Buying any first-generation Apple product has always been associated with a certain degree of courage, be it due to the inevitable mistakes and shortcomings of any software project creating a new product category, or at the risk of buyer's remorse when the second iteration turns out to be much better.
Many believe the Vision Pro could be a prime example of this, and a report over the weekend said that some members of the Apple team , responsible for the product, believe that only the 4th generation model will truly achieve what they set out to achieve…
It takes four generations to do it right
Most of us have done it: we buy an Apple product first generation because it's new and exciting and we want it now.
Sometimes it works, and we like to have early access to a device and just shrug when a better or cheaper version comes out next year. My MacBook Pro M1 Max is a good example of this. It more than lived up to the promise of Apple Silicon, and I still enjoy using it.
In other cases, not so much – and many believe the Vision Pro is a good example of a product for which it might be worth waiting for a later model.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman It even gets there to suggesting that “Vision Pro is essentially a prototype and you'll have to pay Apple for the privilege of testing it.”
He also reports that some members of the Vision Pro team believe that to achieve this goal may require four generations.
Today's Vision Pro is more of a preview of the future than the future itself. It's too heavy and bulky, the battery life is too short, and there aren't enough dedicated apps. For all its strengths, VisionOS is more buggy than you'd expect from an Apple product, even a first-generation one.
Apple still has a lot of work to do, starting with overhauling its software update process to release patches faster errors. At the moment, it appears that the software is a beta version, and in about a year it will be mature enough for consumers to use it in everyday life. In fact, some people at the Vision Products Group (the team working on the headset) believe it could take four generations before the device reaches its ideal form – similar to the progress of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
On the other hand, of course, one can argue that there is nowhere to get “there”. Whenever friends ask if any next-gen model is worth the wait, I usually answer with the same answer: the next generation will always be better, no matter when you buy it. At some point, you'll have to ask whether the current product gives you what you want at a reasonable price.
Best comment from Paradise Pete
I'm happy with mine, but I think waiting a generation or two is the right move for most people.
It's impressive now, but when both the hardware and operating system get much better, it will be amazing.
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And in the case of Vision Pro, those who buy today get early access to an altogether new experience that may well be worth the financial hit and the initial teething problems.
Will replace the iPad, not the Mac, says Gurman
One big question about the long-term future Vision Pro: Is this the future of computing? Could it eventually replace the Mac? I shared my thoughts on this last week, but Gurman puts forward another possibility.
There has been a lot of talk about the headset being the future of the Mac or a replacement iPhone. I don't think that's true. After using the $3,499 device for a week, I think the Vision Pro could have taken apart the iPad instead. It has the potential to provide a much better experience doing the basic tasks that Apple's tablet was designed to do. But don't get me wrong, it's still very early days.
In my testing, the Vision Pro excelled at streaming video, performing light work tasks, and sending email and other messages. It's also great for viewing photos and using it as an external Mac monitor. This makes it an alternative to a computer when you're sitting on the couch, in bed, or on a plane—the same places you might use an iPad.
What's your opinion of each? of two problems? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image: 9to5Mac
