Apple Vision Pro: A First Look at the Highly Anticipated Headset
It’s finally here. The day you’ve been waiting for since Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Vision Pro at last year’s WWDC. After months of speculation and anticipation, you’ve finally made the decision to become an early adopter of this groundbreaking technology. The price tag may be steep at $3,500, but you know that this first-generation product is the result of years of research and development.
When the box arrives, you can’t help but be impressed. It’s a quintessential Apple package – sleek, premium, and designed with intention. As you open it up, you’re greeted by the visor, securely anchored to a small platform that feels more like a display case than a shipping container. Digging deeper, you find additional accessories like a strap and a “light seal” insert.
Choosing the right strap is crucial, especially considering the weight of the Vision Pro. While the Solo Knit Band may look cooler, the Dual Loop Band does a better job of distributing the weight. Glasses-wearers should opt for the larger light seal insert to ensure a comfortable fit.
And then there’s the battery pack – a crucial component of the Vision Pro experience. Plugging it into the port on the left side and giving it a twist activates the device. A small white light pulses before turning solid, indicating that the boot-up process has begun.
Setting up the Vision Pro takes some time, but it’s a necessary step to ensure optimal performance. The headset needs to orient its sensors and familiarize itself with your space and lighting conditions. If you wear glasses or have Zeiss optical inserts, now is the time to incorporate them magnetically. Pairing the device with your iPhone is a similar process, requiring you to enroll your lenses by holding up a QR-like code.
Before you can fully immerse yourself in this new reality, you’ll need to take a scan of your face. The front camera on the visor constructs a 3D avatar of your face, similar to enrolling in Face ID on your iPhone. The process involves looking forward, turning your head to the side, and finding good lighting. Glasses-wearers should avoid squinting to ensure accurate results.
The resulting avatar becomes your digital representation in teleconferencing apps like FaceTime. It allows you to communicate with others while wearing the visor, eliminating the need for an external camera. While the avatars have received mixed reviews so far, with influencers seemingly having better results, Apple acknowledges that the feature is still in beta and encourages users to try again if they’re not satisfied.
Once you’ve completed the setup process, it’s time to explore the features of the Vision Pro. Hand-tracking is a key interaction method, and the device prompts you to hold your hands up for calibration. Eye tracking is also calibrated by looking at three circles of dots and pinching your thumb and index fingers together.
Apple envisions a future where most interactions with the Vision Pro are done through your eyes and hands. You can highlight and select objects by looking at them and pinching your fingers. Pinching gestures also come into play when zooming and scrolling. The digital crown, similar to the one on your Apple Watch, brings up an apps display and allows you to navigate through different environments and contacts.
However, it’s important to give yourself time to adjust to this new reality. The weight of the headset has caused some users to experience headaches, and motion sickness can be a concern for others. Taking breaks and engaging in activities like watching TV shows or playing games can help acclimate your brain to this new era of computing.
As an early adopter of the Apple Vision Pro, you’re at the forefront of a technological revolution. While there may be some challenges along the way, the potential for this headset to redefine how we interact with computers is undeniable. So take your time, explore the features, and get ready to embrace a new era of computing.
See you tomorrow.