Vision Pro Hands-On: Reviewers Comment on Weight, Disney+ Experience, Virtual Keyboard and More

[sphark]

I just don't think it solves or enhances anything we do in the workplace, no matter how many cases of air-editing or air-designing they can come up with.

As a lifestyle device, for consuming media, light gaming, for everything we do with iPads tho, sure why not.

Well just ONE of the use cases I’m looking forward to is a larger screen for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Photoshop, as I don’t have a 120” external monitor. If you don’t have a use case for it then don’t buy it

 

[NT1440]

Meaning: how often while using the Vision Pro do you need to type something in, and using the floating keyboard is enough of a pain point that you would rather use a hardware keyboard.

Say you’re just gonna browse the internet a bit, seems straightforward enough. But then maybe you want to post on the MacRumors forum, or comment in a YouTube video. Or you want to search for a particular phrase, and another, and another…

You may be underestimating just how much text input is used other than for “long form typing”, at least in frequency if not quantity. Try mimic the Vision Pro right now by doing what is described here: focus on each key (don’t forget the space bar and backspace) and then tap your fingers together. It’s not great.

Maybe you and I have a different pain threshold for input?

If I were doing any type of forum posting I’d definitely be using my phone or a keyboard. I’m not sure IF I were buying an AVP (I’m not) that I’d be doing a ton of input on it personally.

I have work mode, where it would be useful for multi monitor support off the computer (and therefore keyboard), and non work mode where maybe I browse some articles but rarely type.

Maybe that puts me as the odd man out? I use no social media whatsoever so I truly can’t tell you how much typing is involved there.

Again though, to my mind anything that can’t be adequately conveyed via dictation I’d already be reaching for a keyboard 🤷‍♂️

That is a good angle at it though that I didn’t think of though.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Use a camera to look at a screen with another screen! Yes. This seems very “Apple” to me.

It’s literally the first thing you have to do if you buy a brand new iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.
Match up the graphic on the new screen to the camera of the old phone or some such.
And that was first added in iOS 11, right around the time of AR Kit 1.0…
Definitely not a coincidence.

It’s cool to look back and see Apple clearly implementing features that were designed for the AVP over the last several years into iOS.
I wonder if FaceTime on the Apple TV is hinting that in visionOS 2.0 you’ll be able to use continuity camera with the headset instead of that stupid persona thing…

 

[Blackstick]

First minute of this clip sums up Vision Pro. "Too heavy on the head, too expensive..."

 

[NT1440]

The pass-thru clarity is almost real world quality. What if in the near future you can hold your iPhone and a keyboard pops up that allows you to type on it?

That’s exactly what the Apple TV does today, and Daring Fireball’s someone I read (forget his name) said in his first use of the device he could see his phone clearly. I need to go back and dig up where that was stated. I just assumed that iOS keyboard usage was already baked into the cake here?

 

[crsh1976]

Well just ONE of the use cases I’m looking forward to is a larger screen for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Photoshop, as I don’t have a 120” external monitor. If you don’t have a use case for it then don’t buy it

I'm not buying one, it's just odd how quickly some escalate this in a with us or against us standoff tho.

 

[spinedoc77]

Personally I think they’ve shown plenty of compelling use cases.
1) Utilize an effectively infinite number of floating displays, running multiple full-sized iOS and MacOS apps/games which are endlessly resizable and repositionable, in any room or while traveling.

2) Set up a standing/walking workspace that's not about rising desks or treadmills, but simply utilizing your whole space

3) View 3D assets (design prototypes, architecture, products, video game characters) in your space

4) Watch 180 Immersive Videos and 3D films in a virtual cinema, without 3D glasses that reduce clarity and brightness

5) Enjoy your photo library with 6-foot tall photos, wraparound panoramas, or 3D spatial home videos

6) Listen to Spatial Audio without headphones or earbuds

7) Replace your physical environment with a photorealistic nature environment to increase calm and focus

8) Rehearse a presentation in a virtual conference room or auditorium

9) Interact with your digital content without using controllers or physical input, e.g. while your hands are dirty cooking or doing repairs

10) Capture first-person, hands-free spatial video

11) View video conferencing participants life-size, with spatially-separated audio that makes it easier to parse crosstalk

12) Collaborate remotely, with participants' face and hands being present 3D in each other's spaces and thus able to gesticulate and reference digital content like you're physically together with a whiteboard

13) Adjust the lighting in your room, e.g. darken to focus on an image or presentation deck, or add more sunlight to improve your mood.

