Summary

• The Apple Vision Pro is seen as the next big update to the Mac line, offering a new form factor and user interface while retaining familiar elements.
• The focus of the Vision Pro is on productivity and work-related features, rather than gaming and entertainment.
• The Vision Pro seamlessly interacts with macOS, allowing users to pick up ongoing tasks from their Mac and work on them through the headset.

The Vision Pro was first teased during WWDC23, giving us a glimpse at the spatial computer Apple is releasing next year. Naturally, people reacted to the preview differently. Some believe that this mixed-reality headset will pretty much be dead on arrival, while others think it's the future of human interaction with technology. While it's still too early to tell what Apple Vision Pro's fate will look like, I personally see this device as the next big update to the Mac line for five reasons.

1 Mac maturity

Apple hardware and software have peaked

Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room — the Mac has matured. Following Apple's transition to its own silicon chips, the company has managed to provide unrivaled capability, while maintaining the Mac's famous energy efficiency. Otherwise, these computers have also recently had their exteriors overhauled, making them both powerful and sleek. That's not to mention that the company brought back some of the popular ports it had retired on the MacBook Pro, which only adds practicality to the equation.

Though, superior hardware controlled by bloated software is no good. Fortunately, Apple has also managed to perfect the operating system that powers these Macs. As our macOS Sonoma review reveals, the latest OS version further polishes the Mac experience, making it feature-rich, intuitive to use, and appealing to gaze upon.

Taking all of this into consideration, we can safely assume that the Mac, as we know it, may not really receive any more major upgrades for a very long time. As we've witnessed, the spec bumps from M1 to M2 and M2 to M3 are incremental. The breakthrough was the shift from Intel to the M-series. A similar innovation likely won't debut again anytime soon.

So, to take the Mac to the next level, Apple may have had to think outside the box. This meant coming up with a completely new form factor, overall experience, and user interface, while retaining the familiar elements that Mac users have gotten accustomed to. I see Apple's Vision Pro as a super Mac in an AR/VR disguise.

2 Productivity focus

The demo mostly revolved around work-related features

When Apple previewed Vision Pro last June, the demo heavily revolved around existing productivity features that the Mac excels at. visionOS isn't coming to fill a new gap; it's merely refilling an old, already-filled gap with supercharged solutions. Many of the same video conferencing tools you use on macOS will be available on the headset but with a mixed-reality twist. The web browsing and document typing will also be waiting for you there on the larger canvas. Pretty much all of the visionOS apps that appeared in the keynote already exist on other Apple platforms.

Unlike the Meta Quest, Apple didn't attempt to take an approach that revolves around gaming and entertainment. Instead, it focused on remote work offerings and more serious tasks. While the Cupertino firm did mention 3D movies and series that offer realistic immersion to the wearers, that wasn't the core focus of the keynote. So, down the road, the Vision Pro could potentially replace the traditional computer for a specific category of users, which would technically make this headset the Mac's next big upgrade.

3 Handoff support

visionOS can pick up tasks from macOS

Another reason the Vision Pro could be seen as a Mac upgrade is the way visionOS interacts with macOS. According to Apple, those wearing the headset will be able to seamlessly pick up ongoing Mac tasks and work on them through the Vision Pro. This device hierarchy reflects how the Vision Pro, in a way, is a superior Mac. Otherwise, you wouldn't choose to hand off your tasks from macOS to visionOS.

4 Breaking traditional constraints

Why have three monitors placed side by side?

Speaking of the Vision Pro being a superior Mac, its flexibility is what makes it so much better. Right now, users are limited to the edges of their screen when they're working on macOS. visionOS, on the contrary, will utilize your environment as a limitless canvas. There, you can have as many app windows as desired, placed side by side. Your work station can be as large or tiny as needed, and without having to rely on other devices, accessories, and cables.

That's not to mention being able to shut yourself in visionOS, isolating real-life distractions in the process. So you could be as immersed in or detached from your digital work as you see fit. You also won't have to worry about peripherals like keyboards and mice. It's an elevated computing experience that occupies less space in your life.

5 Familiar SoC

Apple Vision Pro is powered by M-series chipsets

Lastly, the Vision Pro is primarily powered by Apple M-series SoCs, the same processors that power the Mac. While the mixed-reality headset additionally packs more sophisticated sensors and chips to deliver its immersive experience, it shares the same foundation with the Mac. That's not to mention that the visionOS user interface looks a lot like that of macOS, minus the 3D layer that has been applied on the Vision Pro. It likely won't take Mac users a long time to get accustomed to visionOS, as it isn't completely new.

A fancy way to work from home

The way I see it, Vision Pro will mostly offer a luxurious, more immersive way to execute the tasks we already do on macOS. Yes, it's a groundbreaking headset, considering the internal sophistications that make this device possible. However, it likely won't largely impact the way people get work done after (and if) it becomes a hit product. It's just the next major Mac upgrade.