Is it weird that I just bought an Apple Vision Pro when everyone says the platform is dead? Maybe. But I have zero regrets.
I’ve always supported the underdog. I guess that’s why I became an Apple fan in the first place. Back in the ’90s, using a Mac really did feel like being part of a “cult.” We believed in the platform when no one else did. And so it is with Vision Pro. It’s actually nice to see Apple as the underdog again, because that’s how Cupertino does its best work.
My heart told me to buy a Vision Pro, but my head told me to wait
I’ve never been slow in adopting Apple products before. I bought one of the first iPods ever sold in the UK at MacExpo London in 2001. A decade later, I flew to New York to stand in line at the SoHo Apple Store to buy the first iPad.
So, how come I only got around to buying a Vision Pro now?
One word. Money. When Vision Pro launched in 2024, I was starting a new business, so I was being cautious with my finances. I decided to wait. But it never sat right with me that there was an Apple platform for which I did not own a device — and had never even seen or used.
Fast-forward to this spring, and my business was doing well, so I decided the time had come.
But wait! Isn’t Vision Pro doomed?
And that’s when MacRumors published a bombshell report claiming Apple had “all but given up” on the headset and reassigned much of the team. Cult of Mac had already started writing Vision Pro’s obituary. Just as I was finally ready to buy one, the internet decided Vision Pro was already dead.
Was I crazy to consider shelling out so much for a device that Apple had apparently given up on? I’ll admit, it gave me pause. But then I realized, I’d been here before. This was like Apple in the ’90s all over again. A brilliant but misunderstood product that just needed some true believers to help it take off.
If I truly believed the future of computing was spatial, now was precisely the time to jump on board.
Spatial computing is a new frontier to explore
As an app developer, spatial computing fascinates me. It’s a new frontier.
Third-party developers play an important role in establishing the conventions of new platforms. Take multitouch on iPhone, for example. Today, we take for granted that we can pull down a list to refresh it. But that wasn’t always the case. It was an indie developer, Loren Brichter, who came up with pull-to-refresh for his Twitter client, Tweetie. Apple was so impressed, it adopted the gesture system-wide.
Right now, we’re at a similar moment in spatial computing. The interface is still evolving. Nobody really knows what works yet. And that’s exciting.
No buyer’s remorse
When I spend a lot of money on something, I usually regret it. Even on purchases where my head and heart agree, like a much-needed MacBook Pro upgrade. So, I was prepared to feel the full force of buyer’s remorse when I stepped out of the Apple Store with a significantly lighter wallet.
But I didn’t feel an ounce of regret, and I still don’t. Because what I saw on the Vision Pro blew me away. The moment I pinched my fingers together and dragged an app across my living room, I was hooked. Watching its shadow move across my coffee table felt like science fiction.
Everything about Vision Pro fascinates me. I can’t think of a better word to describe the feeling. “Fascination” comes from a Latin word that means to bewitch or cast a spell. And visionOS definitely cast its spell on me.
My vision for visionOS
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
I refuse to believe that visionOS is doomed. How can it be when Apple has put so much work into it and built something so beautiful?
When Apple figures out how to bring down the price, I believe the headset will become a hit product. Maybe instead of being tethered to a battery pack, it should be tethered to an iPhone. That way, it can offload most of the weight, processing and cost.
Apple is certainly under no pressure to scrap the Vision Pro. Cupertino can afford to maintain it as a hobby project for decades, just as it did with the Apple TV set-top box. And it’s not just money for nothing. The ideas that come from these more experimental projects tend to filter down to other products. You can already see visionOS ideas influencing other Apple platforms, from Liquid Glass to spatial photos.
I also think there’s confusion between Vision Pro and Apple’s rumored smart glasses. They’re completely different kinds of products. Vision Pro is a full spatial computing platform, with immersive interfaces and virtual screens that exist in your physical space. The rumored glasses sound more like lightweight AI wearables, with no display. One doesn’t replace the other.
So yes, I think reports of visionOS’s demise are greatly exaggerated. I fully expect meaningful updates at WWDC26 next month. Even if the current headset evolves into something lighter, cheaper or completely different, that doesn’t mean Apple is abandoning spatial computing. It probably means the opposite.
And in the meantime, I’ll be busy bringing my strength-training app, Reps & Sets, to spatial computing. Because opportunities like this don’t come along very often.
Graham Bower is a designer, writer, fitness geek, and long-time Apple user. He is the co-host of Apple Core, a podcast about the history of Apple, and the developer of Reps & Sets, a fitness app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Connect with Graham on Bluesky or at www.grahambower.com.
