Friday, February 9, 2024

Reviewing the Reviews

Although this is primarily a blog about the potential educational uses of the Apple Vision Pro, I wish to participate in some of the more general dialogue around this brand new device. I respect the perspectives of reviewers who discuss technology as part of their life’s work, and I am especially interested in reading reviews from those with experience with other AR/VR headsets—this is a perspective that I do not have. However, at the end of the day, each interested potential user needs to personally consider the Apple Vision Pro and decide whether or not it fits into their daily life. 

Until now, I have intentionally limited my exposure to reviews of the Apple Vision Pro. Despite this plan, I have seen many opinions aimed at the general public over the past three weeks or so regarding the device. A few issues I have heard loud and clear: high cost, excessive weight, headaches/nausea, battery/power issues, and others. Now that I have more than a week of personal experiences with the Apple Vision Pro—about the same amount of time as many of the reviewers had before writing their reviews—I feel compelled to respond to some of this narrative.

Those of you who know me in real life know that I can be snarky. In situations like this blog where I am presenting my professional education-leader persona, I tend to dial it down. Perhaps just for this post you may experience some snark, but I mostly mean it constructively.

For context, I’m not attempting to respond to ALL Apple Vision Pro reviews. I have selected five articles from sources known to cover Apple and other general technology news:

I have read each of the reviews (all the words...not just the headlines!), watched the MKBHD video review, and pulled quotes in several categories that have been discussed in the media. After I present some of the professional reviewers' comments, I will add my own reactions (denoted by my initials, MJF). The responses are presented alphabetically by category.


Please note that I have a preconceived expectation that I expect a professional reviewer to have some ability to acknowledge that their experience may not be universal, even if this does not always seem to be the case. Here is a brief overview of my perspective of each reviewer:

  • Nilay Patel, The Verge—This is a fairly balanced review, although I feel Patel’s tone assumes his views will be shared by most readers with little acknowledgement that possible differing ideas might exist.
  • Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider—By far, the most balanced in this collection of reviews. Hilliard admits he skews toward optimism, but he regularly acknowledges that others may have differing conclusions than his own.
  • Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal (WSJ)—While I appreciate Stern’s attempt at humor, this popular article is based on the false premise that the best way to review this new “face computer” was to wear it for 24 hours.
  • Jason Cross, Macworld—This author fully acknowledges that this is a review-in-progress. However, this version of the pre-review makes me embarrassed to have ever been a fan of this once-great Apple-centric publication.
  • Marques Brownlee, MKBHD—This is another fairly balanced review with some solid insights. At the same time, Brownlee makes no acknowledgements that other opinions may be viable, and he is seemingly obsessed with messing up his hair (as evidenced by him mentioning the topic five separate times).

With that said, I commence with my review of reviews.

Available Apps

  • The Verge: “...some huge developers like Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have decided to wait before allowing their apps to run on the Vision Pro and aren’t even allowing their iPad apps to run.”
  • AppleInsider: “In the weeks leading up to the Apple Vision Pro launch, the number of native apps available in the App Store increased from a couple hundred to 600 at launch.”
  • MKBHD: “...as of right now, as l record this on launch day, there are literally 600 apps made for the Vision Pro. And that sounds like a lot at first, but then kind of not a lot. There are also the millions of other apps that are made for the iPad that are compatible with the Vision Pro that will show up.” and “There is no YouTube app, no Netflix app, there's no Spotify app, there's no TikTok app yet...that is definitely a weakness of this first gen product.”

MJF: Now that I have used the Apple Vision Pro, I am confounded by the “lack of apps” discussion. I understand the idea of native visionOS apps being preferred, but there are 600 of them, and I see no reviewer with 600 apps installed on their Vision Pro device. Thus, 600 apps and growing seems like more than enough for the first week of a device’s existence. Furthermore, Brownlee acknowledged backhandedly that there were also “millions of other apps that are made for the iPad that are compatible with the Vision Pro.” So (at least) 1,000,600+ apps are somehow not enough? Finally, the narrative that YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and TikTok each have no native app yet needs to be followed by the reminder that all of these services run just fine in the Safari web browser—a point that seems to have been omitted by the reviewers who all know better.

