Is Apple Vision a failed concept?
As an old Apple Newton dog I felt the Apple Vision was one of those Apple offerings that I needed to watch first hand how they and 3rd party developers adapted to this concept of spatial computing. Was this something I could use for work, play, or both?
If you don’t have a concept of “spatial computing”, suggest watching the below video. It’s the quickest, easiest video I’ve seen aside from Apple’s sales info on showing the concept in real life.
And for the most part this promise of working among your physical space is legit. I’ve used it both at the studio and home in much of the same way the poster utilizes both Mac screen sharing to emulate a larger monitor as well as native Vision apps and switching back and forth, etc.
Does it work?
Yes… and then some. For working, as of March 2025, the latest beta’s of VisionOS have provided further enhancements to the Mac screen sharing that gives a wide, and ultra wide option that is crazy big. I find the ultra wide almost too big as I have to turn my head a bit too far.
The integration of built-in VisionOS apps and the screen share with a single mouse/trackpad is kind of mind boggling and you really have to use it to get the entire experience. I can have the VisionOS Messenger app sitting to my left, Microsoft Teams to my right, a native VisionOS browser window above and it all just works. Very impressive! The only downside is the lack of saved “workspace”. If I power down the Vision, window placement and apps all need to be reestablished. Hoping future updates to the OS give this functionality.
For home, it’s become a great solution for watching content…. solo. If you desire to watch something by yourself it just can’t be beat. There is just no other solution this integrated into the Apple entertainment ecosystem then the Vision. Every movie I’ve purchased, or (mostly) any streaming app has a solution for the Apple Vision. Netflix is sadly withholding their native app for the Vision which is just silly.
It does get heavy after prolonged use. I’ve switched to the over the head band and find it the most comfortable.
What does not work?
A few things continue to bug me. Most of it is software and I suspect things will gradually be fixed. Some items already have.
Eye / hand / finger recognition can sometimes get pretty wonky. Dark spaces really limit the units ability to see things clearly.
Powering up from sleep is just frustrating. I’ve taken to just unplugging the power if I know I’m not going to use the device for longer periods of time.
The bradded battery cable often gets tangled. I’d prefer a thinner, less prone to tangle option.
Is this for everyone?
Hard no! I’d still consider this a developer beta product and beyond the two uses illustrated above, it would be a highly frustrating device to use daily. I use it once to twice a week and that’s plenty enough.
What apps am I using the most?
For work I’m using…
The VisionOS Office365 apps including Teams
For non-work here are some fun apps you might want to check out…
Any streaming app available (Max, Disney+, etc)
Vroom for watching F1 racing (currently in beta)