airplane outlet. Given their promotional video included someone on an airplane, I'm sure Apple has considered this as well.

 

[Longplays]

Working in the aviation industry, I can say with near certainty there is no way airlines will allow passengers to wear this headset for taxi, take-off and landing. They will insist on removal during taxi so as to pay attention to the safety demo (even though nobody does) and then at take-off and landing they won't allow you to wear this in case an emergency happens, and this headset blocks you from hearing or seeing instructions from the cabin crew.

In the cruise, no issue but with battery life of 2 hours, that's already an issue.

Plus, the other fact is you will look like **** wearing this imho it's another bulky item to pack into your carry-on.

Just some things to think about.

2020s models will likely face those challenges.

2030s models will likely automatically address them all and be compliant with IATA & FAA.

The $3499 pricing will limit it to 1st class and business class passengers anyways.

 

[ct2k7]

Not really. The risk is like 0.000000001%

I guess you haven’t had a speedy taxi come to an abrupt halt

 

[mattopotamus]

I see it no different than using a laptop. Just slip in couple of extra battery packs in to the bag.

or just plug it in....

 

[JPack]

Sure, but a MacBook Air has to power a much larger screen. Screen brightness massively impacts battery life. The Vision Pro doesn't need to fight with ambient lighting for brightness because the unit is designed to block out ambient light. The R1 chip and powering the sensors are unknowns for power draw but I'd be surprised if this is so power-hungry that it can't be powered off of an airplane outlet. Given their promotional video included someone on an airplane, I'm sure Apple has considered this as well.

It has about 6x the pixels as MacBook Air and each display can do 5,000 nits because it’s AR not pure VR. You can power it by outlet of course, but not a USB port on an airline.

 

[riverfreak]

Working in the aviation industry, I can say with near certainty there is no way airlines will allow passengers to wear this headset for taxi, take-off and landing. They will insist on removal during taxi so as to pay attention to the safety demo (even though nobody does) and then at take-off and landing they won't allow you to wear this in case an emergency happens, and this headset blocks you from hearing or seeing instructions from the cabin crew.

In the cruise, no issue but with battery life of 2 hours, that's already an issue.

Plus, the other fact is you will look like **** wearing this imho it's another bulky item to pack into your carry-on.

Just some things to think about.

Sure. Taxi / TO / Landing prohibitions are obvious.

Remember when the iPhone was released? The concept of airplane mode was alien. You had to explain it. Now it’s accepted and de rigeur to use your device through all stages of flight.

Surely you know that every seat has AC power, yes? At least for every flight I’ve been on for the past decade.

As for looking like an **** that clearly doesn’t deter most people getting on planes these days, most swaddled in sweatpants, flip flops, and carrying hamburgers.