Launching a device a decade later would have had a lot of pressure and with everyone saying “Apple needs to innovate, Finally” must have made it even more stressful.
I am sure the team has gone through countless sleepless nights, repeated patents, and tough decisions to give us all this glorious new device whose form already existed and had been iterated multiple times if we look at the Meta’s Quest Pro, Sony’s PS VR and the lesser known Leap Magic that enables the see through too (Apple’s not new here).
But, we all love the Apple way of doing things, where the product always feels premium and perfect where if someone doesn’t owns one, wants to own it.
Out of all the toughest decisions of choosing the material, the design, the power, its limitations, its price, color and a lot more, one would have been its name.
As an entrepreneur and growth specialist, I can deeply resonate with this struggle as whenever I am helping myself to decide a name for my next venture or helping my clients, this is where I struggle the most. As, we are unsure till the very end as we won’t really ever get to know until we get the feedback.
In the world of hardware and software, a name carries significant weight. It’s how your users will identify and discuss your brand, and they should feel confident in doing so.
So Why Vision Pro?
There are a few hypothesis I have that I would share and I’d love to take your insights on these as well (let me know in the comments):
- First, let’s talk about the word Pro: It had to be there, when you look at the sleek design, when you look at the price and when you look it’s capble of, it’s nothing less than a pro device.
Ofc, they won’t mind you just watching movies on it or facetiming it, but the idea is to present it as a pro and a premium device to sell it to anyone who want to achieve more.
Apple tends to use the “Pro” designation to represent higher-end products or professional-grade offerings in its lineup. This has been seen in the iPhone Pro, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro lines, among others. - Why Not Reality Pro: I brainstormed after all the leaks we were receiving, and I thought Reality Pro would be the name they would go after, after it all it was giving a connect with real world. But, it is not reality still, and it would give the effect of killing a person’s real life and calling it an alternate which many wouldn’t like.
Yes, it’s still a straight away a very near alternate, I mean what else would at this time. - What Vision Pro Feels Like: The word vision straight away gives you the realization, it’s related to something visual but not at a basic level. The term “Vision” could potentially suggest that the product is centered around visual technology, perhaps augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or mixed reality (MR) technologies.
- KISS Formula -> They Keep It Simple: It’s also worth noting that Apple often aims for simplicity and descriptiveness in its product names, so “Vision Pro” may have been chosen because it straightforwardly communicates the product’s main features or intended uses. However, without specific information about the features and capabilities of the “Vision Pro” headset, this is purely an educated guess.
The name “Vision Pro” seems to encompass Apple’s mission for this device, leveraging visual and spatial computing to create an immersive, professional-grade experience. This is a name that both echoes the device’s capabilities and reinforces Apple’s reputation for innovation.
And in the end, isn’t that what we’re all hoping for – a name that represents us accurately and favorably? In the case of Apple’s Vision Pro, they seem to have achieved just that.