Battery Life

  • AppleInsider: “The device is powered by a battery that sits external to the headset. It easily lasts 2 hours on a single charge and can be charged and continuously powered over USB-C.”
  • WSJ: “...its battery life sucks...”
  • MKBHD: “...the battery life is meh.”

MJF: With thanks to Hilliard of AppleInsider, the fact of the matter is that the battery can be charged continuously while it’s being used, just like a laptop or a phone. In fact, in the AppleInsider podcast, Hilliard reminds us that the Apple Vision Pro can be charged with a portable charging device, adding up to 12 additional un-tethered hours of use (depending upon your battery pack). To his credit, Patel from The Verge acknowledges that, “I don’t really have strong opinions on this battery setup, which is mostly because nothing about the Vision Pro feels like you’re supposed to move around that much in it.” In my experience, the Apple Vision Pro allows any user to use the device for hours at a time while plugged in, but also allows you to un-tether from power for over 2 hours at a time. I have seen the videos of Vision Pro users gallivanting around cities, in effect ignoring the safety messages you agree to when launching the device. So far I have felt no compulsion to strap on this device and parade it through town.

Cooking

  • WSJ: “When your head is encased in metal, you might not want to work with sharp objects and hot surfaces, but the Vision Pro is the ultimate culinary computer.”

MJF: Despite her pronouncements, the Apple Vision Pro is not a cooking computer. Her virtual timers over the pots were quite inventive, though.

Cost

  • The Verge: “Very expensive.”
  • AppleInsider: “Expensive for a consumer product with the same processing power as a $600 Mac mini.”
  • WSJ: “You’re probably not going to buy the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro...you’re more likely to spend that kind of money on an actual trip to a Hawaiian volcano. And that’s OK.”

MJF: Yes, the Apple Vision Pro is relatively expensive, but why must we compare it to other purchases unrelated to what the Apple Vision Pro is—a first-generation technology that exists to advance a new platform. The processing power comment is 100% accurate, but a Mac mini has none of the other sensors, displays, portability, or really any other features of an Apple Vision Pro—so the comparison does not stand. And I’ll take my Vision Pro over a trip to Hawaii any year.

Eye/Hand Tracking

  • The Verge: “Hand and eye tracking can be inconsistent and frustrating.” and “It turns out that having to look at what you want to control is really quite distracting.”
  • AppleInsider: “Eye tracking, hand tracking, and Optic ID make computing feel intuitive and invisible.”
  • WSJ: “Getting around is intuitive, even if other people in the room think you’re playing a demented game of charades. At times, the Vision Pro’s eye tracking didn’t respond to my movements.”
  • Macworld: “Hand tracking is nice but sometimes I want tactile feedback.”

MJF: Clearly each of the reviewers are having different experiences with eye/hand tracking. I can understand why this might be the case after several days of using Apple Vision Pro and after completing demos with 4 separate Guest User friends. First, I noticed an improvement in eye/hand tracking after the visionOS update from 1.01 to 1.02. I also experienced that 2 of my 4 demonstrations required a do-over after a few minutes of unsuccessful use. In both cases, my friends adjusted the position of the headset after the calibration, rendering the tracking unusable. Even after days of successful personal use, I am somewhat surprised at the continued accuracy of my own calibration since the headset is likely in a slightly different position each time I put it on.

Field of View

  • The Verge: “The displays have other limitations: the field of view isn’t huge.”
  • AppleInsider: “Our brains are really good at focusing on something and forgetting when something odd is in our field of view.”
  • MKBHD: “The one ding against immersion on the Vision Pro though...[is] the field of view...the edges of the headset are a little bit further in than the edges of your vision.”

MJF: I’m not experiencing the alleged field of view issues discussed by some reviewers. When I am wearing the Apple Vision Pro, I am generally focused on the task I’m doing at the time. Since the field of view is far greater than any screen I’ve ever used, the immersive nature of the experience wins over focusing to look at the edges of the view. I feel like this argument is similar to complaining that the non-display area outside and around your 27-inch display is somehow distracting you from getting work done. 

Hair

  • The Verge: “[The Apple Vision Pro] mess[es] up my hair every time I put it on.”
  • MKBHD: “[The Dual Loop Band is] not as cool looking as a Solo Knit Band, and it’s going to mess up your hair more than a Solo Knit Band...”

