“Hey Siri, open Apple Music. Play the Godzilla Minus One album.” Music on, I open my MacBook, connect to the Vision Pro, and float into work as the movie I was watching flips into the background.
I used to think of the Apple Vision Pro as a futuristic device; now, it’s just another part of my life. After using it for a month, it has become a normalized presence in my home.
With years of experience in AR and VR, I can see the potential evolution of an advanced device like the Vision Pro. However, at present, it’s more about being a fantastic wearable display, a way to relive movies, my photo library, and a work-oriented, Apple-connected iOS computer. It’s a tool, not always a magic machine. I use it almost daily, and its bleeding-edge features still amaze me. But I also use the Meta Quest 3 for different experiences that Apple’s headset can’t provide.
Movies: Impressive, but Sometimes Limited
I’m still impressed with how the Vision Pro plays movies. It’s become my home movie theater of choice. Catching up on Oscar-nominated films, I loved the freedom and sound quality. Apple TV purchases are stunning, though non-optimized apps like Paramount Plus don’t shine as much due to video quality issues. I often watch movies in installments, finding it challenging to lie down casually with the Vision Pro. An iPad remains convenient for quick film bits, and for family viewing, a TV is still preferable. Despite its advantages, my eyes get tired, and there’s occasional glare or reflection from the display.
The Vision Pro is a fantastic device for watching movies, offering a unique, immersive experience. The sound quality is outstanding, and the ability to project a large screen in front of me is incredible. Watching Oscar-nominated films on Apple TV has been a delight. However, the experience varies with different streaming apps. Apple TV purchases are particularly stunning, while non-optimized apps like Paramount Plus don’t shine as much due to video quality issues. The black levels aren’t as deep, and the video can appear grainy. Netflix on Safari works fine but is a bit annoying to launch compared to dedicated apps.
I often find myself watching movies in installments, maybe an hour at a time. Lying down casually with the Vision Pro on isn’t as easy as using an iPad or a TV. Despite its advantages, my eyes get tired after a while, and I occasionally notice glare or reflection from the display on the lenses. This is similar to wearing glasses but still detracts from the perfect movie-watching experience.
Taking the Vision Pro on trips is impractical due to its size and battery pack. On a recent trip to Disney, I opted for an iPad, which proved much more travel-friendly. The Vision Pro would have taken up too much space in my backpack. Perhaps when the device becomes smaller, like HTC’s Vive XR Elite, it will be more portable and suitable for travel.
Work: A Magic Monitor at Home
I love using the Vision Pro as my everyday magic monitor at home. Paired with a MacBook Air, it’s my work setup nearly 100% of the time, tethered to a power outlet. The Vision Pro extends my display into the room, making multitasking a breeze. However, it’s not transforming work yet. There are few magical 3D work apps, and I still rely on traditional 2D windows and my MacBook’s trackpad for precision.
The Vision Pro is my preferred tool for work, transforming my home office setup. I cast my MacBook display onto a big screen and multitask with multiple app windows. It’s a seamless experience, with Siri for voice commands, iOS notifications, and Apple Music integration. The display quality is impressive, and the ability to bring multiple apps close and scroll through them with my fingers is fantastic. However, it’s not perfect. I still rely on my MacBook’s trackpad for precise controls, and some apps, like Okta FastPass, aren’t available on Vision Pro yet, requiring me to run them through the MacBook.
While the Vision Pro extends my display and offers an immersive workspace, it hasn’t completely transformed how I work. I’m still keyboarding and trackpad-swiping through 2D windows. The Quest 3, despite its fewer services, sometimes feels more purposeful for specific tasks, like gaming and fitness.
The Quest for Magical Apps
The Vision Pro’s “there’s an app for that” moment is still to come. While some apps like Blackbox and Tiny-Fins are whimsical and immersive, they haven’t become integral to my routine. The Quest 3 offers a more extensive library of magical experiences, which I frequently return to. I hope future updates will bring more compelling apps and better integration with my workflow.
The Vision Pro has a few interesting apps, but the ecosystem is still developing. Blackbox, a 3D puzzle app, is whimsical and immersive. Tiny-Fins, a game where I control fish through bubbles that float in my office, is adorable. Meditation apps like Apple’s Mindfulness and Tripp Vision are mesmerizing and calming. However, these apps haven’t become integral to my routine. The Quest 3 offers a broader range of magical immersive experiences that I enjoy more frequently.
