Using The Apple Vision Pro in the UK: FIRST LOOK!

What does Apple need to do next with Vision Pro?

I had the demo yesterday in Manchester and was blown away.

Interested to know Mark, 5 months on, how much do you use it now?

Hey, such a refreshing review because of the European context! Thank you so much. I can relate 🖖🏻

I’m from Latvia and generally did the same as you. I ordered it out of curiosity - not knowing what to expect, excited and worried. The same situation - no local Apple ID support for now, extra costs for getting it to EU, a goal to figure out this product category.

I’m blown away by the screen resolution and eye/gesture tracking, and the spatial OS UI (also a lot of ideas for OS improvements). My Oculus will be forgotten 🙈

Vission Pro is not perfect, but seems to have a great potential to ignite the VR scene and push the market to another level.

A week in now, and I have a similar feeling like with the 1st generation iPhone - feels like the first milestone of a major switch of the way people will consume information (the timing is right also due to risebof AI scene / I strongly believe that getting rid of keyboards and trackpads is the key of wider adaptation of VR devices. AI shows promise to provide a new way for interacting with OS).

As an app developer I can also see parallels between initial mobile apps and trends in current 1st generation spatial OS apps - many apps seem to be failing to ajust for the spatial context and are just mimmicking either desktop or mobile UI principles. (same as many apps were copies of mobile web back in 2008-2012). But it’s about to change, once developer teams will pick up this media. As an app developer i see a very huge potential.

Ha I read your online review before stumbling upon this video. Took me a couple minutes to realise the name of the channel and the reviewer online were the same 😂 Great vid and great review! Thanks :)

Great review as always Mark. I think the Apple Vision Pro is for those hardcore Apple geeks out there with more money than sense. I have a Macbook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra, IPAD Pro, so already immersed in the Apple environment, but I personally could not justify spending £3k+ on Vision Pro. You can't beat working with a proper macbook/Ipad in front of you. How long would it take before the novelty wears off after users suffer yet another round of neck-aches?

Will you be wearing these full time from now on, or just now and then?

I believe wearing these outside in public could be a real concern for individuals personal security too.

Each to their own with how people spend their money and I get that it’s still very early days for Vision Pro but i’d still get a Meta Quest,
Gaming for example, I can connect my Quest to my Shadow PC account using virtual here and play flight simulator in VR mode plus several other games as well and for me that it is pretty much the only reason for VR headsets,
The idea of doing work via a headset just doesn’t make sense

I think we’re at the stage we can do all these fun things with technology, and we make the gadgets just because we can. But are they all really useful or necessary? Not really, but of course all this recreation uses a lot of precious resources which we turn a blind eye to in the developed world. Consumerism and capitalism is already destroying the planet and I think we need to consider if these gadgets are worth the cost

Not sure I want this as the future but can only imagine how this thing will function a few upgrades from now a little scary, but amazing at the same time.

Hi 👋 can I ask is it easy to set up new Apple ID in the UK ? Do I need USA address?

Great review,, as usual. The Vision Pro is way too expensive, and uncomfortable by the sound of it. Maybe in 3-5 years it will be viable.

What are the odds in ten years the Vision Pro will just be a pair of specs? Think I’ll wait till then😂

"If you don't want to spend a ridiculous amount on a Herman Miller Aeron." is the ad in a video about a $3500 set of VR glasses. 😂

how u were able to buy it?

Crazy. For $1k there are vr headsets that will custom mill a facial interface that fits you perfectly. For $3.5k... you get a rough match from a drawer.

if you get close to a mirror, the Vision Pro will show your eyes.

It just looks ridiculous lol

Eh- i think you might have been better off watching the US reviews and then deciding if it’s worth 3500 quid - based on the number of returns and bad reviews - seems a meta quest can do pretty much any of the functionality - for 500 quid - there’s just no way Steve Jobs would have pushed this into market without massive improvements - weight - 2 hours battery and limited apps are the most common issues by overwhelming number of reviews - even fanboys are admitting - apple may have a flop on their hands - so i think you may have wanted your money if I’m honest

Yes. A waste in any country

Good on you for doing a UK look at Vision Pro. £500 import tax ouch! I wouldn't do that myself. I'm not sure it is a productivity tool yet as it is very much a first version. But Apple have done what they often do, take existing ideas in tech and make it better and combined in a unique way. It needs to get lighter and more like a pair of glasses in version two I think.

I want a video of you walking around Morrisons! 😂

"I haven't watched any video reviews purposely", and minutes later - paraphrasing - "My friend did amazing video on Vision Pro" 😅 So your video review wasn't really a blind one.

Absolutely amazing device

Jesus import duties etc was eye watering expense ... thank you for posting

Excited about the product. I hope it takes off so we'll see more capable iterations and some truly immersive apps. At the moment, it'd hard for me to justify the expense, given the limited use cases.

I was really looking forward to your review, and the fact you waited to see other people’s videos until you got your own meant it was very raw and authentic, well done

Great video Mark. I think in time this device will turn into something within itself. Meaning that there will be stuff to do with this that are awesome, movies, games and stuff not yet invented. It will become something to do, ‘Vision Pro’ time. Put it on, enjoy, end, get on with life. It's not heading for everyone wearing one all day, everywhere they go

Looks an impressive bit of technology. Not sure I will get even when out in the UK. I can’t see using much except when flying and then it is rather bulky to carry. If used at home or in office would be very unsociable - removing yourself from those around you.

I can see how a wearable AR device could be useful, but this isn’t it. This is a media consumption device, and I don’t really get what the point is.

