I bought the Apple Vision Pro and even though the tech is amazing I returned it
Early reactions to Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset highlight a sharp divide between admiration for its technical polish and skepticism about its real-world usefulness. Commenters praise the display quality, spatial video, and hands-free interface, but cite eye strain, comfort issues, missing software (including basic VR features), and limited everyday use cases as reasons to return it or avoid buying one. Many compare it unfavorably on value to cheaper Meta and Valve headsets and question whether bulky face-worn devices can ever reach mainstream adoption, even if Apple refines the platform over several hardware generations.
Price, Adoption, and Market Size
- Many argue mass adoption is impossible at ~$3,500; some say it needs a 3–4x price cut, others see this as normal “early adopter” pricing.
- Skeptics note even cheaper MacBooks struggle for broad adoption; Vision Pro is seen as a niche luxury with likely tens of thousands to low millions of active users.
- Some counter that small but loyal high-end markets (e.g., pro Macs) can still be viable; success doesn’t require iPhone-scale adoption.
Use Cases and Perceived Value
- Strong praise for movie watching: perceived as better than home projectors and close to large high-end TVs; 4K HDR 3D streaming in native apps is highlighted.
- Some users enjoy lounging use (couch/bed), large virtual monitors, meditation, and spatial videos (especially for family memories, seniors).
- Others can’t see it beating a laptop for everyday work or being “$3,500 nice,” and expect it to drift into a drawer like older VR headsets.
Hardware Experience
- Display quality is widely praised; big jump over Quest/Rift, especially for video and spatial content.
- Passthrough “reality” is described as grainy and dreamlike, not true AR.
- Comfort and weight are recurring complaints: heavy on nose/cheekbones, external battery but no effective top/halo strap.
- Some report impressive eye/hand tracking; others find it imprecise and frustrating.
Software, Ecosystem, and Limitations
- Missing or awkward features: no Chrome, only one Mac desktop, odd audio routing from Mac, limited VR video support (no simple side‑by‑side playback, limited WebXR).
- Window management and multitasking are criticized as clumsy; the system feels optimized for sitting at a desk with a few floating windows.
- Some developers are optimistic about writing their own apps; others doubt compelling non-game apps will emerge at scale.
Comparisons, Strategy, and Long-Term Outlook
- Repeated comparisons to Meta/Quest: Vision Pro seen as higher fidelity but functionally similar; Meta credited with more units shipped but hurt by weak platform strategy and privacy concerns.
- Some see Apple as possibly doing an “iPhone 1.0” for spatial computing; others argue VR/AR has already plateaued and is constrained by form factor and social acceptability (people don’t want a “dorkbox” on their face).
- Overall sentiment is mixed: admiration for engineering and media experience, but doubts about mainstream viability, clear use cases, and near-term evolution.