Apple Vision Pro: 6 Months Later

When the Apple Vision Pro came out in early 2024, the experience blew people’s minds away. Some call it the future of all computing, declaring in 10 years or so, computing will all be done with floating windows projected to your glasses and we would naturally talk to our computers like another person. Others feel like this would be the new way to consume media: immersive, with ways to share the moment.

Now, 6 months have passed and the hype has died down. How did the Vision Pro stack up now compared to other Apple products?

What Went Right

First, let’s discuss what went right with the Vision Pro

• The Interface: The interface is what makes the Vision Pro a winning product. Meta has been for years trying to sell you the concept of a metaverse where you will do everything in that universe, but the question remains if the concept is still alive. Apple, on the other hand, is trying to sell you a tool.
• Immersion: The Vision Pro’s best feature is how you can adjust the immersion levels. From pass through where you’re seeing the real world but apps are floating around you or you’ll be in another world enjoying what you are doing.
• Persona: While there are some valid critiques about how the Persona feature is implemented, one would argue that it’s a far better implementation than the Metaverse’s floating figures.
• New display: One of the key features is the ability of the Vision Pro to manipulate other Apple products. For example, just by looking at a Mac, it can recognize that it’s your Mac and connect to it seamlessly. Instantly, you’ll get a 4K display floating on top of that Mac which you can enlarge it to be 100". If they can pump a 6K signal wirelessly to the Vision Pro, this can be a real game-changer.

What Went Wrong

Despite the rave reviews and the jaw-dropping impressions from reviewers, the Vision Pro is not without flaws.

• Pricing Accessibility: This is the major flaw in the Vision Pro which Apple will need to one day address. When the first iPhone was launched, it got the buy-in from telco companies which allowed Apple to ship the first iPhone at $499. The first iPad was launched at $499. The first Apple Watch made it a great fashion accessory and the iPhone companion starts at $349. Vision Pro, the world’s first spatial computer starts at $3,499. Vision Pro might be the product of the future, but the staggering price will deter mass adoption.
• “Crackgate”: Vision Pro is well designed as it may be prone to cracking, especially on the outer display when dropped. While handling with care is given with a $3,500 device, but expectation is that the device would be slightly more durable.
• AR adaptation is still low: Despite being the first spatial computer that brings a novel approach to interacting with your computer, AR adoption is still low. I think the most likely culprit is the very high barrier to entry.
• No buy-in from major app developers: At launch, Netflix and YouTube snubbed Apple by not launching VisionOS versions of their popular app. Six months later, we still have to watch YouTube and Netflix using Safari (there’s a 3rd party solution for YouTube). One of the major use cases of Vision Pro is watching streaming videos on a 100" virtual screen that is projected on your ceiling while you’re in bed.

What’s in Store For Us?

• Lower-priced Vision: This is undoubtedly one of Apple’s major goals in the short-term: getting more people to use Vision Pro. And the major roadblock is the price. Until the Vision product line reaches price parity with the MacBook product line, Vision will remain a niche product.
• Apps that work in 3D space: One of the killer features of Vision Pro is apps now have true depth. No longer projected 3D objects in 2D screens, it’s real 3D apps. Seeing your favorite sports like basketball with a live court view with a live stream, there’s no going back to watching a sports broadcast on TV again.
• Lighter, cheaper, and better: The Vision Pro might be impressive today, but it is the worst version of Vision Pro. Future models are expected to be lighter, cheaper, and faster.

Plug

Support this free website by visiting my Amazon affiliate links. Any purchase you make will give me a cut without any extra cost to you

Other Ecosystem Items

• Apple TV (Amazon) / Apple TV 4K (Amazon)
• AirTags (Amazon)
• HomePod Mini (Amazon)