Apple’s Vision Pro may be overweight, as a group of reporters complained about experiencing discomfort while wearing the headset during a recent hands-on demo.
On January 16, the company gave tech news sites Engadget and The Verge the chance to try out their upcoming device ahead of its February 2 release. The preview was largely positive with Cherlynn Low from Engadget I commend the Vision Pro’s ability to create an immersive entertainment experience. But as Low puts it, “The best heads-up display in the world will be useless if it can’t be worn for a long time,” and that’s exactly what happened. After about 15 minutes of the demo, she started to feel “pressured by the device” and shortly afterwards a little pain came. This sentiment was echoed by The Verge’s Victoria song who felt the Vision Pro pressing on her forehead, causing a mild headache.
This problem has been known for a while, with early testers complaining that the headset “feels too heavy” after wearing it for a few hours. Ny Breaking’s US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff, who has worn the Vision Pro a few times, admits he “really needs a strap” to support its weight. Fortunately, such a band exists. It’s called the Dual Loop Band, with one strap that goes over the top of your head and one around the back.
It is unknown how much difference the Dual Loop Band makes. The extra strap probably worked well enough, as neither report would mention the weight as an issue again.
International edition
But still the problem will persist. It’s unlikely that Apple will address this in time for the US launch in February, but it’s conceivable that Apple could make changes for the international release.
Well-known industry insider Ming Chi Kuo posted new details about the potential global rollout of the Vision Pro Medium newsletter claiming it might release just before WWDC 2024 in June. During the developer event, Apple will also share information about visionOS with programmers to help promote a spatial computing ecosystem around the world.
There are a few things holding up the worldwide release.
First off, there aren’t many Vision Pro units to begin with. Apple wants to ensure that the US launch and subsequent rollout goes as smoothly as possible. In addition, the company must adjust the headset’s software so that it complies with international regulations. Kuo concludes his message by saying that the sooner these issues are addressed, “the sooner Vision Pro will be available in more countries.”
No word on exactly which countries will be part of the first group to get Apple’s shiny new gadget after its US launch. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims the tech giant is considering Canada, China and Britain to be among the first.
Check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best virtual reality headsets for 2024.