Mark Zuckerberg’s verdict on the Quest 3 headset compared to the Vision Pro (VV) in a video Instagram post on Tuesday
Entering the chat is Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has more at stake than perhaps anyone on earth if Apple does to headsets what the iPhone did to smartphones. In a video posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Zuckerberg gives his official verdict on the Vision Pro versus his company’s latest Quest 3 headset: “I don’t just think that Quest is the better value, I think Quest is the better product, period.”
While being filmed by the Quest 3’s video passthrough system in his living room, Zuckerberg highlights the tradeoffs Apple made to get the fanciest display possible into something that can be worn on your head in an acceptable form factor. He says the Quest 3 weighs 120 grams less, making it more comfortable to wear for longer. He also says it allows for greater motion due to its lack of a wired battery pack and wider field of view than the Vision Pro.
Vision Pro owners have been saying on social media they are returning their headsets in the past few days. We are very confident that Apple will allow you to return any product within 14 days of purchase for the first wave of Vision Pro buyers.
It was too difficult to wear even for a short period of time due to the weight and design, and it was even more difficult to use due to its magic. I wanted to use it, but dreaded putting it on,” says Ortolani, who also posted about returning the device.
It is too expensive and cumbersome to get used to the headaches and eye strain I was experiencing. I will return for the next one.
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This isn’t surprising. Wearable production for the mass market can be a challenge because of the unique characteristics of every human body. Comfort is inevitably sacrificed — and it affects people disproportionately. With smartwatches, it often boils down to the size and weight of the case compared to your wrist. It’s the size of your finger with smart rings. Many people are unfortunately between sizes or have issues with finger swelling. A low nose bridge for smart glasses and headsets can mean that the device fails to adequately block out light or slips off your face.
But the hardware isn’t the only issue. Another common complaint is the Vision Pro doesn’t offer enough productivity relative to the price. One user noted on Threads that looking at Figma screens made them feel dizzy but that the device also wasn’t applicable to their work. An engineer wrote on the social media platform X that thecoding experience failed to convince him and that focusing issues caused headaches.
One user wrote “if I’m not using this for productivity, and if I don’t love it for entertainment, and if there aren’t enough games to play on it, I just can’t justify keeping it.”
For Carter Gibson, a senior manager working on community management and moderation at Google, it’s the finer details. It’s not productivity deal-breakers to be doing things like messing with windows and file management.
Source: Apple fans are starting to return their Vision Pros
Can you Double Up between Windows? Comment on “On the Impact of the Vision Pro on ‘Phonons, Mouses, and Keyboards”
I asked Gibson if it was difficult to double up between windows. Several file types are not supported on the Vision Pro. I also can’t see how creating a slide in the VP would be less energy than doing so w/ mouse and keyboard — even if does feel like you’re in Minority Report.”
It is hard to say how vocal the Vision Pro will be in the future. Many folks who said they’d be returning the device also noted they’d be eager to try a second-gen Vision Pro. Others emphasized that the tech wasn’t the issue at hand so much as the lack of a killer app or comfort. It is hard to say how widespread this phenomenon is. We don’t know what Apple’s internal expectations are for the Vision Pro or the actual return rate, as these users are speaking out on social media.