It’s pretty crazy to think that I’ve already been using the Apple Vision Pro for over a month. Since I did my initial review of the Vision Pro, there have been some changes to the headphone experience through new apps and software updates from Apple, as well as some features that I’m surprised I’ve used more than others.
Let’s talk about what I’ve learned in the last month.
The biggest difference in a month? New applications
The biggest difference in my Vision Pro experience from the beginning to now is the number of Vision Pro apps that have been added. I’m asking myself less “What can I do with this?” There are now over 1000 Vision Pro apps and these are some of the ones I’ve been using the most.
TikTok for Vision Pro is designed from the ground up for Vision Pro and allows you to explore videos that float in front of your view. It’s easy to get feedback, and you can add your own using the headset’s floating keyboard.
Split screen It’s probably my favorite Vision Pro app so far because it addresses one of my biggest complaints about using my Mac inside the headset. This app gives you a second desktop along with Apple’s virtual screen feature so you can multitask. The only bad thing is that the external desktop is 1080p and not 4K like Apple’s.
BlackBox for Vision Pro It’s a great game because it allows you to solve puzzles by poking and capturing objects in front of you. The game itself isn’t as addictive as others I’ve tried, but it shows what is possible with various gestures. I could see myself swinging a lightsaber in Vision Pro and doing a forceful thrust, for example. Disney, go ahead.
Favorite use case?
My favorite thing to do with the Vision Pro is watch shows and movies, including 3D movies. While it’s cool how Apple’s immersive video format literally puts you in the room with Alicia Keys or on top of a mountain with an adventurer, 3D movies are already here.
Apple has more than 150 3D movies that you can watch through Apple TV+, from Dune and Avatar to The Super Mario Brothers. And the Disney Plus app has about 50 3D movies of its own. I got stuck watching Avengers: Infinity War, and I could argue the level of depth that surpasses cinema, especially for the big action scenes.
Even if you don’t like 3D, you’ll enjoy watching shows and movies through the Vision Pro. I watched Oppenheimer and it looked amazing, while The Last of Us was somehow even more immersive when Ellie tried to escape the clutches of an evil preacher with a building on fire around him. Needless to say, she needed to take a break after that.
Least favorite use case?
Despite promises that the Vision Pro will make you more productive, I don’t think it will be the game-changer I wanted. I admit that it’s great to put several windows around your space. And at least when I work from home, I feel more engaged and focused when I’m working on Vision Pro with my 14-inch MacBook Pro desktop computer floating in front of me and Slack on one side and Apple Music on the other. .
But there are some things that keep taking me out of my comfort zone. For one thing, the Vision Pro is too heavy to use for more than an hour or two sitting down. That’s even if you switch from the solo woven band to the more comfortable double loop band. I would say this band is a must as it balances the weight of the headphones better, but I don’t like using it because, frankly, it ruins my hair and I have a sensitive scalp.
In fact, after a while my neck hurts when using Vision Pro and I feel some pressure around my eyes. And then there’s carrying the Vision Pro around. It adds a ton of weight to my bag to the point where I have to think twice before carrying the Apple Vision Pro home from work or the office.
What did I misjudge?
If there’s one thing I misjudged about the Vision Pro, it’s the battery. Yes, I obviously wish you didn’t have to carry one. But when you use the Vision Pro, you can simply put the battery in your pocket while standing or simply place it on the desk next to you when you’re sitting and plug it in for continuous power. It’s not as annoying as I thought it would be.
I also misjudged the environments. At first I thought they were just fancy desktops, but they add a level of immersion to the Vision Pro that can literally take you anywhere in the world. It’s no replacement for actual travel, of course, but I really like that third-party apps create their own environments, like the Iron Throne Room in the Max app and Avengers Tower in the Disney Plus app.
What is still missing?
In terms of what the Apple Vision Pro is missing, I’d say the lack of a Netflix app is still a big absence. You can technically access Netflix through Safari, but it’s not optimal and you can’t download things to watch when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.
The biggest missing ingredient is Google. There is no YouTube, Gmail, Google Doc, or Google Meet, which are all services I use daily. Yes, I can access these services through the MacBook Virtual Display feature, but I still can’t attend meetings through Google Meet using my Digital Persona.
Speaking of which, it’s nice to be able to use my Persona to attend meetings and it’s impressive that it can mimic my blinks and smiles, but it’s still creepy. And I don’t know how much this feature will improve once it comes out of beta. How many other people will accept this as a normal video call, especially for business? Shrug
Vision Pro after 1 month: final results
When I first tried Vision Pro, I summed it up in a few words: amazing, immersive, and expensive. I stand by those words, but now that I’ve been using it for a month I would add three more: entertaining, heavy and a little lonely.
At $3500, this is still a tough sell for most, but I think the Vision Pro is paving its own path in the mixed reality headset category. Not everyone is ready to participate, and that’s okay. For me personally, I’m excited to see where Apple and the developers go when it comes to space gaming and also reimagining the way we watch sports.
Even if you can’t afford one or just aren’t ready to commit to the world of spatial computing, I don’t blame you. But you owe it to yourself to try the Vision Pro at an Apple Store (or borrow one from a friend) to get an idea of what the future will look like.
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