Why walking around in public with Vision Pro makes no sense

Not quite a glasshole — Why walking around in public with Vision Pro makes no sense Social mores aside, Vision Pro doesnt seem designed to be used on the go.

Samuel Axon – Feb 14, 2024 6:51 pm UTC reader comments 226 A close-up look at the Vision Pro from the front. Samuel Axon The Apple Vision Pro with AirPods Pro, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and an Xbox Series X|S controller. Samuel Axon You can see the front-facing cameras that handle passthrough video just above the downward-facing cameras that read your hand gestures here. Samuel Axon There are two buttons for Vision Pro, both on the top. Samuel Axon This is the infamous battery pack. It’s about the size of an iPhone (but a little thicker) and has a USB-C port for external power sources. Samuel Axon There are two displays inside the Vision Pro, one for each eye. Each offers just under 4K resolution. Samuel Axon Apple offers several variations of the light seal to fit different face shapes. Samuel Axon

If youve spent any time in the tech-enthusiast corners of Instagram of TikTok over the past few weeks, youve seen the videos: so-called tech bros strolling through public spaces with confidence, donning Apples $3,500 Vision Pro headset on their faces while gesturing into the air.

Dive into the comments on those videos and youll see a consistent ratio: about 20 percent of the commenters herald this as the future, and the other 80 mock it with vehement derision. Ive never had as much desire to disconnect from reality as this guy does, one reads.

Further ReadingCan a $3,500 headset replace your TV? We tried Vision Pro to find outOver the next few weeks, Im going all-in on trying the Vision Pro in all sorts of situations to see which ones it suits. Last week, I talked about replacing a home theater system with itat least when traveling away from home. Today, Im going over my experience trying to find a use for it out on the streets of Chicago.

Im setting out to answer a few questions here: Does it feel weird wearing it in public spaces? Will people judge you or react negatively when you wear itand if so, will that become less common over time? Does it truly disconnect you from reality, and has Apple succeeded in solving virtual reality’s isolationist tendencies? Does it provide enough value to be worth wearing? Advertisement

As it turns out, all these questions are closely related. The potential of AR in the wild

I was excited about the Vision Pro in the lead-up to its launch. I was impressed by the demo I saw at WWDC 2023, even though I was aware that it was offered in an ideal setting: a private, well-lit room with lots of space to move around.

Part of my excitement was about things I didnt see in that demo but that Ive seen augmented reality developers explore in smartphone augmented reality (AR) and niche platforms like HoloLens and Xreal. Some smart folks have already produced a wide variety of neat tech demos showing what you can do with a good consumer AR headset, and many of the most exciting ideas work outside the home or office.

Further ReadingGoogle Maps gets augmented reality search resultsIve seen demonstrations of real-time directions provided with markers along the street while you walk around town, virtual assistant avatars guiding you through the airport, menus and Yelp reviews overlaid on the doors of every restaurant on a city strip, public art projects pieced together by multiple participants who each get to add an element to a virtual statue, and much more.

Of course, all those ideasand most others for ARmake a lot more sense for unintrusive glasses than they do for something that is essentially a VR headset with passthrough. Nonetheless, I was hoping to get a glimpse at that eventuality with the Vision Pro. Page: 1 2 3 4 Next → reader comments 226 Samuel Axon Samuel is a senior editor at Ars Technica. He primarily covers software development, gaming, Apple, consumer technology, and mixed reality. He has been writing about gaming and technology for 15 years, and is a Chicago-based game developer. Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars