Takeaways from the Vision Pro After 6 Months

What we need is a cheap, “dumb” headset which simply mirrors screens from the computer (including virtual ones), with low latency and in crisp resolution. No standalone apps, no gesture controls, etc. Just plug it into your computer and start streaming the screen contents in VR space. Right now the only contender in this niche is the upcoming Visor from Immersed [0], which is a proprietary, value extraction, user-hostile nightmare, with compulsory online activation + monthly subscription + jailed OS and probably overpriced. But at least they’re proving that the form factor is already possible.

[0] https://www.visor.com/

It’s the story of VR all over again:

- Awesome technology.

- Strong “wow” moment.

- Doesn’t do anything particularly better than the devices you already have.

It’s technology in search of a problem. There are legitimate problems it solves, but they are always elusively niche.

I think the moment when vr/ar becomes really popular amongst regular people is when the size of the device is the same as a pair of sunglasses. Maybe just slightly more bulky. But till that time its not becoming a successful story. People feel akward wearing the thing. Its uncomfortable and a bit of a gimmick without a real purpose. When the thing could replace my raybands. It looks awesome and contains software that enhances the real world I see with information, it might become something.

Consumers are way more wary of shovelware and getting stuck on the hook with an abandoned product these days.

It's a cool device, but does Apple have the balls to stick with it, and built it into the platform they believe it can be?

My magic 8-ball says: Doubtful

Disappointed with the article. I was expecting a bit more depth since the title claimed "after 6 months". Especially because the article claims -

The Apple Vision Pro debuted six months ago. I was hesitant to provide any detailed thoughts on the device and its implications until I (and others) had a few months to use it. Here are my eight takeaways on the Apple Vision Pro after six months.

Takeaway #1: Apple Did Not (and Does Not) Want to Manage Expectations for the Vision Pro

-- Talks about keynote and marketing quotes from the day of the launch

-- Revolutionary company believes their product is revolutionary.

Takeaway #2: The Vision Pro Probably Cost Tens of Billions to Develop

-- Company spent truckload of money making a new product

Takeaway #3: The Vision Pro Is Not Really From The Future

-- Talks about what Zuckerberg thinks. This isnt really a "takeaway", nor a "personal experience"

Takeaway #4: EyeSight is An Expensive Feature —and Not Worth It

-- First true experience, and interesting to read

Takeaway #5: The Vision Pro is, Today, Mostly a VR device (Even Though Apple Claims Otherwise)

-- Good. VR headset is being used as a VR headset.

Takeaway #6: The Benefits of Using a Vision Pro Fall Significantly Short of its Drawbacks

-- The product isnt as revolutionary as we thought folks.

Takeaway #7: Developer Adoption Remains a Problem

-- Not really a personal experience, but an observation.

Takeaway #8: Apple has Promptly Reshaped Terminology, Customer Perceptions, and Competitor Plans

-- Has it though?

So many words to say Vision Pro is a disappointing mess. Of the 8 takeaways, only 2 takeaways were made based on experience. Others were either fluff, or repeating news articles or mere observations.

I got a Quest Pro for free from Meta, and only realized that it was great for watching TV after Vision Pro came out, lol

The article's claim that Apple "priced the device quite reasonably, given the devices it could replace" is dubious at best. Yes, if you buy a high end TV, surround sound system, a computer with multiple displays, and so on, you'd spend more than the Vision Pro costs, but the difference is that all of those devices are individually much better at doing what they do than the Vision Pro is. In fact, one of the devices mentioned (a computer with multiple high-definition displays) is simply not possible to replicate at all on the Vision Pro, as you're limited to one Mac display. Similarly, there's no way that the spatial audio tech built into the headset, as impressive as it is, would actually rival a true multi-speaker home theater setup.

So you're spending $3500, a serious chunk of change to most people, to get a somewhat passable facsimile of the devices the headset replaces. That doesn't seem reasonable to me.

I have a apple Visio pro, I personally think it is a very good device, control by finger is impressive, except it is way too expensive

Just by envisioning what AR can do, you can tell that AR is the future. It just needs miniaturizations and cost reductions

It's frustrating because after reading the announcement thread I purchased one after many reputable Hacker News commenters stated this was the next big thing, the 'next iPhone' if you will. Being an early adopter and sharing in the innovations with other members of the community here was something I was really looking forward to, especially as some claimed we would get weekly threads showing what cool things people achieved with the product.

I got a demo in Cupertino, and was blown away. I’m not a sports fan, yet I would get one of these to watch sports games. The realism is mind-blowing. One second you’re behind Team A’s net and watch the oncoming attack. Next second you’re at the other end. It’s better than being there in person. If they can figure out how to keep up with a running attacking player, that’s the killer app.

I'd like to try one, but I require prism in my lenses (my eyes have a slight cross to them when viewing anything perceived as distant) which is something they currently do not support when ordering lenses.

I'm able to get them for my Quest 2, however.

They can't say it replaces a computer until it does full generic computing. Until then it replaces a monitor maybe.

Come on people, full 3d world where there are pipes representing all the IPC and network connections, random arbitrary switches and buttons you can hook up to automation scripts, unlimited windows you can program how they are created / moved/ and managed and manipulated. for ALL operating systems, not reinventing the damn wheel for every operating system. This will never be in ubiquitous use unless it does universal generic OS interface

My take has been that there is literally no good software for it, and it's a real shame because the hardware (and low level eye/AR/etc.) fucking rules. Just do whatever you have to to let me run mac os x apps on this thing and I'll use it everyday

edit: also, i'm an apple fanboy and still very disappointed in how poorly apple handled the launch. They spend billions on R&D and wont even throw a few million at some game developers to port to the platform? what the fuck?

A device with 2-3 hours of battery life cannot provide the 4-8 hours of unsupervised entertainment that parents are most willing to pay dearly for.