Wearing an Apple Vision Pro on a plane is a social experience

Since February 2, 2024, I have been the owner of an Apple Vision Pro headset. A product that I have often taken on trips, by train or plane, but that I have never dared to take out. The fear of shame, of being photographed or made fun of by other travelers has always taken over my desire to watch films on a giant screen.

On May 9, a week before Google I/O, I flew to San Francisco. A 12-hour long flight, on which I promised myself that I would try the experience. I downloaded several episodes of series the day before on Apple TV+ and Disney+, so I could watch them without a network. I also took a window seat, between two rows, to be more discreet. So how was it?

Releasing the Apple Vision Pro attracts attention

During the first two hours of flight, I hesitated for a long time to take out the headset. I first waited until the first meal was served and the passengers started watching movies so I could do it discreetly, without looking like I wanted to be noticed. Yes, I am aware that this “modesty” is specific to everyone — others would have no hesitation.

First, I took out my computer to start working. I then decided to take the headset out of its large protective box, which unsurprisingly did not go unnoticed. My neighbor on the right, who didn’t smile once, seemed to be staring at me during this preparation phase.

Once the Apple Vision Pro was on my head, I first had to activate “Travel Mode”, which allows an image to remain static despite the movement of the plane. First observation: the image is not extremely stable in the dark. I had to open the porthole very slightly so that some light would enter the cabin, to avoid blowing up the image in front of me. In normal mode, this problem does not exist. It’s really the travel mode that’s struggling to stabilize.

Working and watching a series: a real pleasure on a plane

First use of the Vision Pro on a plane: working on a Mac. It’s quite pleasant to use your MacBook, screen off, with a 70-inch surface in front of your eyes. I felt that the people around me were looking at me strangely, wondering if I was typing in the void, but the comfort was definitely there. I wrote two articles in this configuration with an ultra-stable connection between the Mac and the Vision Pro (via Wi-Fi Direct). Only regret: we still can’t hear the sound of the Mac with the headset (can’t wait for visionOS 2). I had to connect the AirPods to the Mac, otherwise I wouldn’t hear the sound from the headphones.

Then I removed the Mac to use just the Vision Pro, which I connected to the plane’s Wi-Fi. Another fun use: watching live television, in this case Secret Story (yes, I assume). I then watched an episode of Franklin, the series that I had downloaded the day before on Apple TV+. The cinema mode, which allows you to teleport into a dark room, is incredible. You completely forget that you’re on a plane, which makes time seem to pass faster. I followed up with an episode of What If on Disney+, teleporting me to the top of Avengers Tower in New York. There too, it’s really nice.

However, I noticed a surprising behavior: content downloaded locally on Apple TV+, such as Franklin, are in 1080p. What a mistake from Apple, which makes pixels visible on headset screens. When streaming, the 4K quality of Apple TV+ content is absolutely perfect with the Vision Pro. And the plane’s Wi-Fi network is obviously too slow for 4K Dolby Vision streaming.

At the end of the flight I watched a live football match with myCANAL. The small screen on the seat in front of me is dwarfed by the giant 90-inch screen in the middle of my vision, with the bonus of floating stats. I can’t see myself going back after enjoying this viewing experience.

And then people asked me questions

During my soccer game, the flight attendant came to see me. She first started to stare at me, stopping in front of me, before I made a sign to indicate that I saw her. She told me she wondered the whole flight if I was in a virtual reality or seeing the world, which prompted her not to bother me. My neighbors from behind, when they heard this conversation, also asked me about the helmet.

As often over the last three months, I have transformed into a demonstrator. I did some demos to the hostess and two passengers, who wanted to see what we experienced with the headset. All three told me they found it really cool, even if others glared at me during this demo part.

Final assessment: a nice headache, but a flight that goes by quickly

Over a 12-hour flight, I probably wore the headset for between five and six hours, with only one break between long uses. I readjusted the elastic several times, since the pressure of the helmet on my forehead was too painful. I have kept repeating it for months: the main fault of the Vision Pro is its weight, the rest is largely controlled by Apple.

During landing, the Air France staff asked me to put the helmet away. I then noticed the appearance of a growing headache, probably caused by muscular fatigue in my eyes, without neglecting the impact of the 700 grams of permanent pressure on my head. The human body is not made for that.

And the wired battery, which is wrongly seen as one of the headphones’ flaws? Its battery life is 2-3 hours, but I left it plugged into the plane’s outlet for the entire flight. In short, it wasn’t a problem at all.

Summary of the experience: the Apple Vision Pro is a pleasant way to keep busy on a plane, both for work and for play. I will use it on my return, despite my fear of being looked at by others, hoping that future versions will be more discreet and more accepted on public transport (the box takes up 80% of my backpack). Meta, with its more affordable VR headsets that will soon be suitable for airplanes, could also contribute to the acceptability of these portable cinemas.

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