Short Answer:
Not yet. But there is definitely potential.
Long Answer:
Apple’s new headset computer promises to change how we interact with computers forever, integrating the computer with your eyes and hands. Clicking is done with your fingers,
not a mouse. Moving the cursor is done by looking at what you want to click on. It’s truly remarkable technology that definitely has a lot of potential for entertainment. But what about business users? Is there a case for one in corporate America?
Business users will benefit from several things, mainly the ability to have screens of any size not limited by desk space. If you’re working at a coffee shop and need to open 5 windows, you can easily do that with the Vision Pro. The ability to move windows around with the real world means if you’re looking back and forth between a screen and real life object, like a book for example, you can place the screen right next to the book, adding more versatility.
There’s also something to be said for the ability to use a virtual workspace to focus on tasks. In this mode, the real world is replaced with digital surroundings so you can focus on the screens you’re working with with minimal distractions, including outside sounds.
Typing natively on the Vision Pro is a bit of a difficult task. You can either use voice to text or a virtual keyboard you poke at with your fingers, similar to a kiosk. You can connect a Mac and use the keyboard from the Mac, making typing a breeze.
With all of these potential benefits, comes a big cost – over $3000. This is why I would not recommend the Vision Pro to business users. It’s amazing technology, but not groundbreaking enough to justify spending over $10k for a team of 3.
Future Potential:
As a first generation product, there are limited apps currently available for the Vision Pro, limiting business uses. However, this is by far the best operating virtual reality headset on the market meaning that there is future potential. Interior Designers and Architects will make future use of the mixed reality, placing potential plans out in the real world. Teachers would benefit from being able to show models of atoms and animals to their students in a way previously unseen.
Final Verdict:
There’s real potential for business users with the new Apple Vision Pro, but for now, you’re better off buying yourself a large monitor and waiting for a year or two when there will be more app support and features for business users. At the moment this is an entertainment device, and a pretty good one at that, but not quite ready for the office.
