APPLE is recreate what it did for your hands with the iPhone – but for your face.
I spent 20 minutes trying out the tech giant’s first attempt to do so: Apple Vision Pro.
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Although it may look similar to a VR head-set, Apple is instead calling it the company’s first “spatial computer”.
These sci-fi goggles were unveiled this week in California at Apple’s annual WWDC 2023 event.
Despite being heavily leaked (and also not being the first VR, AR or mixed reality headset we’ve seen), Apple Vision Pro still caused a massive stir after the big reveal.
Notably – unlike Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta – Apple didn’t mention the metaverse once during its keynote. That’s not really the point of these $3,499 super specs.
Apple may well have quiet visions of all living virtual lives inside its goggles, but it’s not talking about them.
Apple is focusing on the many ways Vision Pro, a headset that can be worn with an iPhone, gives you features that your iPhone cannot.
It was a pleasure to try them out and find out if all the hype is really worth it.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours inside VR on a wide range of headsets, and the Vision Pro is as impressive as they come.
It looks great. Apple’s AirPods Max have a sleek design.
And it’s quite small for an ultra high-end mixed-reality headset too.
Apple even has a battery that fits into the pocket of your pants.
Wear it in
It’s also very comfortable and easy to adjust. You sort of forget you’re wearing it for the most part, initially anyway.
Only towards the end of my demo did I start to remember: “Oh yes, it would be better if I didn’t have to have these sizeable goggles strapped to my face to experience this.”
I can’t say whether it’s truly comfortable until we can get our hands on a review unit and don a pair for a few hours in one sitting.
This isn’t a problem exclusive to Apple, and it’ll almost certainly be solved by the industry eventually.
It’s a portable gadget, and will shrink over time.
For now, the Vision Pro about as good as it gets for comfort – and that means it’s very impressive.
Demo time
In my demo, I got to set up the computer and test out a few apps.
You’re able to see the room you’re sitting in, but a row of apps float eerily in front of you.
I tried out the Photos app where I enjoyed stunning and sharp panoramas, as well as spatial images and videos captured on the headset – offering a very cool depth effect that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the room with a memory. There’s nothing else quite like it.
Also, I tried multitasking by placing multiple apps all around me.
Open Messages, your MacBook and place a picture of your family in the corner.
Environments was another fun feature that I used.
Apple has created a number of virtual worlds that allow you to escape the reality and be immersed in another place.
I found myself at Oregon’s Mount Hood, fading in and out of the stunning vista using the Digital Crown.
An Apple staffer in the room began speaking to me and their figure faded gently into the scene – before disappearing again. This is not only a clever idea but also spooky.
After the Mindfulness session, we had a short demo of a Mindfulness meditation.
The Apple head gear was on top of my head, and I could see other people watching me. But it turned out to be surprisingly relaxing.
At the end of that minute, I had already started to doze off.
After that, I decided to try FaceTime.
Thanks to face-tracking, I could see their facial movements display on a lifelike “Persona” of the other person.
So we were able to speak very effectively on FaceTime, despite neither of us seeing each other’s “true” face – which would obviously be obscured by the headset.
Unexpectedly, watching Avatar 2 in 3-D at a theater was one of the best demo experiences.
I’ve watched loads of media in VR before, but what makes Vision Pro special is the visual fidelity.
It’s exceptionally sharp and clear, and presents depth very effectively.
The seats were perfect. There was no one to bother me, not even the chatty teenagers. No sticky floors either.
Building on this is Apple Immersive Video, a new type of format that lets you experience what it’s like to be somewhere very special.
The most impressive was a courtside view of a basketball game that would have been very costly if I’d paid for tickets.
I’m not a big sports guy, but I can see how this kind of experience would be brilliant for fans.
Lastly, Encounter Dinosaurs was the app I tried.
I began the day with a real butterfly landing right on my palm (which was very impressive), but ended up hanging around with some startlingly convincing dinos.
They responded to my movements, and moved around, towards and away from me – even as I shifted my own position.
The iPhone can’t offer me that kind of joy.
Getting Pro
Apple Vision Pro offers a lot of features that have been used before.
Vision Pro can do a great deal of this better.
Visual quality may be the best of its kind in the industry.
And it’s really easy to use – an Apple hallmark – with a finger-pinch gesture that takes seconds to master.
The simple interface is easy to use for anyone. Vision Pro is a good option for people who have trouble using an iPhone.
Future vision
Vision Pro still has a lot to show. After all, it’s still many months away.
For a start, we don’t know what the full suite of apps on Vision Pro looks like yet.
What developers do with the headset could make or break it.
Apple may struggle to incentivise app developers in the beginning (though the iPhone manufacturer can if it wants).
There’s plenty of time until release for people to create content for the system, thankfully.
We also don’t know how well the battery life will hold up (Apple claims two hours, but it will need to be tested).
And we’ll need to see how comfortable it is during prolonged use.
Prices are up for grabs
The price is the biggest concern for the majority of people.
For most of the world’s population – even in wealthy nations – paying $3,499 for any gadget is a staggering expense.
It is the single biggest barrier to Vision Pro becoming your iPhone.
It makes the pricey and impressive $999 Meta Quest Pro seem like an absolute bargain – a sentence I never thought I’d write.
Meta Quest 2 – a cheap, cheerful game – is only $299.
Wearing an Apple headset may one day allow you to avoid having a television, computer, or other display at home.
This would increase the price of the glasses by a huge amount.
But we’re likely years away from that being possible. The headset needs to be smaller, almost as an afterthought.
I like to imagine one day we’ll simply wear regular Apple eyeglasses that perform similar feats to the Vision Pro.
But that will almost certainly take decades – and require significant leaps in computing, vision and battery technology.
Apple’s Vision Pro represents just the beginning.
It’s easy to imagine cheaper units with trickle-down technology, and eventual price cuts for the top model.
After all, the name Vision Pro implies an eventual…Vision.
Vision Pro, Apple’s mixed-reality demo is an impressive success.
It’s a shame that so few people will be able to buy one, but it’s unlikely that Apple’s Spatial Computing offerings will be limited to the cash-flush forever.
We’re also expecting much more from Vision Pro between now and release.
When developers start creating apps for Vision Pro its real value may become apparent.
Over time, this will increase.
Think of the quality of apps on the first iPhone versus what’s on offer today. It’s a different world.
Apple Vision Pro, for example, will look very different and probably more impressive in the future.
It’s not clear whether Vision Pro will become the must-have iPhone for your face just yet.
However, it does seem to be an excellent start. It is almost incredible.
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