# Has anyone bought an Apple Vision Pro? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 5, 2024, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137 "2024-02-05T13:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/61 "2024-02-07T20:29:51Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Every time I put mine on I enjoy it - then I take it off after a while, put it away, and don’t touch it for months. Something about it just isn’t compelling enough. Same experience. It’s a lot of fun and very immersive, but I only use it on long intervals. I wonder if maybe it’s _too_ compelling. A few games (_Half Life: Alyx_ most notably) have incredible presence, and you really feel (in spite of the limitations) that you’re going to a new world. When you take off the headset, there’s a notable snap back to reality. So, maybe it’s like going to a theme park or something–yeah, the rollercoasters are a lot of fun, but it’s sensory overload after a while, and there’s some recovery time. After a while the desire comes back. AR, or Apple’s sorta-AR thing would presumably fix this problem, since you’re rarely fully immersed, and can easily dial in and out. Not sure, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/62 "2024-02-07T20:36:50Z")
Clear-screen AR is harder than VR. For one, getting the focus right requires sophisticated optics. You need a system that doesn’t alter the focus of the real world, but at the same time focuses the screens at infinity rather than a couple of inches away. VR in comparison just requires a single lens between the eye and the screen, since all input is from the screen. Then there’s the latency problem. The real world has no lag, but the screens do. So there’s always a kind of jello effect where the screens are behind where they should be. Lag isn’t great on VR, either, but it’s at least _consistent_ across everything on the screen. So the augmented bits (virtual screens floating in space) can feel much more locked in place. Microsoft also has their [HoloLens](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens). But the optics still make it bulky and it looks kinds weird. Maybe Apple could do a better job, but it’s still a harder problem than VR. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/63 "2024-02-07T20:40:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What you’re describing sounds a bit like [Google Glass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass), which was released about a decade ago, but then went away. I remember those and always wondered why the technology didn’t advance that direction. Making the headset more of a peripheral attached by bluetooth to a pc or phone. Could use your cellphone touchscreen as more of a touchpad for what you see in front of you. Apple could call it something like… oh I don’t know… iGlasses ? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/64 "2024-02-07T20:43:15Z")
Another thing about AR is that no one has figured out how to overlay opaque objects onto the real world. The screens can only add light to the scene, not block or subtract it, so you always see something of the background. In VR, a virtual object can completely block what’s behind it. That gives you a great deal more immersion. Maybe someone will figure something out, using some kind of shutter system, but the optics become even more challenging in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/65 "2024-02-07T20:44:35Z")
I don’t think Google Glass was real AR. It was a display in glasses. So, it could float a screen in front of you but it had no awareness of your environment (e.g. it could not put a virtual object on a table and have it stay there no matter where you looked). I think Apple wants the much fancier AR which can lock a screen to a wall or put something on a table and have those stay there as you look around. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/66 "2024-02-07T20:45:08Z")
iFixit has been doing a series of teardowns of the Vision Pro: > **[Vision Pro Teardown—Why Those Fake Eyes Look So Weird | iFixit News](https://www.ifixit.com/News/90137/vision-pro-teardown-why-those-fake-eyes-look-so-weird)** > > Welcome to the Vision Pro, Apple’s most complex piece of hardware yet. So complicated that we’ll need more than one teardown to tackle it. First up: Those creepy eyes. > **[Vision Pro Teardown Part 2: What’s the Display Resolution? | iFixit News](https://www.ifixit.com/News/90409/vision-pro-teardown-part-2-whats-the-display-resolution)** > > We dug deeper into the most densely-packed tech we’ve seen yet. Incredible display resolution discoveries, some great battery info, and yes, we assigned a repair score. The hardware is definitely impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/67 "2024-02-07T21:32:55Z")
I actually think it’s smart to do ‘AR’ with cameras instead of actual glass. I don’t have a problem with that. However, the outward facing screen solely to simulate your eyes is a stupid, misleading gimmick that adds weight, cost, and current draw. I’m sure they did it to emphasize the ‘AR’ aspect of the headset and make it stand out from the competition, but it really doesn’t add much in real life. I get that the idea is to provide an illusion of less isolation - you can see someone in the room, and they can tell that you are looking at them, But they could have achieved that with a couple of LEDs that light up when face tracking locks on to someone. The problem with other attempts at AR is that they typically involve a very small field of view. Google got in trouble when its ads for Google glass made it look like you could overlay everything you see, when in fact it was just a little area in the middle that could show overlays. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/68 "2024-02-07T21:58:25Z")
