Apple made its entrance in the AR/VR segment earlier this month with the Apple Vision Pro. Currently, it’s not a product meant for the general public with a $3,500 price tag. However, It serves as a starting point for developers and enthusiasts that want to get a glimpse of this new technology. For now, the Apple Vision Pro is currently undergoing internal testing by some Apple employees. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, following the announcement, Apple expanded access to the headset. With wider access more feedback is being collected, for the good and… for the bad.
Testers say that the Apple Vision Pro feels too heavy
Before the Apple Vision Pro unveiling, just a few Apple employees had access to the product. It’s not a surprise to learn about this “limited access”. After all, the product was one of Apple’s big secrets in the past few years. Despite multiple leaks over the years, no one was truly sure of the product’s real form, design, and features. After the release, Apple gave more of its employees the chance to test the product. However, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, some employees who tested the product have reported that it feels too heavy. After a few hours of continuous use, it becomes bothersome.
While AR/VR headsets can be revolutionary, the user’s comfort in this kind of tech is a crucial factor. Apparently, Apple’s choice of premium materials gave the product some extra weight. Apple has not publicly disclosed the product’s official weight, but the use of materials like aluminum and glass rather than plastic, certainly makes it heavier than the general plastic-based headsets.
This is not the first report of Apple Vision Pro being uncomfortable
Worth noting that the first reviews also indicate that the current iteration of the Apple Vision Pro is not the most comfortable. Recently, a detailed review of the headset was published by Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal. During her 30-minute demonstration, she found the headset to be a bit uncomfortable on her nose. This made her feel a little nauseous. The Cupertino giant has promised to improve this aspect of the device before it goes on sale.
Apple developed a strap to lighten the weight
Apple is aware of the issues of having a product that is uncomfortable to use. The giant certainly wants people to spend hours and hours on the product and needs to ditch this limitation. Therefore, it is already working on a solution, and I believe that some won’t appreciate this particular solution. After all, it won’t be offered as an essential feature.
The solution won’t come for free
Mark Gurman reveals that Apple is ready with a fix. The company has a strap that goes over the user’s head and helps spread out the weight. We don’t know exactly how the strap will fix the weight issue by just spreading the weight. There is no magic, and there is science and studies involved, but we are curious to see how this will work in the final product.
The big problem is that the strap will not be included in the retail package because it is not considered essential. In other words, if you find the Apple Vision Pro heavy, you will need to buy the strap separately. We don’t know how much it will cost, but it would be naive to expect it to be cheap. This is the same Apple that sells a Polishing Cloth for about $20.
The Apple Vision Pro will have some extras and optional items that might raise the price of the final product. For example, the product will support corrective lenses made by ZEISS for people who need glasses. We assume that Apple will announce more items ahead of the product’s release and the strap should be among them. The Apple Vision Pro was announced in June but will reach the shelves only by “early next year”. According to Gurman, Apple made this choice to let people “get used” to the price.
Gizchina News of the week
The Apple Vision Pro’s Benefits
Despite the weight and the price, the Apple Vision Pro still has many features to offer. In the end, these innovative features could overcome the issues. For instance, Apple states that the Vision Pro will offer users “their personal cinema”. The company says “Wherever you are, you can have an adjustable virtual screen to enjoy different” content. In addition to that, the Apple Vision Pro can function as a Mac computer or iPad with an extensive app store. The device can record videos and take spatial photos thanks to its 12 cameras and 6 microphones. With this, you can capture 3D Photos or Videos to keep your memories safely store.
The Vision Pro can also create a virtual avatar for making calls or other applications. The avatar detects the user’s facial and eye movements to replicate them and provide greater realism. With Facetime, users can experience a full-fledged augmented reality call. Using their generated avatars, users can have a meeting, viewing the call participants in separate windows in front of them.
Apple Vision Pro Key Features
- You can create your personal cinema
- Create 3D avatars for digital environments
- Experimented with Augmented Reality Calls
- Capture 3D Live Photos and Videos, and Relive Them Whenever you want
The product itself is quite interesting, so if Apple manages to remove the rough edges by its release, we will probably have a masterpiece in the tech segment. The high price might still be a problem for some, but we can expect future iterations to become less expensive. Mark Gurman suggested in his PowerOn NewsLetter that we can see a more affordable Apple Vision, or Vision One in the future. It would sacrifice some of the hardware to bring the price to a lower spot. But still, it could be more interesting for the general public.
Apple’s Extended Reality Headset has a huge potential
My Personal experience with headsets is sometimes a love-and-hate story. I’ve tried some basic headsets in a bid to experience VR products and also experienced some high-end products like the latest PS VR2. While these devices are particularly cool for certain experiences: Playing VR Games, Watching VR content, there are still some limitations. The Metaverse tried to convince users to move from the real world to a full-fledged virtual environment. But it failed, users don’t really feel attracted to this kind of product just yet. Apart from playing games and seeing virtual reality entertainment, the use is still limited. There are a lot of promises such as Augmented Reality products offering a new vision for certain kinds of works. Just imagine having an augmented reality app giving you real-time measurements, metrics, etc.
“The Vision Pro marks a revolutionary moment for spatial computing and the future of work,” said Marcus Segal, CEO and co-founder of game developer ForeVR. “As these devices become accessible to the average consumer we will see how we work and play transformed… Apple entering the market absolutely moves XR into the mainstream.”
Let’s wait and see if anything will change through the long road the Apple Vision Pro has ahead. So far, most of the AR/VR products have failed to penetrate into the category of general users. There are many factors for that: Pricing, Lack of Useful features, and user experience. Apple’s approach is different than the other companies’ approach. The Cupertino giant aims to make a product that will be interesting for the end user, not only to tech enthusiasts or VR gamers. Moreover, the goal is not to build a Virtual Environment or a Metaverse.
Apple’s product is more of an “Extended Reality” product, mixing virtual reality elements with augmented reality elements. If we look at the past, Apple has a strong power when it comes to starting trends of new products. The company revolutionized the computer segment with the Mac and introduced the smartphone era with the 2007’s iPhone. Let’s see if the Vision Pro will finally start a revolution for extended reality headsets.
