How I use my Apple Vision Pro …
And I am getting addicted to it !!!
Previously, I wrote an article about what I thought about my Apple Vision Pro (AVP). You can find it here: Apple Vision Pro: A Glorified Display Device?
In this article, I like to share how I am using my AVP and the accessories I use with it. Let’s start with the headband. You need to wear AVP comfortably if you want to enjoy using it. Apple provides two bands to be used with AVP. There is the solo knit band and the dual loop band. I have used both bands on my AVP and have found them to have different advantages. I like the dual loop band for the support of the weight via the over-the-head strap. This reduces the pressure of the light seals on the cheeks of your face and your forehead (if you wear the band very tightly). I like the solo knit band for its softness and cooling comfort especially if you lean your head against some kind of rest or cushion, which is something I do very often. The dual loop band will feel a little hard in the same situation. However, with the solo knit band, the weight of the light seal on your cheeks may force you to take a break from wearing AVP more frequently. Note that I would strongly recommend wearing the AVP in a place with comfortable room temperature. Otherwise, you would perspire in the areas where the AVP is in contact with your face and head/hair during prolonged wear.
So, I have added an accessory to the solo knit band. I used the AnnaPro Comfort Head Strap for AVP.
The Anna Pro head strap is an additional piece of gear that you insert over the two sides of AVP and use together with the solo knit band. It helps to reduce the pressure of the light seal on the cheeks of my face and significantly improves the comfort of wearing the AVP. There are other alternatives you can consider (eg. Spigen DR210 Padded Head Strap) as well.
Now if you need to use AVP outside your house, you would need a carrier or device bag. For such an expensive device like AVP, I would want it to be well protected so I bought the Spigen Klasden Pouch. It not only provides protection from knocks but also provides pockets and space for other accessories such as a spare battery (power bank that can be connected to the AVP battery), cleaning cloth, lens spray (to clean the glass in AVP), and even an Air Tag (hidden in a little pouch). I would imagine that future backpacks would support storing the AVP directly just like how laptops have a sleeve for safekeeping in the backpack or the compartments like camera backpacks. For now, I’ll just have to make do with carrying this bulky bag.
I have also paired a portable keyboard with my AVP. This tiny foldable AVATTO wireless keyboard can readily fit into my AVP carrier. To do meaningful work on the AVP, you would need a Bluetooth keyboard. Voice input and touching fingers cannot compete with typing on the keyboard.
You would also need your Airpod Pro (USB-C) with your AVP, especially if you need to work on it in a fairly noisy environment.
To help clean your AVP lenses, you will also need a good cleaning cloth and glass cleaning spray. I tend to have my eyelashes touch the AVP lenses so I clean them about once a week.
Let’s get on with what I use the AVP for. When I’m at home, I have found that AVP has almost completely replaced my iPad Pro and Apple TV. I use them mostly for video consumption (YouTube, Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, Tennis TV, sports matches, etc.), basic internet access (browsing websites), and document editing (browser, email, calendar, notes, and other collaboration applications like Slack, Zoom, etc.). The ability to size up the windows of any application just makes it a wonderful experience. Furthermore, with my aging eyes, I need correction with my reading glasses. But with AVP, I no longer need it when looking at my watch or phone through the AVP. This is due to the use of the external AVP cameras to re-present the video of my phone and watch in the internal display panels with a further focus length. I watch a lot of tennis on Tennis TV, and it is simply amazing to watch the action on a very large screen.
With my Apple TV, it is linked to a pair of Apple Home Pods and a Samsung QLED 55-inch TV. Turning it on is just a click on the Apple Remove and it takes less than one second. This is the most convenient way I have been watching videos. But this has also given way to my AVP, which takes three to five seconds more to put on (to tighten the solo knit band after putting AVP over my head). As I am usually the only person watching the Apple TV, using just the AVP saves electricity.
With my iPad Pro, it is my ALL-in-One kind of device. I can do practically everything with it, including accessing the internet, work emails, calendars, and conferencing. It is the device I bring with me whenever I am out for an errand and have some spare time to do work or play, such as bringing my car to a workshop and waiting for the servicing. It is also the device I often bring to the toilet when I need to spend some time waiting … (Oh, I will not be bringing my AVP there anytime soon at this point). Apple has also made many iPad applications compatible with the AVP, so there are many applications that you can use. Currently, I have started to use my AVP for everything I need on a computer, except for importing and managing digital photographs (of birds that I take). For that, I would still need to use my Mac Studio as it requires larger storage capacities. I do however have the choice of using AVP as the “monitor” display while I am editing digital photographs on my Mac Studio. But currently, my 32–inch QD-OLED display still feels the most comfortable for image editing.
Now, I use my AVP every day, for at least 5 to 6 hours a day. Other than gaming, image editing, and corporate work, I would use my AVP. Right now, I’m still editing my medium.com articles on my Mac Studio, but I believe soon I’ll change to using my AVP instead. If I were to use AVP now, I would need to sit with my head leaning forward, which is unlike the usual way of leaning back and consuming content in AVP. This is because the need for typing on a keyboard and the additional weight of the AVP over my face may make me tire more easily. And it kind of looks silly to wear AVP and sit in front of my 32-inch monitor where my desk and keyboard are.
So, does the AVP justify the usage I have now? Of course not, I’ll be looking into writing 3D and Spatial Computing applications on this revolutionary platform. More about my thoughts on this in another article. Hope this article is useful to you.
