People are Returning Apple Vision Pros and Zuckerberg Doesn’t Rate it
The spectacular hype surrounding Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset may have peaked already.
According to news reports and multiple social media posts, customers are beginning to return Apple’s first virtual reality product.
Apple has a policy that you can return an item within 14 days of purchase and with a hefty $3,500 price tag, some are deciding it is not for them.
It has now been almost two weeks since the launch of the device, which Apple describes as a “spatial computer”, so for customers who purchased the headset on the day it was released the window to return the product is closing.
Why are People Returning Apple’s Vision Pro?
Common complaints include headaches, nausea, and eye strain. Users also say the device is too heavy or it is ill-fitting in their head making it uncomfortable.
Can’t wait to return the Vision Pro, probably the most mind blowing piece of tech I’ve ever tried.
Can’t deal with these headaches after 10 minutes of use though.
— Rjey (@RjeyTech) February 14, 2024
“Despite being as magical to use as I’d hoped, it was simply way too uncomfortable to wear even for short periods of time both due to the weight and the strap designs. I wanted to use it, but dreaded putting it on,” says The Verge’s product manager Parker Ortolani.
“It’s just too expensive and unwieldy to even try to get used to the constant headaches and eye strain I was experiencing. I’ll be back for the next one.”
One Redditor cited that it is too big to travel with and found the reflections inside the lens to be distracting when using it in dark environments.
Zuckerberg Doesn’t Rate it Either
This is to be expected given that Mark Zuckerberg is in charge of the company that is Apple’s biggest competitor in the VR/AR space, but nevertheless, the Zuck took to Instagram yesterday to give his thoughts on the Vision Pro.
“I don’t just think that the Quest is better value, I think that the Quest is the better product, period,” he says while comparing it to the Meta Quest VR headset.
“Overall, Quest is better for the vast majority of things that people use mixed-reality for.”
“Quest, I think, is just a lot more comfortable,” he continues. “We designed it to weigh 120 grams less which makes a really big difference on your face.
“There’s no wires that get in your way when you move around…Our field of view is wider and I found our screen to be brighter also.
“I also notice that Apple’s headset has this motion-blur when you move around and Quest is just a lot crisper.”
He acknowledges that the Vision Pro does have a higher resolution screen than the Quest but suggests Tim Cook’s company made too many trade-offs to achieve that.
However, PetaPixel’s Jeremy Gray tested a Vision Pro for half an hour and wrote that he was “blown away” by it.
