I shouldn't have booked a demo of the Apple Vision Pro

In mid July (our winter), the Vision Pro landed in Australia. Unlike the US and UK, the Vision Pro took its sweet time in arriving in the lucky country. Better late than never, I suppose. My reason for highlighting this obvious fact is to show my interest in this product. I was so interested (sarcasm) that I waited 4 months to do demo at an Apple store located less than 15 minutes from my house. In short, my lack of interest was largely because of the price and I just didn't have a place in my life for a product like the Vision Pro.

I was going to the local Apple Store to return the M4 Mac Mini (story for another time), I figured I may as well book myself in for a demo. It wasn't a straightforward experience. I had to cancel my prior booking because my Dad's trusty car had a flat tire and it took longer than expected to change the tyre. Disappointingly, I am a lot slower than I thought to do something as simple as changing a flat tire.

Anyway, the next morning, I was at the Apple Store at 9am and was back at home at 11am.

The Vision Pro demo experience was mind blowing to the extent that the 30 minutes demo felt far too short. The key to the success of Vision Pro from my perspective is the content. It has a way of making you feel like you were there. For example, when viewing panoramic pictures, I felt as I was there. Viewing the immersive video by music sensation, The Weeknd felt as if I was in the ambulance with him. This is probably as close to him as I ever will get. Imagine being in a concert filmed for the Vision Pro. I rather that than actually going to a crowded concert lol.

The cinema mode watching content on Apple TV is also an elegant touch.

Within sixty seconds of wearing the Apple Vision Pro on my face, I felt its heft on my forehead and made minor adjustments to the band. The Apple Vision Pro never felt comfortable. It was always uncomfortable to some degree. However, I was told by a very kind Apple Store worker that with time, I will get used to it. Following the demo, I expressed my gratitude to the person and asked them to also process my Mac Mini return. During this process, he advised me that the Apple Holidays Extended Returns Policy is currently in place and therefore; I have till 8 Jan 2025 should I wish to return the Apple Vision Pro. This got me thinking, maybe I can give it a good go and effectively evaluate the Vision Pro for my needs. It was crazy. Even if it was perfect for my use case, I doubt my financial brain would ever approve this purchase.

AUD6,000 is a lot of CASH

Anyway, after many seconds of deliberations, I decided to purchase it, anyway. However, I wasn't sure if my credit card had sufficient funds, so I left the decision to my financial institution. If the transaction went through, I walk out with the Vision Pro and if it didn't, obviously; I walk out as a financially sane person.

To my extreme surprise, the transaction went through and now; I am one of those guys with a Vision Pro. Just six months back, I couldn't fathom why anyone would buy a Vision Pro. Today, I am one of those guys.

What happens next, only time will tell.

I fear, I've already experienced the best of the Vision Pro during my 30 minutes demo and living with it will highlight all the issues of a first gen product. There is more to the Vision Pro than its cost. I fear, besides the cost of acquiring a Vision Pro, there are significant tradeoffs of living with a Vision Pro.