Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, thinks the future that the Apple Vision Pro headset could entail someday, looks like a nightmare today. Mahindra, who is known to share anecdotes on social media on virtually every other topic under the sun, took to X (the platform previously known as Twitter) to share his “quick review” of Cupertino’s maiden mixed reality headset.
To be fair, his “view” seemed directed not so much at the headset itself, but a particular use case where one user was spotted — on video that he has shared along with the post— inside what appears to be a shopping mall with the Apple Vision Pro strapped on to his face. He had a box of popcorn in one hand and a soft drink in the other, so our best guess is, either he was going to the movies or he was (planning on) watching one on the Apple Vision Pro. Fun fact, the headset has “passthrough” cameras, so the user can see the outside world through it, that is if they’re not too engrossed inside it, which is hard to tell looking at the video.
But technical frivolities aside, Mahindra seems to have picked up on the emotional undertone of the act, saying — what many others have also pointed out — that the user is “completely disconnected” from the outside world and “if this is the future, then it’s a nightmare.” Tim Cook and Co. at Apple have argued that the headset does not encourage “social isolation” but in fact opens a new canvas with endless possibilities to explore and fashion. Analysts have however predicted that it could spell the end of 2D screens (among other things) even as Apple gives cinema-goers a home theatre with both sense of immersion and options to customise it with diverse backgrounds.
But then, even if Mahindra is right, it would take a long time for the Apple Vision Pro to become “mainstream” as the current version’s exorbitant $3,999 price tag makes it out of reach for most buyers. Many buyers, who have actually purchased the headset, soon after it went on sale, are reported to have returned it back (Apple gives up to 14-days for a full refund), citing various reasons from the weight to motion blur issues. Apple is said to be working on a more affordable version, maybe that will give a better picture of what the future holds for Apple’s mixed reality plans.
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