The first path to spatial computing is accessible to everyone

Apple Vision Pro really does look like ski goggles.

Steven Aquino

We're not going to bury the leader. Apple Vision Pro is accessible.

Apple has received a tremendous amount of attention from technology industry watchers and members of the media for inventing the next big thing, and a proportionate amount of grief. People (and Wall Street) want innovation. They want the next iPhone. Conventional wisdom holds that innovation is in the hardware. But more geeky people would undoubtedly argue that software is the most important aspect of any technology product. Just look at Humanes AI Pin's take for proof of that. As someone who happens to be a lifelong disabled person and is more of a nerd, I would argue that a key indicator of Apple's innovation is accessibility. Each year, Apple releases software across a wide range of operating systems, including Vision OS, which makes its devices more accessible to the disabled community. Apple is not, and never has been, above reproach when it comes to accessibility. But as a lifelong disabled person, I'd like to say here that it's extremely important to see companies that make some of the world's most popular consumer products accessible to people with disabilities. Having covered the company very closely for more than a decade, Apple's approach to accessibility is neither a virtue show nor an empty bromide. This is a high priority from the highest levels of the organization.

This background is important when considering the introduction of Vision Pro. It's not often that a completely new device with a completely new software system comes out of Cupertino. So I'm understandably a little nervous about not just how good it is, but also how accessible it is. Given that Apple is positioning the Vision Pro as ushering in the era of spatial computing, it doesn't matter that the device is accessible out of the box, despite its flaws here and there. I've been testing the Vision Pro for the past few weeks using his $3,900 top-of-the-line review unit with 1TB of storage provided by Apple. My kit included accessories like a $200 carrying case and USB-C AirPods Pro 2.

Ergonomics evaluation

As a wearable computer, especially a facial computer, the Vision Pro's ergonomic story is just as important as its software. After all, a headset is nothing if you can't wear it. I've been thinking about the accessibility of the device here ever since it was announced at his WWDC last June.

In fact, I found it easy to turn the Vision Pro on and off. The device ships with a solo knit band attached, which is the band I prefer. Like many of my friends and colleagues in the tech press, I met with Apple and received a hands-on explanation of the Vision Pro before getting my review unit. I remember struggling with the comfort and security of the solo knit band. I went home that day knowing that the dual loop band felt great and that I would be using it forever. Once the Vision Pro arrived, he decided to give the Solo Knit Band another try on a whim. This was a wise choice as we adjusted it well enough to be very comfortable and very safe. You also get the accessibility benefit of only needing one hand to adjust the fit of the band. This is especially beneficial for people like me who have much more dexterity and muscle tone in one hand than the other.

The Solo Knit Band is comfortable while still offering the weight of the Vision Pro. Like my boyfriend's blue AirPods Max that I received as a birthday present a few years ago, my head feels heavy when I wear the Vision Pros. It's noticeable, but it's never been so bad that it's unbearable. As other reviewers have pointed out, Apple made the right tradeoff by offloading the battery externally. Otherwise, the weight would have been even worse. I can bear weight and accept relative bulk as the price of admission. For people with neurodivergent and diverse sensory needs, the Vision Pro's weight alone can understandably be a deal-breaker.

In other aspects of ergonomics, the Vision Pro is a testament to Apple's magnetic mastery. The way the company has utilized magnetism in products such as his Smart Cover for his iPad and the MagSafe Battery Pack is so brilliant that it would make Magneto himself blush, just to name two examples. Vision Pro uses magnets in the light sticker and prescription lenses to make it easy to attach to your device. For example, it's fun to watch the light seals lock securely into place with little effort. However, on the other hand, I was disappointed with the unwieldy charging port on the headset. For a company so obsessed with magnets, I wish Apple had applied his MagSafe to the charging port. I'm no material engineer, but the way you have to shimmy a little to fit and lock the charger into the port is a pain for hand-eye coordination for me. There is a big difference between understanding a concept cognitively and implementing it mechanically. Often, I just trudge through the process, muttering a lot of curse words.

