Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computer, a VR headset with pass-through video, hand tracking, and eye tracking, is not just another VR headset. It’s not just an expensive Meta Quest 3 with higher-quality displays.
It is those things, but it’s not just those things. There are moments when you really do feel, in your gut, that you’re doing things that are going to be the way it is at some point in the future. After a week of using the Apple Vision Pro every day, one thought keeps passing through my head. “This is going to be great…one day.”
But that’s the rub. That greatness of this product feels like it is always just off in the distance somewhere. Really trying to use the Vision Pro as anything more than a media consumption device right now is an exercise in compromises and inefficiency, and even as a pure consumption device there are big drawbacks and tradeoffs.
If only it was lighter. If only it was less expensive. If only I could plug USB-C devices into it. If only there more apps. If only the apps were better.
If only.
When the “wow” moments pass (and there are some big “wow” moments) you’re left wondering when the Vision Pro is going to do this, or why it doesn’t do that, and eventually you may decide to just go ahead and use your Mac or your iPad or iPhone to do what you want to do.
Some of the Vision Pro’s shortfalls can be addressed with software updates, others are hardware related, but either way it’s hard to recommend this pricey face computer right now for any but the most die-hard early adopter Apple fans.
INCREDIBLE BUT LIMITING HARDWARE
You have no doubt seen videos and screenshots online that show the point-of-view experience of the Apple Vision Pro. It may look to you very much like using a Meta Quest 3 or a similar competing consumer headset.
These videos in no way capture the experience. Apple’s microOLED displays have incredible fidelity, color depth, and dynamic range. You don’t see pixels. There’s no “screen door effect.” In some lighting, you can get a bit of lens glare, but it’s less pronounced than it is with most other headsets.
Looking at rendered content on something like a Meta Quest 3 versus an Apple Vision Pro is like using an old 1080p TV versus a new 4K HDR OLED. Apple pulls a lot of tricks behind the scenes to make this work, like foveated rendering
