I would normally have ordered, but I live in Europe and have to wait, even though I would really like to experiment with it. There might be ways and means of importing a Vision Pro and using it here, but that’s too much effort for me. The wait was the same with the first generation iPad - it felt like an eternity before it was available here. I’m still experimenting with the Meta Quest 3, but I hope that you can do a lot more productive things with the Vision Pro than with the Meta Quest - which I don’t think is really suitable for productive things. (Not only) until the Vision Pro is released in Europe, I will be very interested to see and listen to many testimonials.
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The productivity vs entertainment aspect is interesting. I bought it purely for entertainment, envisioning my use similar to an iPad, great for entertainment, but have to jump through too many hoops to really be productive on it short of writing type uses. I love the idea of putting them on, sitting back and relaxing and watching something. Already kind of worried the big companies aren’t going to support this, but maybe Safari can fill gaps? Like will it work well with YouTube in a Safari window?
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If the Vision Pro screens really deliver a sharp image to our eyes, then we will all be saved. I think everything depends on that when it comes to VR. (Sound and performance will be good.) I think with a sharp image, the overall experience will be good or even great, including Safari and videos in Safari.
I’m actually not worried that there will be enough apps and content to spend a lot of entertaining time with it. I think a lot of newbies will have to get used to VR a bit at first. It makes sense not to start with creepy apps right away. It can be a bit scary when someone is suddenly standing behind you, even if this person is virtual. You get used to it over time. 
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Was just looking at the specs and the included apps. The one that stood out to me is Freeform (besides Encounter Dinosaurs which I am guessing is just a “cool” thing to do when you first get it). I quite like that app, even though I rarely have real world use for it. It could be truly amazing if I we can truly interact with it and move notes as if they were real stickies on a board. Has there been an impressions write up from any of the people who got to try it?
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Part of it I suppose. But I can’t write off a brand new car if I review cars for a living. My point is taking a full write off on your tax return for something that is partially personal use is…aggressive.
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Can you write off a laptop you buy for your work but use after hours?
I strive to utilize every legitimate deduction. But, I rely on my tax accountant to determine the legitimacy of deductions for things such as hardware and applications.
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I am not from the US, but I don’t think my accountant would approve writing off AVP as a business expense, at least not until such tech becomes more mainstream and used for productivity (which encountering dinosaurs sadly is not 
). Most of the tech stuff I can claim as a business expense for my solopreneur company but an Apple Watch or AVP would be bordeline or probably not accepted.
In case of an audit, the tax authorities here would look at what the business is registered for or what its main line of work is to decide whether an item can be claimed as a business expense; if you’re in software development and can prove legitimate interest and business use of the device, then, of course, AVP can be entirely written off over the period of 12 months of amortisation. Anything else would probably be stretching it, at least until the tech finds its practical applications in specific industries like construction, engineering, etc.
But is might be for podcasters who make a living testing, discussing, and creating field guides and writing articles on Apple tech., right?
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I was thinking that since Apple is selling it as a productivity device and he could do something like a productivity guide using it, he could call it a business expense. That said, I don’t think he was 100% serious when he said it.
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In the US, you can expense things that turn out not to be useful or even that you should’ve known were not useful. E.g. if you are a professional clown and you somehow thought a VR headset would help your clown act, and it of course didn’t, you could still claim it. What you can’t do is buy it for work and then let it become primarily your personal device, or for a larger company to let it become off-the-books employee compensation. (Intentionally high level; you can read a lot about computer and R&D expensing if you want to.)
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For those wondering if David (or Stephen or anyone else, for that matter) can take a business deduction for the Vision Pro, this information may be helpful: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p535
If we met the requirements, I am fairly certain that most of us would claim a business deduction for anything legitimate. 
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And while tax laws can vary from state to state, if items that have been expensed are later sold, the proceeds usually become income that has to be reported.
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I don’t care about VR at all. I want really seamless Augmented Reality. All the use cases I can think of that I want to do require seeing the real world with an overlay of computer stuff. Absolutely NOT virtual reality at all. If that is all it will do then I don’t see one in my future at all.
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I’m not interested in the VP but it’s hard to believe that everybody who wants one may have already placed their order.
It shipped. It’s in the UPS app, sitting in China with a Feb 2nd delivery date. Excited and nervous.
10.3 lbs if anyone is curious.
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I forsee a lot of happy chiropractors and neurologists this year…
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I wish! I bet you’re going to love it! Hope you report back after you’ve had a chance to try it!
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I think getting solid, objective reviews of the VisionPro will take some time. It’s definitely going to have an initial impact as a wonderful new shiny toy for nerds, who will likely be amazed and wowed by the new operating system and computing environment.
But to me the real question is, does it really make me more productive, or $3,500 more productive? Is “clicking” on an object by looking at it really any different (aside from the initial wow factor) than using a mouse to click on it? I’m sure it will be an amazing new experience (while it is new), but what real-world difference does it make? And what about the device’s weight and the hassle of two-hour batteries? What about the practicality or social negatives of people wearing these things with their eyes covered in an office?
I think it will take some time for the newness “wow” factor to wear off and reality to set in.
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I think we know that answer already since it is iPadOS based. I was thinking about whether would I want to open up a spreadsheet on it? Yes, I would. Would I still want to using the Office365 iPad app and knowing I will have to deal with the syncing issues I always have with the Files app? No. I do plan to use it with Obsidian, OF4, Fantastical, etc though. So I think I can use it for some productivity, but I don’t think it will replace a Mac for me.
I think the biggest issue is going to be what developers/companies turn off the iPad app. Or maybe the biggest factor is if I really want to wear it for hours and will I get eye strain?
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