Apple Vision Pro, One Month Later: It's In My Life, Sometimes

Hey Siri, open Apple Music. Play the Godzilla Minus One album. With some music on, I open my MacBook, connect the Vision Pro, and the movie I’ve been watching fades into the background.

I used to think of the Apple Vision Pro as the device of the future; Now it’s just part of my life. After clearing the mystery after a month of use, the new device is back to normal in my home.

After years of experience with AR and VR, I can see where advanced devices like the Vision Pro can and do go. But that’s not all, I now use the Vision Pro as my everyday device. I use it in a way that makes it feel very clear, delineated and limited. What’s more interesting is that its usage meta doesn’t overlap much with Quest 3.

For all my dreams of a mixed reality future where magical 3D objects dance in my home and create incredible experiences, the Vision Pro is currently a great wearable display, a way to restore movies, my own photo library, and a work-oriented iOS with connectivity to Apple. Computer. That’s what I thought when I saw it, and it’s still true today. Vision Pro is a tool, but not necessarily a magic machine. However, I use it almost every day and there are times when the device surprises me with its advanced features. But I use the Quest 3 almost every day… for things I enjoy but can’t do with an Apple headset.

The generic feel of the headset, its apps and user interface – often dull – can be customized. I think Apple is trying to normalize the experience of wearing a mixed reality headset from time to time instead of making it futuristic. Then again, I’ve lived with a headset for a long time and am still trying to figure out some of the mysteries of the Vision Pro.

Detail Specification

Apple-Vision-Pro-2

The Apple Vision Pro is a highly advanced mixed reality headset that combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. Here are the key specifications and features of the Apple Vision Pro:

Design

  • Form Factor: The Vision Pro features a sleek and lightweight design with a comfortable fit, made of a high-quality, durable aluminum alloy.
  • Headband: It comes with an adjustable headband and a comfortable face pad, ensuring a snug fit for various head sizes.

 Display

  • Type: The Vision Pro utilizes micro-OLED display technology.
  • Resolution: It boasts a 23-million-pixel display, providing an incredibly sharp and vivid visual experience.
  • Field of View: Offers a wide field of view to create an immersive experience.
  • Refresh Rate: Features a high refresh rate for smooth motion and reduced latency.

Optics

  • Custom Lenses: Equipped with custom optical lenses that ensure clarity and minimize distortion across the entire visual field.
  • Eye Tracking: Integrated eye-tracking technology allows for intuitive interaction and precise control.

 

 Performance

  • Processor: Powered by a custom Apple Silicon chip, the M2, which ensures high performance, efficient power consumption, and seamless multitasking.
  • Graphics: Integrated with a high-performance GPU designed to handle complex graphics and immersive experiences.

 

Sensors

  • Cameras: Multiple high-resolution cameras for tracking the user’s environment, hand gestures, and facial expressions.
  • LiDAR Scanner: Includes a LiDAR scanner for accurate depth sensing and environmental mapping.
  • IMU Sensors: Inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors for precise motion tracking and spatial orientation.

Audio

  • Spatial Audio: Features advanced spatial audio technology for a realistic and immersive sound experience.
  • Microphones: Equipped with multiple microphones for clear voice capture and noise cancellation.

Connectivity

  • Wireless: Supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for fast and stable wireless connectivity.
  • Ports: Includes a USB-C port for charging and data transfer.

 

Software

  • Operating System: Runs on a specialized version of Apple’s operating system, tailored for mixed reality experiences.
  • App Ecosystem: Compatible with a wide range of AR and VR applications available through the Apple App Store.
  • Developer Support: Offers robust developer tools and frameworks for creating custom applications and experiences.

 

Battery Life

  • Usage Time: Provides several hours of continuous use on a single charge.
  • Charging: Supports fast charging and can be used while plugged in.

 

Additional Features

  • Hand Tracking: Advanced hand-tracking capabilities allow for natural and intuitive interaction without the need for external controllers.
  • Face Tracking: Captures facial expressions and movements, enabling realistic avatar representation in virtual environments.
  • Privacy: Built with privacy in mind, ensuring that sensitive data, such as eye-tracking and environmental scans, are securely processed and stored.

 

The Apple Vision Pro represents a significant leap forward in mixed reality technology, offering a seamless blend of digital and physical worlds with an emphasis on high performance, intuitive interaction, and immersive experiences.

