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WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'
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It needs to be about have the weight, half the bulk, and most importantly, half the price.
Put an M4 in there with at least 24GB of DRAM, start at 512GB of storage and most of all Apple has to lead by example and move all its apps to native VisionOS apps, not glorified iPad apps. Tim Cook’s singular drive to squeeze as much profit out of the iPhone turnip to the exclusion of everything else (Watch, AirPods especially) has taken a toll on the “innovation” that Apple employees can come up with if they are allowed to exercise their minds.
Put an M4 in there with at least 24GB of DRAM, start at 512GB of storage and most of all Apple has to lead by example and move all its apps to native VisionOS apps, not glorified iPad apps. Tim Cook’s singular drive to squeeze as much profit out of the iPhone turnip to the exclusion of everything else (Watch, AirPods especially) has taken a toll on the “innovation” that Apple employees can come up with if they are allowed to exercise their minds.
I still want one. The used price for these things on FB Marketplace is around $2,000-2,500 depending on the seller. It's still more than I want to pay for one of these things, but if they fall to the $1,500 mark I might bite. It's about what I paid for the original Oculus Rift back in the day (although that included a new Alienware gaming rig).
I am a big fan of VR/AR, but the truth is I have a Meta Quest 3 and a PSVR2 (Gran Turismo) and don't use them much either. Games and experiences are fun, then it just sits for a while. I played Half-Life Alyx on it (via PC link) and it remains the benchmark experience and the only VR "killer app". Then again Vision Pro doesn't have controllers - oops Apple..oops.
I am a big fan of VR/AR, but the truth is I have a Meta Quest 3 and a PSVR2 (Gran Turismo) and don't use them much either. Games and experiences are fun, then it just sits for a while. I played Half-Life Alyx on it (via PC link) and it remains the benchmark experience and the only VR "killer app". Then again Vision Pro doesn't have controllers - oops Apple..oops.
I think it has more to do with the implementation and an apparent failure to build out the ecosystem to encourage mass adoption of the platform amongst developers.
I haven't used my Quest 2 in a year either but at least I only paid $300 for it.
Probably this and I think thermals is an issue too. The VP has fans and fans don’t do well in pockets.
It's the classic chicken or the egg question, the user base isn't where it needs to be to attract content makers and app developers to invest in it - and Apple clearly isn't doing enough. An immersive movie or two here, an ad and some PR there isn't enough to convince anyone this is a viable ecosystem.
I don't know if Apple was caught off guard that their latest product didn't take off solely based on hype and brand power, but clearly that was not enough - perhaps they needed to reassess shortcomings and adjust next steps, but in typical Apple fashion (nowadays) it's taking them way too long to react.
This article is low hanging fruit click generation silliness. Of course some people got it and dont like it.
Lots of people (like me) got it and love it.
Do the majority regret it? Now that would be an interesting study and data.
Lots of people (like me) got it and love it.
Do the majority regret it? Now that would be an interesting study and data.
The web browser was compelling, but it was also frustrating, as Apple decided not to support Adobe Flash, and that was a popular add on required by many websites at the time. It could be argued that Apple effectively killed Flash, or at least hastened its demise, and it could be argued that it was a good thing. But the first gen iPhone had some baffling omissions. I wouldn't call mobile Safari a killer app, because we HAD much better browsers that ran on desktops and laptops.
The iPad didn't have a killer app. It was just a bigger iPhone without the phone. It weighed as much as a Vision Pro.
Don't get me wrong. I was drawn to the first iPhone and I bought it close to day one. I loved it so much that when I lost it (I think I dropped it in a lake) I bought another one to replace it. I was drawn to the first iPad and I bought it on day one. The fact that it was a bigger iPhone WAS the draw.
I was drawn to the Vision Pro for spatial computing. A year and change later and I'm still drawn to spatial computing. I use it every day, even though spatial computing has a ways to go. I can't wait to see the next steps Apple announces this summer.
