It's been 8 months since the initial reviews, so I would love to know if anyone has managed to really become productive and comfortable working hours a day on the Apple Vision Pro.
I feel like I would have been the ideal customer for it. I travel a lot and I'm a developer deep in the Apple ecosystem who is constantly wishing he had more screen real estate while bouncing between hotels and Airbnbs every few weeks.
I bought it and tried it for two weeks and ended up returning it. It's really cool, but even aside from the issues with 1.0 like not being able to just pull up individual app windows from my mac or multiple desktops -- it's just too impractical, it takes too much effort to get into this thing.
A phone, a tablet, a laptop, you can pick up, immediately use, put down, interact with the world around you, pick up again, zero friction, it's not restrictive, it's not an item of clothing, it doesn't take over your whole world and sensory system and thus alienate you from everyone and everything around you.
Not only is it that whole extra thing, but it needs to be plugged into a special battery pack, so you have another usb cable dangling onto this bulky pack which is daisy chained to your laptop or another charging port unless you want it to die in 2 hours. So you pull out your laptop, plug it into a charger, pull out your headset, plug it into its battery pack, plug that battery pack into your laptop, put on the headset, untangle yourself from the wires and figure out where to set the battery pack to be out of the way...
It's just so much faffing around. Plus it's fucking huge and takes up the majority of my backpack and I like to travel with a single carry on backpack.
A pair of Raybans with a usb c cable sticking out, maybe I could see that being legitimately usable without having to make a giant effort just to use it. It seems like a few companies are getting close to that, but I have yet to try those alternatives.
This is the best review I have ever read on the Apple Vision Pro.
Also, we should probably stop lying to ourselves, and finally admit what we have known in hour hearts for a little while now: Apple is not anymore what it used to be. Reading this makes it clear…
Apple Vision Pro is the modern equivalent of John Sculley’s Apple Newton
My take away from the GP was that it's not so much as an issue with Apple'version of VR but about the state of the technology itself. The hardware today is too bulky and difficult to use as a daily driver.
May be Google was on to something with their glasses and may be some version of electrochromic glass goggles that also works as a display is the answer.
I agree that Apple is not what it used to be. They normally don't go for still evolving tech and swoop in with a better product(and experience) only after the product's viability is established.
Not sure this is really an Apple thing. Basically all the tech companies have released some VR or AR product that either flopped, or was downgraded to a niche industry product.
Remember just a few years ago when Meta was trying to convince us that the metaverse was the future.
I tried these with much excitement. Unfortunately they give me immediate eye strain and headaches. The optics need a tremendous amount of work. 1080p is also not enough. But some people love them. It’s a product you just have to try and see if it works for you and return if they don’t.
I don’t understand why they didn’t make this a gaming device. All this hassle would be worth it to play immersive shooter games or VR chat with full hand and face tracking.
No one is going to go through all that to open up Apple notes and YouTube when your phone and MacBook does exactly the same thing.
The gaming industry wants to bring their existing marketplaces and platforms and even when that's not explicitly prohibited Apple wants 30% of their gross revenue and requires each game implement their in-app purchases to collect it, so they are at an impasse.
> it doesn't take over your whole world and sensory system and thus alienate you from everyone and everything around you.
You sound like you are fundamentally unsuited to the device. You move around a lot and don't like being isolated. I work in my Quest 3 primarily because it isolates me and takes over my whole sensory system. I love going to work on beaches, mountain tops, or co-working with friends or colleagues virtually. You sound like you want literally the opposite of all that.
>Plus it's fucking huge and takes up the majority of my backpack and I like to travel with a single carry on backpack.
I'm the same way. When I saw the reviews and the travel case, it seemed completely impractical for anyone who doesn't check luggage, on top of bringing a carry on and personal item.
I also prefer to look like a waste of time for any would-be thief of pickpocket. It seemed like a Vision Pro would put a target on my back that I didn't want.
