Apple Vision Pro upgraded with M5 chip
I was super interested in the Vision Pro when it was first released. Then I found out they went with an app model and the device could only display a single MacOS window. There went my dream of surrounding myself with a bunch of vim windows and terminals.
If they'd focused on maximizing the device's usefulness instead of its revenue stream, maybe things would have worked out better.
I've had the Vision Pro since launch, and the only thing that keeps me coming back to it nearly daily is the Mac Virtual Display for my MacBook Pro.
It's just so useful to have a huge display wherever you want it - no hunching over looking down a small laptop screen. This is especially useful on a plane where I'm not even able to open the laptop completely due to the tight space.
My main gripe is: Why do I need a separate Mac at all? Even the original M2 Vision Pro has more than enough horsepower to run the virtual Mac inside of the headset, so it seems like a fake limitation.
I'm looking forward to it being lighter weight and smaller, and for them to make the Mac Virtual Display native to the Vision Pro experience without the need for a separate computer.
It's still crazy to me that they put an M5 chip in this thing, but to run Mac apps you need a Mac. Just let the face computer be a computer!
I won't be upgrading from the M2 model, but I still get a lot of value out of mine simply using the Mac Virtual Display with my Macbook Pro. Of course there are other benefits (gaming w/ ALVR and a PC, watching movies, reading comics) but it makes video editing workflows much nicer for me because I can set the resolution to ultrawide and have much more real estate for Davinci Resolve.
It never really leaves the house, and I get why a lot of people don't like it, but personally, it's one of the coolest pieces of tech I own and I get a ton of value out of it. The value is just tied to being integrated into the apple ecosystem more than it being a standalone device, which is a very Apple thing to do.
I have lots of criticisms too, but overall I really like it. Also converting photos to spatial photos and looking through old memories in 3D is truly incredible. Can't overstate how much I love that feature.
The thing I'm most excited about from this release is the backwards compatible Dual Knit Band, which I'm definitely buying.
I love my first gen Apple Vision Pro. I find that most of the criticism isn’t addressed at the product and technology, but at the price and Apple’s strategy.
Price will go down in five years, once the tech mature la. For now this is a bit like how the Oculus DK1 was. An early device to explore what the overall vision is about, and figure out the apps.
The AVP has greatly enhanced my productivity through access to a large virtual mac window inside a variety of environments, facilitating deep focus while reclining, sitting outdoors, or traveling. And the 3D image conversion of treasured photos is remarkable. On the whole, I've used it near daily for over a year and a half, and marvel at how many naysayers there are.
Anyone using one? If so, what for? (please give details)
I got an oculus quest 2, was blown away by it for 1-2 hours, but never really picked it up again. The games were fun but very shallow, and never tried any practical uses.
Would love to use VR for working on a plane. Currently use a laptop, but my neck sometimes gets sore from looking down. VR has the potential to 10x the screen real estate and prevent having to look at down at an acute angle.
> Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip and Dual Knit Band starts at $3,499 (U.S.), and is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities.
Apple being stingy with storage (and RAM) isn’t new, but the base $3.5k spec with only 256 GB is extreme.
EDIT: clarity
I expected them to give up on it. Props for not pulling a google, but I guess that isn't a high bar?
Still an external battery?
If it's going to be tethered to a battery, why not just tether it to a Mac (or iPhone) instead, and make the device a lot cheaper+simpler in the process?
I had to return my Vision Pro after trying it for a week. I'm one of those rare customers that genuinely wanted to keep it, because it's the only VR headset I could _actually_ get work done in thanks to its stellar resolution and overall screen quality. In spite of its many, many flaws. But I had to ditch the thing because: 1) it's stupidly heavy, and 2) it's the only headset that caused me eyestrain.
I was praying for a new revision, but ... this wasn't it. No mention of making the thing lighter. Seems like instead they _added_ weight to the band to compensate.
Guess I'll keep waiting and hoping someone else fills the space. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a real Quest Pro with the same screen quality as the AVP. The Quest 3 is almost perfect in every regard except for that, so I'd happily drop "stupid" money to grab one with an AVP level display in it. (With the usual caveats of it being an evil Meta product, etc, etc).
> With M5, Apple Vision Pro renders 10 percent more pixels with the micro-OLED displays
I found this little piece of information interesting. Apparently the display on the Vision Pro has such high resolution that they reduce the detail of the rendering. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that reported before. It means that an even higher quality display is still far in the future, since the silicon to push that many pixels isn’t quite ready.
