Marques Brownlee reality-checks Apple Vision Pro hype: “Not a product for the masses”

With Apple revealing the Vision Pro mixed reality headset at WWDC, Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee got his hands on the headset and shared his thoughts on the product, which were relatively mixed.

WWDC 2023 offered an explosive two-hour showcase full of announcements. However, one of the most notable was the reveal of Apple’s long-awaited mixed-reality headset. named the Apple Vision Pro, a slick product demonstration showed off the headset, and all of its capabilities towards the end of the showcase.

However, some lucky WWDC attendees also managed to get their hands on the device, one of them being Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee. Shortly after the show, the seasoned tech expert gave his opinion on the device, based on his brief time using it.

Marques Brownlee lays out Apple’s plans

In the video, Brownlee goes over all of the features, and his impressions of the device. One highlight was how robust the headset’s eye-tracking is. Previously seen on other VR headsets such as the PS VR2, eye tracking has been implemented into VR headsets before, but Brownlee paints a rosy picture of Apple’s implementation. “[eye tracking] is the closest thing I’ve experienced to magic.” He further explains how the UI immediately highlights things you are looking at, and praises the gesture-based controls of the headset, too.

However, Brownlee continues to explain what Apple’s exact aims are for the headset, which is to get a product out there for developers and early adopters. He likens the headset to the original Apple Watch, an expensive early-adopter device intended to begin the product segment. As such, Apple could then build out supply chains to deliver a more consumer-friendly headset later down the line. At a price of $3499, Brownlee states the headset is a “rich person’s toy, and a developer’s muse”

Brownlee continues to claim that it’s really up to early adopters and developers to shape what the Apple Vision might look like. But, for now, this first-generation product segment from Apple is incredibly exciting.