Vision Pro
I got the opportunity to demo the #visionpro at one of Apple’s retail stores the other day. I was fortunate enough to help Microsoft launch the HoloLens 10 years ago and after experiencing this demo, I was struck at how the Vision Pro has leaped forward into the MR age.
Some short thoughts (demo spoilers ahead) :
Immersions / FoV: Since you’re literally looking through a wrap-around miniature monitor inches from your face, there isn’t the Field of View limitations that Magic Leap or HoloLens wrestles with. Nothing gets mysteriously cropped. The downside of not peering through glass to the physical world, and instead at pixels, is an ever so slight latency. However, I didn’t feel the delay (which Zuckerberg pointed out in his review).
Eye gaze: the eye tracking is spot-on, fast, and incredibly accurate. I didn’t have the opportunity to type in the demo, however selecting buttons and UI nodes did feel natural and instinctive after only a few short moments.
UI: it’s clear Apple took notes from the others and improved upon them. The finger tap worked like a charm, and closing, expanding, and moving frames felt intuitive and second nature. It helped that I’ve been using AR for years and the responsiveness and ability to pin screens in space were impressive.
Comfort: maybe it’s because I rushed it, maybe it’s because I had a beanie on, or maybe it’s just a little heavy…I did feel like the fit for me wasn’t ideal. I had to adjust it a few times and wish I got to use the alternative band that rolls over the top of the head for comparison.
Prescription glasses: I wear progressive prescription glasses, and in all the devices I’ve worked with in the past, it’s always been a hindrance (especially Magic Leap). After the Apple rep borrowed my glasses and ran them through a scanner, another Apple rep quickly prepped a device that worked remarkably well for me without my glasses on. I was pretty stunned at how clear and crisp things looked.
Battery: lots of competitors are picking at Apple for the battery cord. I didn’t mind the cord one bit. Magic Leap took this design route as well and I think it’s a smart solution to mitigate heat and weight. I think in time, when battery tech advances, this will be an even more non-issue than I think it currently is.
Sit-down experience: it’s worth noting my only experience with the device was a highly curated demo with an Apple rep sitting right next to me as I stayed planted. I think AR is meant to be experienced in the round, meaning by walking around and navigating a room, you experience spatial interfaces and virtual objects. It’s a bummer this demo was seated the entire time. To be fair, I didn’t ask to walk around.
Stereoscopic moments: for me, the highlight of the demo was viewing the content that purportedly was captured with a VisionPro. This ranged from a kid’s birthday party to a picturesque mountain scene with a train rolling by to an underwater scuba dive to sitting slightly atop a soccer goal’s cross bar and watching the ball rocket into the net amongst thousands of fans. The footage was incredible. Period. I can only imagine the lengths to which Apple went to capture these extremely short moments. I doubt the actual Vision Pro captured these moments and assume a high-end stereoscopic camera was used. Nevertheless, it was stunning and thinking about documenting future moments in my life with spatial capture gives me chills.