14) For the handicapped or others with mobility issues, control a computer with just your eyes

And which of those paradigms don't already exist to varying degrees with other VR headsets? I think that's the rub, sure we can spout off a ton of things VR is good for, but there isn't any new ground being covered here regardless of how shiny the package is. I'd rather some were honest and just said they wanted the absolute best VR headset out there regardless of price, nothing wrong with that.

 

[sphark]

I'm not buying one, it's just odd how quickly some escalate this in a with us or against us standoff tho.

I don't get it either. I also don't get all the negativity. People aren't even giving it a chance. No one thought the iPhone or iPad would be popular either. "What do you mean there's no keyboard?!"

 

[Patchwork]

Marques Brownlee on Twitter/X:

“First time I tried Vision Pro: Damn this display is amazing and the eye tracking is like magic and this feels very future and also it’s a little heavy

Second time: immersion factor is still so high. Special videos are hit or miss, you gotta get the distance right. And wow this thing is really, heavy, not sure how long I’d be able to wear this

Third time: Damn this thing is heavy. Also the typing experience is decent. There’s some new cool apps to check out. But wow. So heavy.”

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Clearly “regular people” are not going to use the Vision at all since Apple is effectively restricting production of the device to absurdly low levels. The only people who will get one are the rabid faithful.

…in 2024.

 

[sphark]

And which of those paradigms don't already exist to varying degrees with other VR headsets? I think that's the rub, sure we can spout off a ton of things VR is good for, but there isn't any new ground being covered here regardless of how shiny the package is. I'd rather some were honest and just said they wanted the absolute best VR headset out there regardless of price, nothing wrong with that.

I have the Quest 3 and while the pass-thru is good, it's kind of useless. The ONE AR game I tried was fun. One of the differences with the AVP is the quality of the pass-thru, and the resolution, which may make a world of difference. I think we just need to wait for apps... the Apple reputation and ecosystem may help them succeed here.

 

[Poot Windbreaker]

Flips open just fine...

View attachment 2337275

Ah yes, and who can forget the classic Trek episode where Kirk is stranded, shirtless, on a remote desert planet because he accidentally pressed his fingernail into his communicator (screen) a teensy bit too hard.

 

[spinedoc77]

I have the Quest 3 and while the pass-thru is good, it's kind of useless. The ONE AR game I tried was fun. One of the differences with the AVP is the quality of the pass-thru, and the resolution, which may make a world of difference. I think we just need to wait for apps... the Apple reputation and ecosystem may help them succeed here.

No argument there, but it's just an improvement on an existing feature, not a revolutionary new paradigm.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The stock strap that comes with the Quest is awful too. Once you get a strap that goes over the head it’s comfortable. At least Apple includes it in the box, unlike Meta

For $3499 it would be inexcusable if they didn’t.
256 gb is inexcusable already, even if most people won’t ever fill it.

 

[spinedoc77]

Ah yes, and who can forget the classic Trek episode where Kirk is stranded, shirtless, on a remote desert planet because he accidentally pressed his fingernail into his communicator (screen) a teensy bit too hard.

Or the episode when he realizes it's actually more durable than most think, it ends up saving the entire crew's life because when closed it was resistant to the M-113 creature's talons, and when open still worked perfectly.

 

[sphark]

For $3499 it would be inexcusable if they didn’t.
256 gb is inexcusable already, even if most people won’t ever fill it.

Most current VR experiences just aren't that big. I have 256GB for my Quest 3, a TON of games, and have hardly touched the storage. I agree they could have started at 512GB, but I guess we'll see what the true storage needs are. I have a suspicion they're trying to sway people towards purchasing iCloud storage.

