Before I start, I must admit, I really dislike Apple, but I have tried to not let that get in the way of the facts. The way I will be comparing the features of the headset is to look at this video, made by Apple, meant to show you what the headset can do, and compare whether any other headsets can do it at all, what time they can do it in and whether it the solutions are aesthetically pleasing. I have split this post into the chapters the video is split in.
Now that I made it through the video, there are some more things I want to say.
Conclusion:
The Apple Vision Pro is a headset that takes features that are already present in most modern-day headsets, but makes them more accessible and quicker to access. Apple is saying "you can do the things you love in ways never before possible" and that "you’ve never seen everything like this before", but is just a mere rearrangement of UI elements and a synchronization to an ecosystem really the future, or just another cashgrab by Apple to piggyback off their loyal customers?
If you read through this rant, thank you. If you have any questions or want to tell me I got something wrong, type a comment below and I will try my best to respond as quick as possible and/or edit the main post as necessary.
0. The strap
This is more of a side tangent, but the default strap is just bad. It puts a lot of pressure on your face and trust me, that gets very uncomfortable very quick. While Apple does include a dual loop strap in the box, knowing most of Apple's customers, they won't even bother trying to change it and use it "as intended". If Apple is promoting this as a headset to get work done in, they need to iterate on the design of the strap.
1. Navigation
I'll be honest, the navigation looks pretty cool, but other than an aesthetic change, it's not anything groundbreaking. Hand tracking and eye tracking have been around on the Quest series for a long time. (For some reason the Quest 3 doesn't have eye tracking, but still). There is also a video, about half a year old, of someone remaking the UI on Quest Pro, mostly the same as the Vision Pro. In functionality, this can be compared to the Quest 2's menu, which you can navigate with only your hands. In design, Apple wins, no arguing with that.
2. Photos, 360° photos and spatial videos
The cool thing about Vision Pro is that it is a part of the Apple ecosystem, so your phone seamlessly syncs your gallery with the headset (probably). But why would you want to view photos on a headset anyway? Now you might be thinking, panoramas will look extremely good, and I will admit that it does look pretty cool in Apple's video, but as long as you are willing to spend like 5 minutes to learn how to sideload an app, you can get the same experience (if not better) on the Quest 2. What about spatial videos? Pretty recently, Meta released an update which now lets Apple users seamlessly upload spatial videos from their phone directly to the headset through the Quest app (which you need anyway for a Quest headset). The viewing experience is mostly the same, being able to see your environment behind the video.
3. Movies
I will admit it, the movie viewing experience is superior on the Vision Pro. There are still some options on Quest headsets, but being in your own space and viewing it can't be beat.
4. Workspace
The only way to compare these is to look at the video and see whether these actions could be done on any other headset. I performed these processes on a Quest 2.
1. Open mail and drag it somewhere - It is possible, but a bit more tedious, due to the fact that you have to open a browser and then go into your Gmail/Outlook/whatever.
2. Music - Open another browser tab and open Spotify or Apple Music. Their web player does the job fine, due to lack of an official app.
3. Browser - Just open a browser tab and drag it wherever you want it to be.
1. Open mail and drag it somewhere - It is possible, but a bit more tedious, due to the fact that you have to open a browser and then go into your Gmail/Outlook/whatever.
2. Music - Open another browser tab and open Spotify or Apple Music. Their web player does the job fine, due to lack of an official app.
3. Browser - Just open a browser tab and drag it wherever you want it to be.
5. FaceTime
The entire "persona" thing could be traced back to Meta's avatars feature. Calling over VR and having someone actually being able to see your facial expressions definitely unique, but also the personas look so bizarre. Conferences over VR have been possible for a very long time, but if I had to give a point, it would go to Apple, because their solution is quick, easy and overall very comfortable (excluding the bizarre persona thing)
6. Environments
Environments have existed since the dawn of VR, maybe not as advanced as now, but still very much there. My only gripe with this is the inability to set a border, which can lead to either some very expensive tech or maybe a severe injury.
7. Virtual Display
This is pretty easy to replicate using SteamVR or Oculus Air Link, not quite instant, but still pretty good
8. Apps
I can't really say anything about this because I have no idea what the current state of the App Store on the Vision Pro is, but as far as I have seen, the general reason why other headsets will fall behind is because developers know that if they develop for Apple, they can get a lot more people engaged with their app, which leads to more profit.
Now that I made it through the video, there are some more things I want to say.
Compatibility
Apple has always tried to make their users feel more "elite" in a sort. This starts all the way from the design of the OS in every product they make, all the way to the system apps *ahem* green bubbles *ahem*. Something that surprised me was the fact they chose not to support OpenXR, an industry standard that mostly every VR/AR experience utilizes. While you definitely can develop with Unity and Swift, some developers will prefer to stick to what they already know and can do best.
Why am I even posting this?
Apple has always relied on their faithful customers. As proved above, this $3500 headset can be compared to a 3 year old $250 headset. This issue also exists with the iPhone, Apple's signature product. The iPhone 15 can be compared (excl. cameras) to phones about the same age as the Quest 2. Despite this, the company still continues to rake in profit due to its loyal customers and impact the company has had on society. (maybe it's just a vocal minority but even my friends sometimes make fun of me for having an android)
Conclusion:
The Apple Vision Pro is a headset that takes features that are already present in most modern-day headsets, but makes them more accessible and quicker to access. Apple is saying "you can do the things you love in ways never before possible" and that "you’ve never seen everything like this before", but is just a mere rearrangement of UI elements and a synchronization to an ecosystem really the future, or just another cashgrab by Apple to piggyback off their loyal customers?
If you read through this rant, thank you. If you have any questions or want to tell me I got something wrong, type a comment below and I will try my best to respond as quick as possible and/or edit the main post as necessary.