Apple is known for innovation, and the Apple Vision Pro VR Headset is an impressive, futuristic addition to their already stellar product lineup. Designed to provide consumers with an immersive virtual reality experience, this headset combines advanced technology with sleek design to deliver a seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem with their signature aesthetic. In this features review, we will explore the key features, user experience, performance, content library, and more.
Pros
- 4K resolution with spatial audio creates a truly immersive experience
- Comfortable design with light-seal to block out ambient light
- The first VR set without handheld controllers—controlled via voice, eye, head, and hand movements
- Basically a Mac computer for your face (powered by the M2 chip used in Mac computers)
- Records spatial video and audio, and a whole lot more
Cons
- Not accessible for many in price—it costs as much as some of Apple’s new computers
- Designing and developing new spatial computing apps for VisionOS may be costly and take time for third-party developers, so apps may be somewhat limited at first
A quick note about that price. Yes, the price is high, and off the charts for many, but despair not. The Apple Vision Pro isn’t shipping for 6 months, and when it does, most likely the vast majority will be purchased by content developers. For them, it’s a very reasonable business expense. In addition, these days there are millions who can afford even $3,499, who will buy up all the rest Apple can build in year one.
But looking out a year or so later, when there is a whole lot of crazy, awesome content for just about everything, including a whole lot of things that are not even on our radar yet. That will put demand through the roof (unless you really think AR/VR/Metaverse is going nowhere), and with that massive demand, the prices will surely plummet. While we have no handy crystal ball, nor handy Wizards or Witches, to accurately anticipate the future pricing, it would certainly seem possible that by early 2025—one year after release—that the cost could be down to $999! If not that, certainly $1,499 seems totally reasonable, but I’m betting on $999 (certainly by the end of 2025). After all, four years ago, my editor bought his OLED TV for $5K, and 6.5 years ago, it was $20K. Got to dig those falling prices.
A hardcore gamer, writer, and filmmaker myself, my editor and I both can’t wait to own a Vision Pro. Read on to find out why.
Pricing, Availability, and Competition
The Apple Vision Pro will be available on Apple’s website for $3,499.99, reportedly. It should come out in early 2024. The closest VR headset on the market to the Apple Vision Pro is the Meta Quest Pro, for $999.99. It can do a lot of the same things as the Apple Vision Pro, but weaker. I said it.
For my work, it wouldn’t suffice. That I could edit video, photos, write scripts, articles, reviews, all using the Apple Vision Pro, utilizing the apps I already use on my iPhone and Mac? That would be a no-brainer. The Meta Quest Pro can do some of that. I found an article that shows how to hook up your Meta Quest Pro so you can edit via Adobe Premiere Pro, an industry standard video editing software, which is cool. But you have to be hooked up using a USB, which I feel defeats the point. If I’m going VR, I don’t want to be using my computer. There are a host of other apps that you might use for your creative work, outlined in an article by Digital Trends.
Adobe hasn’t confirmed whether there will be compatibility with Adobe Creative Cloud for VisionOS yet, but there are Adobe apps for the iPhone and iPad such as Photoshop, Photoshop Fix, Adobe Rush, and others.
Of course, if Adobe believes it will be successful, they will definitely support it—otherwise, they’ll leave a whole lot of profits on the table for their competition. In reality, if they didn’t create VisonOS compatible versions of their products, a competitor will see it as an opportunity to start replacing Adobe as the 800-pound gorilla in that space.
The Meta Quest Pro, like the Apple Vision Pro, allows you to create virtually while also staying in the physical world. You can collaborate with others on projects, and they even have avatars that mimic your movements. From what I’ve seen, those avatars are not as impressive as what the Apple Vision Pro provides. You can have multiple screens open and resize them, you can stream podcasts, news, music, and message.
The biggest, most obvious difference with the Meta Quest Pro, besides resolution, is the use of haptic handheld controllers. Apple truly has done something innovative by losing the need for those. There are no other VR headsets on the market that have this ability.
That price difference of $2,500 becomes more apparent as to why it is so when you compare the two side by side. The Apple Vision Pro is basically a Mac computer on your face, while the Meta Quest Pro seems to be a pretty good VR headset for professionals, particularly in the design industries. For perspective, the Apple Vision Pro costs nearly as much as the new Mac Studio computer, with the best specs at $3,999.99, and more than its less robust version, which costs $1,999.99. The Apple Vision Pro is a visionary VR headset, and if this is just what you’ve been looking for in terms of creativity, work, and entertainment, make sure you sign up to get notified of its availability when that happens in 2024, which you can do via Apple’s website.
Apple Vision Pro—Another Technological Revolution
Once upon a time—four to six times, at least—Apple has changed the world: The first serious personal computer (Apple II+), the first easy to use PC (thanks to the first Mac computers— (MacIntosh back then), the iPod changed the world for music lovers. Apple also created the modern tablet—iPads.
Oh wait, let’s not forget the first iPhone in 2007. Talk about a technological revolution. Cell phones have never been the same since. Then, of course, the Apple Watch, which many were quite skeptical about (sales have exceeded 200 million)—so there you are, skeptics.
The Apple Vision Pro is so far more advanced than anything that has come before in AR or VR, that it makes the competition seem like a flip phone compared to an iPhone 14 Pro. Their dynamic approach to making the Vision Pro comfortable over long periods is quite likely to be the game changer that makes putting on a headset something people may gladly do in exchange for world altering experiences. We just can’t wait!
