Apple hasn’t shared any press photographs showing CEO Tim Cook or other executives wearing the Vision Pro headset in what’s probably a deliberate move.
- There are no photos of CEO Tim Cook or other executives wearing the company’s Vision Pro headset in what seems like a deliberate decision.
- Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests Apple wants to avoid turning its CEO into a meme despite envisioning using the AR/VR headset in public.
- The headset has a unique feature called EyeSight that renders your persona’s eyes on an outward-facing display, providing “important cues to others about what you’re focused on.” Still, some people think it’s creepier than it needs to be.
Why won’t Tim Cook wear Vision Pro in public?
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman speculates that Apple may have opted against permitting its high-profile executives to be photographed wearing the headset, basically to avoid ridicule.
The closest Cook would get to the device was standing next to it. Imagine if he showed off a new Apple Watch by looking at it in a glass case or a new iPhone by pointing to it on a table. That would never happen: when new watches debut, Cook shows it off on his wrist. When new iPhones come out, Cook proudly holds it up.
Very curious indeed. Mark suspects this is probably a calculated move because the Vision Pro is quite different than the Apple Watch or iPhone.
The clearest answer is that Apple knows that the headset may look bulky and dystopian on its wearers. It’s also very protective of the image of its executives. The last thing Apple needs is Tim Cook wearing the Vision Pro to become a meme.
Mark writes that the move hints Apple may have “reservations about the design and isn’t yet confident enough for Cook and other high-profile executives to wear it in public.” I wouldn’t say that Apple is insecure regarding the headset design.
No stopping the memes. Especially when you have image-generating AI models like Midjourney. pic.twitter.com/IaVfNXk9YR
— Felix Chin (@felixchin1) June 6, 2023
Although there’s nothing spectacularly wrong about the Vision Pro’s industrial design, I’l admit that the EyeSight feature may feel intimidating to some people.
Is it socially acceptable to wear a headset in public?
The bigger problem is that using any headset in public isn’t socially acceptable. Of course, societal norms evolve, and we could soon start seeing people wearing these things in public—but that won’t make it any less weird.
Imagine being on a flight, sitting next to a guy who wears his Vision Pro all the time, pinching with his fingers, and making facial expressions. Bizarre? Yes? No?
And don’t get me started on recording a spatial movie of your kids like in one of Apple’s slick videos. That may look fine as a demo, but imagine being a little kid and your father suddenly puts on a bulky headset with fake eyes to capture a moment.
Not sure about you but seeing my father wearing the Vision Pro with EyeSight would’ve truly been the stuff of nightmares, haunting me for the rest of my life.
Vision Pro costs $3,500 and will launch in early-2024 in the United States. With the inaugural AR/VR headset targeting third-party developers who will be building apps for it, Apple is already working on more affordable versions.