Is Apple Vision Pro strong? Foreign media people hesitated after two days of in-depth experience

This may be the most innovative product released by Apple in 2023, and it may also be the beginning of Apple's next era. Apple Vision Pro will be officially launched on February 2, local time. What is the experience of using this product that caused a sensation when it was released last year?

Recently, foreign technology editor Lance Ulanoff published an in-depth experience diary, which may make us on the other side of the ocean more intuitive. , truly understand this product. CNMO also compiled Lance’s relevant diaries. Next, the "I" in the article refers to Lance himself. The article has been deleted, but it will not affect reading.

No matter what you’ve heard or read about Apple’s new Vision Pro MR headset, nothing can prepare you to see it in person, put it on, and experience Apple’s vision for the first time. The vision of spatial computing is even more real. You'll soon realize that this isn't just a marketing term, it's a new digital living experience.

Package arrived at 4:30 pm on January 30

The box has arrived! It's big because Apple sent me a 1TB Apple Vision Pro ($3,899) and a carrying case ($199). Inside the packaging is a tall white box that reminds me of oversized iPhone packaging. From the appearance, the two are somewhat different, but there is always a feeling that they are very similar, and there is an indescribable strange feeling.

Vision Pro comes with a lot of stuff in the box. The first is the machine itself, which lies quietly in the box with the Solo Knit Band already installed on it. Each accessory in the box is wrapped in Apple cardboard. In addition to the single loop strap, a Dual Loop Band is provided inside. These straps are easy to replace, but I was determined to try wearing the Vision Pro with the default gear.

An additional Light Seal mat is also provided in the box. They come in several sizes, but I also had to use the thicker size because I will be wearing the Zeiss lenses with custom ones. There's also a cover in the box to protect the Vision Pro's glass front, and a cleaning cloth to wipe away any smudges that appear as soon as you pick it up.

The battery in the box is connected to a wire that connects to a proprietary power port on the Vision Pro. While some may think it's strange that Apple doesn't simply use a USB-C charging port, I think it would make recharging the device even more inconvenient. There's also a USB-C cable and power adapter to charge the battery.

Unboxing the Vision Pro on January 30th at 5:00 pm

I unboxed the Vision Pro during a TikTok live broadcast. However, since the custom Zeiss lenses have not yet arrived, using the Vision Pro will be blurry without them. I decided to plug in the battery and charge it while I waited for the Zeiss lenses to arrive.

Meanwhile, I checked out the Vision Pro and swapped out the single-loop straps for double-loop straps. The process is simple because, like almost everything else on the Vision Pro, these straps are held in place primarily by magnets. Things are easy to take out. In the meantime, I took off a thin, sealed mask and put on a thinner one to see how it looked and felt. The difference between the two is almost imperceptible.

Open setup at 7:15pm

My custom Zeiss lens arrived and now the fun begins. First, I connected the power supply to the side of the Vision Pro. Next, I inserted my lenses, which were clearly marked on the left and right and, like everything else, held in place with strong magnets. These shots aren't going anywhere.

Vision Pro will first teach you how to use it. It will show you how to use eye tracking and subtle gestures to control it. I think Apple does a great job with this.

There are several steps to setup, including making sure the pupillary distance is correct, scanning the Zeiss lens code, scanning the code with my phone to pair it correctly with my iPhone, and setting it up with my Apple ID details, scanning the front of my hand and back, and the process of staring at a circle of dots (sets of three) while calibrating by pinching your thumb and index finger.

Like any VR or MR device, the Vision Pro will have some prominent safety reminders, including paying attention to your surroundings, using in safe areas, and taking frequent breaks. During the setup process, I learned that the Vision Pro is not suitable for children, or at least anyone under the age of 13.

In the setting interface, you also need to set your own character. This is a digital doppelganger that will be used for things like FaceTime and Zoom calls, eliminating the need to appear in front of a camera while wearing a device. Vision Pro guided me to take off the device and then used the system's 3D camera to capture my face (left, right, top, bottom) and some expressions. Vision Pro took less than a minute to build my avatar. By the way, the system is still in beta.

In terms of transferring existing data and keeping your device up to date, sharing recordings with Apple, Apple Pay, and Card settings is a lot like setting up an iPhone. Pretty much all the same steps to go through.

