Apple Vision Pro: A working parent’s review

Am I crazy? Yes. But that’s partly because I’m also a working parent.

You’ll find plenty of reviews out there from Apple enthusiasts and tech-heads breaking down the Vision Pro every which way to Sunday. Those reviews are valuable, absolutely. But I wanted to offer a review from the perspective of a dad who spends 90% of his day either working or spending time with his kid. I imagine there are many out there like me—maybe even you.

Let me highlight a recent instance where Apple Vision Pro really came in handy for me personally.

It’s 2:30 a.m. on a Wednesday and I’m waiting for my one-year-old son to fall asleep.I’ve been in and out of his room all night—picking him up, holding him until he falls asleep, and slowly placing him back into his crib. But sure enough, he wakes back up every time. I won’t sleep until he does, so I retrieve the high-tech headset that’s been perched on my office desk, away from the curious hands of my recently-mobile-but-now-extremely-mobile toddler, and return to my living room. I connect the headset to the battery pack, and wait 30 seconds or so for Apple’s Vision Pro to activate.

After a few moments, I see a digital keypad with a grid of numbers floating in the middle of my living room—like if the Ghost of Christmas Past were a calculator. I enter my password by looking at the numbers I want and tapping my fingers together. Apple Vision Pro is the first computer I’ve ever tried where I am the cursor. In practice, it feels like telekinesis.

Then, with a couple of quick motions—a click and a twist of the “digital crown” atop the headset—I’m no longer in my living room. I no longer see my TV, or my plants, or any of my furniture.I see craters, and rocks, and the clearest, most beautiful view of our stars I’ve ever seen.

I’m on the moon.

At no point does it feel like I’m looking at a picture—or through a pair of ultra-dense displays surrounded by sensors and cameras, which I am. It feels like I’m really there. Here’s a short video I recorded of what it looks like:

The effect washes over me instantly. I’m no longer thinking about my lack of sleep tonight, or how difficult work is going to be tomorrow as a result. This simulated view of the cosmos is so convincing, I’m instantly transported out of my current situation and back to those summer nights at sleep-away camp in upstate New York—far enough from the lights and pollution of nearby cities to give you a stellar view of the stars on most nights. 

The best part? It’s quick and easy to enter and exit this virtual world. When my baby cries, I simply twist the digital crown atop the headset and I’m back in my living room. I can check to make sure he’s safe, even while still donning the headset—and, when I’m ready, I can twist the crown again to re-deploy those starry skies.

It’s these moments where I’m really not thinking about how much I spent on this headset. (For the record, nearly $5,000 after taxes and insurance, which you totally need if you buy this thing). Frankly, I’m not really thinking about anything at all. I embrace the stillness of the moon, and feel at peace.

Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

3D family movies are timeless and emotional

Like many parents, I love immersive entertainment. After working all day, and chasing my toddler before and after said work, I like to unwind by escaping reality as much as possible. Usually, that means digging into a TV show or movie with my wife, or playing a video game. But Apple Vision Pro, so far, has delivered the most immersive entertainment I’ve ever experienced.

This headset has tricked my brain into all sorts of wild scenarios so far: that I’m standing on top of a mountain, or alone in the desert, or in front of Alicia Keys as she rehearses with her band (my favorite). I’ve gotten up close and personal with rhinos, dinosaurs, and T-Pain. And it all feels real.

It’s also breathed new life into movies I’ve seen countless times: Notably, I watched Avengers: Infinity War in 3D, on the moon, the biggest and brightest screen I’ve ever seen. I was blown away. 3D experiences are where the Vision Pro truly shines.

Apple

But the best thing I’ve done on Apple’s first-generation Vision Pro so far is film 3D home movies.

Apple Vision Pro has cameras pointing at your eyes to optimize visuals and detect what you want to do—but it also has cameras pointing outside so you can see your real-world surroundings. These same outward-facing cameras let you record 3D photos and videos which, when you watch them later, really feel like you’re experiencing them again for the first time.

The depth effect of these 3D movies is not only convincing, it’s emotional. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-watched videos of my son running into my arms for a hug, or my wife and I feeding him in his high chair. It tugs at my heartstrings, if I can be honest—reliving these memories and knowing how fragile and temporary they are. Soon, my son will change: He’ll be a boy, then a teen, then a man. But here, in this headset, I can see my baby, just as he looks now, forever and always.

Surprisingly, capturing all of these 3D movies hasn’t taken up much storage. On the contrary, my multimedia library only comprises about 10% of the 512 GB of storage on this device (you can buy it in 256 GB and 1 TB varieties, but this was the sweet spot for me). And, to be clear, I have a ton of multimedia content: over 9,000 photos, 1,000 videos, and a dozen “spatial videos” so far. (Worth noting: A 3-minute spatial video shot with Vision Pro is about 1 GB of space, but most of my videos come in around 30 seconds, which means each video is about 100 MB. I’ll be able to store plenty of memories in this thing.)

Don’t plan on it being your main work device

Apple Vision Pro isn’t perfect. Sometimes, it feels like there isn’t enough to do: not enough apps, not enough immersive content from Apple or third parties, and not enough features. Passthrough—the ability to see your real-life surroundings—needs to be sharper and more colorful. The field of view could be wider, and there should be more unique interactions with other Apple devices. I wish, for instance, this thing came with Find My iPhone so it could direct me to my misplaced iDevices in a cool 3D way. (I can’t tell you how annoying it is looking for your missing iPhone while wearing this thing.)

Dave Smith

Vision Pro also needs to be much better at work. It only really excels as a mirror for my MacBook display. I use my laptop’s keyboard, while the Vision Pro provides a massive digital screen that can be manipulated by pinching and pulling the air. It’s fun! But you really don’t want to use Vision Pro for work unless you own a MacBook, or a physical Bluetooth keyboard.

Typing with only Vision Pro means using a single finger to select letters on a virtual keyboard, or focusing on each individual letter and typing it by tapping your fingers—both methods are painfully slow and prone to mistakes. So if you’re a working parent but are considering a Vision Pro for the work side of your life, just be sure you have a MacBook or physical Bluetooth keyboard handy. (I once tried writing a 250-word article with just the Vision Pro; it took almost two hours just to get the words out. Oof.)

As a busy dad, there also just aren’t many occasions where wearing the headset is appropriate. If I wear it during the work day, I have to take it off at least 15 minutes in advance of meetings since it leaves goofy red marks on my face and head. When I’m spending time with my wife and son at night, the headset can also be a distraction rather than a tool. People aren’t accustomed to headsets like this being “normal” just yet, so I’ve gotten some looks from friends and family when I take it out—even when the spatial videos I film are incredible to watch later. 

There’s a lot of room to grow for Apple Vision Pro. But as Casey Neistat points out, this is the worst Apple Vision Pro will ever be: issues will be ironed out, features will be introduced and iterated upon, and more content will be available. I understand many people have returned their Vision Pros for various reasons, but I have no plans to return mine. As a working parent, I have limited time, and the time I do spend inside this device feels novel—and worth it.