Apple Vision Pro: A Tech Demo With Potential, But Still Waiting For Its Killer App
Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro, while making strides with its visionOS 2 beta update, still feels like a tech demo of something grander. While the new update makes the headset more responsive and easier to navigate, its true potential remains untapped until Apple expands its usability with existing Apple devices. This begs the question: Will the Vision Pro become a must-have device or merely a niche product for early adopters?
The current iteration of visionOS 2 offers numerous quality-of-life improvements:
- Simplified App Access: The new gesture-based navigation allows users to easily access their apps by holding out their hand, looking at the desired app icon, and tapping. This is a more intuitive approach than the previous method and aligns with features found on the Meta Quest 3.
- Improved Spatial Awareness: Vision Pro’s hand and eye tracking is even more accurate, making it easier to locate the keyboard in a spatial environment.
- Enhanced Guest Account Usage: Guests can now save their profile, making it easier to access the headset without needing to go through the full setup process each time.
- Reorder Apps: Users can now rearrange their apps in the Home View, giving them greater control over their interface.
- Expand the Home View: The Home View can now include native apps that aren’t specifically designed for the Vision Pro, providing more flexibility.
While the beta update introduces positive changes, Apple’s focus on expanding the Vision Pro’s usability with existing Apple devices is crucial for its success. The headset’s current limitations in this area leave many wondering if it can truly become a part of users’ daily lives.
The Big Issue: Lack of iPhone Mirroring
Despite impressive efforts to integrate the Vision Pro with Macs, Apple’s failure to provide a seamless and functional iPhone mirroring experience remains a major obstacle. Users can currently mirror their iPhone screens to the headset, but this functionality is limited. It doesn’t allow for any phone control from the Vision Pro, making it a far cry from the seamless integration possible with Macs.
This lack of iPhone integration is particularly frustrating considering:
- The Focus on Usability: Apple positions the Vision Pro as a computer, highlighting its ability to perform everyday tasks like browsing the internet, watching videos, and working with emails. In this context, the absence of a strong iPhone integration hinders the user experience.
- The “Apple Ecosystem”: iPhones are arguably the most popular and heavily used devices within the Apple ecosystem. Seamlessly integrating the Vision Pro with iPhones would greatly enhance its overall usability and appeal.
The Future: Bridging the Apple Device Divide
Apple’s decision to focus on spatial photos with visionOS 2 is a promising step, but it pales in comparison to the potential of a fully integrated Apple ecosystem. Imagine a future where users can seamlessly mirror, control, and access their iPhone or iPad screens within the Vision Pro, offering a truly expanded digital landscape.
This integration could revolutionize how users interact with their devices, enabling them to:
- Work across devices: Users could simultaneously run multiple tasks across their iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro, maximizing productivity.
- Enhance productivity: The ability to seamlessly move between devices would eliminate the need for constant switching and promote a more fluid workflow.
- Transform everyday tasks: Simple tasks like checking emails, messaging, or browsing the web could be made more immersive and convenient within the Vision Pro’s environment.
Apple’s Vision Pro’s success hinges on its ability to transcend the realm of a standalone device and become a seamless extension of the existing Apple ecosystem. While the visionOS 2 update shows promise, the lack of fully functional iPhone integration currently hinders its potential. Until that hurdle is overcome, the Vision Pro will remain a tantalizing glimpse into the future of technology, rather than a fully realized reality.
