One Year of Vision Pro: Reality or Magical Trash?

The State of Apple Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. While it stands as a marvel of spatial computing, it remains in a difficult position: it is an incredibly immersive experience for a select audience, yet it lacks broad adoption, suffers from a lack of "killer" apps, and carries a prohibitive $3,500 price tag.

The Developer Experience

• Ease of use: Developers note that the Swift ecosystem and intuitive UI make creating for VisionOS surprisingly accessible for those familiar with iOS and Mac platforms.
• The Persistence Problem: A major limitation identified by developers is the lack of persistence. When an app or a user's workspace setup disappears after turning the device off, it severely hampers the utility of the device as a daily tool.
• The User Base Loop: There is a "chicken and egg" problem: high prices lead to low user adoption, which discourages major developers from investing time, which in turn limits the content available to users.

Can It Be Fixed?

"It's a technology-advancing prototype that they fixed the fit and finish on to sell it to people who are willing to spend a lot of money."

Participants discussed potential future paths for the platform:
• Price and Comfort: A "Vision SE" or a plastic-based, lighter version at a lower price point could be necessary to gain traction.
• Software Evolution: Both developers and users agree that VisionOS 3 is expected to be the first "real" update that addresses fundamental feedback, rather than just filling gaps.
• Killer Apps: While current games and utility apps haven't pushed sales, a killer experience—such as high-fidelity sports broadcasting or groundbreaking social theater—could catalyze mass interest.