It’s here — or on its way, at least. Apple finally unveiled its long-rumored, mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro, at WWDC 2023. The device will cost $3,499 and release “early next year.”
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Apple calls the Vision Pro “the most advanced personal electronics device ever” and it’s the company’s first novel platform since the Apple Watch came out in 2015.
You can use it to call friends or host meetings; play games or watch movies; record events in real-time; or simply cast apps on your physical surroundings. No need for a remote — you control it with your eyes, hands and voice. (Learn more about what it can and can’t do here.)
During the keynote presentation, Apple almost went out of its way to avoid calling the Vision Pro a “headset” — though there’s no mistaking its form factor. Instead, the company is pitching it as full-on “spatial computer” that it no doubt hopes will revolutionize how we interact with digital content.
Time will tell if Apple is right. In the meantime, here is what our team thought of the company’s most ambitious hardware announcement in years, if not ever.
Cool tech but socially isolating
“Despite everything Vision Pro can do and all of its clever features, my first thought was that it seems even more socially isolating than existing gadgets.
“Movies might look great, but even in Apple’s own promotional videos, it seems like we’ll be watching them alone. It’ll presumably be even more distracting than a phone if you’re using it around other people. And your own experience will be individualized and less shared with them than ever.
“That is, I suppose, until we’re all wearing them all the time.” — Zen Love, Associate Editor
The Mac of the future
“Unlike the rest of the headsets on the market, Apple’s Vision Pro isn’t a virtual-reality device designed to convince consumers to ditch the real world for the Metaverse. Instead, Apple’s built an augmented-reality headset it believes will be the future of personal computing and entertainment.
“The demos and features it showcased highlighted how the Vision Pro would handle everyday work and personal tasks in innovative ways that our current computers, iPhones, tablets and TVs can’t replicate — or at least not with the same level of immersion.
“But significantly, none of the demos hinged on needing other humans to own a Vision Pro headset. When it comes to interactivity, Apple just focused on making the Vision Pro work seamlessly with all of the iPhones and Macs your friends, family, and colleagues already use. Not the other way around.
“It’s a smart move from a company whose strengths lie in hardware design and who holds a massive market share in smartphones and computers. Apple probably has bold ideas on how the use of its headsets could shift if a wide swath of the population adopts them in the future. But the Vision Pro can still serve as an enticing early pitch for headsets over the next few years as people grow more comfortable with the device category and software developers make more progress cracking the tech’s most compelling use cases.” — Ben Bowers, Cofounder and Chief Content Officer
Probably not for me
The Vision Pro certainly has a lot of interesting tech that sets it apart from other VR headsets on the market but I can’t imagine I’d ever use one — except in very limited instances (maybe watching a movie on a plane).
I personally just don’t want tech connected to my face, and I have concerns over the longterm effects it might have on my eyes and vision.
Also … the avatar it produces for FaceTime calls looks like early-2000s CGI and I, for one, don’t want to look like The Rock from The Mummy Returns.” — Johnny Brayson, Associate Editor
It looks amazing. That’s why I’m so concerned
“There was a moment in the Vision Pro presentation where they show a father using the headset to take a photo of his children playing. The scene, intended highlight how the device can capture tender moments and play them back in an ‘immersive’ manner, left me feeling uneasy.
“Is a device that cocoons users in content and interface really going to enhance their life experience? Or is it just going to further confuse it? I’d bet the latter.” — J.D. DiGiovanni, Managing Editor
An ambitious pair of ski goggles
“I certainly admire the sweeping, ahem, vision that Apple has for the Vision Pro, seeking to infiltrate both our work and leisure lifestyles with it.
“Some aspects seem pretty cool, like being able to watch Fast X at home on the biggest possible screen. And yet, the form factor still seems kind of bulky for everyday use; it probably needs to get smaller and lighter for widespread adoption.
“The biggest doubt I have emerged when the presentation showed a woman FaceTiming with it. If Apple plays it right, wouldn’t everyone she FaceTimes with also have a Vision Pro?” — Steve Mazzucchi, Senior Editor
Creepy, dorky and undeniably enviable
“I have a deep skepticism toward any product trying to introduce more screens into my life but the Apple Vision Pro is tantalizing enough to make me consider adding yet another one.
“It’s clearly miles ahead of anything similar, though I can’t imagine doing any actual work with this thing on my head. Time will tell if it’s intuitive enough to be easily incorporated into my actual life … or if it will boil down to being a $3,500 personal movie theater.” — Scott Ulrich, Associate Editor (Social Platforms)
So long, TV
“Considering the reality of watching the same series or movie on TV with your partner is becoming less of a normality, it only makes sense that the future of entertainment is personal.” — Joe Tornatzky, Creative Director
Next year? C’mon, Apple …
“Apple had me until it didn’t.
“I’m sold on the company’s overall pitch: the Vision Pro isn’t an accessory, it’s a computer. It doesn’t play nice with your laptop or TV. It replaces the need for such devices altogether.
“A few years ago, as part of our Innovation Issue, I wrote that the home of tomorrow won’t be bound by a physical framework but an interface. Here is Apple, our generation’s greatest tastemaker, moving in that direction. Who needs a display when everything is part of a giant canvas?
“Just one problem, and it isn’t even the $3,500 price tag. We have to wait until 2024!?
“I didn’t expect this thing to ship next week or anything, but the fact that Apple won’t even make this year’s holiday shopping window (still six months away), makes it hard to really rally around its promise.” — Jack Seemer, Executive Editor
What do you think of the Apple Vision Pro? Let us know in the comments or on the Gear Patrol Instagram.