I’m neither a friend nor a foe of Apple. In 2009, I bought a MacBook Pro for my studies. A device that is incredibly robust and timeless. Back then, with Intel inside, the fans were a real nuisance. That has apparently changed with Apple’s own processors. What has remained is MacOS, which I never really warmed up to.

But that’s just a personal thing and not an objective criticism of the system. On the contrary, Apple understands like no other company how to integrate hardware and software and offer a seamless workflow across devices. It’s not for nothing that my next smartphone will be an iPhone 15, complete with an Apple Watch. It just feels more polished than Android.

A few days ago, Apple announced its latest device, which goes by the name Apple Vision Pro. A high-end VR headset that probably has “Pro” in its name right away to justify the $3,500 price tag. I don’t doubt that it will be the most technically mature VR headset on the market, superior to Meta’s competition in terms of image quality, response time, and software quality. Whether it’s by a factor of ten, like the price, I can’t say.

And while I find the device impressive and would love to try it out, I ask myself the same question as with the competition: What problem does this device solve? The competition can do VR games, digital conferences already exist via Teams, and virtual screens are cool and surely boost productivity. But is that worth $3,500? And how does wearing a closed headset for hours affect productivity? I don’t even like wearing my airy headphones for hours on end.

If I need more windows, a second monitor will do the trick. Besides, Apple, with its full-screen mode, is specifically promoting focused work. A direction I also follow. I rarely need or want more than two windows side-by-side. My 21:9 monitor can easily handle that. Movies on a giant screen? I usually watch movies and series with my girlfriend. Will there be two (or more) people sitting on the couch with the Vision on?

That leaves gaming and social gatherings. The former hasn’t exactly taken off so far. And virtual meetings? Why should I see my colleagues as avatars when I can just see their camera feed? And honestly, I don’t even really need that. It’s common for us to turn on our cameras, but it’s not necessary for me.

What remains is an impressive piece of technology at an impressive price. But without a unique selling point. It may do things better than the competition, but it does the same things. The things that, so far, very few people have been missing. The iPhone, iPad, and others weren’t technical innovations either, but they elegantly solved a problem for the masses.