$ 1300 at Amazon
$ 1300 at Best Buy
$ 1300 at Samsung

Movies: Yes, All The Time, Sometimes

I’m still impressed with the way Vision Pro renders movies. I’m lucky enough to live with and enjoy one of these for this purpose, but surely the average person wouldn’t pay $3,500 just for that privilege. However, it has become my favorite home theater. In most cases.

After watching all the Oscar nominated films on Vision Pro, I loved the freedom and fantastic sound quality. Apple TV purchases like Troubled Things and Zones of Interest are particularly impressive. Past Life on Paramount Plus isn’t as good because the unoptimized Paramount app doesn’t have its own movie mode, and the video quality looks a little grainy and the black levels aren’t black enough (maybe there’s something wrong with that). I don’t know how the iPad version of the app). Maestro looked great on Netflix, but Netflix had to launch in Safari, which was fine, but a little annoying to launch.

 

I watch movies in chunks with a headset, maybe an hour. It’s not easy to just lie down and turn on Vision Pro. The iPad is a very handy thing, even if the screen is small, and I slip bits of movies this way. And of course, if I’m watching with my family, I use the TV.

Although I like the Vision Pro the most, my eyes get tired at times and I occasionally see glare or reflections from the lens display. This happens with my glasses every day, but more than I prefer for perfectly clear dark movie theater moments with the headset.

Also, while I’d love to take this movie-watching wonder anywhere, the battery-powered headset still seems too big to take with me on a commute or even on a plane. I didn’t take it with me on the trip to Disneyland because it would have eaten up more than half of my backpack. I took the iPad instead, which was great on the plane. No regrets. Perhaps when the Vision Pro becomes smaller, such as foldable glasses (see HTC Vive XR Elite). But not now.

Work: Ideally, yes, it's my everyday magic monitor at home

I like to turn on Vision Pro and cast my MacBook’s display to the big screen. That’s how I write this whole story, multitasking and opening other application windows for fun.

The Vision Pro paired with a MacBook Air is my work setup almost 100% of the time when I’m sitting at my desk with the battery plugged in. Basically, I work tied up. I like the keyboard/trackpad controls on the MacBook and want my Office apps to work properly; Okta FastPass isn’t currently available on Vision Pro, which I use at work, so I run everything through a MacBook Air.

I like this setup on Quest 3 because more services are already connected Siri is here, notifications are sent directly to my iOS apps, I can play Apple Music and easily reply to messages. Also, the display looks better. It’s great to open multiple apps, hold them close to you, and scroll with your fingers, just like the iPad’s floating displays. Now I do it on social media while working on my Mac. I just want more of those little windows and better multitasking and maybe an iPad feel everywhere.

I definitely miss all those screens when the headset is off.

Sometimes I leave the headset on: I find it very convenient to work with a pair of AirPods on my MacBook and iPhone. Vision Pro still doesn’t add enough to the equation. It’s a great way to expand the display in the room I’m in, but it still doesn’t change the way I work. For the most part, there are 3D applications or converter interfaces that work some magic. I type on the keyboard and swipe in the 2D window using the trackpad.

Apple-Vision-Pro-Cover

Where are all the magical new apps?

Really, where are they? I’m looking forward to it, but I know I have to be patient: it’s only been a month. A new generation of phone apps didn’t define the iPhone for years. Here are some interesting games and apps: Blackbox, a 3D puzzle app that is quirky and addictive. A game called Tiny-Fins where I control fish with bubbles floating around my office. Wisp World, a mysterious AI-driven interactive creature game featuring a floating glowing orb floating around a pollen-producing plant, is weird. Meditation using the Apple Mindfulness or Tripp Vision app is mesmerizing and calming. I don’t like it much though. Vision Pro’s “there’s an app for that” moment has yet to come, and I’m eager to return to Quest 3, which has a large library of magical immersive experiences that I love to play.

Vision Pro can open 3D apps, when I also use 2D apps (called “Volumes”), so why don’t I do it more? Probably because I find these applications difficult to run in my environment. If I’m sitting at a desk, the 3D apps seem to overlap each other oddly. I don’t support the Vision Pro like the Quest 3 because its battery life feels awkward and makes me want to sit down. Or they have no goals. I like a Vision Pro map app that can show me locations in 3D in detail, or with real tools or GarageBand can show me ways to instantly move objects I’m looking at in 3D all over the place. But this everyday use is now hidden or non-existent.

But these are still very early days. I still don’t find these new apps as compelling as I’d like, and I wonder if discovering and using them with the rest of my workflow will become more natural over time.

