Working in VR — Can Apple Vision Pro Replace Your Monitor?

Spatial computing tested for real work — not demos, not games, but actual productivity.

Apple calls it spatial computing. The question Willem asked: can you actually work in it? Not watch movies, not play games — write code, answer emails, manage projects. The answer is more nuanced than Apple's marketing suggests.

Apple Vision Pro puts virtual screens in your physical space. You can have a browser floating to your left, a text editor in front of you, and a terminal to your right — all at any size, arranged around your room.

Apple Vision Pro being used for productivity and spatial computing
Apple Vision Pro being used for productivity and spatial computing

For focused writing and coding, it's surprisingly effective. The isolation — no phone buzzing, no colleague walking by, no second monitor tempting you with email — creates a deep focus environment.

But the weight on your face limits sessions to about 90 minutes. Text rendering, while good, isn't as sharp as a 5K display. And the virtual keyboard is unusable — you need a physical keyboard paired via Bluetooth.

The verdict: Vision Pro is a fascinating glimpse of where computing is going, but it's not replacing your monitor in 2024. The technology needs to be lighter, sharper, and cheaper before it becomes a daily work tool.

From Willem's writing on Apple and its ecosystem.