Apple has started contacting customers to ask for their notice on the Vision Pro, its mixed reality headset. Released on February 2 in the United States, the device quickly received positive reviews during the first tests. But quickly, some negative feedback made the headlines. The opportunity to take stock of the different testimonies that have reached us so far, and the opinions of different analysts about the future of VR at Cupertino.
Top performance and ecosystem
To begin with, it goes without saying that everyone who has used it assures that the Apple Vision Pro represents hands down what is best on the market for virtual reality headsets. Its screens are very well made, displaying very wide contrasts and offering a very immersive experience. What’s more, the device is very responsive, thanks to its chip M2 which the manufacturer has also integrated under the hood of the powerful MacBook Pro.
Opinions are also unanimous regarding the operating system, visionOS, particularly intuitive, notably due to its proximity to macOS or iOS. There are many similar apps there, such as Photos, Messages or the proprietary Safari browser. The control interface is also very appreciated for its reliability, especially when it comes to selecting elements by joining your index finger and thumb in the air.
The Apple Vision Pro isn’t for everyone
Despite everything, it seems that comfort is not always there with the Apple Vision Pro. This is perhaps the reason why the manufacturer’s questionnaire asks users what the maximum duration of their session is, before they have to take off the headset. The answers may not be good, given that some black eyes and migraines have already been reported by the specialized press. Some also consider that the Vision Pro is too heavy, understandable when we know that its mass is still around six hundred grams on the scale.
The Apple survey also does not hesitate to mention the multitasking, which although regularly highlighted within its marketing operations does not seem to have convinced the general public. And for good reason: this is clearly not the target of the Vision Pro. The augmented reality headset is therefore aimed, as its name suggests, at professionals, with whom it could also find salvation. In any case, this is what Tim Cook’s company recently suggested in a press release published on its official website, and it is also what a CNBC journalist thinksnamely Jim Cramer.
What do the experts think?
On the analyst side, now the estimates are also mixed.
After pre-orders, the Apple Vision Pro would have far exceeded its manufacturer’s forecasts in terms of sales figures. Next to two hundred thousand units would have found a buyer, compared to almost half as many according to internal forecasts. But Apple would have liked to sell nearly eight hundred thousand products during the whole of 2024, downward estimates now limited to four hundred thousand or four hundred and fifty thousand deliveries.
In the long term, however, remember that Apple wants to make its AR wearables possible replacements for the iPhone, with this segment capable of representing nearly five hundred billion dollars in potential revenue. But it will still be necessary to improve comfort and lower the price, which would be precisely planned for the next VR headset expected around 2027.
- Apple sent a survey to Apple Vision Pro buyers
- The company received positive reviews for this product in its early days
- Despite everything, opinions today are mixed
