Well, it’s finally here. The Apple Vision Pro has been released to consumers and people all over are getting to see Apple’s Approach to Mixed Reality. The headset has already made a buzz online, especially across social media as it gets spotted in the wild, with people walking around using the device. But what are users saying about the headset? Well, we’ve done some research on the initial Apple Vision Pro reactions to give you an idea of what this headset can do and what are some possible use cases for it.
Apple Vision Pro Reactions – What People Like
Build Quality
A major part of the appeal of almost all Apple products is their fantastic build quality. Apple puts a lot of thought into all their product designs and chooses high-quality materials that make them look and feel premium. Users across the board have stated that the build quality on the device is great and the product stands out from other headsets. They used great screens and materials that made the device comfortable to wear.
Image credit: Apple
Screens
With that focus on high-quality materials, the screen and image quality live up to those standards. An impressive 4k resolution screen for each eye creates clear visuals. Apple is known for focusing on screen quality across all their products, which continues with the Apple Vision Pro. They are a standout feature of the headset.
The Interface
Most headsets these days come with controllers or remotes of some kind for users to navigate their way in virtual space. Meta currently has hand tracking enabled in their latest Meta Quest 3 devices. It’s a simple point-and-click interface, but it felt futuristic at the time. Apple has elevated hand tracking to the point that the Apple Vision Pro doesn’t even come with remotes and relies fully on hand tracking. They have a similar point-and-click interface, for menu navigation, but what has surprised people is the ability to use a fully virtual keyboard. It’s finicky and still needs some finetuning but it's impressive to see that included.
AR and Passthrough
The Apple Vision Pro is marketed at a spatial computing device with impressive AR capabilities. Apple has certainly delivered an impressive AR experience according to users. Ian Hamilton from Upload VR refers to the passthrough AR as "night and day better than every other passthrough experience I've ever seen." He states that he even considered that he thought there may be transparent optics in play, but that was not the case.
Image credit: Apple
Passthrough on other headsets has improved, such as the full color added in the Meta Quest line, but those feeds are often muddy or fuzzy. Users are finding that using Apple Vision Pro’s passthrough is a much clearer experience that marks a huge jump forward for this kind of tech.
Apple Vision Pro Reactions – What Has Room for Improvement
Battery Life
Battery life was an issue initial users suspected would be a problem and that seems to be the case. The device seems to have a max battery life of about 2 hours or so. You can plug into an outlet and keep the device going, but that removes the portable aspect of the device and adds more cables which is never desirable in an XR situation. This is something that can be improved, but it's disappointing when so many of Apple's other products boast such long battery life as a key feature, like the MacBooks.
Apps
Many reviews were disappointed in the lack of apps available on the device at launch. There were a few that showcased the capabilities of the headset and even a few games to show how the device can work. But at the moment, the main draw of the device is as a multimedia tool for consuming video content, projecting displays from MacBooks, and other simpler uses that make it more of a tool for consuming existing media. Obviously, as the demand for Apple Vision Pro headsets continues to rise, more developers will see opportunities to develop apps for the device, but that may still be some time away.
The Price
The major barrier for anyone getting this device is the price at a steep $3500. As we mentioned already, Apple is known for choosing high-quality materials and for their excellent design. Combining that with the serious amount of tech built into the device does provide a reason for that high price. But is it worth it when you can get a Meta Quest Pro for $1500? Or even a Meta Quest 3 for $400? Both of which have a large library of apps and features. That depends on the user.
Apple Vision Pro Reactions – A First-Gen Standout
Our takeaway from these reactions is a little mixed when it comes to the Apple Vision Pro. We see the tech in this device and the stunning performance it can have. The design is excellent, and we can’t wait to see what people do with the device. However, this is a first-generation device. In the first generation of any device, there are always little hiccups and design choices that aren’t seen later as the developers fine-tune the device. And for the price tag, it might be that this device is best suited to those early adopters who enjoy being part of an unofficial beta phase.
Image credit: Apple
As a first-generation device, the Apple Vision Pro stands out as a well-executed first iteration. It's a device that is going to set some trends in the XR device landscape. The attention to quality in the device and their willingness to experiment with passthrough, virtual keyboards, and other unique features that we haven’t seen before is exciting and gets us wondering how the market will shift to compete. It also has us excited to see how Apple tries to outdo itself with the next iteration of this device.
