The American tech journalist Joanna Stern has done some pretty crazy things with the new mixed reality headset.Screenshot: YouTube
Review
Apple calls the Vision Pro a “spatial computer.” Experienced gadget testers tried out the new device.
31.01.2024, 20:1801.02.2024, 07:47
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The Apple Vision Pro goes on sale in the USA on February 2nd. Selected tech journalists and YouTubers were able to test the mixed reality headset in advance. watson shows the most exciting videos and summarizes the positive and negative experiences of the reviewers.
“In a world full of screens, what use is strapping one to your eyes?”
Joanna Stern
What do you get for all that money?
YouTuber Marques Brownlee shows it in the “Unboxing” video:
The US starting price is $3,500. In addition, there are – possibly – glasses tailored to your own vision and accessories, such as a transport bag.
How long can you (comfortably) wear the Vision Pro?
YouTuber Brian Tong describes his experiences in the video:
Spoiler: Tong says that after 30 minutes, the headset felt “a little uncomfortable” because of the weight pressing on the forehead. According to his practical experience, one hour is the “maximum possible” for him. In the video (at the very beginning) he also gives an impression of the wow effect that the Vision Pro creates when you try it out.
Major streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube have decided against developing special Vision Pro apps and do not allow users to run the iPad versions of their apps on the device.
This means that the pre-installed Apple browser must use Safari to access such services. It is all the more annoying that no web applications can be positioned on the user interface of the operating system (visionOS 1.0), as Tong notes in his review.
Can you cook and ski with it?
Tech journalist Anna Stern tried it out:
Three things surprised her, says Joanna Stern:
- «I didn’t puke.
- I’ve done a lot of work.
- I cooked a delicious meal.”
She experienced her “wow” moment at the stove when she pulled a virtual timer over the boiling noodles and another over the mushrooms browning in the pan. They simply floated there until the time was up.
«I was worried about swinging a knife, but there is no noticeable latency between what you see on the screen and what is actually happening. Everything is a bit pixelated, but your eyes don’t water when you cut onions!”
The Vision Pro may look like ski goggles, but it is not intended for this type of activity, admits the tech journalist. As a joke, she did it anyway and tried filming in 3D on the ski slopes.
Stern’s preliminary conclusion: The Vision Pro is the best mixed reality headset she has ever tried and it is “far more advanced than the only real competition,” the much cheaper Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3.
Is the Vision Pro suitable as a home cinema?
After six days with the headset, tech blogger John Gruber has a clear opinion. He could only recommend the purchase for use as a personal cinema.
“I paid $5,000 for my 77-inch LG OLED TV a few years ago. Vision Pro offers a much more compelling experience (including much more compelling spatial surround sound).
If you look at my TV, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a nice big TV. But when you watch movies on the Disney Plus and Apple TV apps, you’ll say, ‘Wow!’
These are experiences I never thought I could have in my own home (or, say, while flying across the country on a plane).”
those: daringfireball.net
Has Apple reinvented video conferencing?
The Verge’s editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel, tried it out:
“Apple doesn’t want people to think of the Vision Pro as a VR headset, but it is a VR headset – albeit a VR headset that you can almost pretend it’s not a VR headset.”
Nilay Patel
Anyone who wears the Vision Pro does not see the real world with their own eyes, augmented by digital objects. This would be called augmented reality (AR). In fact, external cameras record the user’s surroundings and transmit them as high-resolution videos to the internal displays, which are located a few centimeters in front of the eyes. This happens practically in real time, with a latency of just a few milliseconds.
Apple chose this compromise because the technology for a real optical AR display has not yet been developed or is not (yet) ready for the market.
Patel is enthusiastic about what Apple’s hardware and software engineers have implemented with the Vision Pro. He also points out potential buyers to critical questions that they should ask themselves:
- Do you want a computer that messes up your hair every time you use it?
- If you wear makeup, do you want a computer that smears your makeup every time you use it?
- Do you want a computer that allows the Walt Disney Company to stop you from taking photos of what you see?
- Do you want to use a computer where you can’t show anyone what you’re looking at?
- Do you want to use a computer that doesn’t work well in a dark room?
The biggest downside of all is that using the Vision Pro is “such a lonely experience,” “regardless of the strange ghost eyes on the front.”
“You’re in there and have experiences that no one else can share in.”
PS: Want to be shamed by others?
YouTuber iJustine couldn’t contain her excitement…
Sources
Apple enthüllt Mixed-Reality-Brille «Vision Pro»
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Apple enthüllt Mixed-Reality-Brille «Vision Pro»
Here it is …
what: apple
Virtual reality films are intended to prevent bicycle accidents
Video: srf
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