Apple Vision Pro's killer feature?

New headset might be a pain in the neck.

Author

Leander Kahney
January 17, 2024

As Apple prepares to roll out the Vision Pro headset, the company gave influencers and early reviewers another sneak peek.

It’s the third round of “sneaks” the company has given to YouTubers and members of the press, and for the first time, Apple allowed these folks to take pictures with the headset on.

A lot of these early testers came away impressed by features like spatial video and video passthrough, but many of them also independently mentioned the same thing: It’s heavy!

Some even complained of fatigue and neck pain. Is this the Vision Pro’s killer feature — pain in the neck?

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • After losing in court, Apple must offer app users alternative ways to make payments, not just Apple’s own built-in methods (which extract a 30% fee). But Apple’s solution is being slammed as “bad-faith compliance,” and the company still manages to impose a hefty fee.

  • I have an earlier version of this Apple Watch charger and it’s still going strong. I keep it in my laptop bag and it’s great for traveling or weekends way.

  • As part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, Apple launched a new Black Unity Collection with a new Apple Watch band and matching face, and wallpapers for iPhone and iPad.

  • We hands-on review Ugreen’s new USB-C GaN Fast Chargers, and find there’s a lot to like. They’re compact, inexpensive and pack a lot of power.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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One more thing ...

❝

We’d just taken Pixar public, and I was happy being CEO there. I never knew of anyone who served as CEO of two public companies, even temporarily, and I wasn’t even sure it was legal. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was enjoying spending more time with my family. I was torn. I knew Apple was a mess, so I wondered: Do I want to give up this nice lifestyle that I have? What are all the Pixar shareholders going to think? I talked to people I respected. I finally called Andy Grove at about 8 one Saturday morning — too early. I gave him the pros and the cons, and in the middle he stopped me and said, “Steve, I don’t give a shit about Apple.” I was stunned. It was then I realized that I do give a shit about Apple — I started it and it is a good thing to have in the world. That was when I decided to go back.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

Should Apple allow alternative payment mechanisms in apps?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: What will be the Vision Pro's killer app?

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