Looks like everyone has the same complaint here about the device. Apple is not listening to its consumers and trying to push the device in directions that the users don't care about. I hope they make it a full fledged MacBook and just grabs that market. They can continue to push the "spatial computing" crap in parallel. I don't know what use cases or market fit the spatial computing has, but really having unlimited screens/space to work on is the main and best use case.
Can't believe this is heavier than the original.
> The lower strap features flexible fabric ribs embedded with tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort, balance, and stability.
This is like how the iPad keyboard case is surprisingly heavy because it's bottom-weighted for stability. While the iPad is lighter than a laptop, the iPad + keyboard case is pretty much the same weight.
I have yet to see one of these things in person.
Granted, I only see a VR headset like four times a year, but nobody I know bought a Vision Pro either, whereas I know a few dozen people with other headsets.
Anyone have experience with AVP+ALVR vs Valve Index? I have only used the latter but interested if I can use ALVR effectively enough to replace the Index.
I'd preferred they'd downgraded the price instead, but snark aside is it still really the only headset with twin 4K resolution or are there others?
> Dual Knit Band is available to purchase separately for $99 (U.S.).
This price looks surprisingly reasonable.
Given the band’s purpose, the price and the fact that it’s backwards compatible, perhaps they’re interested in increasing adoption.
Regarding "Apple Vision Pro and the Environment", I'd be much more impressed with a way to upgrade my current goggles with a chip swap than recycled textiles
Since they only list France and Germany as EU countries I guess the rest of us in the EU are never going to get the Vision Pro?
While I could get one from Germany, when I did that with the Google Pixel I ran into a whole bunch of trouble when it needed to get repaired. Since Google required an address in Germany.
I think most of us will wait for these chips to get into more useful computers.
I wish they could get the price down. I had it for a few weeks before returning it. It's really an incredible device but for the value it currently provides it's not worth the cost. They also need to sort out the fact that mirroring a Mac is tied up with your Apple ID. My main use case was going to be mirroring my work MacBook, but I'm not signing into my work device with my personal Apple account. It's an astonishing oversight. If they can halve the price (and maybe the weight) over the next decade it'll be huge.
The Vision Pro is a premium VR experience, but the weight is something I could never get used to.
I hope that they revisit the hardware at some point when novel tech enables a lot of weight reduction.
Aah yes this highly relevant product
120 Hz support seems like the biggest upgrade.
Maybe Apple’s working on smart glasses — one with a display, one without — to rival Meta. Honestly, Meta’s glasses are cool… until they break. And they do break!
Meta’s biggest weakness? No in-person support. Unlike Apple, they don’t have stores where you can walk in and get help.
My two pairs of Meta Ray Bans are broke - one was hosed after a software update.
... so does this mean that the rest of us will one day be able to buy the previous model for some price less than your firstborn??
Cool… I guess. shrugs
Wasn't the Apple Vision pro discontinued?
biggest question on whether i should upgrade mine is trade in value for the m2 version. i havent seen anything on that yet
edit: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/discontinued-m2-vision-...
lmao. dicks
Spatial computing is not spatial intelligence. Apple fundamentally has missed the boat on topological integrations.
Interesting to see apps like Steam Link and the PlayStation VR controller support advertised. Seems like an admission that Apple underestimated how many VR users need that gaming functionality to be there.
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This part suggests Apple warming up a little to Oculus-style VR controllers:
> With support for the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller, players get a new class of immersive games with high-performance motion tracking in six degrees of freedom, finger touch detection, and vibration support.
Previously they seemed to be committed to finger controls only.
I remain convinced that the main use case for VR is games. And to see them flirt around it so badly is just flat out amusing to me.
They are still making this?
Why?
Is this chip imprinted with engrams from Daystrom? It seems like this might be the ultimate computer.
How are they at version 26 of VisionOS?
$3499??? Is anyone actually buying this?
Oh boy. This is bad for Vision Pro...
Apple would never make such a small deal about upgrading the chip in one of their products unless they thought that product was toast.
I wonder if they're just in full pivot mode to glasses.
Apple Vision Pro upgraded with the powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-vision-pro-upgr...
The latest version improves performance, display rendering, battery life, and comfort, while offering innovative features with visionOS 26 and all-new spatial apps and Apple Immersive content