Recently there have been multiple articles published suggesting that Apple’s Vision Pro is a failed product:
- Apple’s reportedly slowing down Vision Pro production, for now.
- Apple’s Vision Pro Leader, Dan Riccio, is retiring
- Apple Vision Plans Cheaper Model in Late 2025
- I bought a Vision Pro after everyone said it was dead
The funny thing is if you search on the title Vision Pro is dead, you will find articles and Reddit stories saying this since April 2024. Which is ludicrous since the Vision Pro only started shipping to customers in February of 2024.
Regardless of the doom and gloom stories, I am going to discuss the two primary use cases for my Vision Pro, and where I see the future of the Vision Pro is going.
How I use the Vision Pro
Let me begin by saying I use the Vision Pro every day. I know, that is not what you will hear from most people who bought the device on launch day. So many of the early buyers, bought it because they wanted the latest and newest Apple device. I think they are also the people who bought the first HomePod on launch day.
The above screen shot represents a pretty normal day for me lately. I recently retired from IBM after 29 years, and am doing some re-skilling by taking classes on Amazon AWS thru the Udemy platform. I have the class work running in a video window on the Vision Pro, while mirroring my Mac to actually perform the various exercises. This is a simple example of a use case. And while, yes I could just use two monitors on my Mac (either via Side car with my iPad and my MacBook Pro, or via my Mac Studio and a secondary display), but that only solves one issue.
What the Vision Pro allows me to do is, turn the digital crown and slowly block out all the distractions that are around me. I also have background sounds turned of for the environment, which helps in removing the ringing that I have in my ears at all times. Some people achieve this same result by working in an open space or coffee shop. For me, that type of sensory input causes me to focus on what people are saying around me. It makes it much harder for me to focus.
Gaming
I love games. All kind of games. Games ranging from solo games, all the way to MMORPGs. While I’ve not found a good MMORPG that runs in the VisionPro, I do find that running World of Warcraft on a giant monitor does help me get me immersed. However, there are social games like Demeo, which give you the old school Dungeons and Dragons like experience.
You get to sit in the basement, around a table, and pic an adventure to run.
And you can run the adventure in a turn based mode, with magic spells, cool weapons, and wonderful treasure. I’ve played solo, with a friend 1000s of miles away, and a group of 3 other random strangers. Each experience was fun and fulfilling. The other thing for this game is, that it is not only available for the Vision Pro, but you can play it on the Meta Quest, on the Mac, and on iPadOS. So if you have a group of friends who’d like to get together but can’t, this is a great way to play together.
Content consumption
When paired with a set of AirPods Pro 2, you can really get immersed in all kinds of media consumption. Music surrounds you, TV and Movie shows, allow you to watch 2D and 3D content like you are in your own private theater, and while I’ve not found a willing partner to try it, you should be able to use Apple’s SharePlay feature to sit in the same space and watch a movie.
My wife and I still do not go to the theatre since the pandemic, and I would love to watch a movie with friends in the Vision Pro.
Watching various media that Apple has slowly dipped out for the Vision Pro, shows that we still have a ways to go before all the directors and editors are comfortable making true Spatial content, but I for one am happy to watch well made 3D movies.
The promise of a future
There is so much more that I wish that the Vision Pro would do, and given the hardware that Apple put together I am sure it could do it all. The question will be, does Apple continue to iterate the software and provide more content, so that more developers can see the possibility.
We need developers to build for the Vision Pro, and we need consumers to buy the promise. Perhaps a cheaper headset will make it more likely that some to buy it just for media consumption, but I wouldn’t count on it. Not when a cheap Apple device will probably be 3-5x more expensive than the Meta Quest. And most people still don’t want a heavy device on their face.
Ultimately I do believe that glasses or contacts will be the platform for AR, but for VR or mixed reality devices, glasses will not do it for me. I think a device like the Vision Pro will be required, and I am glad I don’t have to wait for it.