Apple’s much anticipated Vision Pro headset is finally here, with preorders open and the first headsets shipping in the US last week. The Silicon Valley giant’s first mixed reality device; The Vision Pro is a primarily Augmented Reality headset, which they’ve neatly dubbed as Apple’s first “spatial computer”.

Its announcement on June 5th last year sent the tech world into a flurry of excitement, skepticism, and memes, with many impressed by its slew of features and apparent polish, but dubious of the high price tag and where a product like this fits into their daily lives. Now that developers and businesses have had 6 months to delve deeper into the device, we have a slightly better understanding ahead of launch about what this means for enterprise and personal use.

Here are our impressions:

They’ve thought things through

It’s no secret that Apple has been working on some kind of VR or AR device for years. Some within the immersive sector have been claiming it will “definitely be announced this year” for what has seemed like an eternity.

But with that patience came a pretty well-thought-out pitch, and during the Developers Conference last year we saw a full 40 minutes of features, details, and use cases. Apple sees this as a device that can potentially replace or complement your Mac, TV, and phone across every facet of your life, and the headset has features and clever design choices to prove it.

Don’t call it VR though! Apple is, unsurprisingly, doing this their way with their brand guidelines going semi-viral among the immersive community after this year’s CES event. It’s clear that they don’t want to be drawn into any comparisons with existing devices, preconceptions that their consumers have around VR, or maybe even restrictions around what this device can apparently do. They’re reinventing the wheel with this one; welcome to Spatial Computing.

Compared to other OEMs that have been building immersive / spatial / VR technology for years, one advantage that Apple is unsurprisingly bringing to the table is their relationships with content partners and developers ready from Day one. Media giants like Disney were already on board in June last year and developing for it, and communication features will be compatible with leading existing platforms like Zoom and Teams; the latter of which is a partnership that rivals Meta have only just started to dig into themselves.

Other developers are now scrambling to get their content on the platform, and we’re confident that the app offering will be an industry-leading one. Apple knows the importance of a well-curated store and finding that “killer app”. Perhaps most importantly for the already committed ecosystem of XR developers out there is the smart partnership Apple announced with Unity, to help bring leading XR content to the Vision Pro.

So who will be using this?

While there are a bunch of features that point to everyday use for entertainment and socialization, it’s clear that this is a device also made for work.

Some of the personal or consumer use cases seemed a little off, despite being technically impressive. The 3D camera feature for example was a touch creepy in practice, and I can’t see many users reaching for their headset to quickly capture those special family moments. It could also be argued that many of the entertainment use cases, such as the heavy focus on watching movies, are better experienced with those around you.

There was a big focus on presence in this headset, and not shutting yourself off from the rest of the world like the majority of existing XR devices require. If they truly feel this could replace your TV, but also want it to be a device that keeps you connected with those around you as well as further afield, it would be interesting to see how more than one of these devices play together in a shared space.

Nevertheless, I don’t think the Vision Pro is intended for those consumers – not yet anyway…

Work, work, work

Over the last 5 years, we’ve seen a number of VR Hardware manufacturers move away from consumer devices entirely and focus their efforts on VR for enterprise and education. PWC predicted in 2019 that 23 million jobs would be using VR or AR by 2030, and in 2022 Accenture famously bought 60,000 VR headsets for their employees to use in their work.

And in my opinion, companies will consider buying this. There are industries already that heavily favor Apple products, particularly across creative and technical sectors. Those companies that are buying Mac Studios or Mac Pros for their teams may not flinch quite as much at spending the same again on a headset that aims to boost productivity, connect their teams, and work seamlessly with their existing tech stack.

Last year, Meta also released a Pro version of their market-leading Quest consumer headset – and while the criticism of the $1500 price tag now looks a little silly in comparison to Apple’s crippling $3500 device – the headset was clearly targeted at professional users, which I think can also be said for the Vision Pro. (It even says Pro in the name!)

The biggest challenge for enterprise rollouts appears to be the high levels of calibration the Vision Pro apparently requires for each user. Already pre-ordering a device encourages you to scan your face for that perfect fit, and pre-order prescription lenses if you typically need glasses. These point to a fantastic, tailored product and the best possible user experience, but from our history working with some of the leading schools and businesses on their VR strategy, we know that most organizations still rely on shared device rollouts (and that’s considering a price point 1/10th of Apple’s). I think the Vision Pro will thrive with creatives but will take some adjustment from more typical use cases like education and training.

Meta their match?

So is this a “Quest killer”? Will Meta be quaking in their boots at the announcement? I don’t think so. The social media and “metaverse” giants were clearly worried about the launch, as they hastily announced their own new VR device, the Quest 3, a few days before Apple’s conference, rather than wait for their own annual event in September.

But despite it being a very impressive headset, and there being some crossover with functionality and use cases, Apple actively avoided taking them on directly with this launch. They never mentioned the word “metaverse” (thank goodness), or even used the term VR in their presentation. Instead, they focused on terminology like “Spatial Computing” to drive home their message that they were doing something that hadn’t been done before.

Might it eat into the Meta Quest Pro’s market? Some exploring a premium headset may opt to splash out on the Apple product; but overall the Quest 2 and Quest 3 will remain the go-to choices for affordable, at-home VR, and probably the main option for enterprise teams looking to explore XR at scale.

Spare a thought perhaps though for the likes of Varjo. The Finnish manufacturer has been making high-end, professional, mixed reality headsets since 2019, with industry-leading pass-through and features made for enterprise use. While not a household name, and with their leading XR-3 device being nearly twice the price of the Apple Vision Pro, their technology is already being used around the world by major companies like Red Bull, Lockheed Martin, Kia, and Lufthansa for their training needs.

It may seem ludicrous to the average consumer, but corporations are already willing to spend thousands on the technology. Is the Apple Vision Pro better than the Varjo headset for these applications? No, not necessarily. But will companies exploring this world prefer to start their journey with such a well-known brand? Quite possibly.

Rising tides

The Vision Pro has divided opinion. We’re excited by the features on offer and particularly by the potential it could bring to training and launching mixed reality into the mainstream. But we can’t deny that the price is a major limitation for consumers. All in all, it was an impressive launch and it’s a device we can’t wait to get our hands on.

One thing that’s clear is that the Apple effect is in full flow, with more people than ever before talking about immersive technologies and their place in work or home. A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes, and we’re excited to welcome those new to XR into the future.