While my full review is still marinating, I want to share some early thoughts I’ve had while using the headset and what it means overall for the XR industry. It is important to note that those who don’t realize the importance of the launch Vision Pro has for the XR market are not familiar with the industry. This is the biggest thing to happen since Facebook bought Oculus in 2014.[ad_1]
It’s not just Vision Pro itself, it’s
Apple
. The device is designed in a way that suggests Apple does not view the headset as a demo. The company is in it for the long run, and likely has a roadmap that looks ahead at least ten years. Apple’s success will not make it the best in the business all the time. But it will set the standard for other companies to follow, which in turn accelerates progress for everyone. The moment is eerily similar to the launch of the iPhone 17 years ago. The iPhone was launched 17 years ago, when a few tech companies made smartphones aimed at enterprise users. This small group of users was a relative minority compared to the rest of consumers. It was then that the iPhone appeared, a device that anyone could use and, most importantly, one that people wanted to use. BlackBerry, meanwhile, never managed to match the ease of use. Less than 10 years after the launch of the first iPhone, BlackBerry had been all but put out of the smartphone business.Compared to Quest, Vision Pro’s ease-of-use is so very much like the original iPhone vs. the Blackberry that it’s not even funny. Quest’s interface has always felt like a sewn-together patchwork of different ideas, offering little in the way clarity, intuitivity, and cohesion.What Apple has built on Vision Pro from a software standpoint is phenomenally mature out of the box, and it works exactly like you’d expect, right down to making a text selection, sharing a photo, or watching a video. It’s important that you can use your smartphone, tablet and PC muscle memories in the headset. Apple didn’t play around. They knew Vision Pro was going to be the first of many headsets, so they built a top-notch software foundation. It’s therefore unlikely that Meta will be pushed out of XR–That’s something Meta has needed for a long time. Apple’s presence will force Meta to do the one most important thing that it has failed to do in its XR efforts: focus. Apple’s presence in the XR space will force Meta to focus on what it has been failing at: focusing. Technically speaking, the apps
don’t even realize they’re running on a headset.As far as the iPad and iPhone apps know, you’re using a finger to control them. In reality, you are using the headset’s seamless look+pinch feature. Scrolling is responsive and fluid. Drag and drop is exactly as you would expect. Pinch zoom? Easy. In a strange way it’s surprising just how
normal
it feels to use an iPad app on Vision Pro.
There’s more than 1 million iPad and iPhone apps which can run on Vision Pro out of the box. The vast majority of apps that you use on a daily basis can be used with the headset even if they are not native VisionOS apps. Apple has really thought through its technical foundation and leveraged its existing ecosystem. Apps that expect a selfie camera are shown instead a view of Persona (your virtual avatar). Apps with face-filters or video calls ‘just work,’ without even realizing that they’re not looking at a live video feed. It’s actually so easy to multitask on the headset, that I’m starting to notice a lack in advanced window management. The headset has a great problem. There are so many apps people want to use, and they can easily run side-by-side. But the software isn’t up to organizing them all. Sometimes they can get in each other’s way or open up in front of each another. Apple will probably tackle this problem very soon, with a window manager similar to the one on MacOS and iPadOS. You’ll find small, but significant benefits everywhere. It’s a huge advantage to be able use the same password manager on both my computer and phone. OpticID secures all of my credentials and allows them to be automatically filled in any app. It’s easy to sign in to the services and tools I use daily. Double-clicking on the digital crown is all it takes to make a purchase in apps and websites that support the feature. AirDrop, FaceTime and other features are also available. It really adds up and starts to make it feel like you can do
everythingZuckerberg isn’t going to let that happen after all this time you want to do inside the headset without needing to take it off and go to your phone or computer.
It’s clear that Apple has spent a long time obsessing over the details of the Vision Pro user experience. After I set up my headset, it already had the customized HRTF for personalized audio that I scanned on my iPhone for my AirPods a year or so ago. The headset gives me more realistic spatial audio without me having to do anything extra. The headset is capable of doing so many things that you do already every day, and then adding in some interesting new features. The comfort of the Vision Pro is comparable to similar headsets in its class (though it might be a little more difficult to find the most comfortable way to wear it). Apple Vision Pro shows that the price of headsets is not the main factor that prevents them from becoming smaller and more comfortable. (At least, not until they reach $3,500). Apple didn’t have any kind of novel and more expensive tech to make AVP smaller than the $500 Quest 3, for instance.There’s a path forward, but it’s going to take time. The next step in the evolution of MR headsets is likely to be this holographic lens prototype, called a ‘holocake,’ from Meta. The “coffee-test” will be the final test for headsets that aim to provide all-day productivity. This means they must pass this test, which is to drink a mug of espresso without hitting the headset. Even if the headset is otherwise perfect, it would be a difficult trade-off to wear something that prevents you from drinking water or doing other basic human activities. Our full Vision Pro review will be available soon and include more technical details and analysis. Please post your questions in the comments section below if you have any for our full review.