I made a FaceTime call to my wife in the other room. Her reaction to my digital persona wasn't exactly enthusiastic. She said it was disturbing. My son said it reminded him of an AI avatar in a science fiction movie that could only answer the questions they were pre-programmed to answer. But after watching screenshots of the video, I think it did a good job, even though Apple seems to have shaved off my goatee and fixed my teeth.

After the settings are completed, we finally enter the main interface, and the visual effect is still very amazing. The home screen floats in my home office, with icons clear enough to touch. I use Siri to open Safari and the experience is great. However, my forehead felt a little uncomfortable and I had to take a rest.

8:10pm Good fit and great table top

After changing to double loop straps. I feel more comfortable wearing it.

I want to play Wordle like I do every night, but to do that I have to use Vision Pro's Safari instead of the Chrome browser I usually use on my Mac. This means I have to log into my account again, which gives me a good opportunity to use the virtual keyboard. It allows you to use your fingers to type on an AR keyboard in the air. That's cool, but without tactile feedback, typos proliferate.

My two-factor authentication uses my iPhone and I naturally can't unlock it with FaceID, but luckily my PIN works fine. I never have to take my device off to see my phone or anything else, for that matter. It feels great that the devices are connected and I can always see whatever I need to see.

I've been typing on my M3 MacBook Pro and getting ready to extend my desktop into augmented reality. Using Control Panel, I accessed the Mac Virtual Display. Vision Pro immediately finds my MacBook, and once I select it, the Mac screen dims and a giant virtual MacBook desktop appears in front of me, so I never have to look down at my laptop screen again. Of course, I still have to look at my hands occasionally to type. Later, when I switch to my real desktop, it feels very small.

I am a little confused about the control panel. You can access it by looking up at the small green arrow near the top of the viewport. Control Center is located one level below and looks just like the Control Center you'd find on an iPhone, but with some Vision Pro-specific touches. I just think that little arrow is one of those rare, unobtrusive interface bits in Vision Pro.

8:30pm Immersive realism

Still haven't solved Wordle, it's not designed for this interface, but the eye gaze and finger pinch combination of letter selection feels great. I longed for more immersive fun.

#I tried setting the background to a lunar environment and it actually places you on the lunar surface. I turned the digital knobs to make the environment fully immersive, then realized that after doing so, I could no longer see my keyboard—just my hands floating on the dusty gray lunar surface.

After typing, I decided to take a break and prepare to try out the 3D version of "Avatar: Path of Water". But this seems to require a fee. That’s okay, I chose Prehistoric Planet: Immersive, and it felt so wild. The visuals are stunning. This is what I imagined when I first started thinking about virtual reality. When a realistic dinosaur is just centimeters from your face, it really changes the way you think about virtual reality.

8:40pm EyeSight Great for Panoramas and Conferencing

Next do some screen recording showing the view inside Vision Pro, then I switch to viewing my own panorama. There's no better platform to view all those photos than Vision Pro. I have nearly 150 panoramic images and I can finally see them in all their vivid detail and beauty. In one photo of a lovely rainbow rising near my house, I discovered colors I'd missed before. The space footage I shot on the Phone 15 Pro Max looked great.

I left my office and walked into the living room. It's easy to move between reality and virtuality using the digital knob, so I can see where I'm going even while wearing the device. I sat on the couch next to my wife, and as I started talking to her, she slowly emerged, breaking through the immersive landscape like through a fog. From her side, she could see my "eyes" on the Vision Pro's front panel. I could almost hear the breath in her voice. She didn't like the virtual Eyesight display outside the Vision Pro, which captured my eye movements and simulated them based on the internal camera.

9:05 PM Home Cinema

I found that I can use my MacBook mouse on all applications floating in the virtual desktop, whether they are macOS or The native version of visionOS has no impact. While Vision Pro works with almost all iOS and iPadOS apps, I wanted to see what the platform could do with apps specifically adapted for it. Currently, there are about 20 such applications. I installed six free ones.

I downloaded Disney and was even able to copy and paste passwords from my Mac Pro into the Vision ProDisney app. I love how fluid it is to work together across different platforms.

I decided to continue watching the 3D movie and also set the environment to the scene of the Avengers headquarters. Watching "Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness" in this dim environment made me feel like I was back in a real movie theater. Although the weight of the Vision Pro reminded me otherwise, I was able to sit through a two-hour movie.

