Every experience I’ve had with Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset has been both similar and distinct. I compare it to peeling an onion: I think I understand the feel and texture, but every time I find new gradations and even flavors that remind me that I don’t really understand Apple’s cutting-edge wearable technology.
I had the rather unique experience of viewing my own content through the powerful and costly ($3,499 when it debuts next year) Vision Pro headset for the third time.
Apple released an iOS 17.2 beta a few weeks ago, which brought Spatial Video capture to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (the complete version was released this week). It’s a landscape-only video format that creates a stereo video image with the 48MP main and 12MP Ultrawide cameras. I began recording videos in that format almost immediately, with the proviso that not every film is suitable for this more immersive experience (you can’t be too far away from your subject, and keeping the phone level and steady helps). Nonetheless, I had a solid nine clips with me for my second and significantly more intimate Vision Pro Spatial Video experience.
During my third Vision Pro trial, I attempted to pay more attention to some of the headset’s setup and startup aspects. As I previously stated, the Vision Pro is one of Apple’s more unique hardware experiences. If you wear glasses, you’ll have to pay extra for a pair of custom-made Zeiss lens inserts – I gave my prescription details ahead of time. It’s unclear how long customers will have to wait for their own inserts (might Apple have an express optician service in the back of every Apple Store?). Doubtful).
Not everyone will require those lenses or be willing to pay the extra money and wait. If you don’t wear glasses, you’re ahead of me, and the same goes for contact lens wearers.
Creating the ideal bespoke experience
Still, there are several customizations that I overlooked until now. The face cushion, which rests on your face and magnetically links to the main part of Vision Pro, is available in a few different curvature types to match the varying shapes of a variety of common human faces. I’m not sure how many various possibilities Apple will provide.
Matching your pupillary distance – the distance between the centers of your eyes – is crucial for a good AR and VR experience. This was the first time I focused on one of the initial phases in my Vision Pro setup. A pair of huge green objects formed before my eyes as I long-pressed the headset’s digital crown. They calculated the distance between my eyes and the inside of the Vision Pro, and then the dual micro-LED displays and their 23 million pixels of picture shifted to match. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the mechanics at work.
Spatial computing is somewhat familiar
My spatial video and panorama pictures were AirDropped from a nearby phone. It was nice to see how well AirDrop worked on the Vision Pro – I observed someone trying to AirDrop the content and merely looked at ‘Accept’ before pinching my thumb and finger. The item was in my Photos library in seconds (spatial video has its own symbol).
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that this single photo, taken from a somewhat high vantage point at the Planet Hollywood Hotel, was a revelation. Not only was the vista that stretched practically around my head stunning, but I also noticed for the first time when I glanced at the far-right side of the shot a complete reflection of me shooting the photo. It’s a detail I didn’t notice while I was staring at the pano on my phone, and there’s something strange about abruptly spotting yourself in such an immersive atmosphere.
A view from Antigua was equally appealing. The overall sharpness and detail, which is a tribute to the photography on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, is stunning. I saw most of my panos in immersive mode, but I could go back to a windowed view using a pinch-and-push gesture with both hands.
Aerial view
I took recordings of Thanksgiving dinner, Dickensian carollers, walks in the park, model trains, and conversations with a friend’s four-year-old in preparation for my spatial video experience.
The 3D spatial video effect in my model train videos reminded me of the likely fictitious story of early cinema spectators who ran screaming from the theater after witnessing a film of an incoming train. I wouldn’t call my video intense, but my model train appeared to be about to ride right into my lap.
It was yet another brief and seated experience, and I’m sure I didn’t put the Vision Pro’s external two-hour battery pack to the test. I did observe, however, that if I were about to work a full day, watch multiple two-hour movies, or browse a wide library of spatial films, I could put a power-adapter-connected cable directly into the battery pack’s accessible USB-C connector.
I’m not sure if the Apple Vision Pro is for everyone, but the more I use it and read about it, the more persuaded I am that Apple is about to cause a seismic upheaval in our computer experience. Although not everyone will purchase Vision Pro, the majority of us will be affected by it.
