Reality check: Apple Vision Pro – your new digital overlord or a glimpse into the future? – Times of India

We all have met or heard of that awkward nerd at the party, the one who promises jetpacks and moon colonies (no, we aren’t hinting at someone with the initials E.M). Someone who has been marvelling at futuristic tech without it actually arriving. That’s the tech industry with AR/VR/MR, perpetually dangling the future just out of reach.
But, then along comes Apple Vision Pro, sleek and shiny, whispering sweet nothings of a “spatial computing” revolution.With its eye-catching design (no pun intended) and promises of revolutionising the way we see the world, it’s hard not to get caught up in the hype – unless you’ve been living under a rock, in which case, welcome to the 21st century, where even rocks are probably smart.
Imagine a world where your boss beams your spreadsheets directly onto your retinas while you sip lattes on a holographic beach. Sounds productive, right? Well, maybe. Vision Pro boasts an infinite virtual workspace, perfect for multitasking gurus. But before you ditch your ergonomic chair, consider the ever-alluring song of distraction. Imagine a butterfly flitting past your virtual presentation, morphing into a hyper-realistic cat video with one well-placed blink. Productivity paradise might quickly turn into procrastination playground.
Pretty sure you don’t want to be Tom Cruise from Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” waving your arms and fingers in their frantically. Tom Cruise, maybe yes but not the one from Minority Report.

Apple Vision Pro is a glimpse into a future brimming with possibilities and pitfalls. It’s not a magic bullet for entertainment or productivity, and its impact on the digital divide requires careful consideration. Do we really want to be in a world where people have strapped on headsets and are walking around digital zombies? Don’t we already have enough digital distractions? As if the mindless scroll of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts wasn’t enough. Having said that, the potential to enhance learning, collaboration, and even entertainment is undeniable.

Should you be looking forward to buying it?

That depends. Do you want to see the world through HD-tinted glasses with a gazillion pixels? Are you willing to risk becoming a walking advertisement? And most importantly, can you handle the responsibility of wielding this much virtual power and surrender to technology?
If you answered yes to all of those (and maybe keep a number of a therapist handy), then go on and explore. Empty the wallets, sell some of those golden stocks you have been holding on to and wait for Vision Pro to arrive in India. And no, you can’t ask your cousin from “Canedda” to hop over to the US and get one as it won’t work without an US-based Apple ID. It is an expensive proposition. If you thought the iPhone was already an overpriced status symbol, get ready to mortgage your car or gold for this visionary spectacle. It costs a cool $3,499, which is close to Rs 3 lakh.
But don’t forget, the real world is still out there, and it might be worth taking a break from the virtual butterflies every now and then. After all, real cats are pretty cute too (and they don’t need charging).