Apple Vision Pro, while a remarkable piece of tech, needs updates to avoid gathering dust, and WWDC's new features like 3D “spatial photos” are modest tweaks

The $3,500 “spatial computing” device has gathered dust on my shelf. Can tweaks and upgrades save it from obsolescence?

New York Times 2024-06-11 Kevin Roose

Context & Ripple Effects

Early coverage treated Vision Pro's spatial interface as its defining strength but expected a long path to iPhone-scale relevance. The device's technical ambition therefore always depended on finding repeatable uses beyond the initial demonstration.

That challenge was already visible in reporting on productivity and guest-use limitations. WWDC's spatial-photo addition adds to the experience, but this account suggests it is not yet a sufficient answer to owner retention.

First-order effects

Existing Vision Pro owners gain a new way to view personal media, while the reported lack of day-to-day use remains unresolved.
Apple faces an immediate product-engagement problem: modest feature additions must compete with the risk that a $3,500 device becomes infrequently used.

Second-order effects

The gap between technical capability and habitual use puts greater weight on future visionOS updates addressing the device's practical-use shortcomings, not just adding showcase features.
Weak repeat usage would make the premium price harder to justify for prospective buyers, narrowing the audience Apple can convert without a clearer value proposition.

Third-order effects

If this pattern persists, spatial-computing hardware will be judged less by launch-period novelty than by whether software creates durable, recurring use cases.
The category's path to broader adoption may depend on aligning hardware cost, comfort, and software utility; this coverage indicates that feature-by-feature iteration alone may not do so.

The trend: Vision Pro is one data point in the broader shift from immersive-hardware demos toward proving sustained software utility and user retention.

