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The Uncomfortable Truth About Apple Vision Pro

The Uncomfortable Truth About Apple Vision Pro

Reflections on the Ultrawide Mac Virtual Display

Cosmo Scharf
November 12, 2024

Hey everyone, it’s Cosmo.

The biggest limitation with Apple Vision Pro is not its price – it's the weight distribution. This became crystal clear while testing the new Ultrawide Mac Virtual Display on visionOS 2.2 beta. The feature lets you create a massive virtual screen that would normally require an expensive ultra-wide monitor – it's a perfect example of Vision Pro enabling something previously impossible.

But there's a brutal reality: after 15-30 minutes, the weight becomes impossible to ignore. While Vision Pro packs incredible technology, its ergonomics are fundamentally flawed (for my head shape, at least). The default Solo Knit band forces you to choose between stability and comfort – tighten it painfully tight, or watch it slowly slip. Even better third-party solutions like the Globular Cluster CMA1, with its additional top strap, can only do so much to offset the basic physics problem.

Let's face it: long-term face computing isn't solved yet. Even with the best head straps, you're fighting heat and sweat. I continue to return to my iMac or MacBook Pro for extended work, sacrificing the larger display for basic comfort.

This forces us to ask: what is Vision Pro actually best at? Like when Steve Jobs positioned iPad between phone and laptop, Vision Pro still searches for its own clear identity. Right now, it truly shines in three areas:

Communication: Spatial Personas offer an unprecedented telepresence experience.
3D Content: Apps like Beautiful Things make 3D models feel physically present.
Movies: The theater experience is unmatched, especially for 3D animated movies like "The Wild Robot".

We're facing a classic chicken-and-egg problem. The limited user base makes it hard for developers to justify building for the platform. While rumors of a cheaper Vision Pro are encouraging, they miss the point – comfort for extended use is the real barrier.

Vision Pro will inevitably get lighter, faster, and less expensive. But as developers and entrepreneurs, we're impatient. Unlike the yearly iPhone cycle, Vision Pro's evolution may take longer.

Rumors that Vision Pro 2 will merely upgrade the internals from M2 to M5 are troubling. Apple can reduce the price all they want, but if it's not lighter and more comfortable for extended use, Vision Pro will end up sitting on your desk. The future is coming – we just might need a stronger neck to get there.