Apple announced the Vision Pro at WWDC on June 5, 2023. That means that as I write this, that announcement was two weeks and a day ago. And I still can't quite decide how I feel about it.
In fact, I think that going into WWDC my mind was clearer on how I felt about the headset than it is today, and some might argue that Apple's already winning there. My expectations were low to begin with. But now I'm less sure of my convictions. Maybe that snazzy unveiling did a number on me.
But then, maybe it didn't. Because as much as I'm now way more bullish on the Apple Vision Pro than I was before I saw it, I'm not sold. Not yet. Maybe.
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure
If that sounds like the ramblings of someone in the midst of an AR/VR headset-inspired crisis, there might be a reason for that.
Going into WWDC I'd already written Vision Pro, nee Reality Pro, off. I knew it was going to cost upwards of $3,000 for example. And I knew that my past experience with VR headsets was underwhelming to say the least. My expectations were through the floor, and whatever leaks came via Mark Gurman and Bloomberg weren't enough to pique my interest. Who wants to strap a headset on to do productivity stuff, anyway?
But having half watched the unveiling while trying to write about it at the same time, things started to get a little muddled. Because maybe I would like to do productivity with that thing on my head. Because, despite my better judgment, it actually looks like it could be pretty great.
Taking my MacBook Pro's display and making it float in 3D space? I'm in. Sold, I'll take two. And that's before we get into all the cool Apple TV Plus content that we will watch on the Vision Pro. And the games, too.
But...
But there's always a but.
Sure, we expected the first Vision Pro to be expensive. But few were ready for the $3,500 asking price. And it's an immediate splash of cold water on any excitement the headset's unveiling might have garnered.
Realistically, Vision Pro is a bit like those CES presentations that we see every January. They're of products that can be made, theoretically. And they're usually highly impressive. But few actually make it to market, and they don't have to. That isn't what it's about. It's about showing what's possible and who knows, in a year or two, those products might turn into something useful or at least cheap enough for the mass market.
Vision Pro is just the same. Apple's demonstrations show not just what Vision Pro can do, but what future models will also be capable of as well. It's those models that I'm excited about because they'll be what I actually buy. They're the ones Apple will sell plenty of, I expect, and those are the headsets that will help sell the apps that developers are already undoubtedly hard at work on.
But for now, Vision Pro is in a weird spot. It's awesome, and the possibilities are almost endless. Apple can come up with things we never even realized that we wanted. But it's also too expensive and in some ways, too limited. The external battery pack and two-hour runtime are two examples of that.
But a future model? That's the one I'm excited about. And I know that for certain.