MJF: Perhaps I’m jealous that these reviewers have more hair than I have to mess up. Potential follicular disarray is a manufactured crisis. Carry a comb in your Apple Vision Pro case; problem solved.

Immersive/3-D Movies

  • WSJ: “Apple also created a series of cinematic 3-D 180-degree videos with dinosaurs, Norwegian fjords and Alicia Keys... Every time I watched them, I felt nauseous.”

MJF: Doctor, every time I slam my hand with this rubber mallet, my hand hurts. Doctor: Stop slamming your hand with a hammer. And tell me again, Ms. Stern, why you have been wearing that thing for 22 hours?

Isolation/EyeSight

  • The Verge: “It’s pretty lonely in there.” and “[EyeSight] is an attempt at keeping you from being isolated from other people.”
  • WSJ: “As you look at people, they should see a digital recreation of your eyes... It’s a bit gimmicky...”
  • MKBHD: “...the bottom line is it doesn't actually feel like eye contact most of the time...”

MJF: As a person who lives alone, I can honestly say that it never occurred to me that wearing a headset would make a person feel any more or less lonely, especially since the passthrough video lets you see completely into the room around you. This argument seems mindbendingly metacognitive to me. Is the person wearing the headset seeing into the world using passthrough video while they are picturing themself wearing a headset that they are imagining others seeing them wearing while worried that the others seeing them don’t know they can be seen? Apple’s idea was to add a low-resolution screen to the front of the Apple Vision Pro to allow a representation of your eyes to signal to people in the room that you can see them. EyeSight seems like a clever idea to me, not an existential crisis. And by the way, you can turn it off if you wish.

Killer App

  • AppleInsider: “If I had to pick the ‘killer app’ for Apple Vision Pro, it is the range of entertainment options available. Think of the device as the best home theater system in your home, and the price becomes easier to swallow.”

MJF: I definitely understand Hilliard’s opinion here, I just hope that entertainment is not the only killer app category that emerges. Although it's not my personal killer app, I can attest that the Apple Vision Pro’s virtual screens are, by far, the largest and clearest screens in my home.

On-screen Keyboard

  • The Verge: “...the hilarious on-screen keyboard, which you use by staring at each letter and pinching your fingers to select it or henpecking with two fingers at the floating keys in front of you.”
  • AppleInsider: “The on-screen keyboard is terrible. Connecting an external keyboard and mouse makes the experience much easier to manage.”
  • WSJ: “There is a built-in virtual keyboard so you can type in thin air. But it will drive you mad for anything longer than a short message.”
  • Macworld: “Why does this $3,500 spatial computer have a Fisher Price My First Keyboard?”

MJF: The on-screen keyboard is only terrible if you think that it is an exact replacement for your preferred text-input method. Each of the reviewers seems to imply that they are comparing the floating, non-tactile, Apple Vision Pro keyboard to a physical, mechanical keyboard. The Apple Vision Pro keyboard is a different thing. For me, my favorite keyboard is the iPad onscreen keyboard in landscape orientation—I far prefer the accuracy of its algorithms to any mechanical keyboard. I have personally found the floating, non-tactile, Apple Vision Pro keyboard to be a handy tool. I have used the look-and-pinch typing method, the directly-tap-a-virtual-key typing method, and triggering Siri dictation from the corner button of the keyboard. Common sense dictates that one should probably not expect the same performance from a virtual keyboard floating in the air—as compared to a physical, mechanical keyboard. Again, Apple has given us a new option, and I don't fully understand why a set of pro reviewers seemingly cannot extend beyond one-dimensional thinking in a (simulated) three-dimensional world.

Overuse of Device

  • AppleInsider: “Overuse of Apple Vision Pro can lead to problems like with other headsets. Your eyes will get tired, your skin will feel a little sore, and your senses will feel overwhelmed if you keep the device on for too long—for me, it's about three hours of constant use.”
  • WSJ: “That’s why I decided to wear the face computer—my term, not theirs—nearly nonstop for one of my days of testing.”

MJF: Hilliard again presents the balanced idea here. Indeed, overuse of anything is probably going to lead to undesirable outcomes. He also acknowledges that he learned his personal limits wearing the Apple Vision Pro. I lived the same experience—the first night I wore it for too long and started to get a headache. From that experience I learned to take occasional breaks, and now I don’t get headaches. At no time did it occur to me that I should put on a thing for 24 solid hours as a test of a device’s worth.

