Apple Vision Pro Owners Scramble To Return Pricey Headset As Deadline Looms
by
Thiago Trevisan
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Thursday, February 15, 2024, 10:54 AM EDT
The Apple Vision Pro has had its share of excitement and disappointments, all within its very short lifespan. As early adopters near the deadline for returning the product, there are a wave of users who have decided it is time to let go of this pricey futuristic device.
As an owner myself, this is something I still struggle with as the return window looms, for a myriad of reasons shared with many such owners.
First, the value proposition is dubious for its $3,499 MSRP. The technology embedded therein is certainly impressive and would justify such a price on innovation alone, but real world use cases don't often take advantage of it yet. Headsets such as the Meta Quest 3 also offer a good bang-for-buck experience at a significantly lower price.
@samhenrigold on Threads announcing his return of Apple Vision Pro
The screen is gorgeous, with high-fidelity images crisply adorning every viewable angle. The eye tracking capabilities are impressive for a first-generation product, only becoming troublesome in certain very precise situations such as browser windows. Many users have complained about the heavy weight of Apple Vision Pro, and how it can be uncomfortable after some time. I don't necessarily have that same complaint, at least not to the same extent.
Last night I watched the movie Napoleon for over 2 hours, using the solo-knit band provided out of the box by Apple. While one certainly can feel the weight, it was minimized while laying back without too much strain. There is also the option to use other bands, such as the Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band, which some users have found to be more comfortable.
The Zeiss optical inserts are something I value tremendously as one who wears glasses, making it a much more straightforward experience without the need for bulky solutions. Another positive feature that users such as Farzad point out include connecting to a Mac with Apple Vision Pro's ability to have a virtual screen of your desktop.
There is no doubt that the internal technology in the Vision Pro is impressive, but use cases are certainly a stretch for everyday users. The app availability seems to be rapidly improving, with a launch set of 600 Vision Pro apps increasing to over 1,000 soon after. Still, there is yet to be strong reasons on the software side where it makes sense outside of novel use cases.
I found the Vision Pro more apt not as a desktop replacement necessarily, but as a replacement for what the iPad will typically do for many users. Browsing forums, surfing websites, listening to music, and watching video content are all things that are enjoyable on the Vision Pro and give more immersion than an iPad. Productivity tasks, without proper keyboard and mouse inputs, are still lacking.
In summary, the impressive Apple Vision Pro is expensive, and not quite ready for prime-time for most users. That is why as the return period looms close, many owners are deciding to return the pricey product and hope to hop on the next generation with its perceived improvements.
I, for one, have decided to keep it past its return period to truly give it a chance and see where Apple takes the technology, step-by-step.
