It's been about a week since Apple announced their brand new Vision Pro headset. In that
time since the keynote where they announced it, we have learned quite a few more things
about how this headset works, and more importantly, how its operating system
will work. So I want to give you my reactions to this headset and my overall thoughts about it.
Now that I've gone through quite a few developer videos and seen how exactly this thing is going to
work, my general takeaway is that it's not just a $3,500 VR headset. Apple calls it a "spatial
computer," and they've put their M2 chip in it, which is the same chip that powers all
of their mainstream Mac computers and some of their pro iPads. So the main takeaway I
have about what Apple announced at WWDC is that they didn't just announce a product,
they announced a new platform: VisionOS. VisionOS is the operating system for the
Vision Pro headset. It's built on top of the building blocks of iOS and iPadOS,
but it has a bunch of other stuff stacked on top to make the augmented reality experience
work really well. One of the things that no company seems to have been able to do is create
a headset that has enough high definition where it feels like you're actually viewing real life.
This is called "pass through video," and they just haven't been able to do it at a resolution
crisp enough to fool you into thinking you don't have a headset on. Apple seems to
have done that with this product, so that is very notable and a huge deal for this space.
The second thing that needs to happen in this space is for somebody to come along and actually
create an operating system that is so compelling and has so many different app experiences on it
that you're going to keep wanting to use the headset. This is the "headset in a drawer"
problem that Meta is very familiar with at this point. A lot of people get a Meta Quest 2 for
Christmas or the holidays, they play around with it, VR is a very immersive experience,
but then they'll kind of just throw it in a drawer and forget about it because there's
not enough experiences or core things that you really can't do anywhere else that are
bringing them back to that experience. So those are two things that Apple seems to have done here.
Of course, the thing that everyone gets hung up on and the media is of course going to
cover because it's a juicy thing to cover is the price. The Vision Pro headset costs $3,500 USD,
which does not include tax. So this thing is probably going to cost around $4,000 USD when
all is said and done. Not a lot of kids are going to be getting this headset under a tree in 2024.
Unfortunately, during the keynote, Apple demoed experiences where you're trying to do certain
tasks that you can already do today on their other devices. For example, you can watch content on an
Apple TV 4K in spatial audio on your TV. You can also look at several different windows of
different apps by getting multiple computer monitors. And you can FaceTime with your
co-workers while working on a presentation. However, there were a couple of novel things
that the company did announce during the keynote. One is taking 3D photos
and videos. The Apple Vision Pro's Spatial Computing engine doubles as a 3D camera,
which is quite novel and interesting. You can then use the headset to play back those memories.
There was a lot of cringe online when people saw the dad in the headset. Some
people said it was stupid and wondered what the people in Cupertino were thinking. I
think it's important to remember that you're not just watching Avatar in 3D. Although the
TED Talks that Apple showed off can do that too, and apparently it's very good. This could actually
be the best compelling use case for 3D movies at home that we've had. 3D televisions didn't take
off, and for good reason. But imagine that level of immersion matched with your family photos and
videos. Seeing your kids grow up and feeling like you're still there, reliving memories
that feel much more real to you than they do in a 2D image. If Apple can actually make
that happen, it would be incredible. The headset is not the only
product that Apple is working on. They're also going to be releasing a 3D camera. So those are
the things that Apple demoed in the keynote. I think a lot of people may look at it and say, "Why
would I spend $4,000 on a headset? I have to wear it, it's got fans in it, it's not even cordless.
I have to plug it into an external battery pack, which I then have to plug into a wall.
And what do I get for all this? I can already do these tasks on my Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc."
I think it's too early to say whether or not the Apple Vision Pro will be successful. But I do
think that there is a market for a high-end, immersive VR headset. And if Apple can deliver
on the promise of 3D photos and videos, I think they could have a hit on their hands.
I would caution against having that viewpoint for a couple of reasons. First, the Meta Quest and
Apple's upcoming VR headset are different, but the level of immersion that you get from an experience
like the Meta Quest is transformative. Until you put one of these headsets on
and interact with 3D computer graphics, the only way you have been able to do that is by
touching a screen on your phone or tablet, or using a keyboard and mouse on your computer.
In some of the videos that Apple showed after WWDC for developers, they demonstrated
different ways to interact with the Vision OS and the windows you see. For example,
you can pinch and move windows around in your environment. The main way to select things,
however, is with your eyes. The headset has eye tracking, so you can just look at something and
it will be selected. Your fingers don't have to be up in the air; they can just rest at
your sides. The cameras pointing down always track your hands, but there are other ways
to interact with the headset as well. People can create 3d objects that you
can actually reach your hand out to and in the headset, you will see your hand.
Your hand can overlap a 3d object and you're not using a controller. It's not some 3d animated
hand. It's going to look like your hand is going out to reach this object. This three-dimensional
computer generated image. That is an experience at this high fidelity nobody has ever had before,
at least in a product that is this mass market as the Apple Vision Pro.
People will deal with wearing a ski goggle-like mask if the experience
they get is transformative enough and does enough compelling things. People wear more
stupid things than this for experiences that are not as compelling. So that's reason number
one why I wouldn't call this thing an immediate failure. It's not a flop.
The second reason I would not bet against this product or platform is that this is Apple we're
talking about. When Apple moves into a space like this, historically, they have an ability
to execute that almost no other company has. Right? Apple is the classic fast follower.
They kind of let everyone go in, kick back, and think to themselves, "Well,
from the customer and user perspective, how would we create the best experience possible?" They
spend years iterating on that, then they come out with something that is better than what
everyone else is already selling in the market. This is partially because they have so much
money and R&D experience. But they also have a corporate structure, a history,
and a talent for being able to do this repeatedly that almost no other company has. They've done
it with the personal computer, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and then the Apple Watch.
So that's why I think it would be pretty foolish to bet against Apple at this point.
But I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is automatically a success on day one. I think
it's going to take years for Vision OS and Apple's spatial computing to really take off.
You know, it took years for the Apple Watch to put enough sensors and experiences in it to make
it really compelling. A lot of people can't live with that. People are going to look at it and say,
"I can already do these tasks that you're showing me on your current Apple devices,
even if it is a little bit different, it's a different experience."
I don't want to spend $4,000 on it. I think that's a valid point. And Apple also has to ask
themselves what they can do with Vision OS that they just can't do on any other Apple product. The
company seems to be hoping that developers will develop experiences that help sell this headset.
At the end of the day, I would still bet that this ends up being a success for Apple. And
I will be lining up to get one of these, just because I think it is a product that
is perfect for a six-month later review. So, let me know in the comments what you'd like to see
from a six-month later review on this headset. What did you think about what Apple announced?
Do you have any thoughts already about the Vision headset? And then make sure you subscribe to the
channel if you want to see our long-term review on it out next year. If you like this video,
hit that thumbs up button below. I'm Josh Teder. Thanks for watching.