Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel “Ready Player One,” a dystopian science fiction romp featuring an obsession with 80s culture, meditated heavily upon the danger of removing oneself from humanity through headset technology.
Perhaps the thing that removes Apple Vision Pro most from humanity is its £3,500 price tag.
The price point — the result of manufacturing costs and a call for product prestige — is most definitely the reason the headset has struggled to sell in its early release stages.
Consequently, the Vision Pro is stuck with a limited user base and lackluster third-party functionality, and most companies haven’t even thoughtfully attempted to adapt their apps and products to Apple’s new visionOS software.
The product is defined mostly by its widgets and windows that occupy the space around users in real-time, blending virtual objects with a real environment, in addition to its immersive capabilities. As such, Apple prefers the term spatial computing over virtual reality, since Vision Pro does not rely on fully digital, pre-programmed environments for users to interact with.
The Apple Vision Pro, in theory and demonstration, is absolutely deserving of a pompous new phrase for its function, something best described only as wearable augmented reality. Truthfully, I don’t believe I’ve tried anything more deserving of a new phrase for what it does.
While it did make me feel like Tony Stark, I questioned whether the product’s capabilities would withstand removal from the demonstrative environment I was able to experience.
For one, it weighs heavily on the face, and, while comfortably padded on the bridge of my nose and around my eyes, the front end of the headset sinks, often itching for a readjustment and sometimes letting a sliver of light slip through beneath it.
Even more, Apple’s personalized fitting experience is already somewhat emulated in-store — users begin the demonstration by scanning a QR code on their phone that brings them to a camera-scanning application that measures their head, a similar practice to Apple’s Face ID.
I also found the Vision Pro somewhat straining on the eyes; its striking visuals and digitized spatial depth required some getting used to. In a way, it was almost too real. Taking a break from the headset every once in a while, much like almost any device nowadays, will absolutely prove beneficial.
Nonetheless, my excitement for the product’s potential outweighs my concerns.
My demonstration began by exploring the Vision Pro’s new photo functions. Panoramic photos taken on iPhones were seamlessly expanded to arc around my front side nearly 180 degrees, essentially engulfing me in the photo without losing any picture quality.
Most notable were photos and videos taken on the Vision Pro. Its ability to capture moments with remarkable depth — objects situated in three dimensions such that I felt I could touch them before me — all while maintaining exceptional quality was astonishing.
I was moved by one demonstration video of a young girl celebrating her birthday. A cake was placed in front of her, and her mother encouraged her to blow out the candles on top.
“Why don’t you go ahead and try to touch the cake?” my demonstration guide prodded, and, instinctively, because I almost truly believed I could, I outstretched my hand and brushed through a cake that was not there.
Emotionally, I felt I was missing out on a memory I didn’t even have — one that Apple had created, with actors, to showcase the Vision Pro.
Soon, it became clear that establishing normalcy and accessibility for users was the name of the game once the headset was on. A combination of intuitive pinch-and-drag controls and an eye-tracking cursor made the Vision Pro extremely easy to pick up and difficult to put down, as the novelty of the product overran me with each newly demonstrated function.
The Vision Pro’s striking ability to immerse on command was also noteworthy. When instructed to turn the digital crown near my right eye, the Vision Pro gradually wiped away the interior of Apple Covent Garden, instead presenting me with a 360-degree view of the shore of a tranquil mountain lake.
I looked down, up and behind me, but there were no holes in the space. The Vision Pro had now presented me with a workspace that felt so real and relaxing, I looked to rise from my chair and move towards the water, despite knowing I couldn’t.
The effect soon transported me to a cinema. I could change where I was positioned in the darkened, fully immersed space such that the angle at which I viewed the massive digital screen changed with every option.
A reel for the Apple TV+ show “Foundation” bellowed in striking audio and visual quality, exciting me at the prospect of watching movies in this digital space equipped with Apple’s spatial audio technology and astounding video quality.
Most impressive, however, was Apple’s Immersive Video series, a short reel showcasing the potential for the Vision Pro’s technology that ended the demonstration.
The reel began with a woman balancing precariously on a tightrope. I looked down, which was a titanic mistake, as below was a staggeringly deep chasm that felt much too real. My demonstration guide laughed at my horror as the woman wobbled, trying to find her balance. Suddenly, she fell, and the video cut to black as I instinctively began to reach out to grab her.
What followed was a series of 360-degree videos, each captivating in their own way: in one, singer Alicia Keys serenades her studio with her song “If I Ain’t Got You,” which continues as the background music of the reel. Keys appeared to be two feet in front of me. In another, the tightrope woman dangled by her harness over the chasm.
Other videos featured stunning views of nature, exclusive sideline views of a Major League Soccer match and, my personal favorite, courtside angles at the 2024 NBA All-Star game.
Once again, my demonstration guide laughed as, in one video, a basketball came flying at me off an errant pass, to which I responded by flinching with my hands up ready to catch it.
“Just reflexes, sorry,” I laughed it off sheepishly.
Once the headset came off, I chuckled in amazement. “How was it?” my demonstration guide asked.
I was blown away by the potential on display, which was complemented by the Vision Pro’s perfectly minimalist user interface and effective functionality. Its simplicity underscored a larger trend of normalizing an evidently non-normal product, something truly the first of its kind.
However, reality often outweighs potential. As of right now, the Apple Vision Pro simply isn’t very popular, and it’s easier said than done for third parties to overhaul software to adapt to visionOS. Coupled with some physical design flaws, it makes the Apple Vision Pro the poster child for early-stage tech: an innovative concept with execution that, when blessed with time and money, only looks to improve.
Of course, I wasn’t going to say all of that to my young demonstration guide.
Instead, I responded, “Ridiculous.”
