AI: Apple Vision Pro, they'll be back

...I'm keeping mine

Two weeks in after Apple Vision Pro launch, of course the media is going to write about how many Apple fans are returning their Vision Pros, for a variety of predictable reasons. Too heavy, too uncomfortable, too first-gen, and of course, drum roll, too expensive. As I’ve pointed out in detail last year, it’s actually cheaper at $3499 than most iconic tech products. This includes the Apple Mac, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary. It’d be over $7300 in today’s dollars.

As Mark Gorman of Bloomberg notes in the predictable “Why Some of Apple’s Biggest Fans Are Returning Their Vision Pros”:

“The Apple Vision Pro has now been available for two weeks — and some of Apple’s most dedicated customers are returning the device to get back their $3,500.”

“Apple Inc. is probably at least 18 months away from launching a second-generation Vision Pro. Based on the early response to the first version, that may be a long time for some people to wait.”

The other Mark, of Zuckerberg fame, jumped in opportunistically to boost Meta’s Quest merits vs Apple’s Vision Pro. Key there of course is the price at sub-$500 vs the $3,499 Vision Pro.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg goes on to add a litany of the expected reason people are returning their Vision Pros, and they’re worth reading, for any follower of tech products. He continues:

“Since the Vision Pro debuted on Feb. 2, it’s become clear that the mixed-reality headset is still a work in progress. Despite the dazzling demos — and generally positive reviews — it can be challenging to use on a daily basis.”

“It’s heavy. The interface doesn’t always work smoothly. And it’s hard to forget the fact that you paid $3,500 or more for this experience.”

“Vision Pro loyalists stress that the current model is only the first generation. It will get better in time. Don’t forget, they say, that the original iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch had their quirks too. If the headset feels too heavy, you’re wearing it wrong. The narrower-than-expected field of view and glare? That’s normal.”

From my perspective, Apple hit it out of the park with the full-on experience of the Vision Pro, from it’s physical realities, to the virtual ones. It remains a key early device in the AI Tech Wave. I stand by my three favorite ‘Wow’ moments with the gizmo, and am finding new things to like at every use. The Vision OS has already been uptdated to 1.1 in the beta version, and a lot of issues in the ‘returning’ articles like the one above, are being chipped away by Apple. If you’re interested in my broader thoughts on Apple and the Vision Pro, do check out this video podcast I did on it with my friend Howard Lindzon and his ‘Trends with Friends’ program.

But in a nutshell, the Apple Vision Pro from my perspective remains the single most interesting AI driven ‘Spatial Computing’ platform over the near term. For the early adopters that like these things, the right decision is to keep it and keep at it.

Ironically, Mark Gurman himself ends his Bloomberg piece with:

“In fact, here’s a twist: I wrote this entire column on my Vision Pro. And I’m keeping it.”

Me too.

It’s already great, and will only get better. The returnees will have to return to buy them again. Likely before the next iteration. Stay tuned.

(NOTE: The discussions here are for information purposes only, and not meant as investment advice at any time. Thanks for joining us here)