I have mixed reactions to the new Apple Vision Pro announced at WWDC earlier this year.
I haven’t tried it, so everything I think about it is based on second-hand information. My reactions are based on watching the initial Apple presentation video, reading the reports of those who’ve had the opportunity to try one out, and reading the many tech commentators who’ve written about it.
My Initial Reactions to the Apple Vision Pro
1. It’s A Very Expensive (and Very Cool) Consumption Tool
When I watched the initial presentation, my primary reaction was that it would be great for watching movies.
The presentation highlighted this use, and the ad on the Apple site also highlights it, showing a guy sitting in his living room eating popcorn and watching a movie. During the iPhone event, a person sat in their living room looking at 3D photos and videos.
I do not doubt that many wealthier consumers will buy this product primarily for consuming media. It’s an obvious use.
The combination of a vast virtual screen and stereo headset sound makes it a killer product for this use.
However, it’s a very expensive consumption tool. The initial price is $3,500, which does not necessarily include all costs. It’s rumored that if you want a super comfortable harness to wear the device, it will cost you extra.
In addition, if you wear corrective lenses, you must purchase Vision Pro lenses from Apple. They’re estimated to cost $500 or more.
In addition, it’s rumored that Apple cannot provide for all prescriptions. So, even if you want one and are willing to pay big bucks, you may not be able to purchase one if you don’t have the right prescription.
Perhaps in the future, Apple will release a “non-pro” version of the device at a lower cost. If so, it would make it available to more people.
2. It’s Isolating
Watching the Apple presentation, I thought, “This thing will isolate people more than face masks did during the pandemic.” At least you could clearly see the eyes of masked people.
Apple has taken some steps to alleviate this problem. When you look at a person or a person approaches you with the Vision Pro on, the eyes are highlighted so others can see your eyes, although the demos seem to show a darkened view. Apple calls this feature “EyeSight.”
On the whole, however, I think these goggles will isolate people from one another.
Who wants to approach someone who looks like they came out on the losing side of an interaction with The Borg? Will the person see me approaching when they are focused on something in virtual reality?
Will they know I want to communicate with them? Does merely having the apparatus on signal they want to be left alone? (Many people use headphones in this way in an office or public location.)
I don’t agree with much that Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has to say. However, I agree with his comments about Apple Vision Pro being isolating and anti-social. In an article in 9to5 Mac, Zukerberg is quoted as saying, “…our vision for the metaverse and presence is fundamentally social. It’s about people interacting in new ways and feeling closer in new ways. Our device is also about being active and doing things. By contrast, every demo that they showed was a person sitting on a couch by themself. I mean, that could be the vision of the future of computing, but like, it’s not the one that I want.”
Imagine someone wearing an Apple Vision Pro at McDonald’s or the doctor’s office. Will you be inclined to interact with this person, ignore them, or move away?
When I watch a movie at home, it’s usually with my wife. It’s a social event. Will I purchase two Vision Pros so we can watch simultaneously? I think not. And even if we did, it would fundamentally change the social experience. It would be two cyborgs sitting next to each other, each in their own world.
Will the Vision Pro Increase Productivity?
I’ve been reading and listening to many tech folks speculating that Vision Pro will make them much more productive.
One productivity expert talks about doing different activities in different virtual locations. You can pretend you’re sitting next to a mountain lake while working on a blog or sitting in an environment of blue or green tints while putting together a newsletter. It’s predicted that changing contexts for different activities will result in a large increase in productivity.
Likewise, some think that having a virtual desktop with, for instance, a large Kanban board in a virtual space will spark more creative thinking. The assumption is the larger the work area, the more creative one will be.
I understand the arguments but doubt that moving apps to a virtual context will significantly affect productivity.
Having large or multiple monitors is possible now to make app workspaces larger. It’s also possible to mount large whiteboards on walls. And yet, just making a workspace larger doesn’t seem to result in a huge increase in productivity. Many highly productive creators work primarily from 13” laptop displays.
It’s also possible to change workspaces without using a VisionPro. Sometimes, I write blog posts at home in my studio. But I write a blog post at a coffee shop every Monday morning. I’ve found that intentionally changing my work location helps me to focus on writing a usable first draft of a blog post. Some people do some types of work at their desks on their main computer and other types of work on the sofa with an iPad.
I’m not sure sitting in a virtual location would have the same effect as physically going to a coffee shop. I think there’s value in moving my body and tools to a different location in space. I don’t think the experience would be the same sitting at my desk pretending I was somewhere else.
The size of my workspace has never been one of the primary factors in my productivity.
The major elements of productivity have been pre-planning, focus on doing the work I’ve planned to do, and my discipline in staying focused during work sessions. It’s not how large my work area is or how many locations I work in. Those factors can make a difference but are minor, not game-changers.
Frankly, I think much of the talk about increased productivity is rationalization by fellow nerds to justify spending a huge amount of money on a brand-new toy.
I understand this, I do the same thing myself. I want a shiny new computer — I rationalize that this new computer will make me so much more productive! Just this week, I rationalized I needed to replace my perfectly good iPhone Pro 14 with an iPhone Pro Max 15. Maybe the bigger screen will make me more productive.
And when all is said and done, the shiny new toy never makes much of a difference in my productivity.
Conclusions
With the information I have right now, I conclude that Apple Vision Pro is a luxury item for relatively wealthy people (or nerds) to play with.
• I’m guessing that most purchasers will use it primarily for entertainment – watching movies and home videos, viewing photos, playing games, etc.
• There will be people who use it for productivity purposes, but its use alone will likely not result in significant productivity increases. There will certainly be a super-coolness factor, and I’m sure it would be fun playing with it, but I doubt it will result in productivity gains.
Perhaps my viewpoint will change over time when I read about others’ experiences with Vision Pro or even experience it myself. I doubt I’ll have that opportunity since I wear an unusual lens prescription.