When the Apple Vision Pro made its grand debut on the 2 February, eager punters were up with the lark, forming orderly queues outside their local Apple Stores. Many of them were fooled by claims in the Tame Apple Press that its spatial computing capabilities would gobsmack them.
However, less than a fortnight later, the initial excitement seems to have fizzled out for some buyers, who are now returning the $3,500 gizmo. The main gripe? Its cumbersome design. Tech
YouTuber Farzad Mesbahi has voiced his discomfort, stating that having a device strapped to his noggin and face for extended periods is a bit of a faff, unlike using smartphones, tablets, and computers.
“For a technology/productivity device, this is a non-starter for me,” Mesbahi grumbled on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Self-proclaimed Apple boffin Collin Michael concurs. In a YouTube video explaining why he’s sending his Vision Pro back, he mentions the device’s weight as a significant drawback.
He finds that tasks he would typically perform on an iPhone or Mac, like using Safari or searching for used cars, require additional steps on the headset that make the process more of a palaver.
The headset’s comfort, or lack thereof, is a common complaint among Redditors who claim to be returning the Vision Pro.
Another major issue is the headset’s vision quality. Mesbahi criticises the device’s ability to overlay virtual apps on the user’s line of sight, stating that it’s “not good” for clearly observing surroundings. He finds the image quality to be “quite grainy in most lighting conditions,” making it difficult to discern what’s on the screen of his computer or iPhone or to read small font on paper.
Michael also notes the need to turn his head to view different elements on the screen due to “giant black edges” that blur and distort “10 to 20 per cent” of his line of vision. When casting his MacBook onto his headset, he finds it challenging to decipher the icons on the bottom of his laptop screen.
Despite Apple developing over 600 new apps for the Vision Pro, some customers feel that the device doesn’t offer enough unique experiences to justify its high price.
YouTuber Kane Sutter, in his video explaining why he’s returning the headset, said, “There just aren’t enough diverse experiences today and diverse content to warrant using this for like two hours a week, which is what I feel like you need to justify a purchase at this price.”
Some customers even admit to purchasing the headset to return it after testing its capabilities. Vision Pro customer Matt Schneider told Business Insider, “Apple is off their rocker if they think I’d cough up $4,000 for it.”