The easiest way to test drive the Vision Pro is by booking a 30-minute session at an Apple Store for an employee-guided demo. Even though I’ve already tried it for myself in the office, and I’ve been reporting on the mixed reality headset for weeks, there was still much for me to learn just by sitting down and getting my own official Apple Store walkthough.Â
My curiosity wasn’t so much about what it’s like to use it. I’ve already done that by sharing with my colleague. I wanted to know how Apple captivates customers with a store experience. What happens in a demo to make you want to spend $3,500 and take the leap into spatial computing?Â
I was able to film my experience at the flagship Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City, which you can watch in this week’s episode of ‘One More Thing’ embedded above.Â
It’s like a theme park ride, but you’re in control
Apple crafted something that I would describe as an entertaining ride. An Apple store employee is your guide, making sure your sample fits well, teaching you the controls and laying out the path of apps for you to try. Even though I knew it was just a sample headset with pre-loaded examples of content, I quickly felt this sense of ownership, like I had full control of this unit as the navigator.Â
Trying Vision Pro in an Apple Store is a smoother test drive than anything you can get from sharing with a friend’s device — and that’s in part to what Apple did to make sure you feel confident controlling a store sample.
With my store guide (who can see what I’m doing in the headset via an iPad), I’m scrolling through examples of panoramic photos that look life-size. It’s better than any vacation photo I’ll ever take. I’m going through 3D spatial photos and videos of a family that doesn’t exist, of a birthday party that never happened — but the cake is so close I can touch it with my nose. It seems like I’m in the room with them.Â
You can’t get these visual examples at homeÂ
There’s a strong brain connection…
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