I Tried the Vision Pro. Is It Ready for Prime Time?

I’ve previously written about the Vision Pro and was able to schedule some hands-on time at my nearest Apple Store.

Shortly after I arrived at the store I met Pat, who would be running my demo. He took my glasses to check the prescription so that they could fit the correct Zeiss optical inserts. I was a little concerned that there would be a problem, seeing as how I have astigmatism. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Next, we ran through a few steps using my iPhone to conduct a face scan for the light seal fit. The process is pretty similar to setting up FaceID, and required two passes to complete. Everything went smoothly and a few minutes later the headset was whisked to our table on a literal platter.

Pat ran through the few gestures and an overview of how the Vision Pro works, and then showed me how to pick it up and put it on. Naturally, I screwed it up first time and bumped the magnetically-attached light seal off. After a quick fix I was able to fit the headset and begin the demo.

My demo consisted of the photo app, including a couple immersive panoramic photos, learning to navigate the interface and place windows, using Keynote to rehearse a presentation, some spatial photos and videos, and a 3D movie clip.

I thought the visuals were great and the sound was fine. The panoramic photos were especially impressive, though I found the spatial photos and videos to be just a bit too crisp. They felt almost as though I was inside a three-dimensional pop-up greeting card rather than a photo. The videos were better on this front, but I still felt a sense of detachment from the visuals. I have a debilitating fear of heights (no, I will not go on the roller coaster with you) but I’ve felt more uncomfortable in traditional video games than I did while standing on a virtual tightrope high above a mountain gorge in the Vision Pro.

The Keynote rehearsal was also kind of neat and well done, allowing the user to choose between a conference room and a stage. I chose the stage and found myself standing on a stage in front of an empty theater, complete with stage lights. The current and next slide were displayed in front of me, and when I turned around I could see the slide projected on a giant theater screen behind me. While it was kind of cool to experience the scene behind me, it’s a bit superfluous.

But while I found it a little fun to present this way, the reality is that I will never present like this. Wearing a Vision Pro on-stage in front of an audience would make you look like an idiot, and rightfully so. Most of us will continue to conduct our presentations the old-fashioned way, so rehearsing with a headset seems to have limited utility.

I also didn’t get to try typing, but I’m not sure how well it would work. I think that using a regular keyboard would be tricky, even with the pass-through cameras and can’t imagine trying to type anything of substance on a virtual keyboard.

So while the demo was cool, I still struggle to see what problem the Vision Pro solves. Its weight and two-hour battery life limit its use as an entertainment platform and I don’t see how using it for calls or meetings is better than what we already have. In fact, Brian X. Chen of the The New York Times found that using the Vision Pro digital avatar, “terrified children during a family FaceTime call.”

Probably not what Apple was going for.

Last week I wrote that, “It’s telling that most of the Vision Pro marketing imagery shows single people; there are no families watching a movie or friends catching a game,” and the demo hasn’t changed my mind. Chen and other reviewers seem to feel the same – the Vision Pro is a solo device. You’re not going to watch a family movie with these and an office full of Vision-Pro-wearing coworkers sounds like something out of a nightmare. And I don’t see any way that an enclosed headset competes with the HoloLens for industrial applications.

And while I could see using the Vision Pro for research and note-taking, especially if the voice controls work well. Having more space than a traditional desktop for reading, reviewing, copy/paste/clipping, and summarizing might be handy. But there is no way I’d try to write and edit a 1,500 word article on it.

I didn’t get sick while using it, but I was sitting the entire time. Other reviewers have noted motion sickness while up and moving around, and Apple recommends taking breaks to prevent it. I did notice a bit of a headache coming on near the end of the demo, but it’s hard to tell if that was due to the Vision Pro itself.

I’m not saying that the Vision Pro is useless. It’s a first-gen product in a tech niche that hasn’t fully found its footing. Could I see myself being interested in a third- or fourth-gen product? Maybe. I also wonder if the wearable headset is destined to remain a niche no matter how nifty the products are.