Christine Romero - Chan / Digital Trends
TheApple Vision Prois one of Apple ’s most enchanting new product launches . It ’s the first fresh mathematical product line from Apple since theApple Watch , but the hype around it has been more like when Apple first present theoriginal iPhone . Of of course , Apple was not the first to the grocery with a VR / AR headset , but it is definitely what would be considered the most “ mainstream ” alternative out there , considering the brand name name .
When Apple announced the Apple Vision Pro on June 5 , 2023 , during its WWDC 2023 tonic , I was emotional . After years of rumors , it was in the end happening . Preorders started on January 19 , 2024 , and the Apple Vision Pro set in motion on February 2 , 2024 , in the U.S. The problem ? It costs at least $ 3,500 , making it a hard sell for many as a first - genesis Apple production .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
I needed to try this for myself before I could even consider devolve money on it now or in the future . I book two demo at a nearby Apple Store in the past hebdomad — here ’s how it went .
Booking a demo and the setup process
If you are lucky enough to live near an Apple Store , I highly recommend booking a demonstration and trying it out for yourself . you’re able to checkApple ’s websitefor usable meter slot near you .
Since I live in Southern California , I can choose from several Apple Stores near me , and I ’m honestly storm that there are so many opening available , either same - daytime or just a day or two out . This definitely variegate depending on where you live , but it is also deserving strain to see if you could do a walk - up demo as well . My Apple Store was not exceedingly busy , with employees asking if anyone in the check - in stock wanted to tryout Apple Vision Pro .
When I come at the Apple Store and got jibe in , there were a few things I had to do to get the Apple Vision Pro demonstration unit quick for me . Since I wear prescription glasses , they had to take up my specs and scan them in a lensometer machine , which optometrists and even ophthalmologists use to verify ethical drug glasses . This process take a few minute , and once they had the ethical drug information , they arrest the Zeiss visual lens inserts quick for the demonstration . If you use prism lenses , alas , they wo n’t work with the Zeiss ocular cut-in .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Once that was done , they brought out my Apple Vision Pro demo building block . I was shown how to put the Apple Vision Pro on , how to adjust the fit of the Solo Knit Band , and where the Digital Crown and push button to trance spacial photo and videos are situate . The Apple Store employee also showed me the gesture — just depend at something and tap your index and thumb together to select , scroll through things by doing a side - to - side swipe gesture , and even zoom in or out of things with a string - pulling motion with both hand .
After I put it on my face and adjusted the fit , the fun start . You go through an heart - tracking frame-up in three unlike brightness level storey , but I did have some issue with my first demo , oddly enough , and had to go through that process about three clock time before it process . I was n’t sure why I was having emergence , but the second demo pass much more smoothly , as I catch it get after the first endeavour .
The Apple Vision Pro demo experience
In my first demo , I was basically give a guided tour of what you could do with spacial computation on the Apple Vision Pro . The employee told me what to do , from what to pick out to how to do thing and even what to watch .
I got to go through spacial photos and video , which were interesting . Some were taken with theiPhone 15 Pro Max , and others were captured using Apple Vision Pro . The ace captured on an iPhone attend like steady picture and videos , with more depth and dousing . But the ace taken with Apple Vision Pro wait unlike , as they felt like multiple layer and dimensions were all number together . It ’s definitely something you need to see for yourself to translate . But I like the immersion aspect of these — reliving those moments with loved ones , particularly if they ’ve passed , is something that you may replicate with this twist .
bird’s-eye photos were also shown to me , and I could finally see a real utilisation display case for taking panoramas . It never made sense to me to view panoramas on the humble screen of an iPhone , but on Apple Vision Pro , you ’re engross in the panorama , which , again , makes you palpate like you ’re reliving the bit . The immersion is a bit broken once you plow your head far enough past the edges and see a nihility of black abysm , but otherwise , it palpate like panoramas are designed for this headset .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Next , I was shew how to move app windows around and resize them . A very basic affair to do on a calculator , but it will take a few tries before you get it down by rights with the Apple Vision Pro . This is the independent reason why I want to use Apple Vision Pro — for work — as it ’s exchangeable to have multiple monitor in front of you , but you may freely move them around and make them bombastic or small on need . I was also shown how web page look in Safari , with crystal clear , sharp , and incredibly kinky images and text .
regrettably , the virtual keyboard was not register during the demonstration , which was disappointing . It ’s one of the things I ’m most curious about about Apple Vision Pro , and I ’m certain I ’m not the only one .
