Fashionably late to the Apple Vision Pro review party. I've been in the space 8+ years and tried em' all. My initial impressions below 👇
In short: the overall experience is incredible, and despite some mainstream media takes (and some coping from Zuck), it’s more useful out of the box than any other headset, especially for certain types of people & professionals.
That said, it’s obviously an MVP. Albeit, a powerful and massively impactful one at that. I can’t overstate the technical breakthroughs here, especially the eye tracking + hand gesture. The end result is a UI/UX that makes you want to come back for more (unlike other headsets to date).
While far from mainstream-ready, it's the 'mainstream awareness' and the starting gun we’ve been waiting for since the 60's.
Most of my original takes (from the essay in the comments) hold true, especially on the use cases front. There is immediate utility & value for…
1/ Screen Replacement: a mobile 'virtual workspace', hyper conducive to focus and flow.
2/ Limitless Home Theater: The Vegas Sphere or IMAX in your living room, in your hotel, on the plane, etc.
3/ Sports & Entertainment: the spatial video experiences are mesmerizing.
Being behind the goal of an MLS game as the ball rips into the top corner? Pure goosebumps... this is the use case that will sell hundreds of millions of devices come V2/V3.
4/ Spatial & Hands Free FaceTime: Friends/family becoming the Wizard of Oz in your living room is awesome, especially in being hands free to still do stuff.
5/ 3D Presentations: Using apps like JigSpace to tell stories about complex products or plans. This will be the best way to convey value about anything that is inherently 3D.
6/ Spatial Memories: Re-experiencing special moments through the spatial photo/video capture.oSme wild philosophical implications from being able to relive memories at this level of fidelity...
Okay, as a V1 product, it’s not all rainbows & sunshine. Here are some of the cons:
1/ *Weight: The weight CAN be noticeable after 45/60 mins. But you can offset this with proper headband adjustment and/or using the alternate headband. (That said, despite noticing the weight, the experience was so compelling that I didn't care. It sparked a desperation to find that sweet spot of weight distribution. Thankfully, it exists)
2/ iPhone Visibility & Real-World Text: you can't see your iPhone screen & text in the real world quite as clearly as I'd hoped.
3/ Lack of multiplayer mode: the primary downside is the extent to which its all single player. This is obviously on the near term horizon, so the negative quips about isolation don't hold much weight for me, at all.
4/ Guest mode: sharing is horrible... Apple gotta be a better way.
#spatialcomputing #visionpro #applevisionpro
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🔮 For a deep dive into the past, present, and future of the the Vision Pro, check out the MediumEnergy.io newsletter and essay in the comments below 👇