I’m still waiting for the Vision Pro’s app ecosystem to grow. The potential is there, but it’s early days. The Vision Pro can open 3D apps while I’m using 2D ones (called “volumes”), but I don’t use this feature much. The 3D apps often feel like they’re overlapping oddly in my environment. The headset’s battery pack makes standing up and using these apps feel awkward. I’d love a Vision Pro Maps app that shows locations in detailed 3D or a GarageBand with real instruments. These everyday uses are either hidden or don’t exist yet.
Fatigue: Manageable but Present
I can wear the Vision Pro for over an hour and a half before needing a break. The Dual Loop head strap feels secure and comfortable, but my eyes can get dry, and I occasionally feel pressure against my cheeks. Taking breaks is essential to avoid fatigue.
Using the Vision Pro for extended periods can lead to fatigue. I can last well over an hour and a half, sometimes even more. I often lose track of time because I’m usually working and multitasking. However, after a while, my eyes get tired, and I feel pressure against my cheeks. I haven’t experienced crying in the headset, but my eyes get itchy, and I can’t easily rub them. The head strap I use most of the time is the Dual Loop, which feels secure and comfy enough. It’s like my CPAP strap when I sleep at night. The headset doesn’t feel heavy, but it does put pressure on my cheeks. The other head strap is easier to slip on but isn’t perfect either. Maybe that’s why there are two.
Cross-Device Integration: A Missed Opportunity
I eagerly await better integration with my iPhone, Watch, and iPad. The iPhone, with its haptics, could serve as a controller for the Vision Pro, and the Apple Watch could enhance fitness and gesture controls. Collaboration and seamless interaction between devices would greatly improve the experience.
One thing I really want to see sooner than later is cross-device interaction with iPhones and the Apple Watch. The MacBook is fine and useful, especially for apps that maybe can’t even run in iOS or the Vision Pro, but the device I have next to me all the time is my phone. And my watch. There’s already a clever iPhone app called Typos that lets you type on the iPhone and have it easily generate text in Vision Pro. Apple already does this with the Apple TV, and yet it’s not on the Vision Pro yet. That would help a ton with text input, and that’s just the beginning of what should be a whole universe of interactions. The iPhone is a controller with haptics. Why can’t it be that for the Vision Pro, too?
The same goes even more so for the Apple Watch. For fitness, for gestures and controls, for using the Watch screen as a touchpad for the Vision Pro. I hope this gets introduced this year, because I think it’ll help make the headset feel more seamless.
The iPhone should also have its own app to help launch and manage the Vision Pro experiences for guests who try it out, but I already discussed that a few weeks ago.
The iPad would be a great partner for Vision Pro, too. The Magic Keyboard and Trackpad case for the iPad Pro are a lot smaller than a MacBook, and could let me easily lap-control things using another non-MacBook alternative.
But also, I think about collaboration with others. FaceTime collaboration with others who have Vision Pro feels limited to pop-up windows and apps that don’t work consistently. With others using iOS or Macs, there are even more seams. I’m hoping that pop-up AR experiences will work with iPhones, iPads and Vision Pro much like a demo I tried of an AR sports game at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference back in 2019.
EyeSight: An Afterthought
The external EyeSight display, which shows my eyes, is almost an afterthought. It’s dim in normal light, and people around me barely notice it. I usually take the headset off when speaking to someone. The ability to see others’ faces through the Vision Pro’s immersive experiences is useful for awareness and safety, but I don’t expect to have in-depth conversations while wearing it.
One final note: the external EyeSight display that shows my eyes, which seemed so weird and magical, it’s almost an afterthought for me. Maybe it’s because I usually use the Vision Pro alone. Maybe it’s also because the EyeSight display is usually so dim that people around me seem to not see it easily in normal light. My wife says she barely notices it. I forget it’s there, and I take the headset off when I need to
talk to anyone anyway.
The way the Vision Pro sees everyone else’s faces through immersive experiences, though, is useful for awareness and safety. I don’t use it to have conversations, though, which would seem odd. I usually take the headset off when I want to have in-depth conversations with someone.
The Vision Pro is impressive but still has its limitations. Its future potential remains uncertain, and we may learn more at Apple’s WWDC. For now, it’s a lovely, albeit expensive, device that I use occasionally. But yes, I do have a movie viewing planned tonight in-headset, which I’m looking forward to.