Early Apple Vision Pro Adopters Are Returning Headsets for Discomfort, Lack of ‘Killer Apps’

Two weeks after launch, a significant number of early Apple Vision Pro adopters are returning their headsets citing discomfort, headaches, and lack of compelling use cases. Some returns are likely driven by Apple’s refusal to enable VR porn on its $3,500 headsets.

The Verge reports that the Apple Vision Pro hit store shelves just 14 days ago, but already some of the first buyers are boxing up the $3,500 headset and returning it. User reports on social media indicate discomfort wearing the headset is one of the primary reasons for returns. Sources describe issues like headaches, eye strain, and overall heaviness of the device. One Verge employee told the outlet that the Vision Pro led to a burst blood vessel in his eye.

This isn’t a huge surprise — wearable comfort varies widely between users based on individual anatomy. Factors like head size, nose bridge shape, and more impact how well a headset fits and feels. Even seasoned VR users report dry eyes and discomfort when using the devices, and with a starting price of $3,500, Apple is targeting affluent consumers instead of purely tech enthusiasts who might be more experienced with headsets.

Beyond just comfort, early adopters also cite lack of compelling use cases as a reason for returns. While technologically impressive, the Vision Pro currently doesn’t have a killer app driving adoption. Productivity use remains limited — multitasking is clumsy and many file types aren’t supported. Engineers have reported headaches when coding, and for entertainment, there aren’t enough quality games and media yet.

Another problem users have with Apple is the fact that VR porn isn’t working on its expensive headsets. As Breitbart News reported:

On online forums like Reddit and Discord, Vision Pro buyers report being unable to view stereoscopic 180-degree VR porn videos in full immersion. The headset technically supports a web standard called WebXR that should allow it to play VR porn hosted on sites like Pornhub. But in practice, WebXR porn clips appear cropped, blurry, or flat in the Vision Pro rather than wrapping around the viewer in 3D.

“Very bad news for people who want to use [the Vision Pro] for porn,” wrote one disgruntled Reddit user. Others have resorted to jerry-rigging solutions like converting clips to Apple’s USDZ 3D model format or toggling obscure Safari settings, with mixed results.

Discussion threads were full of excited speculation about VR porn’s future on the device. “My last night suffering with being able to see the space between the pixels…Tomorrow ushers in a new frontier of masturbatory technology,” gushed one Redditor prior to launch.

Many who returned the Vision Pro say they still eagerly await future versions. This first-gen device may simply have fallen short of comfort and software maturity needed for some adopters, but the feedback underscores the challenges of launching an entirely new product category.

It remains to be seen how much early returns will impact Apple’s Vision Pro strategy going forward, but the company is no stranger to iterating on 1.0 hardware and software until hitting an inflection point with consumers.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.