I read about the Tesla/Vision Pro interaction in a couple of other articles and wondered why it is specifically Tesla drivers that do this. I mean, any driver could do that (not that I would recommend it at all!), so why are only Tesla drivers mentioned? Are they really the only ones who do it? The only ones who post it on-line? Or are journalists singling out Tesla drivers? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/69 "2024-02-07T22:07:20Z")
I’d say that if Tesla drivers are doing it more than others, it would be because of one or more of these things: Tesla drivers tend to have more money than others, Tesla drivers tend to be early adopters, and Tesla has good enough AI to make it not insanely dangerous to do it. It could also be that this is in Silicon Valley, where Teslas abound and everyone is into tech. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/70 "2024-02-07T22:49:52Z")
As best I can tell, there’s has been only a single example of it happening in the wild and it happened to be a Tesla Cybertruck (probably not a coincidence). There was another case of someone making a joke video, but it was spliced together from bits a few seconds long. In principle, a good enough headset would be just fine while driving, and could have some advantages, at least if it had access to external sensors like cameras or lidar. But I don’t think the Vision Pro is there yet quality-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/71 "2024-02-07T22:56:10Z")
The guy responsible for this video showing him driving while wearing a Vision Pro headset [told the New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/technology/personaltech/apple-vision-pro-tesla.html) that he only wore the headset for thirty seconds or so while driving, “It was all just for content.” > ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/72 "2024-02-08T00:46:54Z")
Ars Technica does the Apple Store demo: > **[What I learned from the Apple Store’s 30-minute Vision Pro demo](https://arstechnica.com/apple/2024/02/what-i-learned-from-the-apple-stores-30-minute-vision-pro-demo/)** > > Despite some awe-inspiring moments, the $3,500 headset is a big lift for retail. I have no intention of getting one even at 1/10 the cost, but am curious about it. Brian ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/73 "2024-02-08T00:48:15Z")
$3500 is def a lot, but it’s funny to think that, taking inflation into account, it’s about half the price of the original Macintosh. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder what this product and its price point suggests about the rumored Apple car. I expect it will be awesome but at the same time, I expect it will cost a lot; probably starting over $100,000. Not to go off topic, but I’m thinking any Apple car that comes out will be a subscription/lease situation. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/74 "2024-02-08T23:34:54Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > The NY Times review was not that flattering. Here is a link to the review: > **[Vision Pro Review: Apple’s First Headset Lacks Polish and Purpose](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/technology/personaltech/apple-vision-pro-review.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T00.VRSh.Zj10D9DpchqL&smid=url-share)** > > Billed as the future of computing, the $3,500 goggles can’t replace a laptop for work. At times, wearing them also made our columnist feel nauseated. That $3500 price tag is just a start. The necessary “options” will another $1000 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/75 "2024-02-08T23:41:37Z")
This guy says it was all staged too (he was also caught on video driving while using the headset…different from the guy above): > **[Utah man drives Cybertruck while wearing Apple Pro Vision headset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOohi56BPGQ%2F)** > > A social media video has gone viral for showing a man wearing a new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset while driving a Tesla Cybertruck in Utah County. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/76 "2024-02-09T00:05:28Z")
This is probably one of those things where you want to wait for the next version. Similar to the iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/77 "2024-02-09T03:04:30Z")
From the NY Times review… > An important feature — the ability to place video calls with a humanlike digital avatar that resembles the wearer — terrified children during a family FaceTime call. Hey, wait… suddenly I’m interested! ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/78 "2024-02-09T18:34:25Z")
Another big negative for some: > **[VR porn a no go for Apple Vision Pro users as capability blocked by Apple](https://www.notebookcheck.net/VR-porn-a-no-go-for-Apple-Vision-Pro-users-as-capability-blocked-by-Apple.801282.0.html)** > > Vision Pro early adopters have found - to their horror - that their new $3,500 is incapable of playing immersive spatialized pornography. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/79 "2024-02-09T18:40:34Z")
Well, that’s the end of that product. It’s common knowledge that porn drives innovation (video tapes, internet, high speed internet, etc.), right? ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137/80 "2024-02-09T18:59:58Z")
While I have no interest in the Vision Pro, since I don’t care for Apple products and it is way too expensive, comparisons between it and the Quest 3 have me seriously considering buying the Quest instead. I can’t afford $3500, but I can afford $500 for something that is almost as good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-bought-an-apple-vision-pro/997137.md?page=5)