 

[Poot Windbreaker]

Maybe to you, not to me.

Let’s change the definitions of words, just so we can be “right”. Maybe you’re onto something; there will be less strife in the world if we can each just make up our own language.

 

[Supercyborgninja]

Right especially after such an “orchestrated” demo. That’s pretty sad. This really is a product in desperate/ pathetic search of a problem.

lol?

It’s fair to laugh at it and say this is an insane product at that price. Or it’s even a beta or dumb.

But to say it’s a solution looking for a problem is a wild take if you call yourself a technologist.

The goal for them is to slowly slim it down to glasses that don’t need an iPhone. That’s been known for like 5+ years now.

 

[Rogifan]

This is what Tim Cook thinks is the future. God help us all.

M.G. Siegler says the vibe of this product launch reads a total lack of confidence. Sort of get it out there and see what happens. I think that’s a tough sell for something so expensive. Putting it out there and saying ‘ok buyers you come up with use cases’ is not a great strategy. All the reviews agree on one thing: it’s heavy. How long will people use it if it’s heavy and sweaty?

 

[mry110]

This could do everything perfectly and y’all would still find something to complain about… and you haven’t even tried it. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. There… Saved you a bunch of complaining.

I am going to go out on a limb and say a vast majority of the complaint threads are from people that can't afford it.

 

[sphark]

This is what Tim Cook thinks is the future. God help us all.
View attachment 2337351

Have you not seen an AR/VR headset before? In 5 years this will be half the size, half the weight, and half the price.

 

[Born Again]

Heavy. And heavy.

Where are those guys that said this was going to be a hit?!

 

[contacos]

Personally I think they’ve shown plenty of compelling use cases.
1) Utilize an effectively infinite number of floating displays, running multiple full-sized iOS and MacOS apps/games which are endlessly resizable and repositionable, in any room or while traveling.

2) Set up a standing/walking workspace that's not about rising desks or treadmills, but simply utilizing your whole space

3) View 3D assets (design prototypes, architecture, products, video game characters) in your space

4) Watch 180 Immersive Videos and 3D films in a virtual cinema, without 3D glasses that reduce clarity and brightness

5) Enjoy your photo library with 6-foot tall photos, wraparound panoramas, or 3D spatial home videos

6) Listen to Spatial Audio without headphones or earbuds

7) Replace your physical environment with a photorealistic nature environment to increase calm and focus

8) Rehearse a presentation in a virtual conference room or auditorium

9) Interact with your digital content without using controllers or physical input, e.g. while your hands are dirty cooking or doing repairs

10) Capture first-person, hands-free spatial video

11) View video conferencing participants life-size, with spatially-separated audio that makes it easier to parse crosstalk

12) Collaborate remotely, with participants' face and hands being present 3D in each other's spaces and thus able to gesticulate and reference digital content like you're physically together with a whiteboard

13) Adjust the lighting in your room, e.g. darken to focus on an image or presentation deck, or add more sunlight to improve your mood.

14) For the handicapped or others with mobility issues, control a computer with just your eyes

No hate but I can already do all that on my 550€ Meta Quest 3. You are basically paying 3k extra for better pass through image quality, which I honestly never use on mine cuz the point for me is to actually escape from my room 😅 if I wanted to see the real world, I wouldn’t put on a somewhat heavy headset in the first place

 

[Born Again]

I am going to go out on a limb and say a vast majority of the complaint threads are from people that can't afford it.

They hate it because they ain’t it.

Are you getting one?

 

[sphark]

No hate but I can already do all that on my 550€ Meta Quest 3. You are basically paying 3k extra for better pass through image which I honestly never use on mine cuz the point for me is to actually escape from my room 😅 if I wanted to see the real world, I wouldn’t out on a somewhat heavy headset

I feel like the AVP has to be better for movies. Also, won't it be able to do AAA games better than the Quest? It's an M2 chip vs Snapdragon.