Passthrough Video

  • The Verge: “Video passthrough is still video passthrough and can be blurry.”
  • AppleInsider: “There are limitations to passthrough since you're viewing the world through cameras.”
  • Macworld: “This is the best passthrough video I’ve ever seen and it’s still not good enough.”
  • MKBHD: “Vision Pro has the best passthrough of any headset I've ever used.”

MJF: Before the Apple Vision Pro, I had never heard of passthrough video. The issues discussed regarding passthrough video relate to focus in general. I definitely noticed, and was surprised to see, that the quality of the passthrough video of my in-person surroundings is of lower relative quality than the simulated immersive experiences provided by Apple and some of the app developers. Scanning around the room quickly reveals some blurriness and artifacts, especially in low light. Certain elements of the room, such as my Hue LED lights, look different on camera than they do when viewed by my eyes. However, when I’m focusing on an app or task in a window, the passthrough video becomes the background, and as such, essentially disappears. I am unable to list passthrough video as a problem with the Apple Vision Pro.

Personas

  • The Verge: “Personas are uncanny and somewhat terrifying.”
  • AppleInsider: “Personas lack customization after generation.”
  • WSJ: “...my Persona—the headset’s animated video-call avatar—will haunt your dreams...reviews were unanimous: ‘You look awful’...’It’s like Botox from hell’...’Frightening.’”

MJF: Overall, I agree with all of the reviewers here. In my case, Botox from hell would have been an improvement over the 1.0 version of my Persona. This concept has a great deal of promise, but its implementation is currently tragic. In case you have not yet encountered the term “uncanny valley,” the concept is referenced by multiple reviewers and is demonstrated well in the current version of Personas. “The uncanny valley phenomenon can be described as an eerie or unsettling feeling that some people experience in response to not-quite-human figures like humanoid robots and lifelike computer-generated characters” (Caballar, 2019). So far I have recreated my Persona at least 10 times, and I have not been happy with any of the versions. I’d describe my current Persona as usable, but far from acceptable. The worst aspects of my simulated face include my caricaturesque double (triple?) chin(s) and my ironically messed-up hair. Current reports state that the upcoming visionOS 1.1 update will include major Persona changes, including an opportunity to re-scan your face with suggestions for how to improve the entire Persona creation process.

Spatial Videos

  • The Verge: “[Spatial Videos] play back in a sort of ghostly white haze, and the overall effect is incredibly bittersweet.”
  • WSJ: “Apple introduced ‘spatial video’ for the iPhone 15 Pro a few months ago, and I started recording my sons with it. Watching the videos in 3-D in the headset now is almost like reliving the moment.”

MJF: As bad as Personas have been received, reviewers seem conversely positive about viewing Spatial Videos on the Apple Vision Pro, especially Spatial Video recorded on the iPhone 15 Pro. I agree that watching Spatial Videos feels very much like being back at the time and place they were recorded due to the 3D, stereoscopic visuals combined with the Spatial Audio delivered by the Vision Pro speakers. While the “ghostly white haze” generated around the videos while viewing them in immersive mode isn’t appropriate for all Spatial Videos, the effect can be turned off and the video can be displayed in a window.

Travel Case

  • The Verge: “The huge case costs an additional $199 and looks like a marshmallow from space. I love it.”

MJF: I read this one-line review in a caption in The Verge article, and I not only love the review, I love my interstellar marshmallow as well. I will also add that this is the best $99 case I’ve ever purchased. (It unfortunately costs $199.)

Weight

  • The Verge: “...getting all this tech in a headset means there’s a lot of weight on your face” and “...the Vision Pro just rests [all the weight] on the front...You’re just going to feel it after a while.”
  • AppleInsider: “Comfort- and weight-wise, Apple Vision Pro has been fine for me.”
  • WSJ: “Is it heavy? ...Oh yes. The metal and glass build gives it a premium look and a weighty feel.”
  • Macworld: “All this metal and glass is just too heavy. It’s not just the weight (some VR headsets are heavier), it’s that it’s all on the front of your face and not well-distributed.”