Not a waste of money if you enjoy it
However this is a solution to absolutely no problem that needed solving. Immense, expensive gimmick.
But this is Apple so it’s all part of the innovation and quality that’s part of the culture. Great video but as you can guess I’m not in the slightest bit interested other than as a viewer
Look forward to the follow ups

Very clear this is a first generation product. I think I will wait for a second/ third generation version. Hopefully lighter ( and cheaper!). Best and honest review I’ve seen of it. A long term test might address my concerns over eye strain etc.

Glad you didnt watch any video about the Vision Pro before this - can really feel your excitement/amazement through the video. Awesome stuff! 🎉

As a week-long "veteran" of the AVP, I'd like to mention one thing about comfort. The biggest mistake I see everyone making is evaluating the comfort level after 5 minutes, or even 1 day, of use. It is very tricky to adjust the AVP for maximum comfort. The over-the-head strap makes it easier to be a bit more sloppy in your adjustment, without making you pay the price in level of discomfort. The Solo band can be just as comfortable, but it takes a lot of experimentation. Most people position the back of the Solo band too low, causing the AVP to put more pressure on the lower parts of your face & nose. I've found the best positioning to be with the band pretty high up on the back of one's head. Just 1/4 inch difference, in either direction, can make a huge difference in comfort. Also, because the ratcheting adjustment knob works really well, many people tend to over tighten it causing huge amounts of pressure on the face. The tightness is almost infinitely adjustable in both directions in really tiny increments. I find that I can loosen it quite a bit without the AVP moving around. So, as you change the angle of the strap, you will feel the AVP pressure shifting. You want the pressure to be equal on all sides of the AVP. Then loosen the strap until you feel like it's almost too loose, then make very fine adjustments from there. In long sessions, like watching a movie, you may find that you have to start tweaking it again, maybe after an hour. I assume that's because the shapes of our faces change a little bit over time, especially when we have a weight strapped to them. It's taken me more than a week to get good at adjusting the Solo band for comfort. I use it because it's so much more convenient than the loop band. It should not be this difficult to get a comfortable fit and that's the one place where Apple needs to do a bit more research. I'm sure they can come up with a better band, perhaps an over-the-head style band that uses an adjustment feature as precise as the current adjustment knob in all directions. In the meantime, Apple could make some more detailed training about how to get a comfortable fit. They provided so much other training for this device and I hate to think how many people will return it because they never figured out how to make it comfortable.

How did u manage to get a US Apple ID and enter your payment details with a CC issued in the US? That’s virtually impossible to do if u live outside of the US and not a US resident (ie have a green card)

Why did u bother? Most ppl that bought it just for a review and views have returned it by now - you’re about 2 weeks late

How much? 😂

Don't even have to watch the video to know it's a yes.

Comfort and size has to be a big priority going forward and I’m sure it will
Movie watching experience is that viable atm or is that coming?

VR/AR won't take off in any meaningful way outside of niche nerd circles unless someone sells a good product at a loss to break it into the mainstream market. This product may be decent, but only tech reviewers and moderately wealthy Apple fanboys are going to buy it. People have been saying "it will get better and cheaper in the future!" But that's what we've been hearing about VR headsets for ten bloody years already!

There's also the quite substantial issue that it doesn't really offer anything. It doesn't make any tasks more convenient or novel enough to be worth using. For all the nonsense apps allow you to do on a smartphone, a smartphone still serves fundamentally useful functions such as allowing you to instantly communicate with people, using GPS navigation, doing things that actually make life easier to manage. A VR headset on the other hand, is 100% novelty. There aren't even any good hypothetical uses for it. People didn't even want to wear glasses for 3D TV's, nobody is going to wear a half-kilo headset every time they want to watch something.

What’s the comfort like after the 2 hours?

The best overview on the Apple Vision I've watched so far.

Hi Mark, I watched the video and understand you are going to integrate the Vision Pro into your life. When working with multiple applications. I.e. office, you are able to create multiple monitors. I believe initial focus of the vision, pro is business applications. The other would creative applications. I am wondering about the ability to dictate on the device. Period. This would remove the need for typing. Does the Vision Pro eliminate the use of a laptop or desktop? This to me would be a great tool. it would eliminate clutter.

As for the weight of the vision pro, you might need to start working out your neck! Good luck!

whenever you said wow whoah , i said it so many times too! 😂😂 i had fun with this review! thanks!

First video I’ve watched on this device, a fun watch for the first generation - you remind me of a kid on Christmas morning😂. Super interesting to see Microsoft 365 integration in the store… we’ll probably see Google follow suit. If I ever get into the position of being able to claim this as a business expense😅it will be interesting to see how this evolves in future generations.

What can be done with it that can't more effectively, more practically and more efficiently be done with other devices that have a longer battery charge? If there are ways in which it is better than what we already have, are the improvements worth the cost? In the few reviews I've seen, I haven't yet seen a reason to have one. It reminds me of foldable phone displays: the advance in technology is good to see, but it doesn't offer a practical advantage over what there already is, and it is only a step along the way to something worthwhile to most people. It might appeal to those who are easily seduced by gimmicks and novelty, and have $3.5k to spare, but I can't see what practical benefits it offers over other devices already owned by most people who would buy one.

Hey Mark, does the Vision Pro pair up via Bluetooth with sound-cancelling headphones, and if so, how easy is it to do so?

So, that’s just about the best review I’ve seen on that bit of kit! Love a pair, but don’t have that sort of dosh. I’m thinking the quest 3 might be a better option… but I have no idea.

More than 5k views in 8 hours means it wasn't a waste of money: ad revenue will back that up.

I can't get my head around 3.5k! Ridiculous.