A year later, Apple Vision Pro owners say they regret buying the $3,500 headset

midian182

midian182

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Facepalm: It's been over a year since Apple launched its Vision Pro, the mixed-reality headset that you might have already forgotten about. Now, many people who paid $3,500 when the device first arrived are experiencing the same emotion: regret.

The Wall Street Journal has interviewed some of the Apple Vision Pro's early adopters, and it seems most people now regret paying $3,500 for something they have barely used.

"It's just collecting dust. I think I've probably used it four times in the last year," said Dustin Fox, a real estate agent in Centreville, Virginia. "It's way too heavy. I can't wear it for more than 20 or 30 minutes without it hurting my neck."

Fox said the novelty factor and potential productivity benefits convinced him to buy a Vision Pro. But its 1.3 - 1.4-pound weight made using it for longer sessions very uncomfortable.

Fox said he considered selling the headset but knew he wouldn't get anywhere near the price he paid.

"People were excited to be wearing it. Then it just died [..] I feel total regret."

Another buyer, Tovia Goldstein, had a similar opinion of the headset. "After 60 minutes, you can't, you just have to throw it down. I wouldn't recommend anyone buying it, unless you're really rich and you don't know what to do with your money."

Goldstein also complained about the Vision Pro's long startup time, which involves connecting to the external battery and waiting several minutes for the device to be ready to use.

Several buyers said they experienced "dirty looks" and negative reactions from people when wearing the headset in public. One person said it was part of the reason they sold their Vision Pro for $1,900 – 46% less than what they paid.

"It's definitely a glimpse at the future. I just think it's a ways away from there. For now, you have to put on what feels like a 500-pound MacBook Pro, strap it to your face and have people laugh at you," said Anthony Racaniello, a media studio operator.

With its exorbitant price tag and lack of any real reason to buy one, the Vision Pro was going to be a hard sell for even the most hardcore Apple fans when it arrived in February 2024 – even Apple admitted it didn't expect to sell the headset in large numbers.

Nevertheless, there was still a lot of interest and sales during the initial launch period. It's estimated that Apple sold between 160,000 and 180,000 devices in pre-orders across a weekend in January ahead of the official launch. There were also lots of clips appearing online of people using the headset in inadvisable situations, like while driving a car. There was also the software developer who wore one at his wedding.

But it didn't take long before the Vision Pro's problems started making headlines. Not only has Apple still not come up with a killer app, the headset is cumbersome and weighty. The process of setting it up to watch a movie simply is not worth the time, according to many users. There have also been numerous complaints of people experiencing discomfort, neck pain, headaches, and even black eyes after using the device.

Apple quickly cut its Vision Pro annual shipments forecast in half, down to around 400,000 units. The number of in-store demo bookings fell off a cliff, and there were even reports that Vision Pro suppliers stopped manufacturing components for the headset in May 2024, just three months after it launched.

The inevitable happened in January this year: Apple "temporarily" stopped production of the Vision Pro due to the low demand.

Despite all the problems, Apple is reportedly working on two new VR headsets, including a Vision Pro 2 successor that will be lighter and cheaper.

Masthead: Bram Van Oost

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A year later, Apple Vision Pro owners say they regret buying the $3,500 headset

 
I could imagine most people would react negatively in public to someone walking around wearing privacy invading, cloud connected goober googles bristling with sensors.

How'd you like to be stuck waiting in a line with some fool in these who wants to talk to everyone about politics and upload it to social media for imaginary internet points?
 
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"Not only has Apple still not come up with a killer app, the headset is cumbersome and weighty."

I saw this coming, Apple expected developers to create the killer app that would sell their headsets. Apple would then charge these developers 30% of the revenue for each software license they sell for the privilege of helping them sell more headsets. Apple either needed to create software to make the headset useful or Apple needed to pay developers to develop for such a niche product. I can't image any company that would think they would make a profit from developing software for the Vision Pro.

Then there is the external display: the person who paid $3500 never gets to see or use a feature that makes the headset more expensive and heavier.
 
Apple haven't made a new or innovative product anybody wants in 15 years. They just grind around the same loop and somehow they keep afloat. One (happy) day they will sink like a stone.
 
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If only Apple wasnt so against "adult"content I'm sure it could have had immense success.
 
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"There have also been numerous complaints of people experiencing discomfort, neck pain, headaches, and even black eyes after using the device."

Are these people made out of papier-mâché? I have had the Apple Vision Pro since release day and have used it hundreds of times. The funny thing about people people commenting on the Apple Vision Pro is that 90% of the people commenting have never had one on their head. It is a miracle of technology. It is not too heavy and with right third-party head strap it's quite comfortable. I watch full length movies some of which in 3-D on a 200 foot crystal clear screen suspended over the world's largest extinct volcano in Hawaii at night as the movie reflects over the rolling clouds underneath the screen. I do work at my office on a 4' x 10' ultra-wide virtual monitor that can easily hold all of my asset folders, Gimp, Photoshop and Premier Pro… All on the same screen! When people bought this did they not have any plans or ideas of how to use it. And please stop commenting about this when you have not even had the even had the decency to try one... Or are jealous because you can't afford one!
 
Axeia said:
If only some wasnt so against "adult"content in sure it could have had immense success.
Click to expand...
I don't think so.

I have a meta quest 3 which actually has better image clarity than an apple VR headset despite being much cheaper, and it's just no where near worth the effort to do anything other than games on, and even then the appeal wears down quickly.
 
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The only reason I have Oculus Quest 2 is because I wanted an inexpensive VR to use with DCS.

Apple Vision Pro had superior head tracking, superior visual quality and superior everything else, BUT, it didn't have easy STEAM integration and it was 9x the price of Quest 3.

What were they thinking?

If they could make it so AVP allowed you to use your hands to press virtual buttons in the virtual cockpit, and virtual onscreen buttons in other games, they'd have had something. The government itself would have bought them to use for pilot training (Yes they do use DCS). Apple failed to make the use case for me and certainly failed to deliver affordability.

Sitting there in the AVP demo remining me of Tom Cruise obsessing over his family photos in Minority Report.
 
When this thing launched I was going to preorder it, but as we got closer to the date, I realized I could find no use case and no killer apps for the device. I cancelled the preorder noting that it had no killer apps, was immediately lambasted by fanboys proclaiming it cannot miss, and now here we are, with those fanboys no doubt regretting their purchase.
 
Folks complaining about the added weight and how it starts to hurt their neck after long periods of use....you're all stupid. The neck isn't designed to continuously support the heavy, added weight of headsets.

There is the guy that played a lot of VR - putting in hours a day - that actually broke his neck (fractured his C7 vertebra) because of the constant use.

Sure, you may get used to the added weight over time such as the VR guy that broke his neck, but the constant strain is not something our neck is designed to maintain.
 
mgwerner said:
Should everyone check with you to make sure their comment is approved before posting?
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Where did I say there is an issue with sharing one's opinion? You can't share your opinion and expect no one to have a different one. Is there anything else no one was arguing you want to disagree with?
 
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