The future of computing and entertainment is here with Apple Vision Pro.

• The Apple Vision Pro, priced at $3,500, will be launched in the U.S. on Friday. This marks the company's first significant new device since the Apple Watch was introduced in April 2015.
• In years, I've had the most enjoyable experience with a new product.
• If I had an additional $3,500 to spend, I would purchase the Vision Pro, despite its current absence of some significant applications.

I'm at a lake near Oregon's Mount Hood, sitting on the beach, with jazz music playing as I write. I'm not in reality.

Well, I sort of am.

I'm sporting a new Vision Pro headset that resembles a stylish pair of glowing ski goggles.

The long-awaited Apple headset, priced at $3,500, is set to launch in the U.S. on Friday. This marks the company's first major new gadget since the Apple Watch was introduced in April 2015. I have been testing it for nearly a week and while it has some limitations, it has been the most enjoyable new product I have tried in years.

While analysts predict that the Vision Pro will not generate significant revenue initially, I believe that if Apple offers more affordable versions in the future, it will lead to a substantial number of users.

The Vision Pro provides a unique spatial computing experience, allowing you to work, play games, watch movies, or browse the web while remaining in your physical environment.

The Vision Pro, with its sharp displays and M2 processor, can perform a range of tasks expected from an Apple device. It has a dedicated App Store for Vision Pro apps and supports over a million iPhone or iPad apps. Additionally, it can be paired with a Mac and viewed on a 4K display inside the goggles.

This new computing technology offers a whole new realm of experiences and is the future.

Here’s what you need to know:

What’s good

I was hesitant when I first encountered Apple's Vision Pro. For years, companies have attempted to create virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, or some other type of reality technology.

After an hour or so, I'm usually done with it being cool.

The Vision Pro has three essential components: super-sharp and vibrant screens, "passthrough" technology for default viewing of the surroundings, and a fast processor.

The displays on the Vision Pro headset eliminate the "screendoor" effect commonly seen in lower-cost headsets like the Quest 3. This allows for clear and easy reading of text on websites and books. Additionally, the Vision Pro offers a larger and higher-quality screen for watching movies, including in 3D, which is better than any TV in the house.

Apple's Quest 3 headset, along with other models, features passthrough. However, it stands out for its clarity and sharpness, allowing me to see the room in full color and without any lag, even though I can't read my phone. The digital crown on the headset can be turned to adjust the volume or immerse oneself in a fully 3D landscape.

Virtual travel allows you to experience relaxing environments such as Hawaii, by a lake, in White Sands, or at Joshua Tree, with calming sounds and slow animations that make you feel like you're almost there.

The headset uses sensors to track your eyes and verify purchases, making navigation easy and intuitive. Apple's quick setup process aligns the headset to your eyes and calibrates it with a series of dots and pinching your fingers. If you wear glasses, Apple also sells inserts that pop into the headset.

With a simple touch of your thumb and index finger, you can effortlessly navigate and control your device. A white bar at the bottom of every app allows you to grab and move it around. You can easily adjust the size of any app by looking at the corner and dragging it out or in at a diagonal angle. Additionally, you can swipe through photos or scroll websites by holding your index finger and thumb together while pulling up or down.

You can zoom in and out by holding your fingers on both hands and pulling them outward or inward. You don't need to flail your hands in front of you. The headset's external cameras can detect your fingers even when they're in your lap. You can be discreet.

It packs a punch.

I launched over a dozen apps around me. There's no point in doing more because you can't see it all. I loved setting it up with a browser in front of me, music next to me, and a TV screen above it all. However, the world is yours to customize. You can open mail and a browser or leave Slack open next to a Word document with your calendar on the other side. Put your text messages on the ceiling if you want. It's a completely new way to multitask.

The apps on my screenshots appear misaligned, but when viewed through the headset, they are perfectly straight.

The Vision Pro did not experience any slowdowns during my usage. This is because Apple's rendering of content is technically sharpening only the areas where you are focusing, leaving the rest blurry. This is why some of the screenshots appear out of focus on the sides. However, within the headset, everything is super crisp. This technique is known as foveated rendering, which enables optimized processing.

I spent my evenings lounging on my couch and streaming movies and sports games on my Vision Pro headset.

Apple's specially recorded content is so realistic that it makes you feel like you're standing next to a rendered dinosaur or a video of a rhinoceros. One clip features a woman walking on a tightrope between cliffs, which may be slightly terrifying for those afraid of heights. These clips showcase the type of content that third parties will eventually be able to record and publish to the headset, such as sports highlights or sitting courtside at a live game.