What's up with Raybans? They make the cheapest looking vanilla generic glasses I've ever seen, put a tacky logo on the lens and sell for a fortune. Why does anyone buy them?
Ray-ban along with almost every other glasses and sunglasses brand, and also almost all retailers of glasses are all owned by a megacorp called Luxxotica. The prices are all completely arbitrary and fixed.
Beyond this basically all prices for every consumer item are completely arbitrary. They almost never reflect real value and almost always are priced based on what people are willing to pay. Act accordingly.
I think the same thing about business suits (not sure what the proper name for them is, the thing that normal CEOs and lawyers wear, with the necktie and everything). They look super hot and uncomfortable and I wore one to a wedding once and then swore them off for life. Ridiculous items. But people pay thousands for them, apparently.
Powerful apes signal status with fancy fibers, I guess.
The visual quality of the Apple Vision Pro is extremely far ahead of any other headset. I generally don't like Apple products and I think they made plenty of mistakes with Vision Pro, but the visual quality is exceptional for our time.
I wouldn't advise anyone to buy it, but I would strongly encourage everyone to try it out in an Apple Store.
Wish they'd just release a set of basic wired glasses with those displays, for tethered usage with a Mac. I don't need the AR/VR crap, a battery pack, etc., but I'd be very happy with a set of high-res glasses that act as external monitors.
Yes, I do. It’s an amazing monitor and combination iPad. It’s very different than what is easy to describe - partially because it defies convention in so many ways - but I use it with my Mac and then will have mail and chat and music floating on the sides.
Btw I said iPad. Apple says it’s a computer. Falls short in some key ways, but not unfixable
It is heavy but I don’t mind it. I can see how that might be a deal breaker.
Btw I honestly think that if apple wants to market this thing as a computer, they need to include a keyboard and trackpad. It adds so much to the utility factor that it’s basically indispensable for me. That it works well without one is testament to apples amazing engineering, but they really should be packing those in imho
These things are going to be killer productivity devices if
- price down. obviously.
- lower weight, better battery
- combo keyboard and mouse accessory offered that fits into a carrying case
- able to host Mac apps, or a Mac vm, or something similar. Let me run vs code, IntelliJ, and a terminal with a local container with my build tools. Or blender. Or photoshop. Etc etc etc
I'm of the opinion that Apple will never natively allow unmanaged code outside macOS due to app store revenue. I mean if the AVP fails it would be a huge write down but if it wins and allows people to circumvent the Apple tax that's still a fail for the company.
I know. This is the real reason, not the purported "security issues". Apple just wants to sell their hugely expensive cake and eat it. The only reason that macOS is not locked down is historical. Because it's always been open and people would be screaming if they took it away.
It's a shame as a user. I paid for the device, I should decide what happens on it. Apple doesn't have an innate right to store revenue.
You could still do enforcement through legal rather than technical means, though.
Disallow installing apps from outside the App Store, provide no system UI to do so. Prohibit apps from being app stores themselves or running code that didn't pass app review, with exceptions for dev tools etc. Make apps able to escape the sandbox, at least in some ways.
Even if an app somehow sneaks past app review and gives users unfettered access to their devices, it can't ever get too many users. If it's unpopular, it's not a concern to Apple, if it becomes popular, Apple will know about it and can levy very heavy contractual fines on the dev.
Consider trying a counter weight. Hunting supply stores sell them for nightvision goggles, and when I tried one on my friend's Valve Index it was shocking how much better it felt.
I tried, and went back to laptop+monitor. In theory it would be great when on the go, but it doesn't really function without a laptop present, which makes it pretty unwieldy as you need two devices. In theory it would be good in a the back seat of a car or when walking around, except the software doesn't allow you to do that (windows are pinned to space outside the car, you can't make them follow you). When I'm at a desk, I guess it would be better than a _bad_ monitor, but I have a nice big 8k screen and it's both better looking and more comfortable.
It's an LG 65QNED99UPA. There are a few caveats: using a 65" display up close imposes some requirements on your window manager (you want to treat the sides more like you'd treat a secondary monitor in a multimonitor setup, rather than have windows go all the way edge to edge); and you need to make sure that every GPU, KVM, and cable can handle 8k, in an ecosystem where most don't. If you can handle those two things, it's great.
I am a developer and coding in vision pro for around 2 months.
It is heavy, without third-party accessories, it is unbearable. But with 3d printed gadgets and band, the weight problem is solved 80%.
I code in mac virtual desktop, enlarge it and push it as far as possible. The text is clear enough in most of time. But the resolution is still low, i hope the ultra wide virtual desktop feature can solve the problem.
Using two keyboards (one built in, one external) to mimic split keyboard, so i can stay in a comfortable pose and type. Installed a thirdparty extension to make modifier key works cross keyboards.
Normally 1-3 hours per day.
I do like work in VP, it feels more isolated and easier to focus. There are some side effects, e.g, less water drinking, tend to sitting for longer time etc.
Currently i use the single band from apple, and two 3d printed parts with a homemade band. The extra band split a lot weight from cheek. I tried several options, this is the most comfortable one.
I do on days when I work from home. I like to move around the house when I code so I’ll do a bit of work from a couch each day to spend time with the pets , and then I just take my laptop+headset to get a good large screen experience.
I also watch movies+shows regularly on it but that’s on the order of 2-3h of use at a time.
No. The focal distance for most headsets is further than monitor distance so in theory it’s less strain on the eyes, but other lensing considerations put it at about equal
I couldn't. I don't know anyone else who has actually bought one, mine was provided through work but even there no one uses it. I tried, and tried, but it's too heavy, gives me eye strain and I finally gave up on it. I went to the Apple store thinking maybe I was wearing it properly, and they took me through the demo but it's just not for me. The Quest was actually better but there the weight of the helmet eventually forced me to stop using it. Maybe one day we will have glasses instead of a helmet because the technology is really cool.
I would use it more but after an hour I have ENORMOUS bags under my eyes that last for 24-36 hours. I've tried multiple 3rd party accessories but to little success. My wife is not a fan.
Otherwise I would code and work in them for a few hours a day. I find the environment incredibly focusing.
I do not have this issue using the Oculus Pro, or any of the myriad headsets I've had in the past.
Try a head strap that doesn't put pressure on your face. Like an aura strap. I'm sure there's some third party options available. I use the bobovr for my quest but don't have the money for AVP.
I use mine probably 2-3x per week, ~8 hours per day. The biggest productivity boost is being able to increase the environment, and thus isolation from the stuff around me in my office.
It should be noted that I spend on average >20 hours per week - sometimes 40 or more - using a Pimax Crystal as well. The weight of the AVP is significantly less than that, so I’m not feeling the “it’s uncomfortable” stuff that others report.
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I bought it and tried it for two weeks and ended up returning it. It's really cool, but even aside from the issues with 1.0 like not being able to just pull up individual app windows from my mac or multiple desktops -- it's just too impractical, it takes too much effort to get into this thing.
A phone, a tablet, a laptop, you can pick up, immediately use, put down, interact with the world around you, pick up again, zero friction, it's not restrictive, it's not an item of clothing, it doesn't take over your whole world and sensory system and thus alienate you from everyone and everything around you.
Not only is it that whole extra thing, but it needs to be plugged into a special battery pack, so you have another usb cable dangling onto this bulky pack which is daisy chained to your laptop or another charging port unless you want it to die in 2 hours. So you pull out your laptop, plug it into a charger, pull out your headset, plug it into its battery pack, plug that battery pack into your laptop, put on the headset, untangle yourself from the wires and figure out where to set the battery pack to be out of the way...
It's just so much faffing around. Plus it's fucking huge and takes up the majority of my backpack and I like to travel with a single carry on backpack.
A pair of Raybans with a usb c cable sticking out, maybe I could see that being legitimately usable without having to make a giant effort just to use it. It seems like a few companies are getting close to that, but I have yet to try those alternatives.
