Apple Vision Pro is what Apple calls a "spatial computer," and it launched earlier this month. Apple product launches typically come with a lot of fanfare, but the mainstream public reception to Vision Pro's launch was quite subdued. In part, that's due to the Vision Pro's massive $3,500 price tag, which simply prices out plenty of working people. But there may also be some critical flaws contributing to the lack of interest in Apple's first VR headset. Last Friday was the final day that day-one buyers could return Vision Pro, and by the looks of social media, users were flocking to return the headset.

The story was picked up by news outlets like Boomberg and The Verge, which corroborated the reports. Bloomberg, for one, said that the return rate for Vision Pro was "average to above average" compared to that of other Apple products. So, what's going wrong? After scouring social media for firsthand reports — and after two weeks of using Vision Pro myself — these are five reasons early adopters are giving up on Apple's first VR headset.

5 It's heavy

The feeling of Vision Pro on your face is too much for some buyers

Plenty of Apple Vision Pro buyers have cited fit and comfort, or the lack thereof, as a reason for returning the device. Some users have even reported burst blood vessels in their eyes, which they attribute to their use of the headset. Vision Pro is one of the heaviest consumer VR headsets you can buy today, if not the absolute heaviest. The total weight of Vision Pro depends on which light seal you are fitted with, but it can vary between 600g and 650g. That's well over the weight of the Meta Quest 3, which has an inbuilt battery. The Vision Pro features a tethered battery pack that weighs 353g on its own.

I've been lucky enough to find Vision Pro fairly comfortable with the Solo Loop band installed. There's some nuance to it, as you need to move the band either higher or lower on the back of your head to relieve pressure on your face or forehead. A lot of people seem to think that the Dual Loop band is more comfortable due to its top strap, but I don't think that's the case. Apple clearly put more time into designing the Solo Loop band, and it's more comfortable when you tinker and find the right fit. However, I can definitely see how Vision Pro can get uncomfortable quickly, and noticed some discomfort in my sinuses while wearing it.

4 Video passthrough isn't good enough

Vision Pro is the best passthrough headset, but that might not be enough

Other users have explained that their disappointment in passthrough video was the driving force behind them returning Vision Pro. Many reviewers, including myself, have said that Vision Pro has the best passthrough video on a VR headset ever. However, consumers may have misinterpreted that as meaning Vision Pro has excellent passthrough. That isn't exactly the case. The headset's passthrough video suffers from visual noise, can lack clarity, and comes with underexposure and overexposure problems.

You can see the aforementioned issues in the pictures above, which were captured on Vision Pro via passthrough. It's fine, and definitely usable. But no one is mistaking it from the real world, or even a good-quality smartphone camera. That's why some users have ended up disappointed with passthrough on Apple Vision Pro.

3 visionOS isn't ready yet

There are so many bugs, and not many optimized apps available

The software frustrations may be one of the worst things about using Vision Pro on a daily basis. There are only 600 apps that launched on the visionOS App Store when the headset was released, but the number of impactful apps is much smaller than that. I counted more than a handful of apps that do things like show the battery life or the time, which isn't supported natively in visionOS outside the Control Center. This demonstrates two things: visionOS is so limited that there needs to be apps for basic functionalities, and the visionOS App Store is cluttered with simple apps.

visionOS is based on iPadOS, and that means there are plenty of iPhone and iPad apps available on Vision Pro. However, the experience using these apps isn't the greatest. For example, the Paramount+ iPad app will show black borders while watching content on Vision Pro — and these obviously aren't necessary, because visionOS apps can be sized and scaled into any aspect ratio. This is just one example of some of the software issues you'll run into while using Vision Pro, and some early buyers are waiting for Apple to fix them before keeping the headset.

2 It's isolating

There aren't many shared experiences available with Apple Vision Pro now

This might seem like an obvious one, but here it is: using Apple Vision Pro is an isolating experience. Sure, other people around you can see your eyes while using Vision Pro, but it still isn't exclusive. For the first time in my life, I had the means to watch the Super Bowl this year on a movie-theater-sized screen in my apartment — thanks to Vision Pro. But I didn't watch the big game on Vision Pro, because I wanted to spend that time watching the Super Bowl with my friends and family. There are so many other instances of this that come to light when using Vision Pro, and you'll find that there aren't as many opportunities to use it as you might think.

1 The price

It's hard to live with these compromises when Vision Pro's price is considered

Finally, we get to the price. It costs $3,500, but I think it's better to view the price as $4,000, since that's where you'll end up with taxes, lens inserts, or other accessories. At this price point, buyers have little room for compromises in a product. In a cheaper headset, like the Meta Quest 3, you might be able to justify a few downsides. But when you're paying the price of a used car for a VR headset, you want the experience to be perfect. Using Vision Pro is not a perfect experience, and that's part of the reason why so many people are returning the headset.

I probably should have returned my Apple Vision Pro

You'll notice that I seemed to agree with many of the points cited by Apple Vision Pro returners, so why didn't I send back the headset? To be completely honest, I probably should have. Vision Pro is far from a good value for $3,500 and there are so many better ways to spend that kind of money. In fact, I pondered picking up two Studio Displays in exchange for the Vision Pro, and I still think they might be more worthwhile than the VR headset. However, I ended up sticking with Vision Pro, for better or for worse. I wouldn't recommend Apple Vision Pro to 99% of people, and I can totally see why some early adopters are jumping ship and returning the headset.