Vision Pro Clinches Gadget of the Year Award for Outstanding Visual Quality and User Interface Despite High Price and Sluggish Sales

Apple’s Vision Pro marks the company’s inaugural foray into augmented reality (AR), showcasing a blend of impressive capabilities and innovative technology. However, its steep price point has hindered widespread adoption, restricting sales to a few thousand units. Despite this, Apple aims to develop more budget-friendly alternatives in the future. The Vision Pro has recently garnered recognition as the Gadget of the Year from Popular Science, underscoring its practical applications and capabilities.

Recognition for Innovation: Vision Pro Wins Gadget of the Year

The prestigious Innovation of the Year accolade awarded to the Apple Vision Pro highlights its superior visual quality and intuitive user interface. Although the device’s high cost is acknowledged, Popular Science emphasizes that this product represents a significant milestone in Apple’s evolving hardware strategy. In comparison to other VR and AR headsets available, the Vision Pro stands out as a remarkably capable device.

From a hardware perspective, this headset offers a 23-million-pixel screen, which dishes out more than 4K quality to each eye. It’s a true AR device, so external cameras pump a real-time view of the outside world into the display. Virtual displays, AR game boards, and other digital artifacts integrate seamlessly into your view of the real world. It’s actually jarring to take the headset off and see the real world free of floating UI. There are no controllers to use, buttons to press, or other obstacles between a user and the augmented space.

With a focus on enhancing entertainment, gaming, and productivity experiences, Apple has been diligently refining the Vision Pro. In a strategic partnership with Sony, the companies are working together to incorporate PlayStation VR2 controller support, which will broaden the device’s accessibility. Popular Science emphasizes that the visual fidelity and the user experience quality played pivotal roles in the Vision Pro’s award-winning status.

While AR headsets have existed before, this one gets our award because of how much potential it shows. It’s part of Apple’s overall hardware plan. The new iPhone cameras have a specific arrangement to shoot spatial video for consumption in AR. Familiar apps can offer augmented experiences specifically meant for headsets. We expect the next version of the hardware will skip the creepy image of your eyes that shows up on the exterior screen. Still, we’re curious to see what Apple does next, because a consumer-friendly price on an experience like this could be a true game changer.

Since its launch in February, sales of the Vision Pro have reached approximately 500,000 units. This number is notably constrained by the product’s pricing, which is a concern for Apple. The company is actively pursuing more economical options that promise to enhance functionality, aligning with consumer expectations for an ideal spatial computing experience. Additionally, developers are gradually launching applications and services tailored for the Vision Pro, contributing to its current status as a niche product.