- Apple's Vision Pro was officially released in stores on Friday.
- I went to the Apple Store in downtown Brooklyn to try out the $3,500 headset for myself.
- The Vision Pro felt heavy after a while, but one immersive feature surprised me.
I was standing outside in the rain with about 10 other people to test out Apple's new Vision Pro headset for free.
Spoiler alert: It was worth it.
At a hyped price of $3,500, I had a feeling this headset would be a great gadget to test out for a short period of time. However, I didn't find the Vision Pro to fit seamlessly into how I use technology in my daily life.
I headed to an Apple store in downtown Brooklyn to test drive the Vision Pro. Unlike the Fifth Avenue store, this store had a modest line and a calm atmosphere.
I made an appointment and returned to the store about an hour later for a demo session (Apple retail stores let you schedule your own free demo).
The demo itself was short, less than 30 minutes, and the gesture instructions were simple. Look, pinch, and pull.
At first, I had a hard time trusting the Vision Pro's spatial awareness to track my eye and hand movements, but after a while I got used to the controls.
As someone who always has at least 30 browser tabs open at the same time, I liked having all my windows floating in a place where I could easily view and move them.
But what struck me most was Apple Vision Pro's potential to enhance your weekend TV experience.
Its immersive mode, controlled by the outer crown dial, transported me to a dark lakeside and watched a trailer for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
It felt like a drive-in movie with a 360-degree view of the dark wilderness and night sky. I never thought about how great it would be to watch a screen floating over a lake, but this is going to be my new favorite way to stream movies in the comfort of your own home.
The demo took less than 30 minutes, but the headset was a bit heavy despite having an external battery pack. Towards the end of the session, I was adjusting the Vision Pro to relieve facial pain.
Still, the thought of spending time in bed with your favorite show playing on your device is pretty exciting. That's the future Apple hopes for.
