Mark Zuckerberg: Vision Pro versus Quest 3: A big threat to Apple and the future of ortho-optical wearable headsets

If Apple launches a headset in the near future, it will pose a serious threat to Meta CEO Mark Zuck, who has more at stake than anyone else on the planet. In a video posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Zuckerberg gives his official verdict on the Vision Pro versus his company’s latest Quest 3 headset: “I don’t just think that Quest is the better value, I think Quest is the better product, period.”

While being filmed by the Quest 3’s video passthrough system in his living room, Zuckerberg highlights the tradeoffs Apple made to get the fanciest display possible into something that can be worn on your head in an acceptable form factor. He says the Quest 3 weighs 120 grams less, making it more comfortable to wear for longer. It has a bigger field of view and less wired battery pack than Vision Pro so it allows for more motion.

There has been a spike in the number of people saying they are returning their headsets in the past few days. Apple allows you to return any product within 14 days of purchase — and for the first wave of Vision Pro buyers, we’re right about at that point.

The design and weight of it made it hard to wear for a short period of time. I wanted to use it, but dreaded putting it on,” says Ortolani, who also posted about returning the device.

It was too expensive and too challenging to get used to headaches and eye strain. I will come back for the next one.

How Do You Get Your Wearables? On the Productivity Deal-Breaks of Apple Fans (Returns Their Vision Pros)

This is something that isn’t surprising. Wearable production isn’t easy when you are trying to scale for the mass market. Comfort is inevitably sacrificed — and it affects people disproportionately. The size and weight of the case, compared to your wrist, is what determines the strength of the watch. It is the size of your finger with smart rings. Many people are unfortunately between sizes or have issues with finger swelling. For smart glasses and headsets, having a low nose bridge can mean the device just slips off your face or fails to adequately block out light.

Hardware is not the only issue. The Vision Pro does not offer enough productivity in comparison to the price. One user noted on Threads that looking at Figma screens made them feel dizzy but that the device also wasn’t applicable to their work. Another engineer wrote on social media that the coding experience failed to convince him and that focusing issues caused headaches.

If I’m not using this for productivity, and if I’m not a huge fan of entertainment, I can’t justify keeping it.

For Carter Gibson, a senior manager working on community management and moderation at Google, it’s the finer details. Productivity deal-breakers are things like accidentally messing with windows and file management.

Source: Apple fans are starting to return their Vision Pros

What Are the Expected Return Rates for the iViole Pro? A Reflection from Early Users on the Apple Vision Pro

Gibson told me that it was difficult to do a dual task between the windows. There are several file types that aren’t supported on the Vision Pro. I also can’t see how creating a slide in the VP would be less energy than doing so w/ mouse and keyboard — even if does feel like you’re in Minority Report.”

It’s hard to say how this vocal subset of early adopters will impact the Vision Pro going forward. Many folks who said they’d be returning the device also noted they’d be eager to try a second-gen Vision Pro. Others emphasized that the tech wasn’t the issue at hand so much as the lack of a killer app or comfort. It is difficult to say how widespread a phenomenon this is. While these users are speaking out on social media, we have no idea of the actual return rate — or what Apple’s internal expectations for the Vision Pro are.