Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I called it. Imagine the billions I could have saved Apple. Steve would have never shipped this product.
Stop with the Steve would never non-sense. Steve Jobs had things that did not sell well, the G4 Cube, iPod Hi-Fi... just to name a few.
 
Stop with the Steve would never non-sense. Steve Jobs had things that did not sell well, the G4 Cube, iPod Hi-Fi... just to name a few.

I really do think this is a product he would not have let release. There’s a difference between not selling well and just being half cooked.

The AVP is half cooked
 
  • Like
Reactions: platinumaqua
Concept is brilliant. Foundational technology works. Execution on apps and ergonomics are lacking. Ergonomics part is a technology limited that will be eventually be fixed (~ 1.4nm chips?), but the apps is truly puzzling. How come Apple fail to port even their own apps to the platform? How about even the basics like Maps? Pages? Numbers? Reminders? Calendar? ...
 
What can you do with this device? You cannot work like you do with a laptop (more confortable and with more precision for writing, drawing, etc.) and you cannot consume movies, music, etc. because it is not confortable. So...

Sounds like you have not really used VP beyond a short trial.

For me the first few days were so uncomfortable that I dismissed using solo-band altogether. After few weeks of dual-band use I tried the solo-band again and learned to use it properly. Now it is sufficiently comfortable to 8h+ sessions.

VP is amazing for creating a productivity space, where you can focus on a task. The idea of virtual environments feels silly, but they actually work in setting up a calm workspace. For me it usually using Mac with a large virtual display, but for reading, creative writing, emails, ... you can do without. Here I see the largest gap: apps on VP are unfortunately as limited as they are on iPad.

For movies/tv VP is unparalleled experience. Nothin else comes even close.
 
the resolution of the cameras for passthrough as well as the screens is still too low to serve as a fully fledged external monitor replacement for serious work.

I use both Apple XDR (6k) screen and AVP for "serious work". Each has its pros and cons.

If I would be on market today or needed to only choose one, I would take AVP.
 
That really isn't the impression one gets from reading this piece from back around launch time.


Exactly.

I'm still amused at their original sales pitch for Vision Pro, that it's a computer that's always there and which you wear all the time, like your phone. Who would've thought that it was a good idea? Showing father talking to a kid while wearing the glasses?

It obviously should've been pitched as an entertainment device and as a pro device for specific use cases (akin to HoloLens), but definitely not this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 01cowherd
Anyone who was around then and in the market wouldn't even be asking this question.

An iPod, a Phone, and an Internet Communicator...

An iPod, a Phone, and an Internet Communicator...


Are you getting it?

These are not three separate devices...

This is one device...

And we are calling it "iPhone"



View attachment 2511313
I remember people making confused noises at "Internet Communicator", but that's the most used feature of the iPhone today.
 
The problem I've seen is Apple thinks AR is great...

It requires you to hold something in front of your face for long periods of time and move your hand around.

Now they want you strap a device on your face.

What generally is disconcerting...is these devices and experiences are not made for long term use and do not enhance our lives in any meaningful way. They're just a dongle for real life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbineseaplane
I'm still enjoying my AVP. I basically use it everywhere I would've used my iPad or a MacBook in the past. But then again, I do a lot of research and writing so it's just like carrying around a MacBook and a few external displays.

My co-workers think it's neat, and I've never been made fun of for using it. But I guess everyone is different.

If I had any regrets it's just that I wasn't in a strong enough financial position when I bought it so I went through a few months of pinching pennies after getting it. I did feel like a fool when I couldn't afford even the smallest food luxuries, but that's behind me now. The Belkin head strap took care of the weight problem, and I found that a mophie external battery I already owned when plugged into the AVP would basically give me like a 4.5 hour runtime which fixed any charge anxiety when I'm working out of a coffee shop.

Certainly understand the people who have regrets, but I like it. 😁
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bromeo
You mean when it's used it's not worth as much as when it was new? ahh. boo hoo.
 
AVP owners - total regret
iPhone 16 owners - total regret
older iPhones owners waiting for apple intelligence- total regret

im sensing a theme
 
Would've been more interesting to have also interviewed power users, and had them explain how they use it. People buy Apple Watches, and iPad and never use them, then there are those who can't live without them. I'm not saying the Apple Vision Pro is on that level, especially since Apple treats them like the first Apple TV, a hobby. This article just doesn't give a well rounded viewpoint of the device, in my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bromeo
Would've been more interesting to have also interviewed power users, and had them explain how they use it. People buy Apple Watches, and iPad and never use them, then there are those who can't live without them. I'm not saying the Apple Vision Pro is on that level, especially since Apple treats them like the first Apple TV, a hobby. This article just doesn't give a well rounded viewpoint of the device, in my opinion.

It is possible, percentage wise, that there simply aren't many AVP users, fans, power users, to be interviewed.

I’m also not sure that’s as interesting of a story as a high profile flop from Apple.
 
