Reviews Augmented Reality Virtual Reality Tech Life

Two Years with Apple Vision Pro

It's been just over two years of owning the Apple Vision Pro. After spending three months in Tokyo and one month in Manila with it as a digital nomad, I have a much better sense of how AVP fits into my life. Here are my thoughts:

  • The "Lie Flat" Device — Back in 2011, Steve Jobs argued that the PC is a "lean forward" device — meant for sitting at a desk, looking at a monitor, and actively working. In contrast, he pitched iPad 1.0 as a "lean back" device, primarily for consumption.1 If we stick to that analogy, AVP is a "lie flat" device. I've spent hours lying in bed and on the couch watching movies on a theater-sized screen floating above me, and I've grown quite fond of casually browsing Reddit and AirPlaying my iPhone while binging TV shows.
    • …Except when sick — When I'm dealing with congestion or a headache, the very last thing I want to do is strap a giant headset to my face.
  • Amazing in small spaces — AVP's ability to dial up immersion makes small hotel rooms and economy seats feel like wide-open spaces. There were so many times I took off the headset and thought, "Whoa, I forgot I was in this tiny room."
    • Gray area for airlines — Airlines are cracking down on power banks due to fire risks, and AVP's external battery now sits in an awkward gray area. To a flight attendant, it can look suspiciously like a power bank. To a techie, it's the device's primary power source — no different conceptually from a laptop's internal battery. In practice, whether I get to use it mid-flight comes down to who's working the cabin that day.
  • The New Dual Knit Strap — A big improvement in comfort over the original Solo Knit and Dual Loop straps.
  • Typing Still Sucks — Unless I have a Bluetooth keyboard connected (which I never do), I've given up on any meaningful typing. Passwords and quick searches only. Hopefully Apple adds something like Apple TV's Remote Keyboard feature.2
    • My Workaround: Hyperduck — Instead of pecking at the virtual keyboard, I use Hyperduck to send links to my Mac, where I can actually be productive.
  • Multitasking is Not Great — Native Vision apps are intentionally designed with big buttons and extra padding to improve Gaze & Pinch accuracy. The downside: apps take up a lot of visual space, and having multiple windows side-by-side means turning my head way more than I'd like. I've settled on Mac Virtual Display or a max of two windows at a time. Hopefully Apple adds something like macOS' Mission Control down the road.3
  • Mac Virtual Display: Ultrawide on Demand — Here's what I've realized working remotely: I don't like wearing AVP for an entire workday — but that's okay, because about 85% of my work is fine on my 16" MacBook Pro screen. The remaining 15% — when I need serious screen real estate for designs, documentation, VS Code, Terminal, Claude, and Chrome all at once — Mac Virtual Display absolutely shines.
    • Can't stream DRM'd content via Mac Virtual Display — Due to DRM and HDCP standards, streaming video to your Mac while using Mac Virtual Display results in a blacked-out screen. Frustrating, because I love having a shitty horror movie running in the background while I work.
  • No True iPhone Mirroring — AirPlaying the iPhone screen to AVP is possible, but true iPhone Mirroring — with actual control of the phone, like on macOS — isn't. This feels like an obvious feature Apple will add eventually.
  • AirPlay, iPhone Mirroring, or Mac Virtual Display — I hate having to pick just one. Ideally I'd mirror both my Mac and iPhone to AVP simultaneously and stay fully immersed. But because all three share the same underlying wireless pipeline, only one can stream at a time. (And I refuse to pay $300 for the Developer Strap to work around it.)
  • Official YouTube App — HUGE. Once they add downloadable videos for YouTube Premium subscribers, AVP becomes the ultimate travel entertainment device.
  • NBA Courtside POV — GAME-CHANGER. My Lakers were the first team to broadcast games as immersive video, and it's unlike anything else. Courtside seats for a regular-season Lakers game start around $2,500 — I'd argue that watching just two marquee games in immersive video alone justifies the cost of AVP.
  • Spatial Photos & Videos — This one hits different. Before my dog passed away, I managed to capture a handful of spatial videos. Now, whenever I feel like my memories of him are starting to fade, I rewatch those videos and I'm instantly transported back to that exact moment. Nothing else does that. Nothing.

When I originally bought my AVP, a big part of my Boy Math4 was a 50/50 split between work and entertainment. Even with the much-improved Dual Knit strap, the weight still makes wearing it for an entire workday uncomfortable. My usage has settled at about 10% work — and honestly, I'm cool with that, for now.