Apple Vision Pro is the modern equivalent of John Sculley’s Apple Newton
May be Google was on to something with their glasses and may be some version of electrochromic glass goggles that also works as a display is the answer.
I agree that Apple is not what it used to be. They normally don't go for still evolving tech and swoop in with a better product(and experience) only after the product's viability is established.
Remember just a few years ago when Meta was trying to convince us that the metaverse was the future.
It works with phones, too, which is cool!
No one is going to go through all that to open up Apple notes and YouTube when your phone and MacBook does exactly the same thing.
Dead Comment
You sound like you are fundamentally unsuited to the device. You move around a lot and don't like being isolated. I work in my Quest 3 primarily because it isolates me and takes over my whole sensory system. I love going to work on beaches, mountain tops, or co-working with friends or colleagues virtually. You sound like you want literally the opposite of all that.
I'm the same way. When I saw the reviews and the travel case, it seemed completely impractical for anyone who doesn't check luggage, on top of bringing a carry on and personal item.
I also prefer to look like a waste of time for any would-be thief of pickpocket. It seemed like a Vision Pro would put a target on my back that I didn't want.
Beyond this basically all prices for every consumer item are completely arbitrary. They almost never reflect real value and almost always are priced based on what people are willing to pay. Act accordingly.
Doesn’t mean they’re worth the cost, but now you know.
Powerful apes signal status with fancy fibers, I guess.
I wouldn't advise anyone to buy it, but I would strongly encourage everyone to try it out in an Apple Store.
Btw I said iPad. Apple says it’s a computer. Falls short in some key ways, but not unfixable
It is heavy but I don’t mind it. I can see how that might be a deal breaker.
Btw I honestly think that if apple wants to market this thing as a computer, they need to include a keyboard and trackpad. It adds so much to the utility factor that it’s basically indispensable for me. That it works well without one is testament to apples amazing engineering, but they really should be packing those in imho
These things are going to be killer productivity devices if
- price down. obviously.
- lower weight, better battery
- combo keyboard and mouse accessory offered that fits into a carrying case
- able to host Mac apps, or a Mac vm, or something similar. Let me run vs code, IntelliJ, and a terminal with a local container with my build tools. Or blender. Or photoshop. Etc etc etc
Btw protip, tea tastes fine through a metal straw
It's a shame as a user. I paid for the device, I should decide what happens on it. Apple doesn't have an innate right to store revenue.
Disallow installing apps from outside the App Store, provide no system UI to do so. Prohibit apps from being app stores themselves or running code that didn't pass app review, with exceptions for dev tools etc. Make apps able to escape the sandbox, at least in some ways.
Even if an app somehow sneaks past app review and gives users unfettered access to their devices, it can't ever get too many users. If it's unpopular, it's not a concern to Apple, if it becomes popular, Apple will know about it and can levy very heavy contractual fines on the dev.
Consider trying a counter weight. Hunting supply stores sell them for nightvision goggles, and when I tried one on my friend's Valve Index it was shocking how much better it felt.
It will make it significantly worse for people moving their head a lot or walking around.
That's the same issue as the Airpod Max, which are extremely well balanced but just so damn heavy, so I guess people just build neck muscles ?
I can't help but think about this story every time I hear someone talk about metal straws.
https://www.today.com/health/health/metal-straw-punctures-th...
Sounds burny
I do like work in VP, it feels more isolated and easier to focus. There are some side effects, e.g, less water drinking, tend to sitting for longer time etc.
I also watch movies+shows regularly on it but that’s on the order of 2-3h of use at a time.
Otherwise I would code and work in them for a few hours a day. I find the environment incredibly focusing.
I do not have this issue using the Oculus Pro, or any of the myriad headsets I've had in the past.
Dead Comment
It should be noted that I spend on average >20 hours per week - sometimes 40 or more - using a Pimax Crystal as well. The weight of the AVP is significantly less than that, so I’m not feeling the “it’s uncomfortable” stuff that others report.