The most obvious downside of Apple Vision Pro

The significant, raw appearance of the Vision Pro contrasts with the impressions that iPhone, Apple Watch, or AirPods headphones bring.

Apple is a master at turning digital devices into icons of class and luxury. But when they decide to enter the mixed reality glasses market, they may face their biggest challenge.

According to Business Insider's Global Technology Editor, Alistair Barr, not to mention the great features introduced by Apple, the immediate problem for the Vision Pro is how it looks like work goggles, making the wearer look unimpressive.

Shaping the style

Apple officially announced Vision Pro, its first smart glasses, on the morning 6/6. Using Steve Jobs' legendary "One more thing," Vision Pro marks Apple's entry into a new market since the arrival of the Apple Watch in 2014.

Not just a technology product, Apple's hardware devices often become a symbol of style and class that many people aim for.

Scott Galloway is a professor of marketing at New York University (NYU). He hasn't always raved about the future of technology. But in 2017, the professor generously assessed the "miracle" success of Apple's product marketing strategy.

"The #1 signal of wealth, the #1 signal of power, and the #1 signal of your chance of having a random affair... An iPhone tells the opposite sex or a potential mate's ability that 'I have good genes. It would be best if you matched me'", commented Scott Galloway in a conversation with Vox.

With similar views, Alistair Barr believes owning an expensive iPhone shows success, wealth, and technology savvy.

On the other hand, a green text message from someone with an Android phone can create a discriminatory sentiment because Android smartphones are usually cheaper. This may not be accurate or good behavior, but it still appears in society.

That positioning is a big part of what makes the iPhone the most profitable personal technology device in history and drives Apple's market value to $2.8 trillion.

The same thing happens when a person walks through the airport, MacBook in hand, wearing high-end AirPods Max headphones and Apple Watch. In the eyes of many people, this image is awe-inspiring.

Barriers to Vision Pro

Imagine a person wearing a Vision Pro at an airport. They will look either silly or disconnected from real life.

Alistair Barr thinks that Apple's mixed reality glasses are best suited for people who love video games and are loyal fans of the Apple ecosystem. There is such a market segment, but it is much smaller than the market created by the iPhone.

Notably, the image introducing Vision Pro on June 6 of Apple focused on a female user. In the photo, this person uses an iPhone and pulls the glasses above his head, revealing his entire face.

Alistair Barr sent Vision Pro images to a close friend in New York. This person often chats with him about technology, Apple, and related topics and is a passionate supporter of Apple. Barr asked his friend if he had a good impression of a guy wearing a $3,499 Apple Vision Pro.

"Not. Things that make you look so ugly are not suitable for wearing on your face," this person commented.

Of course, other Apple devices, such as the AirPods and the Apple Watch, have faced disapproval before achieving great success and proving the suspicions wrong.

The product that appeared on 6/6 is only the first version. The ultimate goal is to put all the power of the Vision Pro into a slim, impressive pair of glasses.

If any tech company can make glasses with these capabilities, it's Apple. However, earlier this year, Mark Gurman, a well-known Bloomberg journalist specializing in Apple coverage, said that Apple's AR glasses had been postponed indefinitely due to "technical challenges."

"Apple's original dream of delivering a lightweight pair of AR glasses that people could wear all day now takes many more years - if that happens," he said in January.