But would you use it?

There were photos, of course, of the glasses looking very stylish against a black background. There was clean video of a variety of people happily using the product in the comfort of their pristine pink-tinged homes and anonymous hotel rooms.

But the lack of an actual person strutting across the stage in Cupertino, California wearing the product was a notable omission. Like the fact that no one talked about the design, except in terms of its functionality, and the fact that the device allows others to see the user’s eyes, a real step forward in the world of headphone style. (Nor did they utter the word “wearable.”)

However, if any company should know how much aesthetics matter when it comes to transforming a piece of technology into a lifelong accessory, it’s Apple. That’s always been part of its distinction, starting with the iMac in its many colors. This is how the iPod and iPhone made the leap from consumer goods to markers of taste and identity. With their rounded corners and slim lines, they looked so good; so elegant and cool. They stimulated desire, as a great bag does, even before utility is taken into account.

And there may not be any device Apple has ever made where aesthetics matter as much as this one.

There is no way to hide it. This may be why tech companies have had trouble with glasses, an accessory they’re apparently convinced is some kind of next frontier in personal technology, but one that no one has quite figured out: no. Google with his glasses either Goal with his collaboration Ray-Banprayer or his Balmain x Oculus. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, what you put around them matters in a profound way.

By making the Vision Pro look like glasses, Apple is tapping into existing banks of stereotypes, personality clichés, and history. We choose glasses for all sorts of reasons: to look classy, ​​cool, glamorous; look like Gloria Steinem or Jack Nicholson or John Lennon. Above all, to look individual. And walking around with half your face covered by glass, no matter how swirling the screen is, is significant for pod people. (On the other hand, if you secretly harbor fantasies of looking like Eileen Gu, this may be for you.)

To be fair, maybe that will change. Perhaps by the time the headphones hit stores next year, priced at around $3500, the head straps will be available in a variety of colors and materials, and the device itself will have a shade other than putty. , which will allow for some form of self-expression. . Maybe it’s possible to dazzle the glasses (that would be fun) or add stickers or decorate the lanyard. Apple has clearly done quite a bit of work on the fit, with all sorts of adjustable components, which is something. And it weighs only about a pound.