I've watched The Avengers more times than I care to admit, but there's nothing like standing on the Avengers Tower and panning around to see Tony's Stark's collection of Iron Man suits, the floating cloak that belongs to Dr. Strange and Captain America's shield up close.
And while I've worked on big monitors before, there's nothing like having multiple floating desktops spread out all around you, allowing me to easily pick up windows and pin them anywhere I wanted in the room. There's also something futuristic — and weird — about typing on a floating keyboard in front of your face.
The Apple Vision Pro is chock-full of "wow" moments, and I experienced a bunch of them ahead of the spatial computer's launch on February 2 for an eye-watering $3,499. Other than the price, I have some concerns over the heft of the device despite having multiple strap options. And I'd like to see more native Vision Pro apps. But I'm still excited about this headset's potential.
I first went hands-on with the Apple Vision Pro back in June at WWDC 2023, but there were some new things to see and do this time around during my demo, including a deeper look at spatial videos, new Environments (think desktops on steroids) and watching 3D movies. I also got a closer look at EyeSight, which is a digital representation of your eyes that other people see when you're using the headset. It's creepy but impressive.
Here's my take on my latest Apple Vision Pro adventure.
The interface is Minority Report slick but typing is weird
The Apple Vision Pro's cameras can see your hands and you can use them to control everything. Think of your eyes as the cursor and your hands as the mouse. You just look at what you want to select and then pinch your index finger and thumb together to select.
This is wonderfully intuitive, and you don't even need to lift your arm for it to work. I also tried lots of scrolling (pinch and then move your hand up, down, left or right) and pinching to zoom in by pulling your hands apart. It's very iPhone like, except you don't need to touch glass.
Speaking of touching, you can type on a floating keyboard in front of you if, say, you want to enter a web address. It works well, but you won't feel any haptic feedback, which feels odd at first. Fortunately, you can also voice type via Siri. In fact, you can use Siri to close all open apps and perform other tasks if you want to save time. Just look at the microphone icon in the address bar and speak where you want to go.
I also like how easy it is to reset your view should you shift from a standing to sitting position. Just do a quick long press of the Digital Crown button on the top right of the Vision Pro.
Crazy panoramic photos, game changing spatial video
While there's plenty of ways to experience TV shows and movies on the Vision Pro, the most compelling visuals to me are the ones you create because they're personal. In one example, I expanded a panoramic photo of the redwoods, and I felt like I was standing on an ancient tree in front of me. The photo fills your entire view as you look around.
Even more impressive are spatial videos, which you can capture with the Vision Pro itself (awkward) or the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. In one scene, I was mesmerized when a girl popped multiple bubbles in front of her that her mother was blowing in a field. You get a true sense of 3D depth. You can capture spatial photos, too.
3D movies and Immersive Video
I never got a chance to see Super Mario Bros. in the theaters or on streaming, but I didn't want to stop watching once I saw it through the Apple Vision Pro. It felt like the characters were popping off the screen, and the 3D effect is even more satisfying because the Vision Pro is tuned to your eyes.
I'm more excited by Apple's Immersive Video format, as once again I was treated to a sizzle reel of what's possible when you record in 8K in 180-degrees. This includes a studio session with Alicia Keys and a soccer goal from the vantage point of the goalkeeper.
I could see Immersive Video being a huge hit with live sports if Apple could figure out a way to pull it off, especially since the company already broadcasts MLB and MLS games on Apple TV+. You could ostensibly pick any seat in the house and feel like you were part of the action. Messi-cam, anyone?
Disney+ Magic...but I want more
During one part of the Apple Vision Pro demo I got to see various new environments, including two created by Disney for the Disney+ app. This includes a very life-like replica of the Avengers Tower and a scene of Tatooine from Star Wars.
I used the latter environment as the backdrop for watching a trailer for the original Star Wars: A New Hope. It was like going to the drive-in in Luke's landspeeder. And I was impressed as the scene automatically switched from light to dark mode, as the trailer began, complete with a couple of moons in the sky.
What I really wanted to do though was pick up a light saber and fight Darth Vader or try on one of the Iron Man suits and fly around. That will take separate dedicated apps I hope Disney is working on, as similar experiences are available for the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3.
What about AR?
Given that Apple has been working with developers for years on AR apps as part of ARKit, I was very curious when I got to fire up the JigSpace app. I saw a life-size Alfa Romeo F1 race car appear in front of me, complete with a very realistic looking cockpit and natural reflections in the body of the car.
There was also an aerodynamics part of the demo that illustrated the airflow when the car is in motion. This was just a small taste of AR on the Vision Pro, but the fidelity was excellent.
EyeSight is practical but creepy
The last part of my demo involved talking to someone else where a Vision Pro headset and experiencing EyeSight, which is a digital representation of the wearer's eyes. It was cool being able to see the person's eyes as they spoke to me, and you see everything in real time, including blinks.
But while it's good that you can make eye contact with others while wearing Vision Pro, it still feels one step removed from having a normal conversation. It's like having a chat with a being that's half human and half avatar.
I do like that the front of the Apple Vision Pro display transitions from a shimmer to transparent as the person begins speaking to you.
Apple Vision Pro: Comfort and outlook
A lot of people are rightfully skeptical of the Apple Vision Pro. The price puts it out of reach for most, and it will take time for developers to fully take advantage of this platform, despite there being more than 1 million compatible iPhone and iPad apps available at launch.
But once you've experienced the Vision Pro — especially the interface, 3D movies and spatial video — you'll want to go back in. But how long will you want to stay in? Apple will include both a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band with the device, and I tried the latter this time around for a more snug fit across the top of my head.
Overall, I could see myself spending at least an hour in the Vision Pro at a clip, but it felt a bit heavy after a while. So I'll be curious to see if I will enjoy spatial computing for multiple hours at a time.
