High price, discomfort from prolonged wear, and inconvenience in gesture operation at work have discouraged many potential consumers.

Author: Mu Mu

Upon its release, Apple's "Spatial Computing" Vision Pro became a trending topic in the tech industry. As the first batch of eager users received the product, "magical" scenes began to appear on the streets of the United States. Tech enthusiasts were seen wearing Vision Pro while out and about, engaging in activities such as sports, walking dogs, and even driving, and sharing their experiences on social media through demonstration videos.

However, as the 14-day return period for Vision Pro came to an end, some buyers decided to return the product. Consumer reviews of Vision Pro were polarized. Despite the product reaching the highest standard among all consumer-grade headsets currently available, the high price of nearly 30,000 yuan, discomfort from prolonged wear, and inconvenience in gesture operation at work have discouraged many potential consumers.

On domestic e-commerce platforms, third-party stores on JD.com and Taobao began selling Vision Pro. However, as market enthusiasm waned, buyers who initially purchased through high-priced agents started selling second-hand units on idle fish, or simply offering rental services.

Want to "pinch" somewhere but can't look for too long

Wearing Vision Pro while shopping, walking dogs, taking the subway, flying, or even driving, the first batch of users who received the product showcased it on social media for prospective consumers who were still observing. Some users treated Vision Pro as a mobile phone or computer, while others used it as a cinema, and some even considered it a dog-walking gadget.

Some users wearing Vision Pro out on the streets

The initial feeling of strangeness was probably the first impression for all users wearing Vision Pro in public. Others were curious and gathered around. For a while, this new device from Apple garnered a lot of attention on social media. However, as more and more experience videos were shared, consumer evaluations of it became polarized.

With 23 million pixels, a delay of only 12 seconds, an 18-meter-wide virtual screen, and precise eye tracking, Vision Pro is undoubtedly the best-performing mixed reality headset on the market.

With it, you can indeed watch 3D movies at home; have multiple work interfaces surround you 360 degrees, and open any app by simply staring at it without the need for a controller, just a tap with two fingers, even the smallest icon can be "pinched"; and see the outside world through the headset's screen in bright environments, allowing others to see your complete facial expressions through simulated eyes.

These benefits were all demonstrated by Apple at the time of Vision Pro's release. In terms of user experience, @Doctor_Peepee, a former animator at Netflix, Disney, and Nickelodeon, stated, "I spend over 7 hours a day on the system, and my work is very productive, with the speed of completing tasks exceeding expectations."

The audiovisual experience of Vision Pro is also the best among current consumer-grade headsets. Tech product reviewer "Greedy Songstress Xiaoningzi" stated, "Vision Pro is the first headset I've used for reading and writing, and most web pages and document text are clear and readable." She mentioned that the high resolution also makes Vision Pro the first headset suitable for watching movies, with the resolution approaching 4K even when the screen is filled with the field of view.

However, while the first batch of early adopters marveled at the revolutionary experience brought by Vision Pro, many people chose to return the product within the 14-day return period. The original Vision Pro still has many drawbacks, some of which are related to functional changes.

The most concentrated criticism is the duration of wear. On one hand, the over-one-pound weight of the headset makes it uncomfortable for users to wear for extended periods, causing discomfort in the neck due to the concentrated weight at the front, and leaving marks on the user's face from the frame; on the other hand, in low-light conditions, the screen inside the headset becomes significantly dark, causing dizziness, and the precise eye tracking also becomes ineffective. At this point, you may find it difficult to operate any application, and even the device may be unable to be turned off from the settings program.

"Internally, I want to continue using it, but my body doesn't allow it," has discouraged many consumers. Parker Ortolani, a product manager at The Verge, found that his eyes experienced burst blood vessels while using Vision Pro. Tech blogger @RjeyTech, who decided to return the product, also stated, "This is the most exciting technology I've tried, but I experienced headaches after using it for 10 minutes."

Even if the dizziness and fatigue issues are overcome, the design of Vision Pro with eye tracking and gesture control replacing the controller also brings some inconvenience in operation. The most obvious is typing. When using Vision Pro to handle document tasks, you can only stare at the virtual keyboard with your eyes and "pinch" out words letter by letter, truly making people feel like they are back to the "one-finger typing" period when they were novices. The solution is to connect a physical keyboard.

In addition, Carter Gibson, a senior manager at Google responsible for community management and review, pointed out that Vision Pro does not support the display of certain special file types, and interaction between multiple windows is also relatively difficult.

Some designers also pointed out that the spatial screen of Vision Pro is captured by a camera and displayed by a light engine, so it cannot fully meet the need for accurate color perception by designers; and some programmers attempted to code with Vision Pro, but many stated that their professional software is not compatible with the visionOS system at present.

In summary, the original Vision Pro is not perfect, which is a problem encountered by all new electronic products when they are launched.

"Drawbacks" Discourage Consumers, Hurt Agents the Most

The experiential bugs and the nearly 30,000 yuan price tag easily lead consumers to question whether it is worth it, which is the main reason why buyers have chosen to return the product.

One American consumer stated on social media that this may be a consumption habit of Americans. People buy products just to enjoy them, or to take some videos for social media, and then return them. The high price makes it difficult for them to make a real purchase.

In addition, some tech bloggers who want to "buy for free" also take advantage of the 14-day return period, and after experiencing, reviewing, and attracting traffic, they choose to return the product.

A netizen made a joke about the weight of Vision Pro

However, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the return rate of Vision Pro may be between the average and above-average levels compared to other Apple products. Apple Insider cited 24 Apple retail store employees, stating that the return rate of Vision Pro is comparable to other Apple products and has not resulted in "mass returns."

It is important to note that the 24 Apple retail stores mentioned in the Apple Insider report do not represent the entire picture. Apple has not publicly disclosed the official return rate, so it is still inconclusive whether it has reached the level of "return wave."

In any case, as the first batch of consumer experiences emerged, the inevitable dizziness has deterred many people who were still observing. Google Trends shows that both American and Chinese users' interest in Vision Pro is declining or remaining stable. The initial release of Vision Pro did not bring about a new wave of enthusiasm for the product. From user feedback, price and comfort of wear are still the core issues of concern for users.

As market enthusiasm wanes, the merchants who initially hoarded and acted as agents have become the most affected consumers.

On one hand, domestic e-commerce channels have gradually started listing Vision Pro, expanding the purchasing channels, and the selling prices have been "cut down." Consumers have started to "compare prices" and "doing business as an agent is even more difficult."

On the other hand, due to regional restrictions, some "human flesh" agents who brought products back to China may have missed the return period, putting them in an awkward situation. On idle fish, a merchant named Anan (pseudonym) who initially purchased Vision Pro for 35,000 yuan had to change the product to a brand new "second-hand idle item" because they did not receive any orders.

"When Vision Pro was first available for pre-order, I managed to grab two units, and now they are all sitting in my hands." Currently, he has chosen to sell one unit at a reduced price and rent out the other unit for 600 yuan per hour.

Faced with polarized reviews, will consumers who were previously interested still choose Vision Pro?

A tech enthusiast named Xiao Zhu (pseudonym), who was waiting for Vision Pro to be released in China, told "Metaverse Daily," "Although the functions realized by Vision Pro are amazing, if the user experience issues are not resolved, I will still have reservations about it." However, Xiao Zhu feels that as a first-generation product, some issues with Vision Pro are inevitable. Taking everything into account, he is more inclined to wait for the second-generation product or to purchase the first generation at a lower price.

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