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The new M5 #VisionPro brings a huge leap in compute power and graphics performance to Apple’s novel mixed-reality platform. The tweaks to the formula deliver better graphics and passthrough video, and longer battery life — plus a more comfortable head band in the box.
More Apple news: http://www.cultofmac.com
Produced by Extra Ordinary for Cult of Mac
Music composed by Will Davenport, arranged by D. Griffin Jones
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:40 Design
3:13 Dual Knit Band
4:46 Improved video resolution
6:13 Faster speeds
7:19 Battery life
8:26 Productivity
9:46 Entertainment
12:00 Conclusion
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Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cultofmac
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
The new M5 Vision Pro brings a huge leap
0:03
in performance to Apple's novel mixed
0:06
reality headset. Tweaks to the formula
0:09
include more graphics power, a more
0:11
comfortable headband in the box, and
0:14
longer battery life. Unfortunately, the
0:16
tweaks do not include a lower starting
0:19
price or more storage. Apple doesn't
0:22
seem to be pushing M2 Vision Pro owners
0:25
to upgrade. Rather, if you're still
0:27
Vision Pro curious and you've been
0:30
pinching your pennies for the past year
0:31
and a half, the Vision Pro you happen to
0:33
buy today will be that much more
0:35
powerful. I fell in love with the
0:38
original Vision Pro. Here's what I think
0:40
of the new one.
0:43
The Apple Vision Pro is the company's
0:45
most ambitious product since the
0:47
original iPhone, and it shows. This
0:50
isn't just a fancy pair of goggles. It's
0:52
Apple's first real step into the era of
0:55
spatial computing, where your apps,
0:58
media, and memories float right in front
1:00
of you. The headset delivers
1:02
jaw-dropping visuals, buttery smooth
1:04
controls, and that Apple magic that
1:07
makes futuristic tech feel instantly
1:09
familiar. It's a full computer that you
1:12
just so happen to wear on your face. But
1:14
at $3,499,
1:17
it's also a glimpse of tomorrow with a
1:19
price tag that keeps it firmly out of
1:21
reach for most people today. The
1:23
original Vision Pro launched in February
1:25
2024 with an M2 chip that was already a
1:29
year and a half old by the time it
1:31
shipped. The new Vision Pro is the first
1:34
of three products with the brand new M5,
1:37
so it should have much more staying
1:39
power. The design of the Vision Pro, for
1:41
better or worse, is mostly unchanged.
1:44
The curved front glass covers its many
1:46
cameras and sensors. Underneath is the
1:49
eyesight display, which projects a
1:52
creepy CGI version of your eyes to other
1:54
people in the room so that you can
1:56
pretend to have a normal conversation
1:59
while one of you is wearing a computer
2:00
on your face. I don't think it's a
2:02
totally terrible idea, but I do think
2:05
the eyesight display is far too small,
2:08
dark, and blurry to make it really work.
2:12
And unfortunately, Apple didn't make any
2:14
improvements with this new version. I
2:16
wonder if there's anything at all Apple
2:18
can do in software to make it better the
2:21
same way they drastically improved
2:23
spatial personas. The Vision Pro's body
2:26
is iconic Apple silver aluminum with
2:29
vents on the top and bottom. The digital
2:31
crown and top button are intuitively
2:34
placed to find without looking. The
2:37
inside is a nice dark felt. The light
2:40
seal snaps on magnetically and blocks
2:42
your peripheral vision. The bridges are
2:44
a soft touch rubber and contain the
2:47
surprisingly excellent speakers. The
2:49
Vision Pro is great at what it's trying
2:51
to do, but its enormously complex design
2:55
is in large part to blame for its
2:58
expensive manufacturing process. It's
3:01
hard to appreciate the beautiful curved
3:03
glass without imagining how much cheaper
3:06
it would be if it were just plastic or
3:08
how expensive the repair would be if it
3:11
were to tumble off a table. The new dual
3:13
knit band combines the best of both
3:16
worlds of the two previous straps. It
3:18
has the same cool design and ease of use
3:21
as the solo knit band with the more
3:23
balanced feel of the dual loop band.
3:26
It's backwards compatible with the
3:28
original model because the connectors
3:30
didn't change. You can buy it separately
3:32
for $99. In an impressive feat of
3:34
engineering, the single fit dial adjusts
3:37
both the tension in the back and the top
3:40
band. You pull it out to tighten the top
3:43
or push it in to tighten the rear. I
3:45
have no clue how this works
3:47
mechanically, but it's incredible and
3:50
the dial feels great. This is probably a
3:53
much better oneizefits-all band to
3:55
include in the box, but unfortunately it
3:58
doesn't really work for me. The top
4:00
strap pushes down on the front of my
4:02
hair in a rather uncomfortable way. The
4:05
rest of my hair billows up behind like a
4:07
peacock and absolutely ruins my hair
4:10
after long sessions. Personally, I'll
4:12
stick to using the Solonit Band with the
4:15
Anna Pro A2 head strap. This third party
4:18
strap attaches to the bridge of the
4:19
Vision Pro and it rests on my forehead
4:22
rather than the top of my head. The Anna
4:24
Pro A2 also lets me use the Vision Pro
4:27
without a light seal, giving me my full
4:30
peripheral vision. This is a radical
4:32
improvement to comfort in addition to
4:34
keeping me aware of my surroundings.
