Vision Pro Reviews: Surprising Battery Life, 'Weird' Personas, and More

[iBluetooth]

How would this be for writing code, as an external monitor?

 

[DMG35]

I think everyone can agree on one thing, you look like an absolute moron wearing this thing.

 

[xDKP]

I think Apple was better off waiting a few years to make a blockbuster, TRUE game changing device like how the original iPhone or MacBook Air was. The AVP just seems like something created just to say they have a new item in their catalogue and is still quite unpolished. -shrugs-

Would say the biggest draw back is Joannas take "It has all the "features" of a gen1 product. It's super heavy, super expensive, terrible battery life and gets too warm and limited apps"

 

[Woyzeck]

Maybe I'm too old now but I just don't see the use case for such a device and the price tag is prohibitive for large parts of Apple's core market.
No one will want to wear a mask for an extended period as a replacement for screens, as it's bulky, cumbersome and makes you look like an idiot. Adding to that is the implications with eye fatique, sweating etc.

And why would I want to watch a video with this ? Perhaps gaming, but that's not an Apple thing.

 

[frou]

Good lord, if you wear this massive contraption to prepare and cook a meal in the kitchen you look like the ultimate nerd bozo.

 

[RSB96]

Honestly, after seeing the reviews, the device leaves me just as indifferent as when it came out.

I have no doubt that technically it is impressive, although it has certain limitations that other of its rivals do not have, such as the viewing angle, which seems quite reduced in the Apple ones compared to the Quest.

The technology they carry is impressive, but I agree with The Verge's review: all the good things they have outweigh the technical and "social" drawbacks? Not in my opinion.

In the end it looks like a $3500 device that is only good for watching movies alone and extending your Mac screen.

The EyeSight looks sinister, as do the Personas.

The battery lasts 2.5 hours at most, otherwise you have to be plugged into an AC outlet all the time.

It's a heavy, underbalanced machine, so the weight falls solely on the front. Also, it seems to get quite warm.

Honestly, all the first generations of something from Apple are limited, the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple Watch... but they had a real utility. The first one was a device that connected you to the internet and was an easy to use pocket-sized "mini-PC" that you could operate with your fingers. The Apple Watch helps you with your physical activity and besides telling the time it "detaches" you from your phone to see notifications, calls or pay with Apple Pay.

The iPad, perhaps in its first generation, wasn't quite sure what it was going to be either. It was always said to be a big iPhone, and now it is a limited "Mac". We'll see what these glasses turn out to be, but for now I'm staying away (although in Europe you can't buy them yet).

 

[Gears]

So much they can do to get the price down.


Get rid of the glass thing on the front, pointless!

Make it plastic which is cheaper and also make it lighter

Get rid of the battery pack and just put a cable ending in a USB C so any battery can be used which most have lying about

Get rid of the power brick

Get rid of the accessories

 

[arkitect]

Putting aside the question of if this technology will enhance our private / work lives, my concerns are:

1. Eye strain. Where exactly are we focusing? At least one reviewer mentioned how their eyes felt defocussed and blurred after a spell using the AVP. What are the longer term consequences?

2. Ergonomics implications. Weight on your head leading to bad posture and neck/spine issues. Sure when you're 20 something and all gung ho devil may care about your future health, these little chickens come home to roost when you get into middle age.

These are not to be dismissed lightly.

 

[tekipaki]

My takeaway from the first round of Apple-approved reviews: if this is the best they can do to hype up the AVP, then the average Joe consumer reviews we’ll be seeing drop in a few days will be even less enthusiastic and the amount of orders being returned is going to be astronomical. There’s just no reason to keep it once the “wow” factors wears off, which will be very, very quick.

My prediction is that we will not be seeing a yearly upgrade path for the AVP. It will drop off the radar for a few years, until Apple can reinvent it as something significantly different from its current form.

 

[DeepWebinar]

if you bought one you’re a mark

 

[cjbryce]

It's not for me, because $$$ and use case, but I can see AVP being a roaring success with designers, architects, engineers, scientists, medics, and the entertainment industry (e.g. https://thewaroftheworldsimmersive.com/).

I can also see the potential for remote diagnostics in many, many fields. For example imagine the ability for a far-east based nuclear expert to be "in the room" with a technician in a power station in Germany or the US, or an onshore engineer being able to virtually inspect a problematic component on an offshore rig.

I suspect that app developers are already working hard on this.

 

[klasma]

Like I want to know if the cable can be removed from the battery entirely, and be connected to some kind of extension cable directly to the power brick.

It can’t. It's fixed on purpose so that it can't accidentally disconnect, which would be very dangerous depending on the situation.

But you can attach an extension cable to the battery.

 

[frou]

The Personas look like they work well to me. If you expect perfect photorealism then it's a foregone conclusion that you're going to be disappointed.

 

[Gears]

They have a long way to go before they start stealing Quest customers. Makes Quest 3 look like a bargain!

 

[DeepWebinar]

this thing is so excessive and pointless and stupid, i’m obsessed. i can’t believe we’re getting a flop this hard this late in the game. this is beautiful, thank you apple for this idiotic masterpiece.

 

[cardfan]

I think Keynote was a great demo of what this device should be. And that’s as a companion device to elevate experiences.

You’re working on a Keynote on your Mac. And when you want to practice your presentation you can put on your Vision Pro and place yourself in a theatre.

If you see the device as a companion you would use for short periods rather than the whole ‘era of spacial computing’ do everything computer that Apple has attempted to market it begins to make more sense.

So like an iPad basically. Well it is iPad vr. And you need your own Mac to make that Mac screen work.

But do I need a companion device that costs more than my primary ones? Also comes with a 200
Dollar beach ball travel case.

 

[klasma]

The Verge review said it was limited to a single 2460x1440 Mac display. Which, being less than my Mac's native display, would remove most of my reason for wanting the AVP. I can only hope that Spoonauer is right and Patel is wrong.

The Mac sees it as a 5K display, but (a) the logical resolution is 2:1 QHD (1440p), and (b) the 5K gets downscaled to 4K-ish via AirPlay (per The Verge's review article). This means the screen real-estate (UI size) is as for a 1440p display, and the resolution is a 5K downscaled to 4K then 3D-projected onto the AVPs displays.

Reading between the lines of some of the reviews, I'm not expecting the eye tracking to be precise enough to put a cursor between two letters while editing, which seems a shame, but at least the trackpad on the Mac should still work normally.

My understanding is that the eye-tracking doesn't work at all within the mirrored Mac screen. You have to use the Mac's input methods. The AVP is really just mirroring the screen (and audio). The Mac isn’t receiving any input from the AVP.

 

[arkitect]

Good lord, if you wear this massive contraption to prepare and cook a meal in the kitchen you look like the ultimate nerd bozo.

When I saw that cooking demo and she was cutting up the onions, I cringed. Just waiting for a mishap.
We take our ability to judge these kind of actions by the millimetre… and now viewing it through camera lenses?

I don't know, but speaking for myself, cooking and prep is the last area I'd want to use an AVP in.
Sharp knives, flames, super hot surfaces, steam and smoke…

And once it's out there some person will chop their finger and there will be blood… and lawyers all over it.

 

[cardfan]

Maybe I'm too old now but I just don't see the use case for such a device and the price tag is prohibitive for large parts of Apple's core market.
No one will want to wear a mask for an extended period as a replacement for screens, as it's bulky, cumbersome and makes you look like an idiot. Adding to that is the implications with eye fatique, sweating etc.

And why would I want to watch a video with this ? Perhaps gaming, but that's not an Apple thing.

Videos or immersion experiences make more sense. I don’t get the gaming. Never wanted to be part of the game.

 

[Rogifan]

John Gruber’s review was mostly positive but he did say this:

Second is the fact that Vision Pro is heavy. I’ve used it for hours at a time without any discomfort, but fatigue does set in, from the weight alone. You never forget that you’re wearing it. Related to Vision Pro’s weight is the fact that it’s quite large. It’s a big-ass pair of heavy goggles on your face. There’s nothing subtle about it — either from your first-person perspective wearing it, or from the third-person perspective of someone else looking at you while you wear it.

This is why VP will be nothing more than a niche product. I am surprised Apple is running commercials for it during the NFL playoffs. The commercials are definitely targeted to the average consumer but they’re not going to be buying this.

Gruber also shared a photo of the EyeSight camera. My prediction is it will be the first thing Apple ditches to bring down cost and reduce weight.

 

[cardfan]

Good lord, if you wear this massive contraption to prepare and cook a meal in the kitchen you look like the ultimate nerd bozo.

Many seem consumed with what you’ll look like wearing goggles. Or qtips in ears. Remember the ones wearing one bt earset.

lol. We’re finding out Monday what it’s like to show up in class wearing these. My daughter is willing to take up the cause and looking for views. She’s a senior in high school taking classes at community college. Philosophy and intro to speech.

 

[Rogifan]

I think everyone can agree on one thing, you look like an absolute moron wearing this thing.

Which is why we haven’t seen one Apple executive wearing it.

 

[gpat]

Just give me a "Vision Air" solely to be used as a monitor for my Macbook.
Can't see utility in any other app. The deepfake Facetime borders on creepy, and taking pictures wearing this thing won't be appealing even in 1000 years.

 

[cardfan]

John Gruber’s review was mostly positive but he did say this:



This is why VP will be nothing more than a niche product. I am surprised Apple is running commercials for it during the NFL playoffs. The commercials are definitely targeted to the average consumer but they’re not going to be buying this.

Gruber also shared a photo of the EyeSight camera. My prediction is it will be the first thing Apple ditches to bring down cost and reduce weight.

View attachment 2343404

All the reviewers say this. It’s the consistent message. You’ll notice the weight. Can’t wear long. Soreness. Headache. Etc. That kinda gets in the way of being productive or watching a movie but what do I know.

 

[iamasmith]

I'm beginning to wonder about the limits of this having watched a few of the reaction videos, particularly from iJustine where she mentioned looking around and eye strain.
Assuming that what is projected to you is based on the field depth of the cameras there will be things from the real world around you that may not be within the range of the cameras and your eyes will naturally try their best to focus on these things which they will never be able to do. It's not a new problem, you get the same thing with 3D movies and some of them have gotten to the point of doing full CGI to remove more of the field depth effects to avoid this which is something that generated scenes that Vision Pro could offer but I really wonder what happens if you try to use Vision Pro with a an expansive area in the direction you are looking through.
I think it may be a while before we get an exact handle on these things and how Apple may be tackling it.