Revolutionizing Computing
No one alive today witnessed the invention of the printing
press, telegraph, and telephone — monumental technologies that reshaped
communication. In the last century, few innovations have reached such
transformative heights. Against this backdrop, Apple Vision Pro is a unique,
integrated hardware and software experience that might survive time.
I
know — the $3,499 price tag on Apple Vision Pro is painfully expensive and will
be out of the reach of most consumers, despite how cool and useful it might be.
Even though I can’t stop using it after a week, it’s not yet a “got to have it”
product for everyone, in the footsteps of an Apple iPhone and iPad. However,
the product provides a vital, early glimpse of the future. That vision could
take a decade or more to become mainstream, but measured against that
statement, Apple Vision Pro is a triumph.
Weight
and App Availability
Weight, utility, and fit are all highly subjective matters that
are impossible to address for the large swath of potential mainstream consumer
users. I’ll concede that many users not yet familiar with the Vision Pro
headset — possibly more than Apple would like to acknowledge — may find it
heavy or unpleasant. It fits on my head, and its weight, somewhat lighter than
the Meta Quest 3, has not been an issue.
While the initial launch of Apple Vision Pro proceeded more or
less without a hitch, Vision Pro cannot become an unqualified success until
more native apps become available. This point will be a vital test for Apple if
the company is going to realize its ambitions for Vision Pro.
Many
Viewpoints, Some Conflicting
Having used Vision Pro for about a week
as of this writing, my mind is overflowing with various viewpoints. While some
of my analyst colleagues might disagree, I’ve tended to take an optimistic
position on Vision Pro’s appeal.
Plainly stated, Vision Pro is Apple’s
first device for spatial computing. Apple coined “spatial computing” as a
marketing slogan when it announced Vision Pro last June, and it’s now become
clear to me why after spending some significant time with it.
Even while the Vision Pro technology and design are incredible
(easily justifying the high price point), best-in-class AR glasses have always
been constrained by physics laws and the availability of current components.
Today, in its infancy, the Vision Pro platform has boundless possibilities.
Still, it will take time for the right killer usage models to emerge and take
hold with mainstream users.
The R1 CPU combines with the external cameras and sensors to
replicate the user’s space in three dimensions within the displays. Sometimes,
you get the impression that you’re not wearing a headset and staring at little
displays, but the illusion is broken if the room is too dark. Moreover,
paradoxically, the quieter the space where you’re using Vision Pro, the more
noise there is. However, that’s essentially why the product is so immersive.
Virtual reality headset fans will testify that a “screen door”
phenomenon results when the display resolution is not high enough to remove
visible pixels when the retina of your eyes gets closer to a monitor.
To mitigate that, Vision Pro distinguishes between being too
pixel-dense and removing the impact. Because of the high pixel density,
windows, text, and user interface elements appear as sharp as they would on an
iPhone. It has to be seen to be believed, as it’s like having two
postage-stamp-sized monitors inside the headgear to deliver an immersive vision
experience.
Field of Vision Not
Completely Blocked Out
Interestingly, although wearing
the Vision Pro provides a stunning perspective, users will always notice that a
room is brighter when you remove it. The immersive settings I used because of
the low light levels in my office sometimes made everything look murky. I found
that good lighting remedied this situation. Therefore, many Vision Pro users
might reconsider the existing ambient lighting in their home offices if they
use the product regularly.
Furthermore, the displays you’re viewing still don’t fill the
headset, leaving you with a black border around your field of view and without
peripheral vision. Currently, no headset can replicate full peripheral vision
due to technological limitations.
When something strange enters our field of vision, the human
brain is highly adept at focusing on that object and forgetting everything
else. Recall that although your nose is constantly visible, the brain works to
prevent the user from noticing it.
Vision
Pro Is a Powerful Computer in Its Own Right
Apple Vision Pro’s processing power
allows it to run powerful applications. There is a minimal chance that M2 will
soon become a ceiling for most apps because visionOS developers have been
creating native apps or porting iPad app experiences.
