Enlarge / These raised displays near the entrance allow visitors to touch, but not use, the Vision Pro.Kyle Orland For quite some time, anyone who wanted to check out an Apple product in-store could do so easily, but now Apple has introduced a different approach with the Vision Pro. Instead of the usual quick browsing, interested customers can now book a 30-minute guided demo of the Vision Pro led by an Apple Store employee. As a seasoned attendee of trade shows and virtual retail demos, I was curious to see how Apple would present the concept of “computing space” to the public, many of whom may not be familiar with existing VR systems. Additionally, having been following news and reports about the Vision Pro’s unique features for months, I was eager to get a brief look at what all the fuss was about without making a significant monetary commitment. After going through the Vision Pro controller demo at a local Apple Store this week, I left with mixed feelings about how Apple is promoting its new desktop interface to the public. Although the short demo had its share of impressive moments, the device lacked a cohesive narrative positioning it as Apple’s primary operating platform.
Upon arriving a few minutes early to the Apple Store, I was asked to wait and was shown the Vision Pro units on a table near the front. The headsets were securely fixed to their stands, preventing me from testing or handling them while waiting. However, I was able to inspect the Vision Pro’s buttons and connectors while keeping an eye on the equipment. A few minutes later, an Apple Store employee, referred to as Craig, approached and expressed genuine excitement about showcasing the Vision Pro. He then directed me to another table where I sat in close proximity to another customer who appeared a bit flustered as he went through his Vision Pro display. Craig mentioned that the interest in the demos had been consistent in the initial days and the store had managed to handle scheduling issues after some initial hiccups. Unfortunately, some demo glitches persisted. It took a few attempts and some technical troubleshooting before the facial recognition tool was able to correctly identify the Vision Pro unit that suited my head. Following this, a staff member brought me the Vision Pro unit presented in a carefully designed manner. During the setup process, it took several minutes of adjustments, including disconnecting and reconnecting the Vision Pro’s external battery cable, before everything was ready for the demo. After putting on the headset, my initial impression was the weight and pressure of the Vision Pro on the bridge of my nose. However, a quick adjustment from Craig made a significant difference in comfort. Once the headset was properly adjusted, the eye and hand tracking improved rapidly. Moving through the demonstration, it became apparent that Craig was reading from a script prepared on his iPhone, which was a bit disappointing as it replaced the genuine interaction we had earlier with a more scripted presentation. He showcased the capabilities of the Vision Pro, including the immersive experience of viewing photos and videos in a three-dimensional space. Craig also emphasized the ease of navigating websites and the clarity of text and images on the Vision Pro. He pointed out that over a million iPhone/iPad apps would be compatible with the Vision Pro upon release.
