As a lifelong tech enthusiast and an ardent admirer of Apple's innovation, the announcement of the Vision Pro should have been a cause for celebration. But instead, it left me more concerned than excited. The presentation was pure, classic Apple — replete with sleek designs and promises of revolutionary technology — yet it lacked the substance and vision that have come to characterize their best products.
This was not the reinvention of AR/VR that many of us were hoping for. Instead, the Vision Pro, with its bulky design and egregious price tag, feels like a step backward. Why Apple chose to tether this device with a battery pack, thus compromising on user comfort and mobility, is beyond comprehension. Also, EyeSight, a feature that exhibits your eyes when people are nearby, borders on the creepy, echoing dystopian science fiction rather than actual utility.
Apple's decision to steer clear of the metaverse rhetoric might reflect an attempt to distance themselves from Meta's troubled VR journey. But, in my opinion, it might also suggest a lack of a clear, coherent vision of what they want the Vision Pro to represent. The absence of a robust, use-case driven narrative is jarring.
In fairness, Apple has a history of refining products over time. The iPhone and Apple Watch faced skepticism initially, but Apple iterated, innovated, and turned these products into household names. However, the difference lies in the problem these products solved. The iPhone revolutionized communication; the Apple Watch was a step forward in wearable technology. The Vision Pro, as presented, seems more like a solution in search of a problem.
The question Apple failed to answer convincingly during their launch is "Why?" Why would the average consumer need this product? Why should they shell out $3499 for technology that, by all accounts, seems to offer limited utility in their everyday lives? And importantly, why should society move towards a future where we isolate ourselves behind headsets, possibly compromising on human connection?
In the end, the Vision Pro could be a pathbreaker, the start of a new era in AR/VR. But as it stands, it seems more like a leap into the uncertain, an expensive gamble that only time will prove right or wrong.