The computing environment would have
been even more complicated and unpredictable if Apple had permitted Vision Pro
to run Mac software. So, Apple has wisely restricted Vision Pro to run most iOS
and iPad apps, which has significant battery life and performance advantages.
App
Compatibility and Interface
Although my testing has not been exhaustive, I haven’t found any
apps that seem to strain the M2. I was delighted to see many of my favorite
iPad apps, such as Xfinity Streaming, the OneCast app for Xbox streaming, and
Plex, work without a hitch.
VisionOS is not flawless, as it did crash on me a couple of
times, though that will diminish in future software and firmware updates.
Here’s a short video overview of some of the exciting demos of what I was able
to use Vision Pro for in just a few hours:
If I had to single out the one home run Apple has achieved for
Vision Pro, it’s unquestionably the product’s user interface.
First, VisionOS has a distinctive iOS/iPadOS look and feel,
dramatically shortening Vision Pro’s learning curve. Moreover, reliably and
accurately using a person’s eye gaze to select a button with a simple pinch of
your fingers is a breakthrough in usability on the scale of using a mouse or
touchpad with a traditional desktop operating system. It’s not perfect, but
it’s delicious and will only improve.
Future
Iterations of Vision Pro
Rumors abound that Apple reportedly
plans to wait until 2026 to release the Apple Vision Pro 2 or a non-Pro
version. That’s probably not a big issue for an inaugural release of a
significant platform.
Still, it is a long time to be limited
to the M2 processor, particularly when considering more heavyweight apps that
get developed and come to fruition. Developers never shy away from more
performance power, and I don’t think Vision Pro will be exempt from that
reality.
In this regard, Qualcomm may have a
price point advantage with its new Snapdragon XR1 as its computing capability
may have comparable performance that will indeed show up in significantly
less-expensive headsets than Vision Pro.
From a platform perspective, Apple
Vision Pro and visionOS have limitless possibilities. With the vision beta
train officially running, it will be simple to forecast where technology will
be in a month. Longer-term prognostications will be much more challenging.
Vision Pro is Apple’s first entirely new
computer platform since the iPad. Even though the hardware was exclusively
released in the United States, things will change rapidly now that it is
available to the public. The learnings Apple accrues from observing daily
consumer use of Vision Pro will undoubtedly influence future vision releases.
The
Inevitable Mainstreaming of Augmented Reality
Most Apple products aren’t the first of
their kind; this one is. Vision Pro is not a “fast follower” product as there’s
no existing product on the market in its class to follow.
Although Apple has repeatedly used
“spatial computing” in its marketing materials, the phrase is not hyperbole and
accurately describes what happens when virtual reality is combined with mixed
reality. It also reinforces Apple’s belief that augmented reality (AR) will
eventually win over mainstream users with practical and compelling usage models.
Software must keep up with the new era
that Apple Vision Pro heralds. Now that the device offers state-of-the-art
screen technology, hand tracking, eye tracking, and passthrough capabilities,
developers will have the times of their lives developing apps. For the first,
hardware constraints in this product category will not pose a limitation.
Vision Pro Pioneers a New Era of
Computing
Vision Pro’s spatial computing
functionality represents a groundbreaking leap forward in human-computer
interaction, as seamlessly integrating digital content into our physical
surroundings transforms how we perceive and interact with information.
No longer confined to traditional
screens and interfaces, users can now immerse themselves in a rich, interactive
environment where digital and physical worlds converge. This convergence
enhances productivity and efficiency and opens new avenues for creativity and
innovation.
In essence, Vision Pro’s spatial computing functionality heralds a
new era in computing, where the boundaries between the virtual and real blur
and the digital realm become an intrinsic part of our everyday lives. As this
technology evolves and proliferates, it will impact industries ranging from
education to health care, entertainment, and beyond.
Ultimately, Vision Pro’s spatial computing has the potential to
revolutionize computing as we know it, unlocking boundless possibilities and
reshaping the way we work, learn, and play.
Even though Apple Vision Pro is only version 1.0, it may join the
rank of the printing press and telephone as seminal technological innovations
that have an impact as significant as the Apple II and the original IBM
Personal Computer. It will be energizing to see where Apple takes it from here.