Joanna Sterne— a gadget reviewer from the Wall Street Journal tried out the New Apple Vision Pro, which was launched recently at an Apple event in California.
But Sterne’s comment on the VR headset along with the photo she posted has taken the netizens by shock and worry concerning the iPhone maker’s latest launch, in a bid to give stiff competition to rival Facebook owner Meta’s metaverse.
In a video shared by Sterne reviewing the gadget, she says— “By the end of the demo, the top of my head and forehead started to feel the weight.”
Further, she goes on to say, “here’s a photo of me when I took it off”, and the video ends with an image where she has a visible red mark on her forehead after removing the headset.
On looking closely, one can easily see the red marks caused by strain on her nose and forehead, as her video zooms in and the contrast and lighting alter.
Moreover, this isn’t the only drawback that Sterne complained of, about the new gadget. She also talked about the weight of the device that caused pain to her nose and forehead, during the 30 minute demonstration, along with pangs of discomfort and nausea.
In response to the WSJ’s video review, Apple clarified that any strain and discomfort experienced by Stern may be because the Vision Pro goggles at the demonstration space only had limited sized “light seals’, which are the fabric covered pieces of the goggles that hold the headset to the user’s face.
Stern t also acknowledged that Apple has reassured that there will be more choice when the device goes on market floors early in 2024. The iPhone maker did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Long term comfort while using VR or AR gadget has long been a question of serious concern for device manufacturers, as they try to fish out ways to find a balance administering high end technology and batteries to be fixed firmly to user’s face in a static position.
Image Credits: Engadget
On the launch of first Oculus Rift, many notable tech reviewers shared pictures of their face showing red marks on cheeks and forehead, that later turned into a meme. And maybe due to this fear, almost every headset— including the Meta Quest 2, uses plastic for the final enclosure of the gadget because it’s lightweight and prevents straining the nose and forehead. Although, the drawback is that it looks poor in quality and elegance.
Talking about Apple’s vision pro which is made up of an alloy of aluminium and a single piece of glass on the outside, looks much aesthetically appealing than its counterparts from other companies.But the use of those materials adds up to the weight of the headset, which Apple tried to cut off by adding a unique strap and also offloaded with gadget’s battery with an iPhone sized charger that easily fits inside the pocket.
Originally, Apple planned this headset to be a minimal, hassle free device with a comfortable design and an appealing exterior but that doesn’t seem to have been achieved with this one.
It will be better to say more about the new Vision Pro and Apple’s approach on providing long term comfort to its customers, once the device is launched in the market early next year.
