HOW THE VISION PRO CAN REPLACE EVERY APPLE DEVICE (ONE DAY)

APPLE'S MIXED-REALITY HEADSET CAN BECOME THE ONE UNIFYING PLATFORM...PROVIDED IT MAKES A FEW CHANGES.

-  DAVID PRICE

The Vision Pro is all about the future: if you think it's too heavy or too expensive or doesn't have enough apps, you're just not thinking long-term enough. Apple is aware that the smartphone won't rule the tech roost forever, so it's trying to build a platform for the next 20 years. The question isn't whether it's succeeded already-most reviewers (fave.co/ 4bgosoH) agree that it hasn't-but whether it can succeed before the clock runs out. With this in mind, I've been thinking about the ways in which Vision Pro, or a future iteration of that product, can ultimately expand in scope to take the place of all the Apple products we currently use.

iPHONE

Let's start with the big one: the platform that currently dominates Apple's revenues to an unhealthy degree, as well as holding an astonishing cultural headlock on smartphone buyers in the U.S. My guess is that finding a replacement for the iPhone was the principal motivating factor behind Apple starting this project in the first place.

But does the Vision Pro have the ingredients to match  or even surpass the iPhone's dominance? Not right now. Obviously-and this will apply to every product we discuss-it needs to reach a price point that's in reach of far more people. But it also needs to become more accessible in other ways.

There are four obstacles to overcome: It needs a less intimidating (and less novel) interface; it needs to be smaller and lighter; it needs 5G or whatever wireless connectivity comes next, and a bigger battery for on-the-go utility; and it needs to be socially less intrusive and isolating. If you want a device to become omnipresent in society, it needs to learn to fit in.