First impressions of the Apple Vision Pro

I finally got to use the Apple Vision Pro this weekend. This is an incredibly impressive device and likely the future of desktop computing, but it is years away from being good enough for the use cases I care about. Get a demo of this, if you can, but I would wait a few generations before buying.

• The immersive experiences offered by the Apple Vision Pro are nothing short of breathtaking. They are remarkably realistic, surpassing the quality of other devices I’ve used. The sensation of being transported to another world is truly captivating, with some experiences even triggering my mild fear of heights.
• Window management is far more compelling than I expected. Having giant windows arranged around the room is nice. I can see myself using this type of device for work in the future.
• Watching movies on a giant virtual screen is way better than expected.
• Using the mindfullness/meditation app in a virtual mountain range is incredible.
• The eye tracking is perfect, but requires some adjusting to. I kept instinctively moving my hand expecting it to move the cursor, whereas all you need to do is look. It’s incredible how easy it is to click very small buttons accurately.
• The passthrough video, which allows you to see your surroundings while wearing the headset, is truly impressive, albeit not flawless. When it comes to very close objects, you might notice some pixels, but what intrigued me more was the scene’s slightly desaturated colouring. This unique aspect of the product piqued my interest, making me curious about its potential.
• From the reviews, I expected this device to not trigger the vertigo/motion sickness I’ve experienced with Meta headsets. Unfortunately, it did leave me a little nauseous after the demo.
• I found it surprisingly tricky to position it correctly on my face. Most configurations were either uncomfortable or allowed light to leak in. There are a lot of variables, from how high you sit it on your face, how high you position the head band, and how much you tighten it.