In addition to the weight of the head, the warm battery in my pocket also reminded me that the battery does generate some heat when used. Additionally, I saw my device battery drop to 37%. I doubt I'll be able to watch the entire movie.

At 9:45 pm, the battery life dropped to 20%. Movies seem to drain the battery very quickly.

I found another game called "Loona" with a cute blue character. When I look at it and pinch my fingers, it hiccups and giggles. Intoxicating. Loona turned out to be a calming puzzle game that I manipulated by pinching and dragging pieces.

I switch back to the movie. What a wonderful experience.

At 10:05 pm, the Vision Pro ran out of power and the battery was very hot. It's time to recharge and close your eyes for some rest.

Jan 31st 7am

My goal is to work, play, and explore the device all day long. Rather than run entirely on battery power, I plug the battery into a wall outlet. This has the unfortunate side effect of not being able to leave my desk at any time.

Although I viewed a lot of space images via the headset yesterday, I had never taken a space photo or video with the device.

I pressed the dedicated button in the upper left corner of the headset, and it asked about location tracking, then let you switch between space photos or videos with gestures. I took a photo of the space, which was pretty simple, but when I shot the video, there were visual guides on the screen trying to keep the field of view vertical and fixed in one position.

This 3D space photo effect is so good, it’s almost creepy. Although the visual guidance is a bit annoying, the 3D space video looks great.

7:53 AM

I encountered my first application crash. The App Store stopped responding and then disappeared. Can't seem to get my virtual keyboard to show up in the App Store or Safari at all. After 13 minutes, I removed the device, not because it was uncomfortable, but because I wanted the rest of my face to breathe.

8:20 am Q&A

I continued to put the device back on, and the keyboard glitch seemed to have resolved itself. Note that if I make the virtual Mac desktop too big and place it too high on the Vision Pro desktop, I'll be craning my neck to read what's at the top. Make adjustments.

Someone asked me on Threads if I have a lot of light leaks. I told them basically very little. If anything, I noticed a little bit around my nose, but, especially in pass-through mode, your real world blends seamlessly with the augmented world. This is really awesome.

My wife asked me if I felt disoriented when I took my headphones off. I said no. Maybe that's because I often use it with the real world view intact. However, I think this has a lot to do with the high quality and eye-tracking capabilities of the virtual world.

Continue the game at 10:00 AM

I want to end this initial in-depth review with a game. Apple provides an Xbox controller that I should be able to connect to the Vision Pro and play some Apple Arcade games.

It turns out that there are many simple mini-games designed specifically for Vision Pro. I ended up playing What the Golf, which took me a while to master. I later connected the controller and used it to play Asphalt 8: Airborne. What I find I like about these virtual games is that the screens are large enough and the immersion in the environment can usually be cranked up to 100%. I do think that gamers who can afford it will really enjoy the Vision Pro.

I ended up playing for only 15 minutes and then went back to work. I fired up Photoshop on my MacBook Pro and tried editing photos on the big screen. It's generally a good experience, although I do wonder if I'm seeing the most accurate colors on the Vision Pro Virtual Mac Display.

The iMessage prompt appears while I'm working. I pinch the floating iMessage icon and it launches iMessage and I can read it in the app. I can use the virtual keyboard to type my reply, but it's not really suitable for typing. I want to use the MacBook's keyboard, but since the app isn't inside the Mac, I can't. So I switched to iMessage on my Mac to gain full control and the ability to type on a physical keyboard.

Final feelings

What did I learn during the two days of using Vision Pro? Apple does deliver on its promise. The new devices are versatile and powerful. Eye and hand tracking are nearly flawless. I just have to remind myself occasionally that the hand hanging at my side won't be visible to the system's camera.

I have struggled to find a comfortable fit in some of my demo experiences, but choosing the time and space that works best for a double loop strap has led to long-term comfort . I wear them for an hour or more at a time without any pain or discomfort.

It’s equally good at entertainment and content consumption at work. I especially appreciate the Mac virtual display integration, which I now believe could change my work life. I've always wanted a bigger desktop and now I have an almost infinitely large desktop.

Still, I don't know if I would spend $3500. The reality is, I don't even spend that much money on computers. Is a device that combines work and play worth the extra money? To be fair, it's still early days.

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