2 Years of Vision Pro

I was at my fanboi best in early 2024 and pre-ordered the Vision Pro such that it arrived on the release date: February 24, 2024.

EXCITEMENT!

That's an understatement, BTW.

But I digress.

I slowly unboxed it after just staring at the pristine package for a week, anticipating imminent transport into the future.

Here's a timeline:

Early March 2024: Finally opened the box and took everything out.

Spent the next two months becoming familiar with the device and ascending what was for me a very steep learning curve. It was exhausting at times such that I had to end my sessions because I was so frustrated and tired of the device's weight (about 1.5 pounds, not well distributed on my head and face).

For the next year or so I explored what functions and apps and capabilities it has: I quickly learned it's useless for me for anything work or productivity-related.

In the summer of last year I read an interview with Tim Cook — who had earlier stated he wore the device all day in his capacity as Apple's boss,, which I believe is an out and out fabrication — in which he mentioned as an aside that he liked to use the device while lying down.

That changed everything for me: all of a sudden the uncomfortable weight of the device was evenly distributed across my face and it was no longer a limiting factor in my use.

Also, by then I'd explored everything available on the VP and apart from fantastic immersive videos of an Alicia Keys studio session and a riveting video of slacklining over a canyon in Norway, there was nothing of special interest.

Yes, an "Avatar" movie in 3D was pretty compelling but really the only thing I used the device for from then on watching movies, and only movies with a large physical scope and setting, such films being enhanced by the VP's tech, which enable me to put a 4K virtual screen ranging in size (my choice) from 3 feet to 40 feet diagonally with NO loss of detail anywhere I wanted it in the room.

And that 4K video on that large a screen is simply breathtaking, especially close-ups.

Lagniappe: you take it off to do something else, put it down, and when you pick it up the screen's in exactly the same [virtual] place relative to your surroundings that you left it.

In late October Apple release an improved headband along with an upgraded Vision Pro featuring the M5 chip: I ordered the new headband instanter and indeed it makes using the device somewhat better in terms of comfort compared to the aftermarket 3-D printed headband I bought in mid-2024 and used up to now.

Summary:

1. I would strongly recommend against buying a Vision Pro: too expensive/little specialized content/extremely difficult to use. I don't think anyone I know would use it on a regular basis after being frustrated trying to get it working. My "pathological patience" was essential in carrying me past the "rage against the machine" frustration of the first couple months. From what I read on tech websites, an overwhelming majority of owners never use their device.

2. I love watching action/adventure/large-scale movies on the VP, and do so on average once or twice a week. One great thing I've discovered is that watching a movie in daytime is the same as at night: once you're inside the VP's reality field, the outside doesn't exist. Also, it's fun to use the device's settings to see my surroundings and especially my cat sleeping on my lap while I watch. The VP's audio is fantastic, superrealistic and ambient, never too loud, and focused in such a way that my sleeping cat doesn't hear a thing while the action happens onscreen.

3. If, like me, you don't like being disturbed by people knocking on your door, using the VP lets you watch while to the outside world there's only the sound of silence.