Safe to say, the Vision Pro hype got to me. But this isn't a review. It's not article number 500 of why you should buy it or why you shouldn't. You need to make that decision for yourself.
It's just a glimpse into MY glimpse of what feels like a true taste of a future.
Last weekend, I booked a demo at my local Apple Store to try it out. By the end of it, I was sold - I knew I needed to take one home to try more in-depth and really push the limits of it.
I'm not new to this kinda tech. I was the guy that had the Google Glass Developer edition back in the day, and most recently have toyed quite a bit with VR (Previously having used the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro pretty extensively), but this somehow felt totally new.
Apple claims it's "the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created.". It's still cameras, screens, and fancy lens tech - but it's the paradigm being driven here. The way the OS reacts, and the way you interact with everything in it. So most advanced piece of consumer tech? Yeah, I can agree with that take. At least it feels like it.
But, this unfortunate reality is that the advancement here feels like it's hit a ceiling. At least, as far as what's possible in Q1 2024.
It might feel like magic at first, but the laws of physics very much still apply.
The big thing most people talk about is the passthrough (the feature that lets you see the world around you) and the screens. While it's without a doubt the best passthrough I've used - you definitely still feel like you're looking through a phone camera. Colors are washed out, especially in low light, and lighting sits on one extreme or the other. The screens are works of magic of their own that easily beat every home cinema setup I've ever seen (and even some movie theaters), that bring things to a new level of immersion - but they're also limited by some of the hardware choices Apple made. Interacting with any content that sits on a dark background gives some weird blurriness - I couldn't really use the "night time" environments much as a result. The FOV also makes you feel like you're looking through a pair of goggles. (The Verge talked about this really well.)
I'm not going to touch on the weight and battery - since that would turn this into every other tech review, but I'll just say they didn't bother for me. For some it's a problem, for others it's not. Really you just need to try it for yourself.
I spent a few days last week trying to make a virtual office setup work. Streaming my Macbook display into the headset, taking some Zoom calls (my coworkers got a kick out of the persona Vision Pro gave me), and having some other windows floating around my workspace. I tuned out my normal office space and sent myself to Joshua Tree - one of the included environments, and I've never felt so productive before.
At the moment, this is what Vision Pro is made for. Focused, quality experiences and work.
I don't think everybody walking around in Time Square with it or running errands with it is the way that this current iteration is intended to be used just yet.
We're not THAT far into dystopia yet.
The best comparison I can make is to the iPad. For me, my iPad was always my go-to device for consumption and very focused work that was made to travel with. This very much feels similar to that. And in fact, I haven't picked up my iPad this week once.
One day we might have our AR glasses with a constant stream of Instathreadsbook - but that's not today.
Yeah, it's early, and yeah you're going to run into technical issues. This is very much a beta product with a not-so-beta pricetag. But this created a sense of "focus" for me that nothing else ever has before. It's made for the early adopters looking to try a piece of a future with the understanding that this isn't the general release version.
Inside this very much new and very early feeling product is a platform that'll help drive a future forward.
Is it THE future? Not sure yet. But it certainly feels like one.
It's just a glimpse into MY glimpse of what feels like a true taste of a future.
Last weekend, I booked a demo at my local Apple Store to try it out. By the end of it, I was sold - I knew I needed to take one home to try more in-depth and really push the limits of it.
I'm not new to this kinda tech. I was the guy that had the Google Glass Developer edition back in the day, and most recently have toyed quite a bit with VR (Previously having used the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro pretty extensively), but this somehow felt totally new.
Apple claims it's "the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created.". It's still cameras, screens, and fancy lens tech - but it's the paradigm being driven here. The way the OS reacts, and the way you interact with everything in it. So most advanced piece of consumer tech? Yeah, I can agree with that take. At least it feels like it.
But, this unfortunate reality is that the advancement here feels like it's hit a ceiling. At least, as far as what's possible in Q1 2024.
It might feel like magic at first, but the laws of physics very much still apply.
The big thing most people talk about is the passthrough (the feature that lets you see the world around you) and the screens. While it's without a doubt the best passthrough I've used - you definitely still feel like you're looking through a phone camera. Colors are washed out, especially in low light, and lighting sits on one extreme or the other. The screens are works of magic of their own that easily beat every home cinema setup I've ever seen (and even some movie theaters), that bring things to a new level of immersion - but they're also limited by some of the hardware choices Apple made. Interacting with any content that sits on a dark background gives some weird blurriness - I couldn't really use the "night time" environments much as a result. The FOV also makes you feel like you're looking through a pair of goggles. (The Verge talked about this really well.)
I'm not going to touch on the weight and battery - since that would turn this into every other tech review, but I'll just say they didn't bother for me. For some it's a problem, for others it's not. Really you just need to try it for yourself.
I spent a few days last week trying to make a virtual office setup work. Streaming my Macbook display into the headset, taking some Zoom calls (my coworkers got a kick out of the persona Vision Pro gave me), and having some other windows floating around my workspace. I tuned out my normal office space and sent myself to Joshua Tree - one of the included environments, and I've never felt so productive before.
At the moment, this is what Vision Pro is made for. Focused, quality experiences and work.
I don't think everybody walking around in Time Square with it or running errands with it is the way that this current iteration is intended to be used just yet.
We're not THAT far into dystopia yet.
The best comparison I can make is to the iPad. For me, my iPad was always my go-to device for consumption and very focused work that was made to travel with. This very much feels similar to that. And in fact, I haven't picked up my iPad this week once.
One day we might have our AR glasses with a constant stream of Instathreadsbook - but that's not today.
Yeah, it's early, and yeah you're going to run into technical issues. This is very much a beta product with a not-so-beta pricetag. But this created a sense of "focus" for me that nothing else ever has before. It's made for the early adopters looking to try a piece of a future with the understanding that this isn't the general release version.
Inside this very much new and very early feeling product is a platform that'll help drive a future forward.
Is it THE future? Not sure yet. But it certainly feels like one.
- Devon