I also checked out the Environments boast in both demos , which are fundamentally immersive wallpaper . You turn the Digital Crown to adjust the foil or make it totally opaque . I thought some of these looked more impressive than others , but you could grow your top dog in all directions and see the environs — there were no black voids to take you out of the submersion . And if the environments are n’t your matter , there ’s also a setting for adjusting the feeling of the lighting , so you could make it cooler or warmer or have it mimic a first light .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
When I had the Environment on , the passthrough feature film worked well — mass around me in the Apple Store would faintly seem through the environment , like in a mist .
In the first demo , I was shown the Apple - produce Immersive video , which features a variety of 180 - level 3-D 8 K video clips . This was insanely telling , as I feel like I was really in those preferences decent from the get - go . The first time evidence a char singing in front of me with a piano player off to the side , and the whole thing looked so very real . There were other nature scenes and even sports . If I were into play , being able to experience games from a courtside perspective would be very tempting .
With my second demonstration , I asked to view a movie time , so I set about to watch a brief fit fromAvatar : The Way of Water . After I adjusted the video recording player window to be bigger , the scenes really popped out , and it rightfully sense like I had a dramaturgy - sized screen in front of me . I can emphatically see this being extremely useful when journey on an airplane , for example .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Now , my preferred part of the demo was get to receive the dinosaur clip . It starts with a butterfly wave around , and eventually , I reach my hand out to see if it will land on my digit like I get wind it would when the very first hands - on demo last class happened after WWDC . To my surprise , the butterfly did ! Then it flies off again , and you see a small lounge lizard crawling on a rocky terrain before a raptor run into the scene . It will look around before stare upon you , trying to sniff you . I arrest my hand out again to see if it would react ( and also try out to pet it ) , but it did n’t look like it did . Another raptor comes in , and the two engage in a scuffle , at which point I almost jumped when it looked like they would tumble into me .
And then , before I know it , I ’m told that my time is up and the demo is over .
Will the Apple Vision Pro replace my iPhone?
Honestly , I am very impressed with the technology behind the Apple Vision Pro . But it wo n’t exchange myiPhone 15 Pro , at least not yet . One of the biggest reasons is the price tag , of course — a minimum of $ 3,500 , and since I need prescription cut-in , that ’s another $ 149 on top of that ( andaccessoriesare also outrageously expensive ) . The overall toll of acquire an Apple Vision Pro is much , much more than justgetting a fresh iPhone .
But it ’s not just the damage . While the strap is well-off and well-to-do to adjust , there ’s just no denying it — Apple Vision Pro isheavy . Even when it was properly on my face , I could feel the weighting of it , and it always felt like I had pressure on my face with the light seal . I ’m not sure I ’d want to jade this for an lengthened period , as I even had modest grading on my face after just 25 minutes .
I ’m also pretty much always on my iPhone , specially in public . I would never , ever wear this thing outside of my theatre , and to be fair , no one else should either . It looks stupid . Until Apple gets to the percentage point where the Vision Pro is just the size of it of a pair ofglassesrather than mammoth goggles , it could never replace my iPhone in public .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
The only real scenario in which I could see the Apple Vision Pro replacing my iPhone is when I ’m flying on a airplane . With the Vision Pro , you ’d get infinite space to wreak with instead of just a cramped little tray in front of you , and watch movies would be a much more enjoyable experience . That would be worth await like a dork over , I suppose .
Still , as much as I ’ve enjoyed stress it out until the headset is lighter , less bulky , and a bit more affordable , I ’ll still be using an iPhone . It may takeat least four generations before Apple hits that full stop , so in the meantime , I will probably watch its progress from the sideline .
