But what are you going to use it for?
Igor Omilaev / Unsplash
The Vision Pro is now arriving with buyers, and the reviews are in.
Apple’s Vision Pro is an exquisitely built virtual-reality headset with a few hardware twists.
Apple Vision Pro.Igor Omilaev / Unsplash
Heavy Metal
Let’s start with the hardware.
All the reviewers, fromMarques Brownleeto Apple punditJohn GrubertoThe Verge’sNilay Patel, remark on the weight.
The other problem with this design is that the weight is all at the front.
Apple Vision Pro Front Display.Josh Edelson / Getty Images
It’s easy to wear heavy headphones because the center of gravity is in the middle of your head.
The Vision Pro’s design sticks it all out at the front.
Josh Edelson / Getty Images
The battery pack, too, is heavy.
Vision Pro Glass in Production.Apple
It’s also pretty complex to make this thing fit.
According toone Reddit post, there are 28 different light seal sizes.
But all of this disappears once you get the thing running.
It might be useful to think of the current hardware in the same way.
That first iPhone was woefully underpowered; it had slow internet and even slower HTML webpage rendering.
Apple knew this and prioritized responsiveness.
Apple
The Vision Pro is similar in that it prioritizes the experience.
Only this time, the hardware has plenty of powerit’s just not small enough yet.
And what an experience.
Andthe spatial computing component is also compelling.
This allows you to place windows in virtual space, and they stay put.
The Wall Street Journal’sJoanna Stern made a videoof herself spending 24 hours in the headset.
Not everything is great in Vision Pro software land.
The avatars that the unit uses for FaceTime videos are odd at best and quite distracting.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets ditched in subsequent models.
And finally, we can again go back to that original iPhone.
Not bad for something that is only just arriving with buyers today.
