Apple Vision Pro - After Three Months

Before the Apple Vision Pro launched, I had concerns that it was going to mirror the launch of the Apple TV, but I was optimistic enough to pre-order one.

I felt good about the promise of spatial computing, the hardware having more power for mixed reality gaming than the competition, and the screens having the resolution needed for watching movies.

It has let me down in two of those three areas. It’s not an ideal computing platform, and there are better gaming platforms even for VR. But it’s a great content platform.

Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro at launch:

Way more expensive than the competition
Better, more powerful hardware than the competition
Supports gaming, but the competition is better at it
Perfect for streaming video, but missing key apps at launch
Support for other kinds of apps, but input will be an issue

Spatial Computing

After three months with the Apple Vision Pro, I’m still optimistic about Apple’s vision for spatial computing as a developer. I’ve had fun seeing toy projects I’ve made come to live in 3D space.

As a user, I’m not impressed by the selection of apps. It’s a chicken and egg problem. Developers aren’t going to make apps for a platform with a small user base, and users aren’t excited by a platform that’s lacking apps.

Input is also an issue. The eye tracking and pinch-to-click gestures are great for navigating the system and interacting with consumable apps, but they’re not great for creating content. You really need to use a keyboard and trackpad.

It’s also not as portable for computing as I expected. It’s bulkier than a MacBook Pro, and you need to also pack a separate keyboard and trackpad, while the laptop has those built-in.

VR Gaming

Gaming is serviceable on the Vision Pro. Games like Fruit Ninja have nice interaction with your real world environment, but I was frustrated with the hand tracking. There was a lot of fruit that I thought I sliced, but the game didn’t register it.

Playstation controller support is nice for games that support it.

Game Room is a fantastic app that lets you play classic card and board games like chess, solitaire, and a clone of Battleship against the computer or other players.

I haven’t tried the new Spatial Persona in the developer beta yet, but this seems to make playing these games with friends more fun… if those friends also have a Vision Pro.

Viewing content

If I’m watching a movie alone, I prefer to watch it on the Vision Pro. The screen is big and clear, and I can watch it in a virtual theater. Dune Part 2 was a great experience on the Vision Pro.

The immersive video collection from Apple TV+ is also great. The 180 degrees of video and spatial audio make you feel like you’re feel there. I just wish there was more of this kind of content. There was only one additional video like this since launch, a five-minute MLS recap of last year that wasn’t edited well for the medium.

However, most of my movie and TV watching is with my family so it ends up being a small subset of content that I watch on the Vision Pro.

Photos

Like viewing movies, viewing photos on the Vision Pro is a great experience. Seeing photos in massive proportions is fun, and viewing panoramas wrap around you really brings you back to the moment.

I will probably always view more photos on my phone or Mac as I select the best shots and make edits, but Vision Pro is a great experience to view photos.

Would I still have bought one?

As an end-user, no.

For computing, I still prefer the Mac.
For VR gaming, I still prefer the Quest.
For viewing content… I still end up doing most on other devices, but I prefer the experience of the Apple Vision Pro.

As a developer and tinkerer, I’m still glad to have it. I’m having fun making toy projects for the Vision Pro. And it’s just a great personal experience for watching movies, experiencing immersive videos and viewing content in my Photos library.

Lastly, I’m also enjoying the journey of seeing the platform improve with each software update.