At 8 a.m. Eastern Time on January 19 (this Friday), Apple will make its new product, Vision Pro, available for pre-sale.
Apple recently invited many media outlets to New York for a comprehensive review of this new product, which has a price tag of up to $3,499, before its official release.
In general, media reporters have given relatively positive evaluations of the overall experience of Vision Pro. One reviewer even praised it, saying that of all the VR, AR, and MR headsets she’s tried, “the Apple Vision Pro is easily the best and hands down the most well-thought-out product.”
However, the $3,499 price tag has put off most reviewers. So, what is the experience of using this new product like? Review reporters have provided the most realistic descriptions.
Design
The Apple Vision Pro, weighing less than a pound, features 12 cameras surrounding it, a LIDAR sensor, a TrueDepth camera, and infrared flood illuminators to ensure visibility of the cameras in dark environments. Users can control it with their hands.
The device’s exterior combines brushed aluminum, shiny glass, and soft fabrics. Reviewers describe this design language as more reminiscent of the iPhone 6 than the iPhone 14.
The Vision Pro has a button on the top left side that acts as a shutter for shooting 3D videos and photos, similar to the iWatch. The Digital Crown sits on the right: clicking it brings up the home screen of app icons, and turning it switches between the virtual and reality screen.
Apple Vision Pro media review: Immersed to the point of “tears” but not worth the $3,499
The device’s display also impresses: Each eye gets a 4K display with pixel sizes of just 23 microns. One reviewer commented, “This is hands down the highest resolution VR monitor I’ve ever seen.
Wearing comfort receives mixed reviews.
All VR/MR headsets inevitably struggle with wearing comfort, and the Vision Pro is no exception. Most reviewers compare it to other VR headsets like the Meta Quest series, noting, “Like other VR headsets, once you put it on, the weight becomes hard to ignore, often ruining your hairstyle.”
Wearing comfort varies greatly among individuals, so the Vision Pro offers various headband options to accommodate different head shapes. These include two different headbands and 25 different shapes and sizes of light seals.
One woman with a relatively large head and slippery hair initially found the Vision Pro uncomfortable with its single strap. She started feeling the weight after 15 minutes and experienced pain after another 5 minutes. However, after reporting this to Apple staff, they helped her by replacing the single strap with a dual-loop strap, significantly improving her comfort.
Another reviewer likened the initial experience of wearing the device to sitting in an optometrist’s office, trying on slightly blurry lenses. Tightening the headband improved his ability to read text on the screen but caused discomfort to his nose. He later found comfort by replacing the gasket to fit his head shape better.
Yet, the Vision Pro doesn’t suit everyone’s needs. Despite trying various light-sealing gaskets, one reviewer couldn’t completely block ambient light leakage due to his face shape. While using the Vision Pro, he constantly noticed ambient light leaking from the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. This was initially distracting, but he eventually adjusted, though the ambient light still caught his attention in darker demos.
Setting up the Vision Pro is cumbersome.
Reviewers note that wearers must complete several tedious configuration tasks before using the device. Apple first scans the wearer’s face to determine the headband size. Then, the wearer must adjust the dial on the back of the device to find the optimal tightness. Apple employees even scan glasses to configure the Vision Pro’s lenses.
After donning the headset, wearers undergo a simple eye-tracking setup, which involves looking at various points and tapping fingers together. The device’s visual tracking is generally fast and accurate.
One reviewer particularly commended the Vision Pro’s visual tracking accuracy: “Whenever I look at a menu item or button, the device immediately highlights it. As my eyes move around the Apple TV app, they highlight the movie title I’m looking at.
How does the Vision Pro immersive experience feel?
Reviewers generally praise the immersive experience of Vision Pro, despite mixed reviews regarding wearing comfort and somewhat cumbersome configuration work. Many found the “butterfly landing on the fingertips” demonstration particularly impressive. Vision Pro accurately pinpoints the location of each person’s fingers, making the butterfly land precisely on their fingertips.
One reviewer described it vividly
Another reviewer shared her deep immersion in watching family scenes, imagining herself looking at her daughter’s past from many years in the future. She expressed surprise at crying during the Apple launch event.
Moreover, many Marvel fans find using Disney+ on Vision Pro a fantastic experience. A reviewer recounted, “As a huge Marvel fan, the Avengers Tower scene made me freak out. The images looked incredibly real, without visible pixels. I saw a small handwritten note by ‘Iron Man’ Tony Stark and felt I could almost pick it up. In the Tatooine setting, I found myself in Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder cockpit, reaching for the steering wheel with my hands visible in front of me. Although I couldn’t interact with the elements, it still offered a very satisfying experience for fans.”
One reviewer directly praised it, saying, “The virtual world in Vision Pro feels like a higher-resolution version of what Meta is trying to achieve with Quest but with a much more powerful m2-based computer built into it.”
Interactive experience
When users wear Vision Pro, they can interact using their hands, eyes, and voice. Apple’s floating keyboard feature employs eye and hand tracking systems to determine which keys the user is looking at, aiding users in typing letters.
One reviewer recounted his experience with the floating keyboard: “I tapped my thumb and index finger to select the URL bar, and the virtual keyboard appeared. I used my eyes to identify the key I wanted and then pinched my fingers to press it. It’s not as easy as typing on a real keyboard, but the fact that it works makes me happy.”
However, he also conceded: “Entering short sentences with eyes and tapping on the keyboard is not difficult, but for longer content, using voice input (or a Bluetooth keyboard if necessary) is more convenient.”
Another reviewer expressed a less positive sentiment: “This was one of the most frustrating aspects of reviewing Nong for me. There are several input options – searching and tapping with fingers, using eyes to control key selection, or just using Siri — but none are suitable for long-term use.”
He asserted that the floating keyboard experience requires improvement, and based on the current experience, it is challenging to envision using Vision Pro for actual work. It provides a much better experience as a personal home theater.
Overall evaluation: Very good, but too expensive
Overall, reviewers had positive experiences with the Vision Pro. However, they remained skeptical about whether this experience justified the high price of $3,499.
Reviewers lamented the battery life lasting only about two hours, and the experience being akin to other VR headset alternatives, albeit more expensive.
One reviewer candidly remarked:
“I had been looking forward to trying Vision Pro myself, and I was largely not disappointed. The eye and hand tracking systems were very precise, and I quickly learned how to navigate the interface faster than the instructions I was given. But I don’t believe I would want to spend hours wearing it, even if the experience was exciting. At $3,500, the device is well outside my budget.”
Another commenter shared a similar perspective:
“The Vision Pro is generally easier to use than I expected, and while it has the potential to be a do-it-all device for web browsing, email, and even some industrial applications, its killer app right now is the Video. If you ask me what I feel about using this product, especially the photo and video app, my answer is that I have a lot of fun and it is fun to use. But whether all this fun is worth spending $3500 is another question.”