Locations for test drives of the Apple Vision Pro helmet have opened in Moscow

Kommersant FM columnist Alexander Levi talks about his impressions of using the device.

The Apple Vision Pro spatial computing helmet, which is currently officially sold only in the United States, has already reached Russian retail through multiple channels at once. But if on the MTS website, for example, only pre-order is available, then on Ozon they are already ready to sell you the “Apple” new product. And the once official premium reseller re:Store has opened several zones in Moscow where you can get acquainted with the capabilities of the device.

I managed to try out the gadget, so I hasten to share my first impressions. It was easy to adjust the helmet mounts and achieve a comfortable fit. I was curious to see if the Vision Pro would cope with poor vision, especially my astigmatism. There were no replacement lenses during the test drive, but after calibration, which adjusts the device to the control of specific eyes, I completely forgot that I was without glasses. In general, I did not experience any visual discomfort.

It takes about five minutes to master the layout of the control center, the new navigation elements using your eyes, pinches and hand movements. At first you try to move the cursor, actively rotating your head. This is probably why, at the end of the session, I noticed a slight tension in my neck. But after I mastered the gaze controls, I even tried to jump a little over the engineers’ ideas and began to trigger an action using a wink. It didn’t work, of course. But I think Vision Pro liked these signals.

Is there a wow effect and what is it? For those who actively use any other headsets, AR or VR helmets, there will be fewer surprises. And if you try to package the whole experience into a short description, it’s the ability to take the individual workspaces of an Apple computer and hang them around you. And with a feature like “Environment”, which allows you to isolate yourself from the outside world, the same interaction with applications takes on a new experience. In fact, you can be, say, in a cafe in the center of a metropolis, but Vision Pro allows you to find yourself by a lake in the mountains, on the surface of the Moon, in a winter forest, and so on.

The augmented reality applications that are already available are at different levels, but all are impressive without exception. What’s even more surprising is the sound built into the Vision Pro, even though you don’t put anything in your ears. The volume is both sufficient for the user and at maximum does not disturb others in any way. It is, of course, better to listen, as well as watch, on your own.