Apple Vision Pro one year later

Apple Vision Pro one year later
Apple Vision Pro displayed in an Apple Store on release day February 2, 2024

Today, as I write this, is the first anniversary of Apple Vision Pro. It's been an incredible yet slow year for the new platform, but I can honestly say I've never been more excited for the future of computing.

I still believe the iPad represents the modern future of computing, as in, using an iPad Pro as a primary computer feels futuristic versus using a Mac. The Apple Vision Pro is a step beyond that and even more nascent – using it today is a preview of what comes after iPad.

I went into detail about my use of Apple Vision Pro, its successes, and Apple's failures, in my one-year review for AppleInsider. Like I've been saying all along, Apple needs to step up and really sell this thing if anyone is going to buy one before that lower-priced model launches in 2026 or gen 2 arrives in 2027.

What I'd really like to see short-term is more developer adoption. More native apps from Apple and third parties would make a huge case for the platform.

Apple Intelligence also needs to come to Apple Vision Pro, preferably before visionOS 3.

I'm happy that more immersive videos are coming to the platform. The Man vs Beast one was interesting but is plagued by the same problem some of these videos have – too short. It felt like the preview of something I would get to watch later, like, I would get to see this person work on his career and improve over time.

Ice Dive did a great job of feeling more complete, and it was only about six minutes longer. I think if Apple could start hitting that classic 22-minute mark for its immersive video projects, they'd feel more narrative complete.

The hardware has never been the issue for me. It fits great with the Solo Knit band, and I'm not sure Apple could make a better, lighter, or cheaper one today.

No, it's the software, operating system, developer support, and immersive rollout that needs accelerated. I know you can't throw money and manpower at a problem and fix it, but it does seem like this one could be moving at least a bit faster.

I can't wait to see what year two of Apple Vision Pro holds for the platform. It's exciting to me that this is the technology that will one day realize true AR computing through glasses.

Hear more about the review and using Apple Vision Pro in the AppleInsider Podcast episode where I talk with Tim Chaten from Vision Pros and iPad Pros podcasts about the product and its future.

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