There’s no shortage of discourse surrounding Apple Vision Pro. Is it a flop? The future? Something in-between? Most of the narratives have little to do with actually using the device, though. After almost a year of balking at Vision Pro’s price tag, I finally gave in and bought one recently, and want to share about three specific experiences I’ve had in visionOS that have brought me delight.
Navigating a new area in Apple Maps
I wrote recently about a new Apple Maps feature that’s been huge for me: the ability to search for locations specific to the part of the map you’re viewing.
The reason this change has been so big is that I love using Maps to explore new areas. I do this when planning vacations, but also just in the everyday happenings of life. I get a lot of joy out of exploring my home, New York City, via Apple Maps and finding all kinds of new places to try.
Recently my family and I moved apartments, and in the lead-up I used my Vision Pro to scope out our new neighborhood.
Vision Pro was the absolute best way to explore our new neighborhood in advance. It brought me so much joy to use Look Around in visionOS with a massive app window.
As I browsed the area, I saved restaurants, coffee shops, and other spots to try out after moving. It was a great way to prep for the move, and I see myself doing this a lot more in the future.
Funnily enough, Apple Maps in visionOS isn’t even a native app. It’s an iPad app running in compatibility mode. But the immersive experience Vision Pro provided was still unique.
Watching a 3D movie
General consensus is that Vision Pro is a great entertainment device, even if the jury’s still out on productivity uses. One highlight of visionOS is support for Immersive Video, a special 180-degree video format Apple has pioneered.
My views on Immersive Video are still very much in flux, but one of the most delightful entertainment experiences I’ve had so far with Vision Pro involved watching a 3D animated movie.
I’ve tried out 3D live-action movies, and they’re fine. CG-heavy films like Avatar fare better than others. But my favorite to date? Disney’s Moana in 3D.
The animation is so beautiful, and the 3D effects so compelling, my time watching Moana felt like something very special compared to alternative viewing options.
Voice-first computing with Siri
I understand it may not be the best time to say nice things about Siri. Apple’s assistant has issues that need to be fixed, and I’m rooting for the Vision Pro guy to fix them.
But using Siri in Vision Pro, despite its shortcomings, has brought me a lot of joy.
On Apple’s other platforms, I use Siri for certain things like creating reminders, setting timers, and asking random trivia questions. In Vision Pro though, there’s something much more compelling about computing by voice.
Because I don’t always have a keyboard and trackpad when using Vision Pro, voice becomes the natural way to get things done faster than I otherwise could. The eye and hand tracking in visionOS is compelling, but just speaking and having Siri do things for me feels so great.
Siri has a long way to go, but a truly intelligent new Siri could be a game-changer for spatial computing.
Vision Pro diary: wrap-up
My early days with the Vision Pro have in no way been perfect. I still struggle to find the best fit for the device, weight can definitely be an issue, and I’ve not yet given ‘real work’ in visionOS a fair shot. But for today, I wanted to highlight some of the delightful experiences I’ve had so far that make Vision Pro feel special. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on all the rest of my visionOS uses in the weeks to come.
What are some of your delightful Vision Pro experiences? Let us know in the comments.
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