10 things I learned after my first Vision Pro experience

Macworld

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.

A Vision of the future

I didn’t buy an Apple Vision Pro, but after trying out a demo at the Apple Store, I nearly did. Apple has got a lot right with its first headset and it’s easy to see a future where we’re all wearing Vision Pros instead of carrying iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Here are 10 things I learned about Apple’s next big thing:

Eye tracking is amazing

Like the mouse, Click Wheel, and Multi-touch, the wow moment of Vision Pro is navigation. It starts with eye tracking, which is incredibly accurate and feels as natural as using a mouse to select apps and elements.

It’s not as goofy in person

When I walked into the Apple Store, there were already people using Vision Pro, and in person, it didn’t look nearly as weird as it does in pictures. It’s a lot like AirPods, which were also the butt of many jokes when people were photographed trying them on. But once you see it in person, it’s not so weird anymore.

EyeSight is necessary

Speaking of goofy, you’ve probably seen more than a few posts showing how not-great Apple’s EyeSight feature is. And I agree—it needs work. However, it’s absolutely necessary when you understand Apple’s, uh, vision for Vision Pro. Eventually, Vision Pro will be the thing we wear all the time and people are going to need to know when you’re looking at them. But before that happens, EyeSight needs to get a lot better.

It’s more comfortable than I thought

There’s no sugar-coating it—Vision Pro is very heavy. And most of the weight is in the front. But once I strapped it to my head—with the single Solo Knit Band—and went through some slight adjustments, it was surprisingly comfortable. There will definitely be some fatigue after a few hours of use, but considering how heavy it is, it’s actually quite comfortable.

Spatial videos are incredible

I wasn’t quite prepared for how amazing spatial videos would be when watched on the Vision Pro. My demo played the same one I saw in the WWDC keynote, but when viewed using Vision Pro, they’re absolutely stunning. Watching the clip of a birthday party made me feel like I was there in a way regular 2D videos can’t convey. So even if you don’t have a Vision Pro yet, start taking spatial videos on your iPhone 15 Pro now so they’ll be ready when you get one.

The quality is stunning

Even if you’ve used other VR headsets, your eyes will be amazed by Vision Pro’s 23 million-pixel Micro‑OLED display. Whether you’re looking at panoramic photos, watching a 3D movie, or reading a webpage in Safari, you won’t see a single pixel. It’s like when the iPhone went Retina—everything else is just inferior.

You can leave windows anywhere

Apple Vision Pro isn’t really meant to be worn outside, but it is meant to be worn all around your house. And you can dock windows in rooms and places where you use them most. For example, a movie can be playing in the living room while Mail and Notes are in the office, and Notes are by the fridge. Spatial computing indeed.

Panorama photos are truly panoramic

We’ve been taking panoramic photos on our iPhones for more than a decade, but they come alive on Vision Pro. Whether you’re traveling to faraway places or just showing off your backyard, panoramas will look absolutely stunning on the Vision Pro.

The field of view is pretty small

Apple has been mum about Vision Pro’s field of view, but it appears to be about the same as the other VR headsets on the market—around 100 degrees. That’s not terrible, but it makes you very aware that you’re wearing a headset when you move to look at the side of an environment or immersive experience and promptly crash into a black bar. It’ll certainly improve, but for now, it’s fairly limiting.

It’s the future, 1st-gen issues and all

For a $3,499 device, Vision Pro certainly has its share of 1st-gen issues. So did the iPod, iPhone, and Mac. Apple can iron out some of the issues with software updates and Vision Pro 2 can address the rest. And like all of those devices, using it feels like stepping into the future. The world might not be ready for it quite yet, but in a few years, Vision Pro will be the device everyone needs.

Foundry

Jason Snell indulges in a spot of nostalgia about 40 years of the Mac, and 40 years of Macworld.

A flawed, ultra-niche product for $3,499 is one hell of a hard sell. Apple Vision Pro needs a reality distortion field.

Jony Ive apparently led a ‘big war’ at Apple to kill the MacBook Air.

New App Store rules have an unintended victim: Vision Pro.

Apple reportedly sold nearly 200,000 ‘very niche’ Vision Pro headsets.

Podcast of the week

What are our current favorite Apple TV+ shows? What are we looking forward to this year? And what shows did we not like? That’s on this episode of the Macworld Podcast!

You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

Reviews corner

Apple Vision Pro reviews roundup: A good start.
Alogic Matrix Ultimate review: Fold-up charger that doesn’t need a plug.
Satechi Stand & Hub with NVMe SSD review: Fixing the Mac mini’s shortcomings.

The rumor mill

‘One of the biggest iOS updates’ ever could be coming to your iPhone this year.

Hidden reference in tvOS 17.4 teases Apple’s new smart home platform.

It’s worth repeating: New iPads, M3 MacBook Air coming in March.

Here’s everything you need to know about the next iPad Air.

Software updates, bugs, and problems

iOS 17.4 beta brings major App Store changes in the EU, including alternate stores.

And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, or Twitter for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.

Apple Inc