Apple Vision Pro: Here's what the $3500 VR/AR device can do

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

From the first moment I pinched my two fingers together to "click" on the Safari icon that floated in front of a mock-living room wall, I realized that Apple's Vision Pro isn't just the latest in headsets: It's the first headset that I can imagine capturing the public's heart.

Why it matters: The world of virtual and augmented reality is littered with devices that never delivered on their promise. Apple's entry could be the first where the main objection is "it costs too much" rather than "why would I want it?"

I spent about half an hour in a demo at Apple Park on Tuesday and left wanting more time with the device, which goes on sale "early next year" and starts at $3,499.

How it works: The first thing I had to do was get outfitted for a set of magnetic prescription lens inserts. Because I am severely nearsighted in my left eye, the lenses Apple had on hand didn't fully correct. However, I was still able to read text on a Web page and didn't feel like I was missing out. (You can't just wear your own glasses with Apple's headset, unlike some others.)

The mix of virtual windows and the real-world environment felt seamless in a way I've never experienced before, in either a lab demo or on a shipping product.

Other devices support eye-tracking, voice commands and hand tracking. But Apple has put them together so deftly that it's eliminated the need for any other controls. (You can add a keyboard and mouse for heavy browsing or office work.)

My short time with the Safari browser and other apps felt similar to using them on a computer, in the sense that they were both easy and natural.

Be smart: Wearing the headset and interacting with people was easy and natural for me. That doesn't mean it will be easy and natural for the headset-less to interact with a Vision Pro user.

A highlight reel of video content showed off the Vision Pro's chops as a media device with immersive clips from the worlds of sports, music and nature.

I also got to view, but not take, the unique 3D "spatial" photos and videos that the device can capture. The spatial video of a kid blowing out their candles at a birthday party shows how you could summon a special memory to life — but to capture that, someone would have to have been wearing a headset at the original event.

Of note: The demos didn't include any gaming — which has been the main thing most people have actually used VR devices to do.

My thought bubble: I've been fortunate to witness a few breakthrough moments in tech — from the launch of the iPod and iPhone to Microsoft's original multitouch Surface tabletop PC. As with the first time I used those devices, experiencing the Vision Pro made me feel, "Yes, that's an experience I want to have."

Yes, but: While I got to control the interactions, the experiences were handpicked by Apple, so there could well be rough edges that Apple elegantly steered around.

The bottom line: The real test of the Vision Pro will come once it's in the hands of thousands of people who discover its flaws and limits — and also put it to uses Apple hasn't yet imagined.