The 3 reasons people are sending back their Apple Vision Pro headsets

Date:
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:41:22 +0000

Description:
Why are Apple Vision Pro owners sending their headsets back? We have the
three main reasons why they're disappointed.

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Apple Vision Pro owners are announcing theyre returning their headsets
because theyre disappointed by the experience offered by the $3,500 mixed-reality gadget.

Weve highlighted the positives and negatives of using the device in our Apple Vision Pro review , but if youre still on the fence then the reasons people are giving for returning could help you decide if the headset is the right
fit for you.

It also might be worth starting to keep an eye on the Apple Stores
refurbished section. While itll likely be a while before the Vision Pro appears and itll probably still be fairly pricey you might be able to buy one of these returned Vision Pros for a discount in the future.

As an aside, weve been impressed with Apples refurbished tech; the checks and replacements it makes mean youre basically getting a new gadget at a lower price so its worth checking its refurb store for the Vision Pro or any other piece of Apple tech youre after before just buying new provided you arent after something super recent.

Anyway, lets get into why the Vision Pro headset is being returned. Why is
the Vision Pro's popularity waning? (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The end of a (trial) era

There are individual reasons people will be looking to return the Apple
Vision Pro, and well get to those, but the main reason youll be seeing social media post after social media post on the topic right now is because of
Apples returns policy.

When you buy a new Apple product from its store you have 14 days to be able
to send it back and get a full refund. The Apple Vision Pro launched on February 2 so at the time of writing were at that two-week mark.

If someone has decided the experience isnt perfect enough for them to part with $3,500 or more if they bought a model with bigger storage then its getting to the stage where they either have to live with that subpar experience or send the device back. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) Comfort is king

As for the specific Apple Vision faults, a lot of peoples problems come down to comfort.

When youre spending as much as youre spending on the Vision Pro youll
probably feel the need to use it a lot to feel your purchase is justified.
But as we heard from some early test events that media were invited to the device could be uncomfortable to wear for long stretches especially when using the Solo Loop band that offers zero over-the-head support.

On top of complaints that its too heavy people have said it can cause motion sickness and eye strain. These issues also exist for other VR headsets especially among people who are new to VR but the Vision Pro may exacerbate these problems as, again, people are probably immersing themselves for very long stretches to feel like theyre getting the most out of the headset.

Not only in terms of bang for their buck but also for productivity and watching films the two main Vision Pro uses. Blockbusters can stretch on for two hours or longer, and typical work shifts are eight hours. Even if you are just sitting looking at virtual windows this is a very long time for new
users to be spending in VR without long breaks. What's the Vision Pro's
killer app? (Image credit: Future) What does it do?

The other frequently cited issue weve seen on social media is the lacking software ecosystem.

The Vision Pro does have a lot of apps ( over 1,000 at the time of writing ) at its disposal and has some really neat features. But as many reviewers have pointed out such as The Verge the majority of those programs are ported
over from iPadOS.

There are some bespoke spatial apps and improvements have been made to make the iPad programs feel more interactive in mixed reality, but when people think of VR software they imagine epic immersive gaming like Asgards Wrath 2, fitness apps like Supernatural, or educational adventures like Out of Scale from Kurzgesagt.

The Vision Pro doesnt have a good answer (or in some cases any answer at all) to these apps that you can find on rival platforms, and unfortunately for Apple, this is something that will take time to change. And if it seems like all youre getting are iPad apps, why not save a lot of money and just buy an iPad or even an iPad Pro?

Given that people have to decide to keep or send the device back for a refund now its a lot safer to assume the software problems will persist until the next headset or two launch rather than pray some killer exclusive apps are on the horizon and risk wasting $3,500. Don't like the Vision Pro? You can send it back (Image credit: Apple) More to the story?

Remember its worth taking the posts you see with a pinch or two of salt and remembering that most people who bought a Vision Pro are probably keeping it.

Apple tech has a lot of devout fans and haters who will engage with every single post they see about people returning the Vision Pro because it either affirms their negative view or because they feel the need to defend the 2.8 trillion dollar company. No matter how someone chooses to respond to the
post, their interaction will boost engagement and amplify the voice of what
is very likely a minority of Vision Pro users sending the headset back.

We also wouldnt be surprised if a chunk of people returning the headset
always planned to send it back for a refund, and are just giving whatever excuse they can that isnt because I cant actually afford it.

Apples Vision Pro has, as many expected, created a buzz online with post
after post going viral be they someone giving their hands-on impressions ,
or finding a weird way to use it like that person who walked their robot dog down the street while sporting the Apple headset. Theres also just a certain level of perceived internet clout that comes from being able to show off that you own and have used a $3,500 device.

Once youve soaked up that early hype and boosted traffic to your socials do you want to be left with a $3,500 hole in your wallet? Or would you rather
get the boosted attention and not have to spend a dime?

Thats not to say there arent some genuine issues with the Vision Pro, but
dont let all these reports necessarily put you off if youve tried it
yourself, love it, and want to own one. As these posts have made clear, you
do have just under 14 days to use it at home before youre locked out from a full refund if you decide the Vision Pro isnt for you after all. You might also like Mark Zuckerberg thinks the Meta Quest 3 is better than Vision Pro Apple Vision Pro is good for many things but drawing is not one of them Report: Apple Vision Pro unlikely to reach 'ideal form' until fourth-gen model



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/the-3-re asons-people-are-sending-back-their-apple-vision-pro-headsets


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