Discussion

@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
“.. Every few weeks, I strap it to my head to do some focused writing, or watch a movie .. Otherwise, it sits on a shelf collecting dust.” @nytimes @kevinroose $AAPL #visionpro @knowledge_vital https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]
@heaney_555 David Heaney on threads
The new ultrawide Mac Virtual Display looks incredible. *Better* than multiple monitors, and getting closer to the dream goal of just spawning Mac apps as floating windows without the 2D container.
@blackmagic_news @blackmagic_news on x
Introducing Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive! New camera in development, designed to capture content for Apple Vision Pro with 8160 x 7200 resolution per eye, 16 stops of dynamic range for 90fps stereoscopic 3D immersive cinema content and more! Available later in 2024. Learn more!…
@ddiakopoulos Dimitri Diakopoulos on x
Among many of the amazing things announced today at #WWDC24, really happy that my team helped ship a new breath responsive feature in the visionOS Mindfulness app (among many other great collaborators across Apple). I hope folks can take a moment to try it soon! [image]
@cixliv @cixliv on x
“Main camera access” for visionOS. Apple is now more open than “Open Platform” Meta. Lol. [image]
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
You can now force quit multiple apps at once in visionOS 2.0 Small things like this go a long way in making me feel that this is a “spatial computer” [video]
@justinryanio Justin Ryan on x
can we please get this feature [iPhone Mirroring] on the Vision Pro?
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
visionOS 2.0 now takes your environments depth map into account so you can easily snap your personal spatial objects onto countertops, chairs, floors, etc [video]
@cixliv @cixliv on x
Supposedly Vision Pro can now do hand tracking at 90Hz. This is a big deal. Why? The original hand tracking was 30Hz, this was hugely problematic for gaming. The display was running at 90Hz and the hand tracking made it look like the game was lagging. Quest is 60Hz.
@cixliv @cixliv on x
@tina__nigro Notable how it's under the enterprise section. Which means it will likely only work for enterprise distribution which means in the same org. Still more open than Meta, as they don't give access to anyone.
@cixliv @cixliv on x
Furthering the announcement about VisionPro camera access and how this affects mixed reality devs. Let me make expand. TLDR: It will start slowly then all at once. 1. It will be limited (initially) to enterprise distribution. This means that only enterprise accounts can
@jazzychad Chad Etzel on x
Arrrggghhh barcode/qr scanning in visionOS is an Enterprise API and requires and special entitlement and is only allowed in in-house apps (ie, no AppStore apps)
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
From my vantage point in the keynote audience, the crowd applause for visionOS was larger than that of nearly every other than segment so far other than iPadOS calculator and Math Notes.
@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
We're excited to bring Apple Vision Pro to more customers around the world so that they can experience the magic of spatial computing! https://www.apple.com/...
@kentbye Kent Bye on x
Buried in a #WWDC24 session is news that the Apple Vision Pro hand tracking will be bumped up to the display rate (i.e. 90Hz)! No more 30Hz latency, which should greatly improve many embodied mixed reality interactions. More at the 12:12 mark here: https://developer.apple.com/ ..…
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
visionOS 2.0 secretly added persistent apps/layouts between reboots! It no longer forgets or forces you to reopen all your apps from the previous session! I AM SO HAPPY!
@jetscott Scott Stein on x
Apple Intelligence being discussed for iPhone, iPad and Mac...what about Vision Pro? #wwdc
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
This is clearly not a big OS. Feels like this should have been what shipped as v1.0
@scobleizer Robert Scoble on x
The cult gets bigger screens. Yay!
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Seems noteworthy that AVP / visionOS took top billing in the keynote.
@trungtphan Trung Phan on x
Apple announces new Vision Pro 2.0 Mac widescreen at WWDC, the best most interactive way to lose all your money day trading. [image]
@basicappleguy Basic Apple Guy on x
I didn't see any mention about more native apps for Vision Pro (Pages, Calendar, etc.). #WWDC24 [image]
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
Pretty light on new features for visionOS 2. Not a huge surprise given it's so soon post-launch. 2D -> Spatial Photos looks good. New gestures seem nice. And larger desktop area welcomed. But not too much else, it seems? #WWDC24
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Some neat VisionOS 2.0 features: - Advanced machine learning create a spatial photo with natural depth out of your original photos - Flip your hand over to see time and battery, and then click into control center more easily - Later this year, higher display resolution and size s…
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Some anticipated features in Vision OS 2, including Train Mode! [image]
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
And that's what's coming to Vision OS? That's it?
@laurengoode Lauren Goode on x
“Train support” is being added to Apple Vision Pro's travel mode, Caltrain is about to become insufferable
@anshelsag Anshel Sag on x
We love train support for travel mode! Public transit ftw. #WWDC [image]
@rakeshsfnyc Rakesh Agrawal on x
Those were some really weak feature enhancements for visionOS.
@autismcapital @autismcapital on x
Who is seriously going to be walking around with a special spatial video lens for their canon? Nobody cares enough to shoot content for a product that nobody uses or wants.
@ianzelbo Ian Zelbo on x
Vimeo💀
@migueldeicaza Miguel de Icaza on x
Guess I am now buying a new Canon camera.
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Ultrawide mac virtual display is huge 2 4K displays side by side
@alex @alex on x
apple stop making me want a vision pro even more i dont need it
@lukemiani Luke Miani on x
VisionOS 2 looking pretty sick so far ngl, I like the new gestures especially
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
Lots of crowd cheering for visionOS 2 new feature of wider screen virtual display for Mac. Essentially giving you two 4k side by side displays but with just one display. One of my more requested features :)
@joshgans Joshua Gans on x
No multiple logins for Vision Pro. 😕
@munster_gene Gene Munster on x
New visionOS 2. visionOS1 came out 4 months ago. Big picture: Vision Pro is still in its infancy and will take years to build momentum...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
ok I'm loving this ultrawide monitor mode in Apple Vision Pro's visionOS 2 update https://www.theverge.com/... [image]
@benwood Ben Wood on x
Big news! Apple Vision Pro coming to the UK much earlier than I expected. Will arrive on 12 July - will also be available in Australia, Canada, France and Germany on the same date. Arrives even sooner in China, Japan and Singapore (28 June). #WWDC [image]

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