One year ago, the Apple Vision Pro went on sale. I was at my local Apple Store when the doors opened to pick mine up, and a few hours later, I recorded a podcast episode to share some initial thoughts. Given the occasion, a number of folks who have also been using this product since Day 1 shared their thoughts this week. I thought Jason Snell of Six Colors did a very nice job with his article, and since I stood in line with Zac Hall of 9to5Mac, I'll also share a link to his article. Looking back at the past year, it is easy to say something negative. This first version of this product is expensive, and that high price is only worth it for a small number of people right now. And because so few people own one, few developers have spent time creating apps for the Vision Pro (and I doubt that these apps are currently earning much money for those early developers). Moreover, while I hoped to use this as a productivity device, that has been limited for various reasons during this first year. For example, a big reason that I can use my iPhone and iPad to get so much work done is that they work with my law firm's email, document management system, contacts, etc. Because the Microsoft Intune MDM software is not yet available for the Vision Pro (it is coming in "early 2025"), I cannot yet do the same thing on my Vision Pro. Despite all that, I love using my Vision Pro. It is an amazing device for watching TV shows and movies. The immersive videos created by Apple are stunningly lifelike and a joy to watch. Using the FaceTime persona feature to have a videoconference with other Vision Pro users is leaps and bounds better than using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. And there is so much more that is fantastic, such as the Mac Virtual Display mode that I am using right now as I type this post. Remember that the first year of the iPhone was also quite limited—no App Store, no cut and paste, the Edge cellular network was crazy slow, iPhone J.D. had not even launched yet (ahem)—and I have no doubt that we will one day look back at this first year of the Vision Pro the same way. Even so, it has been thrilling to be a part of the early stages of the next big thing, so Happy First Birthday to the Vision Pro. I look forward to watching you grow up. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Apple doesn't introduce new apps very often, but it happened this week. You can now download the Apple Invites app for free from the App Store, as noted by John Voorhees of MacStories. The app lets you plan an event, like a party, invite others, and track who is coming. The app even makes it easy to create a shared album associated with the event. Many websites do something similar, but they are typically full of obnoxious ads, and I'm sure that they collect and sell all of the email addresses you provide. You have to pay for iCloud+ to use the app, but you can send invitations to anyone, even if they don't use an iPhone or have an Apple Account.
- The Super Bowl is being played in New Orleans in two days, and since I live there, I have enjoyed getting a front-row seat for some of the fanfare. For example, the light show being displayed in the French Quarter right now is something special to see in person. Amber Neely of AppleInsider explains how you can watch Super Bowl LIV from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- Here's a great tip if you use the Notes app from Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac: you can tap a button to quickly switch between notes you have recently used. I did not know that.
- Speaking of tips, Tim Hardwick of MacRumors compiled a list of some of the best iPhone features added in the three big updates to iOS 18.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors reports that a few developers were able to get apps on the App Store that could use screen reading malware to look for information in your Photos, but Apple pulled the apps and banned the developers as soon as it found out. Yikes.
- I'm a big fan of the Anker MagSafe Charger Stand (my review). I use it daily in my office, and I see that it is currently on sale on Amazon for about $100. (I paid $150 for mine.) But Simon Jary of Macworld notes a new charging stand from ESR, the Qi2 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with CryoBoost, that costs only $69.99 on Amazon. Moreover, because it uses a fan to keep the Qi charger cool, it can apparently charge your iPhone almost twice as fast. Plus, the Apple Watch charger is detachable, so you can carry it when you are on the go. Because I keep my iPhone on my Anker device throughout the day to keep it in the handy StandBy mode, wireless charging speed doesn't make much difference to me. Even so, I cannot help but be intrigued by this ESR device.
- Jeff Carlson shares some of his favorite Apple Watch tips in this article for CNet.
- Last week, I mentioned this year's version of Apple's Unity Band for the Apple Watch, which Apple introduced for Black History Month. Michael Burkhardt of 9to5Mac shows the different versions of the Unity Band that Apple has introduced over the years. This year's version is my favorite.
- USB-C cables are useful. An Apple Watch charger is useful. Are these two great tastes that taste great together? Andrew O'Hara describes the new Nomad Universal Apple Watch cable, a $100 USB-C cable with a built-in Apple Watch charger.
- Apple recently updated Find My so that if you lose luggage with an AirTag attached while traveling, you can now share the tracking information with your airline to recover your bag more quickly. A number of airlines offered that feature from the start, and more have been adding support since then. As William Gallagher of AppleInsider notes, it was amusing to see Lufthansa add support this week because not that long ago, that airline had actually banned the use of AirTags.
- If you are a fan of the Apple TV+ show Severance, I think that you will enjoy this interview of Ben Stiller by Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter. If you are not a fan of the Apple TV+ show Severance, then I can only imagine that means that you haven't started watching it yet, and boy is there a treat waiting for you.
- And finally, whenever I use my Apple Vision Pro, I feel like I am getting a peek into the future. But here's a video with another glimpse into the future of Apple products that is simply outstanding. I'm surprised Apple is letting its researchers show off the experimental work. I am so excited to see what product eventually emerges from this research. With no further ado, I present to you: ELEGNT.