I remember sitting in my chemistry class on one of the very last days of the school year watching the June 2023 Apple event. They announced the new Macbook Air with the new chip and, in classic Apple fashion, did their “Oh, and one more thing.” It was probably one of the most shocking things I’ve seen in a while: The Apple Vision Pro. 

This virtual reality (even though Apple doesn’t actually call it that) headset is both stunning and shocking. The amount of technology and innovation in the headset is very impressive with a vast array of cameras, processors, and sensors all packed into a device that sits right in front of your eyes. 

However, all this technology comes with many drawbacks. First of all, the Vision Pro is heavy. When I went to try it out at the Apple store, one of the first things that I noticed is how heavy it is. While it is very well built with nice feeling materials like aluminum, they are far heavier than plastic, a material that the majority of other VR headsets on the market use. 

Another drawback of the Apple Vision Pro is battery life. Because of the weight of the headset, Apple couldn’t fit a battery on the actual device, so you have to run an actual cord from either the wall or the battery in your pocket. However, said battery only has a battery life of about 2 hours, not competitive with other headsets on the market. 

When interviewing people around campus, many shared similar sentiments. Junior Andrew Lee said that “There are far better options for a cheaper price,” and avid VR user Nathan Kang said that “I could never justify spending so much for a headset, no matter how immersive or incredible it might be.” 

Touching on price: the base specification of Apple Vision Pro cost $3500 before tax. If you upgrade the storage of the device, you are easily in the $4000 range after tax. HGM Senior Joshua Lee claimed, “There are few things I would pay almost $4000 for and an Apple Vision Pro is certainly not one of them.”

I think that the Apple Vision Pro is a good first product, just not one that has a mass market appeal. While I understand that Apple is trying to test the waters with this new product, I worry that there won’t be enough demand for Apple to justify pouring more money into the development of this device. 

The sticker shock is really what brings the Apple Vision Pro crashing down. The technology is amazing, with its crazy processing power and ability to masterfully represent the space around it, allowing you to place widgets almost anywhere that you might want them. However, there are just too many drawbacks for me to actually recommend buying this product. 

I have to applaud Apple for what they did with the Apple Vision Pro. It is one of the wildest pieces of tech in years that comes from a company that has barely changed the iPhone for the last 7 years. However, I think that the execution could’ve been better, I just hope that this technology is able to be built upon or trickled down into less expensive devices that have a much wider mass market appeal.