Vision OS victory

Honestly, visionOS deserves a full-length article on its own. The depth and breadth is so great that I can't reasonably cover it all justice without making this text a few thousand words longer. My keyboard and to-do list, not to mention my brain, are too overwhelmed at the moment to get into that much detail. The summary is as I wrote at the beginning. visionOS is accessible. It's easy to access thanks to individual accessibility features and Apple's vertical integration. Although both work in tandem, the importance of synergy from an accessibility perspective is noteworthy.

For example, it's also important that visionOS has proven features like VoiceOver and Zoom. These make the computational experience accessible. More obviously for an entirely new device with an entirely new UI paradigm, visionOS is similar to Apple's other similar platforms. From a cognitive standpoint, it shouldn't be taken for granted that visionOS' so-called home view looks a lot like the iPhone's home screen. For many people with certain neurological conditions, this sense of home and familiarity can do wonders in increasing their comfort level as they acclimate and adapt to Vision Pro's unique environment. . As I've said before, Apple's adoption of iOS and isolation of so many variants is a de facto accessibility feature that is often derided as lock-in. On the contrary, the fact that Apple's devices function more or less the same way means that accessibility has a far greater resonance than the bespoke accessibility features mentioned above.

From a practical standpoint, there are a few things to highlight from my testing. First and foremost is Optic ID and eye tracking to navigate the interface. The first time I used the Vision Pro at home, it felt a little like déjà vu, as if I was reliving Face ID on my iPhone X in 2017. In other words, the strabismus in my eyes, especially my right eye, makes me do that. Therefore, to use Face ID, you must disable “Need Attention” on your phone. So it goes to Vision Pro. My left eye is the strongest, so I told the system to prioritize eye movements only from the left, rather than both at the same time. In my usage, this worked fine. Related to this, by default it was not possible to search and call up the Control Center. To compensate, I enabled AssistiveTouch and set it to launch Control Center when I clicked it. Again, it worked fine in my testing. By combining these two parts and increasing the text size to its maximum, you can fly smoothly around visionOS just like on any other device. To reiterate my earlier point, the accessibility features I use play an important role in this, but so do family resemblances. The concepts are actually closely linked.

Spend time on spatial computing

I use Vision Pro the most for entertainment. Fun things.

This is not a derogatory term. The Vision Pro is easily the best device I've ever used to watch videos. Watching Echo on Disney+ or Dickinson on Apple TV+ was the most fun I've had with this headset, thanks to its immersive feel. The respective theater modes in both apps are very well done and truly feel like you're sitting in a real movie theater. Even better, being able to see things on a 30-foot screen means you won't have to squint and cause eye strain. (This also applies to system-wide Windows; you can make the windows as big as you like or as close as you like.) I have a 65-inch TCL mini LED TV in my living room, and it's pretty impressive in terms of fidelity. Vision Pro surpasses it in both fidelity and immersion.

The jury is still out on productivity. The Mac Virtual Display is impressive, but the Vision Pro remains difficult to type on because it's not a mirror. The image the camera conveys to my eyes is so blurry that it's hard to see the keys. I'm obviously not a touch typist, so I have to type by looking down at the keys, just as I am writing this. Additionally, I spent much of my day with email and Safari on other devices, so I didn't feel the pressing need to check email on my headset.

conclusion

Million Dollar Question: Should people with disabilities buy Vision Pro?

Yes, if you can afford it and have the courage to live on the cutting edge of technology. If the price is right, the video alone is reason enough for a visually impaired person to buy Vision Pro. That's good. The Vision Pro is the most accessible computer I've ever used for video. In this day and age of streaming media, that's saying something. However, he cannot afford to pay $3,500 to most disabled people. There's no shame in that, but it does create an opportunity for disability organizations like rehabilitation centers to probably subsidize their costs, unless a lower-cost model emerges in the future.

Even if watching video feels like the narrowest use case, and it is, that doesn't overshadow Apple's commitment to making Vision Pro 1.0 as accessible as possible. It's clear that the company is putting a lot of money into what it calls spatial computing, and it's equally clear that it hopes to make this new era accessible. In an industry and society where the fight for disability inclusion feels like a Sisyphean mission, how significant is it that Apple has made Vision Pro so empathetic and inclusive? I cannot stress this enough.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenaquino/2024/04/15/apple-vision-pro-review-the-first-pass-at-spatial-computing-is-an-accessible-one-for-all/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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