I can get by without an external monitor for my MacBook Pro…but I still prefer one. I can get by without my iPad Pro streaming background video while I work…but I still prefer having it. My plan now is to hold onto my LG Ultrafine 5K and iPad Pro as long as possible, and bet that Apple Vision Pro 2 or 3 gets more comfortable by the time I'm ready to retire them.

As for the remaining 90%? As a bachelor with plenty of uninterrupted downtime, I fucking love my Apple Vision Pro. When I need an evening to rest and recharge, nothing beats lying flat in bed, fully immersed in an IMAX movie floating above me.

Two years in, Apple Vision Pro still feels like a device that's figuring itself out — and honestly, so am I. The hardware will get lighter. The software will get smarter. Features I've been waiting for (iPhone Mirroring, downloadable YouTube, better multitasking) feel less like wishful thinking and more like inevitabilities.

Check back with me in another year or two.

  1. iPad — As time went by, the iPad has evolved into a mobile production/creation device of sorts. ↩

  2. Remote Keyboard — On Apple TV, whenever you navigate to a search bar, login field, or any text entry box, a push notification automatically appears on your nearby iOS devices, allowing you to enter text using your iOS device's keyboard. ↩

  3. Mission Control — On macOS, Mission Control gives you a "bird's-eye view" of your entire workspace. It's a built-in macOS feature designed to help you manage the chaos of multiple open windows, full-screen apps, and virtual desktops. ↩

  4. Boy Math — A viral social media trend and meme format that highlights the illogical or self-serving rationalizations men sometimes use to justify their behavior, finances, or perception of time. ↩

Reviews Tech Life Augmented Reality Virtual Reality

Three Months with Apple Vision Pro

Back in 2017, I wrote:

While everyone is talking about next-gen smartphones like the very impressive Galaxy Note 8 and the highly-anticipated iPhone X, I'm more interested in what's being built on top of smartphones that will bridge us to the next big thing — Augmented Reality.

At the time, Apple was on the verge of launching ARKit for iOS developers, which was Apple's first public building block towards the next big (hardware) thing that comes after the smartphone[^1].

Fast forward seven years to today, we finally have Apple Vision Pro (AVP).

The hype cycle has completely come and gone these past few months, but I've been using my AVP every day since launch and I've collected all my thoughts on the hardware, software, and user experience into this post.

Let's get into it.

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Industry Trends Augmented Reality Virtual Reality First Impressions

Introducing Apple Vision Pro

Lots of hot takes immediately dismissing the Apple Vision Pro. They're all short-sighted. Here are some historical fun facts about Apple products:

So what are people saying about Apple Vision Pro?

"It costs 7x as much as the Meta Quest…"

Yes, that's true. As Ben Evans puts it:

Meta is trying to catalyze an ecosystem while we wait for the right hardware - Apple is trying to catalyze an ecosystem while we wait for the right price.

Both paths are good bets…but I think Apple's vision is smarter.

Zuckerberg envisions everyone wearing VR headsets for most hours of the day, both at work and at home. His belief is that your digital life will be as important as your physical life. To Zuckerberg, living in the digital world is socializing, not isolating.

Apple disagrees. Tim Cook has said for years that the goal is to have AR enhance the real world around you. The Vision Pro is built from the ground up to let interact with both the real world and the digital world at the same time.

Nilay Patel of The Verge, summed it up the best:

Meta Quest 2 is a mid-range Android smartphone on your face.

Apple Vision Pro is a MacBook on your face.

In the pre-iPhone era, the smartphone was thought of as a cell phone with apps. Then Apple launched a mobile computer with a phone app.

If the "metaverse" is going to be a thing, Apple will make it just one dimension of spatial computing.

"The 2-hour battery isn't even long enough for a movie! LOL"

Yup, and that's fine for this v1.0 model! This generation is targeted for developers and will only be used for indoor, stationary situations. The fun begins when it becomes portable, but we need developers to make that meaningful.

"Creepy Black Mirror vibes."

I gotta admit, the spacial camera demo of the father recording his kid's birthday while wearing Apple Vision Pro is a bit cringey…and we all know how Google Glass was rejected. But remember: there was a time when having a camera on a cellphone was considered creepy too.

We'll see how this pans out, but for now, Apple Vision Pro will clearly indicate to others when you are recording.

"I'm not going to walk around with ski goggles on my face."

I'm not planning on it either, lol. But that's fine, because Apple is playing a very, very long-game here.

Overall, Apple Vision Pro is a massive step towards AR glasses. This is a long stop-gap to get developers building on the AR platform until the product is portable to wear outside and affordable enough for the common consumer.

And if there's any tech company in the world that will miniaturize powerful hardware into something the size of a pair of sunglasses, it's Apple.