4:37
Although it does break the illusion of
4:39
full VR. Unfortunately, the dual knit
4:42
band is too floppy to use without a
4:45
light seal. The high resolution pass
4:47
through video is easily the most
4:49
impressive technical aspect of the
4:51
Vision Pro. up to 100 times a second. It
4:55
combines data from over 12 cameras and
4:57
sensors, builds live 3D geometry of your
5:01
environment, scans the position of your
5:04
eyes, and combines that into a scaled
5:06
live video feed over 8K resolution
5:10
that's mapped onto a sphere. Oh, and on
5:13
top of that, you can run apps and games
5:15
and use it like a computer and whatever.
5:18
When you consider how much it's doing,
5:20
you can forgive it for feeling like
5:22
you're looking through the viewfinder of
5:24
a really big VHS camcorder. Everything
5:27
is slightly fuzzy and staticky. Turn
5:30
your head too fast and there's a little
5:31
motion blur. As it turns out, the M2
5:34
chip was the narrow end of the funnel.
5:37
Even with its phiated rendering, which
5:39
blurs parts of the screen you're not
5:41
looking at to save on compute power, it
5:44
still couldn't push the maximum
5:45
resolution around your eye. The M5 chip
5:49
can render 10% more pixels, according to
5:52
Apple, and there's a difference, but
5:55
it's awfully subtle. The new Vision Pro
5:57
bumps the frame rate up to 120. There's
6:00
a little less motion blur when tilting
6:02
your head or walking around, but again,
6:04
it's not night and day. I think M5
6:06
Vision Pro owners should be happy
6:08
they're getting a better experience, but
6:10
M2 owners shouldn't feel any FOMO.
6:13
iPhones and MacBooks get the pleasure of
6:15
being updated annually with every new A
6:18
series and M series chip. iPads and
6:21
desktop Macs are known to occasionally
6:23
skip a generation. So far, the Vision
6:26
Pro is in the peripheral category
6:28
alongside the Apple TV 4K and HomePod of
6:32
being updated whenever Apple feels like
6:35
it. So, it jumps from the M2 all the way
6:38
to the M5. The Vision Pro doesn't feel
6:40
slow in most situations. I only ever
6:43
hear the fans come on during 3D VR games
6:46
where the headset gets a bit warm after
6:48
a while. The M5 version is a monumental
6:51
improvement in that regard. Playing the
6:54
same 3D games on both, the M5 is totally
6:58
silent. Another minor benefit is the
7:00
startup time. I found myself rebooting
7:02
or cold starting my Vision Pro much more
7:04
often than my iPhone or Mac. It's a
7:07
consequence of being a newer, buggier
7:09
platform and occasionally going a week
7:11
or so between usage. The M5 model boots
7:14
about 1 and 1/2 seconds faster in 24.4
7:17
seconds total. Thanks to the efficient
7:19
M5 chip, the Vision Pro claims longer
7:22
battery life. The original version got 2
7:25
hours of battery life. The new version
7:27
claims 2 and 1/2 hours of mixed use and
7:30
3 hours of video playback. But of
7:33
course, Apple underpromises battery
7:35
life. On the original version, in my
7:37
typical use, writing, browsing the web,
7:40
using Slack, watching YouTube videos, I
7:42
got about 2 and 1/2 hours on the
7:45
original model. And on the new model, I
7:48
easily exceed 3 hours. And yes, this is
7:51
all thanks to the new chip. The battery
7:53
pack itself is unchanged. The M5 strikes
7:57
again. That still may not sound like
7:59
much battery life, but in all honesty,
8:01
I'm not sure how much more I need. I'm
8:04
almost always using the Vision Pro
8:06
plugged in sitting down. I might unplug
8:09
it to get up and go to the kitchen, have
8:11
lunch, or just walk around, but that's
8:15
rarely over 90 minutes at a time. I
8:17
don't think I would need more battery
8:18
life unless I were traveling on a plane
8:21
or train without an outlet, but that's
8:24
increasingly rare nowadays. I really
8:27
like working in the Vision Pro. It's the
8:29
ultimate tool for focus. You only
8:32
directly see what you're working on.