MJF: Except for the AppleInsider review, I am finding the discussions about the so-called excessive weight of the Apple Vision Pro inordinately overblown. Again, since I have no experience wearing any other headset, I have no basis for comparison regarding its weight—I just know that the Apple Vision Pro does not feel heavy to me. However, if the device seems heavy to another user, I would recommend that they take a break when its effects are being felt, or perhaps position yourself in a way where you can lean against an adjustable headrest, or otherwise rest your head. As some reviewers mentioned, Apple provides two different head bands in the Vision Pro box so you could also try both options and select the one that feels the best. Certainly every user is different, and I am generally open to having choices.

Conclusions

I was struck by the very different conclusions expressed by the reviewers.

  • Patel from The Verge ended by saying “I don’t want to get work done in the Vision Pro. I get my work done with other people, and I’d rather be out here with them.”
  • Stern from Wall Street Journal concluded that “These companies know these aren’t really the devices we want. They’re all working toward building virtual experiences into something that looks more like a pair of regular eyeglasses. Until then, they’re just messing with our heads.”
  • Brownlee on his MKBHD platform said, “I think the Vision Pro is a really expensive, really fun toy.”

To me, none of these sentiments capture the Apple Vision Pro. I enjoy having another tool with which I can use and learn with. I’d also like a smaller headset, but I am more convinced than ever that Apple has made the best version of this device that can be sold at this time at a price that can be made available to some consumers. I also believe that even now, the Apple Vision Pro is far more than a fun toy.

Somehow, Macworld’s Jason Cross believes that “It’s not just a part of [Apple’s] future, it’s being billed as the future of all computing. Spatial computing (interacting with virtual things in the spaces around us, and virtual object interacting with real objects and spaces) is what Apple pitches as the next evolution in computing in general.” I follow Apple fairly closely, and I have never heard Apple express these ideas. Perhaps Cross is getting engaging marketing confused with an all-encompassing business plan. I feel that spatial computing will play a part in the future of computing, but I’m not sure any company—let alone Apple—is ready to make an all-in spatial computing pronouncement yet.

Aside from his shortsighted “fun toy” comment, one of Brownlee’s concluding ideas did resonate with me when he said, “I honestly believe that there are way more cool ideas about VR and AR experiences than there are actual apps.” At this early time in the Apple Vision Pro’s development, I sincerely hope that this new device reinvigorates the entire AR/VR/mixed/spatial computing market in general and helps bring along even more developers to create more amazing tools. Brownlee also expressed that Apple's connection will likely also attract more creative types to consider uses of AR/VR, and I agree with him on this view as well.

As has been the general pattern of this article, I agree most with Wesley Hilliard from AppleInsider when he said that “I will say that Apple Vision Pro, today, feels like a preview of what the future will be, even if it takes a decade to get there.” He also mentioned that “I've written this entire review, edited the photos, and put everything in our publishing system from Apple Vision Pro.” Like Hilliard, I am currently optimistic about the future of Apple Vision Pro, but I suspect we will see significant advances in less than 10 years. I further respect Hilliard’s commitment to using the Apple Vision Pro to do the work to create his review. I aspire to continue to push the limits of the device and learn as much about this platform as possible moving forward.



References

Brownlee, M. (February 3, 2024). Apple Vision Pro Review: Tomorrow's Ideas... Today's Tech! [Video].  Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Gy035z_KA

Caballar, R.D. (2019). What Is the Uncanny Valley? Creepy robots and the strange phenomenon of the uncanny valley: definition, history, examples, and how to avoid it. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/what-is-the-uncanny-valley

Cross, J. (February 6, 2024). Apple Vision Pro: Notes from the future: Our Apple Vision Pro review is in progress, but we already have plenty of thoughts. Macworld. Retrieved from www.macworld.com/article/2226459/apple-vision-pro-notes-from-the-future.html

Hilliard, W. (February 8, 2024). Apple Vision Pro early review: a peek into the future of computing. AppleInsider. Retrieved from https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/02/08/apple-vision-pro-early-review-a-peek-into-the-future-of-computing

Patel, N. (January 30, 2024). Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not. The Verge. Retrieved from www.theverge.com/24054862/apple-vision-pro-review-vr-ar-headset-features-price

Stern, J. (January 30, 2024). Apple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the Future. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://apple.news/ALd4RY3b9Q0umjnCH4Srw9A

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