When I say that the Apple Vision Pro has some redeeming qualities—and is even, perhaps, very cool—I am doing so with reservation.
I’ve spent the last year reviewing products to reduce my screentime; I don’t want to live in a world where we all sit on our couches and hang out together in the metaverse in spirit. I want to go places and do things and see people, for real.
At the same time, I also want a Vision Pro.
If you’re unfamiliar with Apple’s foray into the VR world, this USD$3,500 device allows you to work, communicate, and ‘travel’ within remarkably realistic environments. During the course of drafting this piece, for example, I ‘went’ to White Sands National Park in New Mexico and worked on a virtual laptop display hovering beneath a brilliant sunset. Then I went to Bora Bora, where I watched turquoise waves wash up on the shore.
Now? I’m on the moon.
The Milky Way is quite distracting, actually. I need to be looking at this Word document, but all I want to do is stare at the night sky. I know it’s not real, of course, but it’s shockingly convincing. It’s a static image with the depth of reality. I keep looking up from my work to stare at the Earth.
