One may be able to pick up a VP at a discount before long if this story proves accurate.
The main reasons for returning Vision Pro seem to fall into three camps:
The headset seems too isolating.
Vision Pro is too heavy and/or uncomfortable.
There’s no compelling daily use case for the headset.
Sebastian de With, developer of the highly rated Halide iPhone camera app, posted on X that he plans to return his headset. “I’m returning mine most likely,” he wrote, “it’s cool tech, but … it’s a lot of money for an indie shop!”
Personally, I’m considering returning my Vision Pro because I haven’t found it good for work. My feelings are well summarized by Quinn Nelson, an Utah YouTuber/content creator, who wrote that he has little desire to use the headset for work.
Nelson was working on his computer, trying to get something done, and his Vision Pro was sitting right there. But he had no desire to put it on to work in the headset, preferring to work on his computer.
I feel the same way. Even though I can project my computer screen much larger than my Mac’s physical screen, Vision Pro is not better for work. Yes, movies and TV shows and immersive experiences are great. But they’re not $3,500 worth of great. Plus, these experiences can’t be easily shared.
I am keeping mine. For what it is worth, I travel 250+ days per year, so a lot of time in hotels and on airplanes. For those of us laptop warriors, it is really nice to create an environment in your hotel that isn’t so cramped. I can sit at the desk in my hotel with a wall 12 inches from my face, and work in a much better environment. The same for on the plane. the work space is not nearly as cramped in the headset as it is in the seat
I hesitate to share this, but I do wonder how many of these individuals would have not purchased the the device in the first place if Apple didn’t have an easy return policy. I am curious if the individuals were asked what their intentions were when they purchased the device. Was it just to produce launch videos? At least one individual said he is returning it because he is broke .
I couldn’t justify the expense myself, but I was there on day one going through a demo. I didn’t need to have it for two weeks to determine it was a cool device, but it was also outside my comfort budget and didn’t really fit my workflow. The geek in me was disappointed. However, the practical person in me (and my wife who went through the demo at the same time) knew it would not be a good decision even if I wanted it to be.
Besides, the cost would eat into the same budget to buy more cool tech this year .
I think it’s fair that some people don’t know if the device is for them until they’ve had it a while. Principally because it is unlike any other Apple device.
It’s better at some things, worse at others, and until you experience things without the pressure of being stood in an Apple Store with limited time and a restricted experience (from what I’ve heard it’s all demo) you won’t really know.
I can’t buy one yet, and if I could, I still wouldn’t. I want one, but I won’t buy one unless I suddenly find USD$3500+ burning a hole in my pocket. Instead I am saving for a very decent laptop for that kind of money, which I will use a LOT more.
Because, I figured out what Vision Pro would be for me: an iPad for my face. (Apple, you can steal that marketing line if you like.) My iPad (mini 5) is the first Apple device I would let go of if I had to.
This seems to be the best use case I have heard of so far. Maybe apart from entertainment when alone. Do you use a battery most of the time or are you plugged in?
The only person I know who bought one is returning it because they got headaches and found it uncomfortable to wear after more than 30 minutes of use.
They aren’t YouTubers or bloggers, so they didn’t get it for reviewing. They work from home and were super enthusiastic when it came out as they wanted to use it while working and thought it would be the ultimate productivity boost. However, they said the experience of using it with a Mac is not as good as a normal monitor and coding while using it is not fun at all.
Apple execs told Vanity Fair that they couldn’t possibly have made it any lighter. So I wouldn’t expect to see any major changes to the AVP hardware for a couple of years, or longer. This device may need a very long runway to get off the ground.
I wonder how many of the people with eye issues had the wrong eye seal.
Ed Zitron’s review mentions he experienced many issues linked to that. Although, that wasn’t the only thing he had negative experiences with.
Though it might be hard to believe that I cut anything from 4600 word review, the original draft of this newsletter included numerous other annoyances, such as poor eye-tracking, focus issues (both in overall sharpness and around the edges of things I was looking at) and a multitude of user interface bugs. I had, at one point, prepared to write a truly scathing review of this device, until I found out that most of these problems were the result of a poor fit, despite the fact that I was using Apple’s recommended sizing.
I wonder that, too. I was thinking about all the other new form factors they released. Each one had something awkward to learn about storing it or using it. For me, the watch was the previous high water mark. There was a point early on where I really doubted I was going to find a level of snugness on the wrist that I liked and that would give me accurate data. A close VR fit and calibration is even more challenging, and of course, the financial incentive to return is way bigger than with a watch.
As for the influencers returning them…that’s just a fancy version of the review unit program.
When AVP news dies down in a couple of weeks, they’ll be off to something new. Bloomberg is reporting “Apple’s next iPhone and iPad software updates – iOS and iPadOS 18 – will include a slew of new AI features . . . The company is planning to tout the software, codenamed Crystal, as one of the most significant updates in the 16-year history of the iPhone.”
I’m glad that Apple is willing to take a huge risk and introduce a new computing platform to the world.
I remember when the Blackberry smartphone ruled the world with their hardware keyboard and many people made fun of Apple for introducing a smartphone with only a software keyboard. Well now the Blackberry is dead and every smartphone in the world is a giant screen with a software keyboard. Will Apple get it right again? Only time will tell if they are right, but I plan to try the in-store demo and if I enjoy it, buy one for myself.
I thought it was a fairly balanced article. I don’t think it’s fair to attribute negative comments about the AVP to anti-Apple clickbait. I’ve heard a lot of AVP supporters in the MacSparky Labs mention the same downsides.
And the eye issues may not be all due to misfittings. It’s a unique product that may not work well on everyone’s face and head. There are many more physical variables here than sitting in front of a laptop or holding an iPad.
I enjoy backpacking. When you look at reviews of backpacks, some people say they love a backpack and it’s the best they’ve ever had, and others say they hated the same backpack and it’s the most uncomfortable they’ve ever worn. While occasionally it is a problem of “improper adjustment,” my expereince is that for me, some just fit my body better than others, regardless of the adjustments.
Just because some people posted online they are returning it means nothing, it’s clickbait. How many are returning it? What is the ratio to those keeping it? Is there more people returning it than expected? There have already been countless articles about the pros and cons, what info did these articles give the reader that hasn’t been covered in any of their previous 100 articles? They obviously don’t have anyway of finding out this information so it’s just another AVP article to add to the stack.
Sure it is. Every Apple article tech sites post get tons of comments, mostly from the anti-Apple crowd, and then the fan boys defending it. Apple stories just get a lot of clicks. It’s been this way for years. This is why every little thing Apple does, or any little thing they can come up with, gets an article.
Now the AVP is a product almost no one owns, but got a lot of hype for it being the new thing. The Verge has been publishing a few AVP stores every other day or so, this is the most negative headline one and it’s been their top story for 2 days, even though another AVP story has posted. The haters love an Apple story, especially a negative one.
The article has no merit, other than some influencers are returning them. That happens with every tech product. They buy it do their stuff for clicks, and return them. Real journalism and they would have actually got some real numbers for an article.
Screen shot 2 days after the article was posted. Vast majority of the comments are from haters.
Here is an actual interesting story about the Zuck comments yesterday. Ars Technica actually broke down his arguments instead of giving him free PR. Although, some of his arguments were definitely true.
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