Apple Vision Pro - "Good is Not Good, Where Better is Expected"

As the Bard once quipped, "Good is not good, where better is expected," and after experiencing Apple's Vision Pro, I can't help but feel that Will was right - especially if my wallet is going to be four grand lighter. Yes, Shakespeare never had to buy tech, but if he did, even he might be left scratching his balding head over this one.

Let’s start with the good. And yes, there is good! The Vision Pro's operating system is sweeter than the finest sonnet - so seamless that you’ll glide between apps like a swan upon the Thames. The ultra-low latency is almost eerie; you'll be waving your hands in the air like Prospero himself, conjuring menus with pinpoint precision. And let’s not forget the eye tracking. It’s so accurate, it could probably detect a mouse winking in the background of your conference call. Truly, it’s a technical marvel.

But then we come to the bit where "good" starts to feel… well, just good. You see, at over ￡4,000 (￡4,048 for the top of the range model) I was expecting something bordering on divine intervention. Instead, the headset feels like I’ve just been crowned a King. That’s right, heavy is the head that wears the Vision Pro. And while I’m sure there’s a level of discomfort befitting royalty, I’d rather not be reminded of it every time I try to binge a show.

Battery life? Oh, you sweet summer child. You’ll be tethered to your desk like Hamlet to his existential dread. Apple’s made sure you won’t wander far, and when the juice runs out after a couple of hours, you’ll be back at your charger faster than you can say, “To plug or not to plug?”

And then there’s the island - Apple's very own digital desert, where your only companions are those who use FaceTime. Want to video conference with someone on Zoom, Teams, or literally anything non-Apple? I checked out a few “How to… videos on YouTube and your Masters in Computer Science will need to kick in at this point!.

Look, is it better than the Meta Quest? Absolutely. But let’s get real - it’s not eight times better. I’ll say it again: eight times better. That’s a high bar for anyone to clear, even if your name is Tim Cook.

Whilst the Vision Pro is undeniably a technical marvel and spatial computing is definitely here to stay, I was left feeling that good was not quite good enough when better was expected - and at that price, “better” should have been non-negotiable. For now, I’ll sit here with my aching neck and the ￡4,000 still in my bank account.

With the Apple Vision Pro, parting is not such sweet sorrow.