8:34
There's no desktop, no dock, no red
8:37
badges to pull you away. The Mac
8:39
encourages me to fit as many windows as
8:42
possible overlapping on the screen at
8:44
once. The Vision Pro encourages me to
8:46
pair it all down to the essentials. It
8:49
feels like I can happily write all day
8:51
in the Vision Pro, and with the M5's
8:53
extra power, I can do more multitasking
8:56
and crash Safari less. Unfortunately,
8:58
there's not that much else I can do in
9:01
it. I wrote the script for this review
9:03
in the Vision Pro, but that's only one
9:05
part of my job. I can't do any graphic
9:08
design without Pixelmator Pro. I can't
9:11
capture iPhone screenshots or screen
9:13
recordings without Frameus and
9:14
QuickTime. I can't edit podcasts without
9:17
Logic Pro or videos without Final Cut
9:20
Pro. And even if those apps were ported,
9:24
testing them on the M3 iPad Air earlier
9:26
this year required a tedious and
9:29
convoluted workflow because these mobile
9:31
devices don't have direct access to my
9:33
Mac's external storage. I'm really
9:36
looking forward to the day where I can
9:37
do more work in the Vision Pro because I
9:39
genuinely believe I will be more
9:41
productive. Unfortunately, that day is
9:44
years down the road. Much of the Vision
9:46
Pro experience is so far unfulfilled
9:50
potential, but the one area it is
9:52
unquestionably already excellent is as a
9:55
TV, movie, and photo browsing device.
9:58
This isn't new to the M5 Vision Pro. I
10:01
just wanted to include at least one
10:03
section that can be unapologetically
10:05
positive. Apple's slow drip of immersive
10:08
content in the TV app is now building up
10:11
to be a substantial library. The release
10:13
of the Blackmagic 3D camera actually
10:16
does seem to be contributing to a
10:18
faster, more ambitious rollout of
10:21
immersive content. Apple's stuff is all
10:23
excellent. And with the spatial gallery
10:25
app, you can get more bite-sized clips
10:28
and a Tik Tok style experience every
10:30
week. And that's on top of the many
10:33
third-party apps for the Vision Pro with
10:35
their own libraries of documentaries,
10:37
videos, and theatrical blockbuster
10:40
movies in full 3D. It is without a doubt
10:43
the best way to relive the roller
10:45
coaster movies like Avatar, Gravity,
10:48
Pacific Rim, and seemingly every Marvel
10:52
movie. Even watching 2D content is
10:54
really special. I watch movies and shows
10:57
streamed from the Plex Library on my Mac
10:59
to my Vision Pro all the time. It's
11:02
awesome to fill up your entire field of
11:05
view with a crisp 4K movie on a movie
11:08
theater sized screen in your house. Or
11:11
if you're like me, you can find
11:13
incredible joy in the irony of using
11:16
your very expensive consumer headset to
11:18
watch 60 plus year old missing episode
11:21
reconstructions of Doctor Who. Browsing
11:24
through your photo library is truly
11:27
special. A vast majority of people only
11:30
ever see their photos on their phone. A
11:34
much smaller percentage of people might
11:36
use a Mac. An even smaller percentage of
11:39
people might occasionally use an Apple
11:42
TV. If you've never seen your photos on
11:45
a screen larger than 6.9 in, you are in
11:49
for a whirlwind of emotions when you
11:52
browse through your life's memories
11:54
filling a whole wall and in 3D. It is
11:58
simply superb. I don't think Apple
12:00
intends for the M5 Vision Pro to be a
12:03
necessary upgrade from the M2 Vision
12:06
Pro. Apple's press release shies away
12:08
from making too many direct comparisons
12:11
between the two. Normally, they're
12:13
littered with percentages of every
12:15
single improved metric. Apple shies away
12:19
from acknowledging the difference of the
12:21
two models. On the Apple Store and Apple
12:24
support pages, they're both referred to
12:26
as Apple Vision Pro. Only in technical
12:29
documentation do you see it referred to
12:32
as Apple Vision Pro, parentheses M5, and
12:36
certainly not Apple Vision Pro 2. As an
12:39
M2 Vision Pro owner, I'm jealous of the
12:41
improvements in the M5 version, but I
12:44
don't think there's anything leaving me
12:45
heartbroken. Normally in product
12:47
reviews, I refrain from saying whether
12:49
or not a product is worth it. The same
12:53
$120 MagSafe charger might be chump
12:56
change to a lucky tech enthusiast with a
12:58
good paying job or ludicrously expensive
13:02
to someone struggling to make ends meet.
13:05
However, I have to acknowledge there are
13:08
vanishingly few people to whom a $3,499
13:13
headset is a reasonable purchase, much
13:16
less a second one 18 months later. There
13:20
are some professional video editing,
13:23
programming, and scientific research
13:25
workflows that truly demand the most
13:28
power available and upgrading every
13:31
single generation.
13:33
I don't think there are very many
13:35
professional 3D movie watchers that
13:38
demand the M5 Vision Pro over the M2.
13:41
Reports say Apple has paused development
13:44
of future Vision Pro headsets. Instead
13:47
of approaching wearables from the
13:49
high-end and working their way down,
13:51
Apple may be joining meta in developing
13:54
basic smart glasses and building back up
13:57
from the low end. If you're curious
13:59
about a Vision Pro, this is the one to
14:01
buy. It could be the last of its kind
14:04
for a few years. If you can stretch it,
14:06
you will have the most exciting new
14:09
piece of technology in your house. I'm
14:12
D. Griffin Jones with Cult of Mac.
#Virtual Reality Devices