Apple's Vision Pro finally goes on sale on February 2, a date that is just a few days away. So far Apple has tightly controlled the experience of people spending time with the headset which has led to somewhat sanitized experiences. But that all changes today as new hands-on and early review reports start to hit the internet, and many of them are saying the same thing.
As some had suggested, the arrival of the Vision Pro could prove to be a watershed moment for the world of Spatial Computing, but it's still very early days. That's a sentiment that appears to run through the early reports, whether in text or video form, and it's clear that Apple still has plenty of work to do.
While it will be most interesting to see how people get on with the Vision Pro after spending $3,499 (or more) on it later this week, these early reviews are the best we have to go on right now. And we've rounded up all the biggest and best reports right here.
Tom's Guide
Our colleagues at Tom's Guide were able to spend some time with the Vision Pro ahead of release and have an early review available. That review explains how impressive Apple's visionOS system is in terms of tracking the Vision Pro wearer's hands and eyes during use, while the AR experiences offered are great. But the headset's price is hard to get beyond, while the tethered battery situation can cause some annoyance. Apple's Persona technology still needs work, we're told, while the lack of Netflix and YouTube apps will no doubt irritate fans of those streaming platforms.
Notably, the Tom's Guide reviewer notes that "after wearing the Vision Pro on and off for several hours, I didn’t find it uncomfortable to wear, but I did feel like taking periodic breaks because of the heft." They went on to add that they "also got some light red marks on my cheeks." That may help assuage some concerns about the headset's weight, although an individual's mileage may vary here.
Video reviews from The Verge, MKBHD, and more
Tidbits
While the reviews do generally suggest that the response to the Vision Pro will be largely positive, the issues that do crop up tend to be repeated throughout all of these early reviews. The battery situation and the high cost are undoubtedly two that jump out, although they are far from surprising.
On the subject of the battery, CNET explains exactly how it works — something that hadn't been made entirely clear until now.
"The battery cable to the Vision Pro is odd – it's a locking, unique circular attachment that needs to be slotted in at an angle and then turned to lock in place," the report explains. "It's to prevent losing power when using Vision Pro, but it also means you can't use a regular USB-C cable to power up or charge the headset unless you route it through the Vision Pro's large, heavy battery, which weighs about 0.75-pound." The lack of a universal charging option is a disappointing one, no doubt. As for the inconvenience of having a battery flopping around, CNET's report says that they "just put the battery beside me, and sometimes tuck it in my pocket. The fabric-covered cord to the battery, which isn't removable, is long enough to tuck nearby but not long enough to snake across a room."
One area that appears to be a real winner is Vision Pro's integration with Macs. The Tom's Guide report outlines that. Reviewer Mark Spoonauer said that he "had a similar WTF moment — in a good way — when I just looked at my MacBook to connect and supersize its display on the wall in front of me. Then I pinned the Apple Music app to the left of my desk and Slack to the right. This is what Apple means by spatial computing."
It's this kind of integration that makes the Vision Pro a potential must-have for those ensconced in the Apple ecosystem. The price will still be a problem, of course, but with rumors of a cheaper Vision Pro in the works we have to assume the economics will change greatly in the coming years.
