Just got the Apple Vision Pro, and before anyone blows up my inbox with how expensive this thing is, bear in mind my use case is to install or replicate giant monitors for work, entertainment and information browsing – in a travel trailer. Price out and measure the footprint of a 70″ 8K monitor. Then come back and tell me how expensive this thing is.

The use case that really sold me is using Adobe Premiere. By nature, this app needs a big screen, but it is filled with little doo-dads and text that needs to be legible and easily manipulated. AVP plus a bluetooth mouse and keyboard is astonishing for this. The latest version with the improved chipset and headgear makes this something that’s both legible and comfortable for extended sessions.

There are two other use cases that I’m still working on perfecting, and will report progress here.

1. Enjoying my media library on my Plex Server. Plex hasn’t made a native AVP app yet, but given their track record with supporting literally anything with a screen that streams, I can’t think this would be too difficult. Regardless, there’s 3rd party apps that let me access my libraries, but the UI is lacking in search, navigation and basic service layout that comes with the regular Plex app.

2. Mirroring and playing Playstation 5. This is very much a work in progress as latency and control are pretty wonky in the current state of my experiments. I bought a dedicated PS5 controller just for this use case so I wouldn’t have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting between devices via Bluetooth. I will be very happy when I can play Baldur’s Gate 3 on a giant screen. My wishful thinking stretch goal is to be able to watch optical media I put in the Blu-Ray drive, but I suspect the nature of software and hardware copy protection measures will dash those hopes pretty soundly. It looks like my ambitions to watch the Extended Editions of Lord of the Rings on giant screens will be better served by some streaming service I didn’t want to subscribe to.

To paraphrase Laurie Anderson, “talking about the Apple Vision Pro is like dancing about architecture.” This thing is the very definition of an “experience to believe” technology. There’s truly no other way to understand how great this thing is – and anticipate the potential of what’s to come – without trying one on.

Post-Covid, I’m still creeped out by handshakes, blowing out birthday candles and sharing/demoing a device meant for personal use. We can go to Wal-Mart and just trust that the electric toothbrush does what it says without stuffing the demo unit in our mouths. Unfortunately, owning an AVP means having to come up with a means and plan to demo it to a curious friend. I did buy some disposable eye masks that look like a white version of Zorro or Robin. Unlike many people, I am pretty meticulous in how I like to keep my gear. Anything with a screen and a microprocessor is kept in mint condition and I always have microfiber towels within reach. Just ask anyone who knows me. Haven’t yet given my first demo, but it is inevitable. I hope I don’t have to run this thing through a Silkwood shower afterwards.

More to come. Am I wigged out by how much it costs? Not so much, considering alternatives to what I’m aiming for. Stay tuned for progress on my two desired use cases and seeing as there’s a number of potential “killer apps”, I’ll look for those that really stand out.