And whether you’ll actually ever use anything like it

Apple’s WWDC conference this year has pretty much dominated most of the tech conversation this week. And that’s not because of Macs getting a step closer to playing Windows games, the M2 Mac Pro, or the fact that the iPhone X and 8 won’t get iOS 17 (the phone is 6 years old guys, let it rest). No instead the thing that took everyone’s attention is the Apple device most of us expected, Apple’s new Mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro.

Now we already did an initial reaction to the headset on our socials (which you can view above). But it’s time we deep dive into Apple’s new device and more importantly, what it means for VR/AR headsets as a whole and if $3500 makes sense for what’s essentially a very fancy 4K computer on your face. So let’s start with what this device is.

The Vision Pro is what’s called a mixed reality headset, essentially a headset that supports both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). VR is something a lot of us are pretty used to by now, especially with VR spots being available everywhere from some local spots to Joina City to many gaming cafes in Harare. Augmented reality is a more unknown technology despite arguably being more commonplace, especially since it’s what powers so many Snapchat filters and even apps that let you input fictional characters into scenarios. However in this context it’s mostly used to display programs in real space and use the real environment to add to digital programs and vice versa, for example projecting a chess board on your actual table or a virtual avatar right next to a real person in a meeting. It’s a whole new level of computing that almost every tech company believes is the future of modern computing, essentially turning us all into Iron Man in that we see information and programs in the world around us and process information in a more intuitive way because of it. And for a first showing from Apple, the Vision Pro shows it understood this mission well. While nothing shown in it’s demos is completely new , all of it shows a level of polish and refinement that Meta, Microsoft and friends haven’t really shown. Call it the late mover advantage, something Apple is actually very well versed at, but for all the skepticism everyone had towards Apple for being late to the VR/AR game, they showed they were worth the wait.

From a hardware standpoint alone, the Vision Pro is easily the most premium looking (and feeling) headset on the market. While Meta’s Quest Pro felt a little cheap with it’s plastic pieces, the Vision Pro uses the same aluminum body that Apple puts on iPhones and iPads. It’s OLED front panel and dual 4K  screens all scream “expensive” and at least for the most part, they all elevate the experience. Add in Apple’s leading M2 processor, a custom, dedicated AR processor in the R1 , and at least for the most part, you kind of get it: this thing was never going to come cheap. Though whether it’s worth $3500 is another question entirely. Either way Apple decided the best way to differentiate itself from what the competition has is to offer better parts than them, and at least to some extent, it’s proven to be right. Just look at the MKBHD video below to see what honestly seems to be the main narrative on what this thing can actually do. Most tech journalists agree that while it might take touching and wearing this thing in person, it’s experience does seem to be a cut above the rest when it comes to how it feels , the screen resolution and how well it blends between AR and VR. Which is likely due to it’s Hi-Res cameras too, especially since the eye tracking ones compete, if not surpass even Microsoft’s Hololens when it comes to making your eyes and hands your primary user interface devices.