Sure was exciting news about the three new laptops Apple announced this week, eh? What’s that? You’re only aware of two — the new MacBook Air (M2) and the MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2)? You might have missed the third laptop … the Apple Vision Pro! Okay, I get it … you’re not liking my labeling the Vision Pro as a laptop. I will explain.
Gone are the days when desktops were the go-to. Apple sells close to three laptops for every desktop now. The key reasons? Size, portability, and convenience of course. It’s perfect for people who are on the go — students, commuters, business travelers. There are drawbacks though. I have multiple monitors on my desktop display, so the laptop screen feels constrained to me. I’m not alone in wanting to see more at once.
If we stop thinking of the Vision Pro as a headset, and start thinking about it as a portable computer, the $3500 price tag no longer seems so steep. Sure, Apple laptops aren’t cheap, but people do buy $3500 laptop configurations from Apple. The Vision Pro will be just as portable — take it to work, to the coffee shop, on a plane, etc. And, unlike your laptop, you will be able to have multiple virtual monitors as well for things like browsing the web, having FaceTime calls, reading through emails, etc. A “laptop” with multiple screens which doesn’t take up lots of space? That might be a better way to think of this device. Comparing it to other VR or AR headsets is natural, but it might also be the wrong comparison. (Side thought: “the killer apps may already be here” and we should just want them to also run on the Vision Pro.)
One last thing … the delivery date of “early next year.” I for one am happy it’s going to be a little while. Well, I am now. Initially, like so many, i was bummed that its wasn’t going to ship in just a few months. But then I started talking to some developer friends of mine. They’re excited about the delay. They want extra time with the “dev kit” before it actually launches. And it won’t just be the developers of brand new software that benefit; developer teams for already available products will too. So when the Vision Pro does ship, the experience will be all the better. At least I am expecting that’s the case.
Next Up: I’ll tackle the flood of Vision Pro reviews and try to place them in context. Have a great weekend.
To read all of Rob’s commentary on Apple Vision Pro click here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10