Stratechery‘s Ben Thompson has used an Apple Vision Pro in a controlled demo and found the experience extraordinary, tweeting “It’s far better than I expected, and I had high expectations.”
The high expectations came from the fact that not only was this product being built by Apple, the undisputed best hardware maker in the world, but also because I am, unlike many, relatively optimistic about VR. What surprised me is that Apple exceeded my expectations on both counts: the hardware and experience were better than I thought possible, and the potential for Vision is larger than I anticipated…
Apple Vision is technically a VR device that experientially is an AR device, and it’s one of those solutions that, once you have experienced it, is so obviously the correct implementation that it’s hard to believe there was ever any other possible approach to the general concept of computerized glasses.
This reality — pun intended — hits you the moment you finish setting up the device, which includes not only fitting the headset to your head and adding a prescription set of lenses, if necessary, but also setting up eye tracking (which I will get to in a moment). Once you have jumped through those hoops you are suddenly back where you started: looking at the room you are in with shockingly full fidelity…
Notably, your fingers don’t need to be extended into space: the entire time I used the Vision Pro my hands were simply resting in my lap, their movement tracked by the Vision Pro’s cameras.
It’s astounding how well this works, and how natural it feels… I didn’t get the chance to try the Mac projection, but truthfully, while I went into this keynote the most excited about this capability, the native interface worked so well that I suspect I am going to prefer using native apps, even if those apps are also available for the Mac…
Apple did discuss meetings in the Vision Pro, including a framework for personas — their word for avatars — that is used for Facetime and will be incorporated into upcoming Zoom, Teams, and Webex apps. What is much more compelling to me, though, is simply using a Vision Pro instead of a Mac (or in conjunction with one, by projecting the screen)… [I]f the Vision Pro is a success, I think that an important part of its market will to at first be used alongside a Mac, and as the native app ecosystem develops, to be used in place of one.
MacDailyNews Take: There’s tons more in the very highly recommended (and free) full article here.
See also: Apple’s Vision Pro is a Mac on your face – June 6, 2023
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