The + app offers a fun way to watch movies in 3D landscapes. I tried it out by sitting in a racer on Tatooine and watching a Star Wars movie, but then switched over to watch "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse" in 3D. Although the effects are impressive, I still prefer watching movies in 2D as it feels more natural to me.

The person on the other end of the FaceTime call can see a clear video of you, but they don't see the real you. Instead, they see a 3D-rendered version of you called a digital Persona. Although it's still in beta, my digital Persona looked like an older version of me. My colleague thought I looked like an 80-year-old man, and my wife laughed.

By selecting an option in the settings menu and removing the headset, you can create a 3D Persona by following screens on the external display. The process involves looking up, looking down, looking left, looking right, smiling, smiling with teeth, and closing your eyes.

The use of Personas during FaceTime conversations makes it easier to hold a conversation without feeling like two cartoonish avatars trying to talk. Personas can also be used in other apps like WebEx, and it's possible to hold a real meeting while wearing pajamas and having your Persona dressed in work attire.

Your digital Persona's eyes can be seen on the outside display if you have screens in front of you while wearing a headset. If you're in an immersive view, such as a landscape, and someone starts talking to you, the glowing effects on the outside of the headset will fade into focus, allowing you to see them. As you look at them, your Persona's eyes will become visible on the outside of the headset, giving the impression of wearing a snorkeling mask.

When my wife entered the room, I removed the headset from my face.

The built-in speakers are excellent, delivering clear and powerful sound with spatial audio. This means that the sound remains in the same location even when you turn your head away from the movie. The audio quality is superb, with full surround sound. However, if you plan to use the headset in public, you may want to use AirPods to avoid disturbing others.

The Vision Pro and the latest iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras allow you to capture "spatial photos" that create a 3D version of a photo or video. I used this feature to film my 4-month-old daughter eating and my dog's 9th birthday, hoping to relive those moments in the future. I regret not recording some of these videos when my stepfather was alive because it would have felt like he was in the room with me. While some people may view it as a gimmick, I found it to be moving.

The build quality of the Apple headset is exceptional. The glass, screens, and metals used are of the highest quality, making it feel like a premium product. Although it is comfortable to wear, I found that holding it by the metal frame required deliberate effort. The padded inserts that pop off their magnets when I tried to grab them could be stronger, but they were designed to be easily removable for sharing purposes.

What’s bad

Apple's apps are excellent, including Notes, Music, Safari, Podcasts, Photos, Apple TV+, Maps, and more. Additionally, there are apps like SkyGuide and Disney+, as well as Apple Arcade games. Many more are on the way as most apps have not yet been optimized for Vision Pro.

Although the Vision Pro supports over a million iPhone and iPad apps, you must search for each app individually, and some of them are not available. While some apps haven't been shy about not supporting the Vision Pro, you can easily access either using the browser. However, there are many other apps that I couldn't find, such as 1Password, which made logging into some apps a bit of a pain. Additionally, you won't find Google's apps like YouTube TV here, though it works fine in the browser.

Some popular games and Facebook apps are not available, including Diablo Immortal, Genshin Impact, and Instagram.

The X iPad app was problem-free for me, while CNBC's app functioned well. However, Amazon Prime Video was not optimal during initial testing. A bug displayed a large box on the screen while I was watching a movie. This issue has since been resolved.

Developers are optimizing and eliminating bugs from some apps that are not yet available.

The Apple Keychain, which serves as Apple's version of 1Password, is generally reliable for entering usernames and passwords. However, when using two different usernames for the same app, like my wife and I do for Amazon Prime Video and Peacock, the app freezes and becomes unresponsive. I reported the issue to Apple.

The floating keyboard is useful for quick search or typing messages, but it may take time to get used to it. You can select letters on a digital keyboard or tap it. Although I got faster with the Vision Pro, I am still not as quick as on my iPhone or a real keyboard. You can use Siri voice-to-text to respond to iMessages or enter URLs, but for extensive typing, a keyboard is necessary.

The headset has a battery pack that can be plugged in using a proprietary plug that you twist in. I don't mind it, but I think it would be more convenient if it was embedded into the headset, even though it would add weight.

Should you buy it?

If I had an extra $3,500, I would purchase the Vision Pro immediately. Although I could consider trading in my iPad Pro and MacBook Pro to reduce the cost, that's not an option.

You'll definitely love it for movies, and many people will also really enjoy being able to read the news and browse the web while lounging on their couch with a huge TV screen open. Some may even find they can work in it. I did, and it's fun.

Apple's true potential will be realized when it can produce the Vision Pro at a lower price point, ideally under $2,000. However, if it remains a niche product, it may not reach its full potential. Nevertheless, the experience is unparalleled and the Vision Pro is Apple's most exciting product in recent years, showcasing a new way of computing.

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