Mark,
Thanks for your deep drive and review. I’m glad you could find a reasonable way to overcome the problems created by your vision issues with the AVP.
I purchased an AVP the day after it came out, ordered prescription inserts, had them by the following Wednesday, and have worked with the device for a few hours a day since. I have some more comments and tips I have yet to see elsewhere.
- Order process and Prescription inserts
When online ordering began for the AVP, I did the preliminary work, including the face scan, and obtained the sizing information for the Light Seal. For kicks, I also did a scan where I did not use the prescription insert option to see the difference. On the first day of availability, I got the demo and a sizing (which agreed with the one I had done from the online store). When I bought AVP in the store, they did not charge me for the inserts, but an email soon arrived to place that order. Once I did, a 2nd email came giving me access to a form for loading my prescription (it’s super easy if you have loaded to the iPhone Health app under Body Measurements>Vision Prescription)
- Once I had the inserts, I used the enclosed card with a circular QR code to load the prescription information into the AVP. The serial number for the inserts is engraved into the side of the inserts, and it is almost impossible to read there. However, it is also on the back of the QR code card (remove it from the holder), and, surprisingly, it is also added to the Health app as an additional prescription. The actual prescription details closely matched my distance prescription but had no correction for the reading section (I wear progressive lenses). I question whether folks who use drugstore reading glasses need the reader inserts.
- Fit
Initially, I used the woven headband, but the AVP felt a bit heavy. Since I saw most reviewers were using the alternate band, I tried it and found I could eliminate any discomfort. For kicks, after about a week, I tried the prettier band again and felt real pain, so it’s the alternate band for me. I started with the standard width cushion between the Light Seal and my face. The pressure was noticeable; I occasionally got warnings that the AVP was too close to my face. I switched to the thicker cushion but initially had problems with the Optic ID (the iris scan equivalent of Face ID or Touch ID). However, those issues have not occurred recently.
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Immersion
The scenes provided are quite lovely. For most of them, the forward portion is the most boring part of the view. If you turn on total immersion and spin around, more exciting items are to the side and rear. For example, the Yosemite background is a winter scene facing the south wall of Yosemite Valley, But El Capitan is behind you. Haleakala places you near the summit with a view over the clouds in front and the top of the mountain behind you. In Joshua Tree, you see a rolling collection of trees with rock formations to the side and back. Of course, this is great, allowing you to focus on the windows before you and relax by turning around. -
Video Immersion
The Apple TV, Max, and Disney+ apps can each place you in cinema-like environments with a screen at the front. Disney also has a few non-theater environments that I have yet to try. The Apple environment doesn’t have extra scenic frou-frou but allows you to choose from 6 positions relative to the screen, labeling them Front, Center, and Rear either in the Balcony or on the Floor. I will always choose the AVP when I want to be immersed in a film or live event from one of these services. -
Compatible Video Apps
Many iPad streaming apps are available. A fault with many is that, on initial selection, the video does not occupy the whole screen. While there is often an icon to hit to switch to full-screen mode, it is often small and hard to select with eye-tracking. The solution is to temporarily enlarge the app window to a massive size to allow the icon to be isolated. Once done, you can shrink the window to a comfortable size and continue. -
Computer screen simulation
I have yet to do much of this. The default screen is 2560x1440 pixels, like the usual Retina view on an Apple Studio Display. However, it is not an accurate Retina view; to me, even the sharpest text is too small and not sharp enough. However, the 1980x1024 size, which does Retina processing with very little interpolation, is okay. So this means I have a smaller screen to use with my Apple desktop but a larger one than my 13" MacBookPro. -
Photo Panoramas
Over the last 20 years of photographing digitally (first with various Canon S-series pocket cameras and now with iPhones), I have created a collection of 300 panoramas in my iCloud Photo Library. Usually, viewing them could be better, as they shrink to ribbons to accommodate their width. The panoramas can be viewed in their full glory on the Apple Vision Pro. It’s hard to put into words how wonderful this is. I have uploaded 34 of my favorite panoramas, ranging from a bike race and a play to natural scenes in Crater Lake, Lassen, and Yosemite National Parks, to my photo website. Each photo is about 30-35 MB, so the album is about 1 GB. Download the pictures and load them to your iCloud Library to view them. There is a minor glitch in AVP’s processing as neither the caption nor location will be presented on the AVP, but that information is available in the Photos app on other devices.
So, that’s it. I want to thank Mark again for his comprehensive article, which allowed me to present my scattered observations.