I am not sure about the comment regarding development focus. Was it not the case that the company focused its effort on AI, thinking it was going to be a game changer, rather than specifically focusing on the iPhone?
You’re right, a $3,500 product is for the mass market and is not a niche product.
This isn't how you launch niche products
"The Vision Pro debuted with high visibility, including a flagship store event in New York City attended by Apple CEO Tim Cook."
Stop trying to retcon this.
Apple flopped here. It's ok.
What they do next is what matters.
I wonder how many, if any, businesses gave the product a try after looking at some of the launch presentations suggesting business use cases.
Not me. I already had a purpose for it when considering buying it. And it’s outlived and surpassed my expectations. It helps me get work done while on the road while having total privacy.
I didn’t buy it primarily to play games, although I will as soon as I have time.
I didn’t buy it primarily to play games, although I will as soon as I have time.
The other problem for the AVP is where is the future market? At this point if you want/wanted an AVP you have it. No one is really at this point on the fence about whether to pick one up. Since this isn't like an iPhone or MacBook Pro where there is a new iteration coming out every year, this isn't the type of product that is going to see much future market growth. That's what Apple is making an updated version with only existing surplus parts. Even Apple isn't going to create an entirely new AVP device.
Which brings us to the point of where is all this going. While I don't necessarily believe that Apple is going to completely abandon the AVP, I think we're going to reach a point where the people that are willing to spend this much on a virtual reality device will have already done so.
At that point the device will become more of a built when you order it device, well it kind of already is and we will see very small updates and improvements over time.
I predict the market for the AVP is going to get smaller and it really could just find a home in the videophile community for people who want to watch fully immersive 3D movies and content, but not much else.
Which brings us to the point of where is all this going. While I don't necessarily believe that Apple is going to completely abandon the AVP, I think we're going to reach a point where the people that are willing to spend this much on a virtual reality device will have already done so.
At that point the device will become more of a built when you order it device, well it kind of already is and we will see very small updates and improvements over time.
I predict the market for the AVP is going to get smaller and it really could just find a home in the videophile community for people who want to watch fully immersive 3D movies and content, but not much else.
It's the resources that were allowed to bloom on this project that have been repurposed to save the Siri improvement. Having all your eggs in one basket is always a bad strategy.
..and the people that I personally know that bought one had lots of regrets and end up selling them. Does their experience mean you are full of sh*t?
It's not all about you.
The 3DTV market basically ... (now gone)
We’ll see if VisionOS 3 brings something new to the table on June 9, version 2 was basically just a proper 1.0 with little to nothing worthwhile being added
I think even people like me who are positive about this thing need to be honest and admit it certainly wasn’t an overnight revolution like original iPhone was
You had to be there to get it, nowadays it just feels like smartphones are boring but at the time the iPhone basically kickstarted an entire industry despite being a very expensive gadget only a few people could afford*
This kind of thing just did not happen with Vision Pro. Sure it’s not a one-to-one comparison, 4K is much harder to justify than 600 dollars but you also have to remember that the iPhone was so captivating created a whole new platform for devs before it even had an official SDK just because it had such compelling form factor and software
The Apple Vision Pro got a few influencers to act like jackasses and use it in public for a few weeks for the memes and that’s it
It’s even more worrying that unlike the iPhone which was just launched as a standalone product the Apple Vision Pro launched with the ambition to create a whole new platform and has objectively failed
When the App Store became a thing big companies like AOL (yes it was big at the time lmao) were rushing to get their apps on iPhone, fast forward to today and both YouTune and Netflix are just saying “nah we’re good” and I seriously doubt it’s just because the Vision Pro is expensive
The platform as a whole had a huge challenge in the form of how much of a commitment you have to do in order to engage with it.