And when will it really start to blend into my reality? I envision an AR future in which my floor, my furniture, my entire body—everything merges with the virtual. The Apple headset is constantly scanning an incredible number of objects, including my hands, the size of my room, and my own eyes. And yet, it doesn’t use many mixed reality techniques except very subtle ones. Apps mostly feel like they’re floating in space rather than truly integrated with it, though the Vision Pro is constantly aware of the entire room and my hands and can clearly do more.

Fatigue? After A Couple Of Hours, Yes

With the Vision Pro I can last over an hour and a half, sometimes longer. I lose track of time because I usually work and multitask. I look at my watch so I know the time, but I forget that my headset is still on. And then I realize that my eyes need a good rest.

It’s easy to understand why I played Quest 3 because it didn’t fit seamlessly into my workflow. It only makes me aware that I’m engrossed in gaming or fitness.

The strap I use most often with the Vision Pro is the Dual Loop. Properly tightened under the back of the head, it feels completely secure and quite comfortable. It’s like my CPAP belt when I sleep at night. I don’t feel the headset getting heavy, but I do feel pressure on my cheeks. And the eyes sometimes feel dry. I haven’t cried much in the headset (sorry, I really have to move), but I find it annoying that my eyes itch and I can’t rub them easily. I like that the second strap is easier to put on, but neither is perfect. Maybe that’s why there are two of them.

Better, But Still Buggy

Even using VisionOS 1.1, which improved the look of my Virtual Persona avatar (my digital self for FaceTime and other headset chats) and made connecting to the Mac’s Virtual Display more stable, I still found oddities everywhere. Eye tracking is still imperfect, which often makes it difficult for me to pick out targets at the edge of my field of view. Sometimes I recalibrate the eye tracking after restarting the headset, but do I need to do this all the time? It’s still not good enough to provide precise control like my iPhone, iPad or MacBook. Maybe eventually, but I need a MacBook Trackpad or Magic Trackpad for better control at work.

Sometimes my connection to my MacBook stops working or, like today, my cursor is strangely slow to respond. Sometimes the application closes. Sometimes I find that I can’t easily select items in the control center, which floats overhead like a magical fairy dot. Anyway, it’s great most of the time and overall much more reliable than Meta Quest OS, but it needs some tweaking to be perfect like I needed.

When Will This Start Working With My Iphone, Watch And ipad?

One thing I’d really like to see soon is interoperability between iPhone and Apple Watch devices The MacBook is nice and useful, especially for apps that can’t even run on iOS or Vision Pro, but the device I always have is my phone. And my watch. There is already a smart iPhone app called Typos that lets you type on your iPhone and create text easily in Vision Pro. Apple already does this with the Apple TV, but the Vision Pro doesn’t have it yet. This will help a lot with typing, and is just the beginning of a whole universe of interactions. iPhone is a haptic controller. Why can’t the same thing happen with Vision Pro?

Same goes for the Apple Watch. For fitness, gestures and controls, use the watch screen as the Vision Pro’s touchpad. I wish it was introduced this year as I think it would help make the headset more usable.

There should also be a native iPhone app to help launch and manage the Vision Pro experience for those who have tried it, but I covered that a few weeks ago.

The iPad will be a great partner for the Vision Pro. The Magic Keyboard and Trackpad case for the iPad Pro is much smaller than the MacBook and allows me to easily manage things using a different non-Macbook option.

 

But I also think about collaborating with others. FaceTime collaboration with other Vision Pro users is limited to pop-ups and static apps. While others use iOS or Mac, there are more SIMs. I’m hoping AR pop-ups will work with iPhones, iPads, and Vision Pros just like the AR sports game demo I tried at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2019.

Eyesight: I Barely Think About It

A final note: The external EyeSight display showing my eyes felt so strange and magical that it was almost an afterthought for me. Maybe it’s because I usually only use Vision Pro. This could also be because the iSight display is usually so dim that it’s hard for people around me to see it in normal light. My wife says she hardly notices it. I forget he’s there and take off my headset when I need someone to talk to. In some ways it is not part of my daily life. I really like that other people can go into the Immersive Vision Pro experience so I can see their faces, at least for my own awareness and safety. But I don’t expect to talk to people in the real world while wearing Vision Pro. At least not more so than the Quest 3 or any other VR headset.

Vision Pro is impressive, but has obvious limitations. How much will change in the next few months or years? There is no clear indication. Apple’s WWDC should tell us more, but we won’t know more about Vision Pro’s future prospects until June (or whenever WWDC happens). Now I can tell you that they are great, very expensive and I use them occasionally. But yeah, I have a movie screening on the headset tonight and I’m looking forward to it.