Here's why people returned their $3,499+ Apple Vision Pro headset to the Apple Store

The Apple Vision Pro has been on sale for more than two weeks now and the return window for those who pick theirs up on launch day has now been and gone. That means that a ton of early adopters have already had to make a difficult decision - do they want to keep their new mixed reality headset and put their faith into spatial computing, or not?

With the Apple Vision Pro starting at a whopping $3,499 it's easy to see why some people would need to think long and hard about that decision before making a choice. The headset is, by all accounts, hugely impressive, but whether or not that initial warm feeling lasts is another matter entirely. And when you've just sunk high-end MacBook Pro money on something most people will need to be sure that they want to keep it. A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman details why some people ultimately chose to return their headset rather than keep it.

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Gurman was writing in his weekly Power On newsletter when he shared the details based on discussions with more than a dozen people who chose to return their Apple Vision Pro before their return window closed.

According to Gurman, there are a handful of reasons that seem to be an issue for those who bought the headset at launch.

• The device is simply too heavy, too cumbersome to manage, headache-inducing, and uncomfortable.
• The current lack of applications and video content doesn't justify the price.
• The work features don't make people more productive than just using a normal external monitor with a Mac - and they're difficult to use for long periods.
• The displays have too much glare, the field of view is too narrow, and the device causes eyestrain and vision problems.
• The product can make users feel isolated from family and friends. Meaningful shared experiences don't yet exist, and the Vision Pro can't easily be passed around to others because of the need for a precise fit.

Gurman goes on to add that the people he spoke to were people who were either longtime Apple and technology fans or those who were shown an Apple Vision Pro demo at an Apple Store and chose to make a purchase. Gurman also notes that some Apple Stores have been able to turn as many as 15% of their demos into sales, a number that seems high considering the price of the headset.

Perhaps more interesting would be to know why people who chose to keep the headset made that decision. It's clear that future Apple Vision Pros will be better than this one of course, but some have already suggested that they see this first model as something they want to own to be able to experience Apple's plan for the future of computing first hand. And if you've a spare $3,499 burning a hole in your pocket, who are we to say you shouldn't spend it on an Apple Vision Pro?