A smartphone you can literally pick up and use at any point with little to no friction, with the Vision Pro you have to make a commitment to sit down and strap on this very clunky piece of equipment to your head while potentially suffer physically from it in order to use a platform that while very cool has little to no productivity apps to offer you
Hell, even a computer, the oldest platform in the race is more frictionless - you just sit down and use it
As much as I scoff and roll my eyes at how downright giddy some people here are to see the Apple Vision Pro (allegedly) crashing and burning I think we need to be honest and realize the AVP and “Spatial Computing” as a whole have serious challenges that Apple has failed to clear
This is just my opinion but I seriously doubt that even if the AVP came out with a reasonable price tag things would have played out differently
Like if they just removed eyesight or whatever is making the thing so damn expensive and release it for like 2000 dollars it was still gonna be a product that struggles to justify its existence and it’s all because the platform itself is struggling to - it’s simply not offering a better way to do anything other than just watching movies on the Moon (which to be fair it’s an incredibly cool thing to do)
I think it’s very telling this thing is still not available worldwide, that’s perhaps as close as we’ll get to Apple admitting things didn’t work out
Correct me if I’m wrong but there’s not a single product in the history of modern Apple that was still not available globally well over its second year of existence
*at least until the price cuts
I think even people like me who are positive about this thing need to be honest and admit it certainly wasn’t an overnight revolution like original iPhone was
You had to be there to get it, nowadays it just feels like smartphones are boring but at the time the iPhone basically kickstarted an entire industry despite being a very expensive gadget only a few people could afford*
This kind of thing just did not happen with Vision Pro. Sure it’s not a one-to-one comparison, 4K is much harder to justify than 600 dollars but you also have to remember that the iPhone was so captivating created a whole new platform for devs before it even had an official SDK just because it had such compelling form factor and software
The Apple Vision Pro got a few influencers to act like jackasses and use it in public for a few weeks for the memes and that’s it
It’s even more worrying that unlike the iPhone which was just launched as a standalone product the Apple Vision Pro launched with the ambition to create a whole new platform and has objectively failed
When the App Store became a thing big companies like AOL (yes it was big at the time lmao) were rushing to get their apps on iPhone, fast forward to today and both YouTune and Netflix are just saying “nah we’re good” and I seriously doubt it’s just because the Vision Pro is expensive
The platform as a whole had a huge challenge in the form of how much of a commitment you have to do in order to engage with it.
A smartphone you can literally pick up and use at any point with little to no friction, with the Vision Pro you have to make a commitment to sit down and strap on this very clunky piece of equipment to your head while potentially suffer physically from it in order to use a platform that while very cool has little to no productivity apps to offer you
Hell, even a computer, the oldest platform in the race is more frictionless - you just sit down and use it
As much as I scoff and roll my eyes at how downright giddy some people here are to see the Apple Vision Pro (allegedly) crashing and burning I think we need to be honest and realize the AVP and “Spatial Computing” as a whole have serious challenges that Apple has failed to clear
This is just my opinion but I seriously doubt that even if the AVP came out with a reasonable price tag things would have played out differently
Like if they just removed eyesight or whatever is making the thing so damn expensive and release it for like 2000 dollars it was still gonna be a product that struggles to justify its existence and it’s all because the platform itself is struggling to - it’s simply not offering a better way to do anything other than just watching movies on the Moon (which to be fair it’s an incredibly cool thing to do)
I think it’s very telling this thing is still not available worldwide, that’s perhaps as close as we’ll get to Apple admitting things didn’t work out
Correct me if I’m wrong but there’s not a single product in the history of modern Apple that was still not available globally well over its second year of existence
*at least until the price cuts
No, people fall for Apple’s marketing and think they’ll get used to it with time or that the software ecosystem will improve substantially.
Apple marketed it as “family dad recording his child’s birthday party with it”, not as an early-adopter tech nerd product.
I don't know. I feel regret as much as disappointment. I was really hoping Apple would step up their game on it. We will see what VisionOS 3 brings. The first few iPhoneOS releases were huge when the iPhone first came out, same with the watch; I expect to see the same kind of big changes made to VisionOS.