It’s still too early to tell if Vision Pro is the revolutionary mixed reality product Apple expects. However, the recent headlines are not promising: it looks like they are many customers return their headsetsa potentially bad sign for the company’s large bet on XR.
I’m not convinced that the returns are damning for the Vision Pro, but there are also some clear reasons why Apple’s latest gadget is causing some buyers’ remorse.
Out of the box, it’s just not comfortable
If your goal is to spend as much time as possible in mixed reality, you want the headset itself to be comfortable to wear for hours. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of the Vision Pro’s biggest problems: This is something heftyweighing 600 to 650 grams (21.2 to 22.9 oz) on your face. And although the default solo knit team looks chilly, it is not suitable for even distribution of weight. As Marques Brownlee notes in his reviewthere is a double loop strand A lot more convenient to employ at the expense of the Vision Pro’s “chilly” factor. Fortunately, this band comes with the Vision Pro, so you can (and probably should) switch to it for longer sessions. If you can’t last an hour while wearing the Vision Pro, I encourage you to try the Dual Loop Band before heading to the Apple Store.
It is a pity, however, that the advertised strap is on the verge of being unsuitable for long-term employ of the Vision Pro.
Then there is the issue of motion sickness, which causes some users to be unable to employ the Vision Pro more than 10 to 15 minutes before you feel unwell. Honestly, there’s nothing about the Vision Pro itself that makes it particularly prone to motion sickness: it’s a classic and long-standing problem with headsets. If VR makes you feel ill, it’s possible the Vision Pro will too. But let’s hope that the headset won’t cause a blood vessel to burst, such as Project manager of The VergeParker Ortolani, he believes his Vision Pro does. That’s the only claim I’ve seen about this specific issue, but just to be on the safe and sound side, be wary of the pressure the Vision Pro puts on your face.
“Vision” is the problem
Apple touts the Vision Pro as virtually indistinguishable from the real thing, especially when using video pass-through mode. Whether you’re watching a movie “in the mountains” or working on your Mac while observing your living room around you, the experience should be completely immersive. The problem is that the Vision Pro seems great in some situations, but in others it struggles to the point that using it becomes distracting.
For starters, the field of view isn’t that wide. You will notice a black border around the edge of the frame power be able to ignore it if you’re really committed to what you’re doing, but it’s always there. It’s demanding to see this in action because Vision Pro only activates the internal screens when it detects the user is wearing the device, but Edge made a visualization of what this experience would look like. In brief, it’s not great. As Nilay Patel says in his review, it’s like you’re looking through binoculars. Indeed, this is Marques Brownlee this is the only thing he would like to change about Vision Pro to make it more engaging.
Source: The Verge/YouTube
And while some praise Vision Pro’s video feed as a high-quality and compelling illustration of real life, it’s not always perfect. How – notes Joanna Stern in her review for the Wall Street Journal., in low lightweight conditions it is tough to read real text with Vision Pro. Other reviewers made similar comments: as lighting conditions become less ideal, the Vision Pro starts to struggle. Just search “blurry” on the Vision Pro subreddit and you’ll find tons of people they complain about the indigent quality of video transmission.
It’s still too up-to-date
The Vision Pro is a first-generation product, which means it won’t be as implemented as, for example, a Mac or iPad. Being such an early adopter means you may not have it sufficiently what to do to justify the purchase unless you’re stern about mixed reality. Apple released Vision Pro with over 600 dedicated apps, but that’s not all Really so much. For comparison, the iPhone (which has been on the market for over 15 years, remember) is over two million applications available for download. While there are undoubtedly some chilly apps to explore, the Vision Pro is missing some key apps like Netflix and Spotify. Don’t worry though: TikTok has a Vision Pro app.
Apple also has to deal with some teething problems with its up-to-date technology. The vision element can of course be improved, but so can elements such as touch typing. At this point, you almost certainly need a Bluetooth keyboard to make typing on the Vision Pro a worthwhile experience. Developer Christian Selig seems better than most at typing on a virtual keyboardand still can only type 31 words per minute.
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There are many smaller quirks that Apple may address in future updates, like Personasbut I don’t think it’s the minor issues that make Vision Pro customers return their purchases.
His So Dear
I think the fatal flaw for many customers returning their Vision Pros is simply the price. If the Vision Pro cost $500 like the Meta Quest 3, I bet users with device limitations would notice much more flexibility. However this begins it costs $3,500 and only goes up when you add storage, accessories or lens inserts. This high price also means that most people don’t buy the Vision Pro at all, so if you Down want to buy it, you probably won’t have many friends or family members to employ it with.
It’s pretty obvious: if someone doesn’t have enough work to do with a headset that feels blurry and actually uncomfortable to employ, they probably won’t just wave their hand and end up paying over $3,500.
The return window for the first day of shopping is rapid approaching
Another obvious answer? The return window is almost over. If someone purchased Vision Pro on day one, February 2, the two-week return window ends on Friday, February 16. Considering all of the above, it makes sense that customers thinking about getting their money back do so right before this cutoff. I imagine many of them wanted they liked it too, so they stuck with the headset as long as they could before deciding to throw in the towel.
None of this applies to the Vision Pro is not an impressive piece of technology or a huge step forward in mixed reality. Of course, all first-generation devices have their problems, and you’ll see for yourself lots of cheerful Vision Pro users talking online about their passion for the headset. I just don’t think it needs to be a mystery why we see a lot of comebacks out of goal.