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Earlier this week, I revealed my top five favourite things about Apple Vision Pro. That list was a pretty easy one to compile; Vision Pro is, after all, full of wow moments, and genuine glimpses at the future of computing.
Unfortunately, the bad stuff is equally as prevalent. There are the obvious downsides which, I’m afraid, I can’t ignore below – and the less obvious negative aspects of owning Vision Pro which I’d also like to cover today.
I should preface all of this by saying that I’m really enjoying Vision Pro; it’s simply one of the most first-generation Apple products I’ve ever got my hands on.
1. The weight (it’s still an issue)
So much has been said about the weight of the Vision Pro headset. I’ve contributed to that narrative heavily myself, therefore I won’t labour this point today.
Ok, maybe I will.
I’m afraid it continues to be rather uncomfortable. The specific problem I have is with Vision Pro’s lenses resting on the bridge of my nose. This is exacerbated by the fact that visionOS will often tell me to move the headset down slightly (for reasons it never reveals). Given the pressure already placed on my nose whenever that message arrives, it’s literally impossible to adjust – unless I chop a piece of my nose off.
It still fascinates me that, whenever members of my family try Vision Pro, they never comment on the weight. Even when quizzing them on the topic after re-entering the real world, they’re far too bowled over by the experience to have noticed it. It’s a neat trick on Apple’s behalf which is, I guess, a key selling tool during those 30-minute in-store demos.
There’s another problem with the weight of Vision Pro, however, which I don’t think many people are talking about.
2. Transporting it
Vision Pro is an absolute pain to carry around. Firstly, it demands a case of some description, simply because this is the only Apple product I’m aware of that features handling instructions in the manual. One false move and your expensive spatial computing headset is practically guaranteed to fall sickeningly to the floor.
Ironically, the problems mount when you place it inside a case. As with any be-cased piece of tech, Vision Pro’s transportable weight and size increases – dramatically.
This isn’t a device you casually sling into your backpack; it’s another piece of hand luggage. That means you have to think carefully about taking Vision Pro with you, and, often, substitute something else for its presence in your daily carry. I’m far too British to even think about using it in public, so it’s less of an issue for me, but if I’m heading somewhere that involves an overnight stay, Vision Pro often gets left at home, simply because it is too burdensome on the road.
The good news is that I’ve been sent the Spigen Vision Pro case (the ‘Klasden pouch’). It’s a fraction of the cost of the weirdly creased official Apple Vision Pro case, and makes transportation about as easy as it’s going to get with this first iteration.
3. ‘Crack Gate’ concerns
If you weren’t aware, there have been numerous reports of the front glass on Apple Vision Pro cracking.
Reddit and various other online forums are awash with examples of apparently defective units. The photos show what looks like significant cracks that run from the bottom centre of the front glass, upwards.
This has spawned the term ‘Crack Gate’ (there had to be one, didn’t there?) and there are multiple theories about why this might be happening. The most consistent appears to be users’ desire to strap Vision Pro to their heads as tightly as possible with the Solo Knit Band’s tightening mechanism.
That gives me some hope that I won’t be impacted by Crack Gate (I’ve opted for the Dual Loop Band which, presumably, places less pressure on the front of the device). It doesn’t stop me from checking that precious front glass whenever I unearth my Vision Pro from its case, though.
It’s worth remembering at this point that I imported Vision Pro from the US and, as such, will have quite a time returning it for any warranty issues.
Pray for me, please.
4. Demoing it is exhausting
I mentioned earlier that a few of my family members have been lucky enough to grab some time with Vision Pro now that it’s in my possession.
The latest were my parents, who were absolutely bowled over by the experience. Everyone has been, to be honest – apart from me, as the person demoing it.
If you’ve done this yourself, you’ll know what I’m referring to, but talking someone through how to use Vision Pro is painfully tricky. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the Apple staff who are doing it in-store.
Apple has been smart enough to include a guest mode within visionOS, which lets you hand the reins of your device over to someone else temporarily. It sets up the eye tracking for their eyes and adjusts everything to work perfectly for them. That helps, but it’s still bloody hard to explain how to navigate the interface.
There are two issues. The first is that as incredibly impressive as the eye tracking is, people still seem to be more inclined to move their heads to look at stuff, which means they end up looking beyond the interface and never quite hitting the mark. The second problem is the pinch gesture for selecting and dragging stuff – everyone who has tried my Vision Pro spent most of their time in visionOS waving their hand frantically around, pinching at thin air (no matter how many times I said “you can leave your hand in your lap”).
Apart from the patience required to ‘train’ people how to use visionOS, I do wonder if this reveals an inherent problem with the navigation and input method Apple has chosen. It feels like second nature – but only if you’ve spent time following the development and release of Vision Pro. For those who haven’t, this is a completely different paradigm and one that is, clearly, a long way from being easily adopted by everyone.
5. Reliance on the Mac
In my list of favourite things about Vision Pro, I noted that one of my main use cases is using Apple’s headset in conjunction with my MacBook Pro to gain more screen estate and better focus.
The problem with this is that I’m probably doing that too much. £3,600 is a lot of money to spend on what is essentially just an occasional working environment. I need to invest more time in apps and services that don’t rely on a traditional computing device. That is, after all, what Vision Pro is all about.
The challenge is that the integration with the Mac appears to be Vision Pro’s trump card at the moment. And that bothers me. Why don’t I feel more inclined to explore beyond the hallowed turf of macOS?
Wrapping up
I’ve said on numerous occasions that it is very early days with Vision Pro and visionOS. It’s why my opinions and experiences will, inevitably change as my use of the headset evolves and as Apple iterates its feature set.
Once again, if you’d rather not spend a fortune on this thing yourself, you’re welcome to continue joining me for the ride!
Just don’t ask for a demo. Please.
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