Even Apple CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged that Vision Pro is a niche product. I’ve argued in the past that it’s an essential step along the way to a more affordable and consumer-friendly Apple Glasses product.
But it’s also worth noting that sometimes niche products can make a huge difference within specialist fields, and a new surgical study provides a very clear example of why it matters to patients and surgeons alike …
Endoscopic surgery is performed using tiny instruments passed through a thin tube, with the surgeon relying a camera feed to a monitor in the operating room. Operating in this way requires a much smaller incision, significantly reducing recovery times for patients.
A number of surgeons have switched out the monitor for a Vision Pro headset. We first saw this more than two years ago, when a renowned neurosurgeon used it for multiple spine reconstruction surgeries. Others have said that it can reduce pain and discomfort for surgeons and even reduce their risk of injury.
The headset has also been used by other members of a surgical team, including a senior scrub nurse, who described it as eliminating human error when anticipating which tools a surgeon would need to use next.
The device has also been used to help surgeons plan and visualise operations that are subsequently carried out using a surgical robot, as well as assisting visualization during conventional procedures.
And while that $3,500 price tag is an expensive one for consumers, it’s actually very cheap when compared to the conventional monitors used in operating rooms, which run to $20,000 each.
Analyst Horace Dediu contributed to a peer-reviewed UC San Diego study demonstrating the value of Vision Pro for surgeons. It found that swapping out a conventional monitor for a Vision Pro headset had multiple benefits for surgeons and patients alike.
The study compared surgery carried out with traditional monitors with those using Vision Pro, finding multiple benefits.
• 19% shorter operative times• 100% functional success with no intraoperative or postoperative complications• Significantly lower surgeon-reported workload, with every participating surgeon preferring the Apple Vision Pro experience• Improved ergonomics, allowing surgeons to maintain a natural, forward-facing posture
So yes, Vision Pro is a development tool that helps pave the way for true consumer products – but it also has significant value in its own right in the right hands.
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Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!
