Many Apple fanatics are returning their Vision Pro headsets

For some Apple Vision Pro buyers, the excitement is already fading. It’s not surprising that there’s been an increase in social media posts from Vision Pro owners saying they’re returning their $3,500 headsets in the past few days. Apple allows you to return any product within 14 days of purchase, and for the first wave of Vision Pro buyers, we’re right about at that point.

One of the biggest reasons for returns is discomfort. People have complained that the headset gives them headaches and makes them feel motion sick. Another common complaint is the weight of the device, especially since most of it is loaded in the front.

This isn’t shocking. Every person’s body is different, which is a challenge when you’re making wearables for the masses. Comfort is often compromised, and it affects people differently. With smartwatches, it’s usually about the size and weight of the case compared to your wrist. With smart rings, it’s about the size of your finger.

A lot of people are stuck between sizes or have problems with their fingers swelling. For smart glasses and headsets, having a low nose bridge can mean the device just slips off your face or doesn’t block out light well enough. But it’s not just the hardware that’s the problem. Another common complaint is that the Vision Pro doesn’t offer enough productivity for the price. One user on Threads mentioned that looking at Figma screens made them feel dizzy, and the device wasn’t useful for their work either.

For Carter Gibson, a senior manager at Google working on community management and moderation, it’s the little things that matter. Things like messing around with windows and file management can really affect productivity.

It’s tough to predict how this vocal group of early adopters will affect the Vision Pro in the future. Many people who said they’d be returning the device also mentioned they’d be interested in trying a second-generation Vision Pro. Others pointed out that the problem wasn’t so much the technology itself but rather the lack of a killer app or comfort.

It’s also difficult to gauge how common this issue is. While these users are sharing their experiences on social media, we don’t know the actual return rate or what Apple’s internal expectations for the Vision Pro are.