Screen Time: John Herrman Apple's Strange, Wonderful, Pointless Gadget

Who Needs a Vision Pro?

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FOR SOME BUYERS, the Apple Vision Pro's most compelling use is one that Apple didn't advertise. It's a native feature of the device, one that allows its user to get an enormous amount of attention in real life and, subsequently, online: simply wearing it in public.

For several days after its release on February 2, there was no better bet for producing a viral video than wearing your new Vision Pro while at a restaurant, strutting down city streets, on the subway, or driving your Tesla. Many of these videos were clearly staged, but even the real ones weren't quite candid-the overwhelming novelty of the thing makes it impossible to wear one outside your home without being acutely aware of your performance, at least for now.

These videos meet a clear demand for evidence that Apple's face computer is as ridiculous as it first looks while simultaneously making the case for its inevitability. They're funny! They're also functionally a form of marketing and not especially illuminating about how people might use mixed-reality devices in the future or, for that matter, about how they're using them now. Influencers with monetization schemesprofessional extroverts, basically-don't have much to tell us about Apple's new introversion machine.