Revisiting My Relationship with Apple Vision Pro
Apple this week released its 26.1 updates to its panoply of platforms, including visionOS. Because life has been hectic over the last several months, my Vision Pro—the OG, M2-powered model—sat unused (and uncharged) for some time, its software frozen in amber at the ancient 2.0.1. Monday’s release of visionOS 26.1 was fortuitous, as it provided the proverbial kick in the ass I needed to not only charge Vision Pro, but also update its software. When all was said and done, it naturally was an opportunity for me to rekindle my relationship with the fledgling highfalutin headset. So, I put it on…
I don’t have much to report right now on 26.1 itself. The headlining features include things like widgets and the ability to scroll webpages just by looking at them. I’ve yet to try widgets, but can say the visual scrolling works as advertised—and is really cool. At a high level, it strikes me as a “low level” version of the Dwell functionality on macOS insofar as you focus your eyes up or down to move accordingly. The comparison is imperfect of course—Dwell is necessary for people who literally cannot control their computer(s) via the conventional input methods—but otherwise works because the mechanics are conceptually similar. If you, like me, sometimes feel cramps at doing the pinch-to-scroll gesture in visionOS due to low muscle tone, visionOS 26’s eye-scrolling feature can be helpful as a de-facto accessibility feature. In that sense, it’s much more than technically impressive; as ever, a mainstream feature can benefit accessibility too.
I wrote last month about Apple’s announcement of its new M5 chip, which the company is using to run the base model 14” MacBook Pro and, pertinently here, the Vision Pro. In my time so far this week playing around in Vision Pro, the M2 model runs 26.1 with aplomb and I can do everything I want just fine; I see no reason to upgrade. Likewise, alongside news of the M5 Vision Pro came word of a new accessory: the Dual Knit Band. The $99 headband, which coincidentally is compatible with my model, supposedly feels nicer to wear while using Vision Pro, partly because the band at the top helps redistribute much of the Vision Pro’s considerable weightiness. Personally, I’m not that interested in the Dual Knit Band—although I could make a cogent argument for trying one for journalism’s sake. Nonetheless, the truth of the matter is I like the default Solo Knit Band very much. It exudes niceness in terms of construction, and it feels comfortable to wear for the hour or so I use Vision Pro. I have a distinct memory of initially disliking the Solo Knit Band during my briefing with Apple way back when, but that was eons ago. After getting Vision Pro home for testing, I got the Solo Knit Band to fit how I wanted it—and have loved wearing it ever since. It really is a great piece of kit.
My time revisiting Vision Pro over the last few days has been instructive in that it has reaffirmed the best use cases for me. For one thing, the device plays well to my introverted, anxiety and depression-addled self because it’s decidedly a solitary device. I know you can FaceTime and Zoom in visionOS, but I feel “alone” once I put on Vision Pro. The Mindfulness app is great for when I need a little pick-me-up, and I remain steadfast in my conviction that Vision Pro is the best product for watching video I’ve ever used. I watched this week’s episode of The Morning Show in Vision Pro and it was spectacular in the TV app’s “Cinema” environment. The picture quality is astounding, while the immersive nature of the environment makes watching stuff more accessible. Experientially, it truly does feel like you’re sitting inside a brick-and-mortar movie theater. Alas, I wish visionOS was more rife with apps beyond Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Pluto TV. I wish Netflix and Prime Video had native Vision Pro apps. I wish Channels had an app too. The iPadOS apps are serviceable, but they aren’t like using an app specifically and intentionally built for the Vision platform. Vision Pro will likely never become my main entertainment vehicle—I have a 77” LG C3 OLED on the living room wall, glorious in its own right—but if I’m spending time home alone, all by myself, I’d love to immerse in more movies and television shows using the headset.
Beyond entertainment value, though? I’m not sold on Vision Pro as a productivity machine. Although I’m appreciative of the ability to resize windows to my heart’s content—browsing in Safari is especially good for visual accessibility—I’m not of the mind that I want to actually do work in visionOS. The reasons for this are many, but I think the biggest one is sensory. To wit, I don’t relish being “trapped” in a headset for an hour or two, writing a story or doing email, with a heavy computer strapped to my face.
Reservations aside, Vision Pro remains damn cool—and accessible at that.
