There’s an article from the Wall Street Journal that’s making been the rounds about how over a year after its release, early adopters of the Apple Vision Pro largely regret their purchase. The article was a good read, and you should check if out if you can (it is paywalled).

The narrative being presented is that early adopters (which is every Vision Pro owner at this point) regret their $3500 purchase and were let down by Apple. That’s certainly the interpretation on social media. But as with most things in life, not everyone has the same experience.

Case in point: me.

I Use My Vision Pro Almost Everyday

I’ve had my Vision Pro for a little over seven months now. I’ve written about my initial Vision Pro experience before, so some of this may be a bit repetitive if you’ve read that post.

Many people, including the Apple Store employees that brought out my new purchase, questioned what I’d be using it for and why in the world I was buying it. I made up some excuse about using it for work, but the answer was pretty simple in my mind.

I was going to use it as a computer. And that’s what I’ve been doing seven months later, almost every day. (The “almost” part is only because I didn’t buy the prescription lens inserts, and I don’t wear my contacts every day).

I put it on, I open Safari and browse. I open Ulysses and write. I write and respond to email in the Mail app, respond to messages in the Messages app, and track my expenses with Monarch/a Numbers spreadsheet. I can do image editing with Pixelmator or Photomator.

Guess what?

The Vision Pro does all of this just fine. Are some of these iPad apps? Yep, but they’ve been working pretty well. Some of these experiences are best with a keyboard and mouse (that you probably already own). No, I’m not editing video on the headset yet, but LumaFusion’s iPad app is available. As both the software and hardware continue to improve, I expect more and more “real work” use cases will become possible on visionOS. It’s just a matter of time. For right now, having a real web browser does a lot of the heavy lifting as far as getting work done on Vision Pro.

Notice I haven’t mentioned immersive video or VR gaming. I’ve checked out some of the immersive video content Apple has put out, and it is great, but its not been a huge driver over my Vision Pro use. Watching boring old 2D video in a floating window has been a wonderful experience on its own.

And VR gaming, yeah, I know I know, Apple needs to add VR controller support. Every so often I try gaming on one of my Apple computers and It never sticks. At the end of the day, Apple platforms are productivity platforms for me, and I always go back to my consoles and gaming pc. Vision Pro has been no different here.

Common Complaints

The complaints expressed in the WSJ article echo the common complaints I’ve see on social media since the Vision Pro was released, and I want to speak to how each of them has or hasn’t affected my usage.

”It’s Too Expensive”

It absolutely is too expensive.

A starting price of $3500 starts any Vision Pro conversation on a pretty sour note. Even the most die hard Apple fan would agree the Vision Pro is not worth its asking price. I certainly don’t believe it is. This is Apple’s biggest problem to solve, and I’m pretty sure they know it.

It’s really hard for people to separate the pricing from the product itself. Because the Vision Pro isn’t a bad product. It’s actually a very good computer that offers a unique and differentiated experience (at least until Android XR headsets start shipping later this year).

Using the more affordable Meta Quest 3 helped me justify the expense of the Vision Pro. While the Quest is primarily designed for gaming and social experiences, Meta has been rapidly updating its software to compete with visionOS in productivity workflow since the Vision Pro’s release. Although it still has a ways to go in that department, the Quest gave me a solid understanding of the potential of spatial computing. The unique value of that experience, combined with the Vision Pro’s seamless integration with the Apple services I already use, convinced me that it was worth the investment.

But yea, it is too expensive 💸.

”There’s Nothing To Do”

Using the Vision Pro as a computer is the obvious use case to me. But from what I’ve seen, most people seem to be looking for some defining gimmick or “killer app” to justify using the headset. (Sometimes I wonder if the “killer app” concept has outlived its usefulness).

The way I see it, you have mouse and keyboard support, you have a high-quality web browser (seriously, it’s 20x better than the browser on the Meta Quest), and you have access to a good amount of quality iPad apps. With so many of the tools people use being web apps anyway, how can you not find things to do with it?

As far as the Vision Pro’s “killer app”? After seven months, I’d say its killer app is….visionOS.

The entire experience is unique! Even if all you used the headset for was web browsing or watching video, it’s a unique and differentiated experience compared to any other computer in Apple’s product lineup.

As I type this, I have a Ulysses window directly in front of me, the ChatGPT app to my left for looking up references, the TV app playing Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in the corner, and Safari to my right. Nothing’s overlapping, and I don’t have to spend a lot of time on window management. And it’s all accessible with a simple turn of my head. It’s an experience you can’t get on any phone, tablet, or laptop today.

”It’s Too Heavy”

Maybe I’m just lucky here. Or I have a thick neck. Or a hard head? I don’t know, but I’ve been able to wear my Vision Pro with just the Solo Knit band for hours at a time. I had some comfort issues initially, but they quickly faded. Vision Pro is certainly heavier than the Meta Quest 3, but its weight has not been an issue for me. But then again, people say the AirPods Max are heavy, and I’ve never thought that in the four years I’ve owned them.

There have been a number of third-party strap options that reportedly help address the fit issue for some, like the Belkin Head Strap. Yes, it does suck to spend that much money on a product and then have to spend even more to make it more usable, but hey, people buy $1000 phones and then spend extra money on cases, screen protectors, and other accessories. It’s not really that much different.

The only “fit” problem I’ve run into is dry eyes. There are days where after using it for a few hours, my eyes do dry out. Taking the occasional break is recommended.

”No one talks about it anymore”

This is the one I struggle with the most. I’m past the point in my life where I might buy a piece tech for any kind of social status. I mean, I use an iPad Pro as my primary device…..I’m used to not going along with what everyone else is doing. I buy the tools that interest and work for me. I don’t need anyone else to be onboard or validate my purchase. I have no problem walking alone.

The closest thing I have to feeling any kind of social stigma is that I’ve thought about, but haven’t yet taken the Vision Pro to the office. And that’s mostly for the logistics of not wanting to leave my Vision Pro on my desk, unattended, while I step to the restroom or go get another cup of coffee. I mean, I trust my coworkers (mostly), but this thing was $3500, I’m not going to just have it sitting around out in the open. And I don’t want to completely put it away every time I have to go to a meeting.

Conclusion

I’m not writing this to say that anyone that was disappointed with or didn’t like the Vision Pro is wrong. We don’t all like the same things, and that’s fine. But at the same time, not all of us early adopters were let down or are remorseful about our purchase. Some of us are actively using and enjoying our Vision Pros, while acknowledging there’s still plenty of room for it to improve over time (and get cheaper!).