Seventeen years ago, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, a single device combining an iPod, a phone, and an internet browser, at a convention in San Francisco. Despite its initial $500 price, the iPhone was a revolutionary product that lived up to its promises, notwithstanding some imperfections and slow internet speeds.
Recently, I encountered Apple’s latest innovation, the Vision Pro. This $3,500 virtual reality headset, comparable to ski goggles, aims to merge the digital and physical realms by allowing users to interact with apps and videos while still being able to see their surroundings. Despite its groundbreaking claims, after five days of use, the product’s value proposition remains questionable.
With additional costs for necessary add-ons, the Vision Pro’s first iteration seems underwhelming compared to previous Apple launches. Its capabilities in work settings and gaming fall short, and a peculiar feature intended for video calls ended up unsettling children. Although the device excels in playing videos, offering an immersive experience in 3-D, it bears noticeable shortcomings. From its cumbersome design to a limited two-hour battery life, the Vision Pro struggles to compete with lighter and cheaper alternatives.
The interface of the Vision Pro is intuitively designed to be user-friendly, incorporating a unique “pinch” gesture for interaction and a feature known as the Digital Crown for toggling between the digital interface and the real world. However, its isolated experience and the lack of efficiency in multitasking hinder its practicality for work-related tasks.
Despite its advantages in video consumption, the headset becomes burdensome for extended use, and the lack of essential apps like Netflix and YouTube diminishes its appeal as a personal entertainment device. Furthermore, the gaming experience is lacking due to a limited game library, making it a hard sell against more established VR gaming headsets.
In conclusion, the Vision Pro showcases impressive technology but falls short in delivering a compelling use case. Its high cost, combined with the difficulty of sharing the experience with others, positions it as a solitary device in a time when connectivity is more sought after. Its current state presents an impressive yet incomplete vision, indicating a need for refinement and more thoughtful integration into users’ lives.
