Apple's Vision Pro may be overweight, as a group of journalists complained of discomfort when using the headphones in a recent hands-on demo.
On January 16, the company gave tech news sites Engadget and The Verge a chance to test its upcoming device ahead of its February 2 launch. The preview was largely positive, with Engadget's Cherlynn Low praising the Vision Pro's ability to create an immersive entertainment experience. . But as Low states, “the best HUD in the world will be useless if it cannot be used for a long time” and that is exactly what happened. About 15 minutes into the demonstration, she began to “feel overwhelmed by the device” and minimal pain arrived soon after. This sentiment was echoed by The Verge's Victoria Song, who felt the Vision Pro press on her forehead, causing a slight headache.
This issue has been known for some time, with early testers complaining that the headphones “feel too heavy” after wearing them for a couple of hours. TechRadar's US editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff, who has used Vision Pro several times, admits that he “really needs [an] top strap” to support its weight. Fortunately, such a strap exists. It's called the Dual Loop Band and it has one strap that goes over your head and another around your back.
There's no telling how much of a difference the Dual Loop Band makes. Presumably the extra strap worked pretty well, as none of the reports would mention weight as an issue again.
International launch
But still, the problem will still exist. It's unlikely Apple will address this in time for the American launch in February, but it's possible Apple could make changes for the international launch.
Prominent industry insider Ming Chi Kuo published new details about the possible global launch of Vision Pro in his Medium newsletter, stating that it could be released just before WWDC 2024 in June. At the developer event, Apple will also share information about visionOS with developers to help promote a spatial computing ecosystem around the world.
There are a couple of things hindering the global launch.
First, there aren't many Vision Pro units to begin with. Apple wants to make sure the US launch and subsequent rollout goes as smoothly as possible. What's more, the company needs to adjust the headset's software to comply with international regulations. Kuo ends his article by saying that the sooner these issues are addressed, “the sooner Vision Pro will be available in more countries.”
It's not known exactly which countries will be part of the initial group that will receive Apple's shiny new device after the US launch. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that the tech giant is considering Canada, China and the United Kingdom to be among the first.
While we ask you to check out TechRadar's list of the best virtual reality headsets for 2024.
