We've seen plenty of people wearing the Vision Pro in public, and it's even been suggested that this is a positive thing for Apple and of its customers.
But one reviewer, who singled out use of the device while walking the streets, in stores and restaurants, said it caused social discomfort—and Apple made it clear that mobile device use is not intended …
So far, most of the footage we've seen of Vision Pro's people on the street has clearly been intended as a funny play. entertainment or the hope of going viral.
But Arstechnica's Samuel Axon wanted to wear the Vision Pro in public for a much more pragmatic reason: to see if it had a use case and gauge people's reactions.
He concluded that it was safe enough to walk, at least at least in daylight.
The pass-through on this headset is better than anything I've seen before and is more than enough to safely walk and use it. No, it's not the same as seeing the world with your own eyes, but you have all the precision and depth of perception you need (and barely enough field of view) to be comfortable. Seeing what I was doing and walking safely was not a problem.
He, of course, emphasizes that no one should use it while driving a car.
The interactions he describes were surprisingly natural – for example, the assistant who interacted with him in a completely normal way when he went to get food. order.
He interacted with me normally, looked into my virtual eyes, talked to me, asked me a standard question about my order and thanked me by handing me I'm going. There were no awkward glances, no questions, no rude remarks.
The waitress in the restaurant asked if this was the “new Apple”? and whether he saw her, he seemed more curious than puzzled. The waiter who brought the food to his table was more hesitant and less comfortable.
He placed my plate in front of me, but seemed to be especially careful, believing that I could not see him. When I picked up the plate, he seemed taken aback. -Can you see in this thing? he asked. “Yeah,” I said. He shook his head in confusion and walked away.
But personally, he felt uncomfortable in society. Although he did not receive any overt negative reactions, he was constantly worried about what other people might think. And he points out, quite reasonably, that salespeople and waiters are paid to be polite to customers, no matter what they think in private – so normal interactions may or may not tell you anything about the acceptability of wearing a device when interacting with people .
Most convincingly, he argues that Apple makes it very clear that it is not intended to be used in this way. For example, windows stay anchored in space.
When I opened the Music app to change songs while walking down the sidewalk, it worked – there it is, a window Apple Music floating in my neighbor's yard. I switched songs and moved on, but the window remained there. In fact, when I returned 10 minutes after finishing my trip to Potbelly, the window was still floating in my neighbor's yard.
But what's even more compelling is that Apple didn't do it. seized the obvious opportunity to create a full AR Maps experience.
Apple didn't even try to offer any value for using Vision Pro and o. Remember when I said that augmented reality trends could be a great use case for AR glasses or glasses? Well, Apple didn't even bother adding this feature. In fact, the Maps app for VisionOS is in the Compatible Apps category – it's literally an iPad app, just like you'd use it on an iPad Air, just running inside VisionOS. There are no AR directions. There is no AR Maps app.
None of this means you shouldn't use it publicly. Axon compares this to using your MacBook: You might be able to sit at a table in a café and use it there, or while sitting on a plane, but you won't do that unless you're staying in the same space for a long time. time. And in this case, not when communicating with other people, except in a very brief way.
The entire article is an interesting read.
Photo: 9to5Mac
