Review: Two Weeks With the Apple Vision Pro

Today marks the two-week anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro launch, and the last day for returns for those who purchased on release day. With plenty of stories going around from those who decided not to keep the $3,500 device, MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera thought he'd share some of the reasons why he'll be keeping his headset.


We need to have a few Vision Pro headsets on hand to write about them here at MacRumors, so that's one of the primary reasons that Dan will be keeping his. Apple is already working on visionOS 2, and we're interested in seeing what changes and updates are in store. We're also getting new apps on a regular basis, all of which make the Vision Pro a more appealing device.

The Vision Pro is the best way to be immersed in a movie, especially 3D movies, and that's another key reason why Dan won't be bringing his back to the Apple Store. The Cinema Environment that shuts out the world is hard to beat because it's basically your own personal movie theater.

Working on the Vision Pro needs some improvement, perhaps with support for multiple Mac displays, but it's useful when traveling with a laptop. It would also be nice to be able to use a mouse, but Magic Keyboard and Trackpad input work well enough.

There are some downsides to the Vision Pro. It's hard to wear for more than about an hour, the battery life is awful, and it doesn't hold a charge at all when not in use. Touch typing with the air keyboard is a poor experience, Personas need a lot of work to be less creepy, there still aren't a whole lot of groundbreaking app experiences, and Guest Mode is awful, so it is fully understandable why we're hearing a lot of return stories.

Make sure to watch Dan's full video to get his thoughts on the Vision Pro after two weeks, and let us know if you kept or returned your Vision Pro in the comments below.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

Someyoungguy Avatar
13 months ago
Ha ha we finally know the use case for this thing and it’s to write more about it. It exists for its own sake, and nothing else.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atomwork Avatar
13 months ago
Its a cool product and the demo was amazing. But as a UXUI Designer, it's not helping me. And it's too expensive to play games. Quest 3 would be the better option
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wgaller Avatar
13 months ago
So the killer app is having your own personal movie theater yet it’s hard to wear for more than an hour?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G5isAlive Avatar
13 months ago
You realize all the people that have been putting this down with religious fervor are not going to look past "I kept this because its my job."

Having said that, I share your personal enthusiasm for the device and look forward to the time ahead with it. Ever day with it I discover more things that I like, and learn to work around the things I don't. I have never been a fan of panorama pictures on my iPhone, they always seemed warped (probably because they are). I read here yesterday from an actual owner how good panoramas are... and as I was wearing my AVP it was easy to go to the ones I had taken .. and.. was floored. So thankful for the Panoramas I did take on my travels. Took me right back there. Anyway, that's just the most recent reason I am keeping mine.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
13 months ago

Huh?

I’ve read this three times and I’m still confused

Been a long week. Might be that.
It's a joke- see that wink at the end. I'm poking at the pessimism being so extreme that they can't just expect 100% returns but 110% returns because 100% would not be enough to support the contempt some feel for this thing... and make sure the rest of us know that in every Vpro thread.

All entitled to their own opinion of course but I just don't grasp the waste of time & energy some put into a product discussion they very obviously have no interest in trying or ever buying.

I happen to have no interest in Watch. You won't find many of my thousands of posts since 2004 in Watch threads. I'd rather focus my learning and/or insights I might offer on products in which I AM interested than where I am not. But again, to each their own.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
13 months ago
Thankfully Apple has a generous return policy
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)