I'm not surprised by these results. I did an in-store demo and while cool, I could not imagine using that headset for more than about 15 minutes at a time.
All these systems are doomed to fail in the mainstream until they’re light enough that you can put them in your pocket. I love my Quest 3, but it’s not the future in its current design.
 
  • Like
Reactions: turbineseaplane
Ok, dude is wearing this out in public and wonders why he getting ignored?!

The year is 2025, not Cyberpunk 2077!
 
Not wearing it because of dirty looks from people? Get over yourself!
 


Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal.

vision-pro-video-recording.jpg

In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by The Wall Street Journal, early buyers of the Vision Pro reported that the device now sits largely unused due to a range of practical issues. Dustin Fox, a real estate agent in Centreville, Virginia, said:



He explained that he was initially drawn to the device's novelty and potential productivity benefits, but found the physical experience of wearing the headset unsustainable for extended sessions. The Vision Pro weighs approximately 600 to 650 grams (1.3 to 1.4 pounds), depending on the light seal and headband configuration. This is considerably heavier than typical head-mounted consumer electronics, and the front-heavy distribution has become a recurring complaint.

Tovia Goldstein, a 24-year-old based in New York City, said that his experience watching content on the headset was also limited by discomfort and an insufficient number of apps to make it worthwhile.



When he retrieves the device to investigate any new apps that have been added to the visionOS App Store, he noted the lengthy startup time as a deterrent, citing the need to connect the external battery and wait several minutes before the device is ready to use.

The Vision Pro debuted with high visibility, including a flagship store event in New York City attended by Apple CEO Tim Cook. In the weeks following the launch, users were spotted wearing the headset in public spaces such as malls, restaurants, and sports events, but several buyers said that public enthusiasm quickly diminished.



Fox said that he considered selling his Vision Pro, but resale values had fallen significantly below the original price.

Another early adopter, Anshel Sag, a technology analyst based in San Diego, used the Vision Pro for inflight entertainment but eventually abandoned it due to social discomfort and practicality issues.



The Vision Pro's travel case, sold separately for $199, is also large; it measures in at roughly 12 inches by 9 inches by 6.5 inches.

Anthony Racaniello, a media studio operator from Philadelphia, attempted to use the headset in the workplace and during air travel but experienced both social alienation and practical challenges. During one nearly six-hour flight, he said a flight attendant ignored him during beverage service.



He later sold his Vision Pro for $1,900 — a 46% loss from the original purchase price — and said he did not miss it.



Yam Olisker, a 20-year-old YouTuber from Israel, flew to New York to purchase the Vision Pro at launch and obtained Tim Cook's signature on both his iPhone and the Vision Pro box.



That being said, he does not regret the purchase and enjoys watching movies with his Vision Pro, especially 3D films like Metallica, which he said makes it feel "like you're at the concert." Nevertheless, the weight remains an issue, and he has to lie in bed to mitigate its effect when watching movies.

Although Apple's work on a substantially enhanced Vision Pro model has apparently stalled, there are strong indications that the company will release "an incremental update to the product with limited changes to its physical design," such as a chip upgrade, according to The Information. Corroborating this, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman have said that a more iterative second-generation Vision Pro is in active development, adding the M5 chip and little else.

This updated model is expected to reuse most of its components from the first-generation Vision Pro to offset the surplus inventory in Apple's supply chain. Gurman said the refreshed device could launch between fall 2025 and spring 2026.

Article Link: WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'
Who would of thought that some of a few hundred thousand buyers of a $3,500 high tech demonstration device would "feel total regret?" /s

<Sheesh> The only worse source for tech commentary than the WSJ is Forbes.
 
We are not making foldables. They are too big, too heavy, too expensive, and the crease on the screen is horrendous. Our apple clients would never buy that.

Instead we decided to spend billions on making a big, heavy, expensive, and horrendous VR headset no one buys.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: turbineseaplane
The iPhone's killer app was the iPod. You have to remember that basically everyone was carrying an mp3 or other portable media player at the time and the iPhone meant you no longer needed to buy or carry two devices. Other phones played music, but it sucked. The iPhone replaced devices in a way the AVP currently doesn't and probably won't for a long time, if ever.

Then there was a good web browser, which at least for me made the internet actually accessible on the go despite having had a phone that was able to go online for years at that point.

Plus everyone had phones, everyone had portable music players and everyone used the internet all the time, which helped adoption as opposed to the AVP. And then came the apps.
There were other phones that played MP3s before iPhone. I had one, and I had it setup to play part of Laurie Anderson's "O Superman" as a ring tone:

Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah
Hello? Is anybody home? Well, you don't know me,
But I know you.
And I've got a message to give to you.

You could also set up ringtones for particular numbers, so when my mother called it said instead:

Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah
Hello? This is your Mother. Are you there? Are you
Coming home?

Anyway, the ability to play MP3s was already becoming a common feature on "feature phones" by the time the iPhone came out.
 
I love mine, and don’t feel regret, even when my kids say, “oh look it’s Mr Gogglehead” during birthday parties.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.