The first thing you notice about Apple's Vision Pro headset is that it's fairly comfortable - as much as wearing a pair of giant ski goggles on your face can possibly be.
I was one of the first people in the world to try out the hugely anticipated, and very expensive, new mixed-reality headset, following its launch in California on Monday.
Unlike many existing headsets, Apple has detached the battery, so it doesn't sit heavy on your head - although it does mean the battery has to sit beside you instead, tethered by a cable.
Apple's traditional, minimalist user interface is used. When the headset is on, you can see your surroundings without glass by looking through the numerous on-board cameras. This is important for the "mixed-reality" experience - digital content projected onto your surroundings.
You physically press a single button on the top right-hand side of glasses, and up pops some familiar app icons you'll recognise if you have used an iPhone - iMessage, photos, Apple TV (there will be more as developers make them).
From that point on, everything is controlled by gestures. The headset keeps track of where you are looking, so when you look at an app and pinch your thumb and forefinger together, the app opens.
Apple swept me through a number of demos. A gallery of photos, stretching from floor to ceiling, were impressive to see - although these were clearly very carefully curated, and very beautifully shot.
You can shoot 3D video using the cameras on the headset - I watched a child blow out birthday candles on a cake so close to me that I felt I could almost feel her breath.
I spoke on a live video call with another employee of Apple who was also sporting a headset, albeit virtually rather than visually. I've never met him in person, so I don't know what he actually looked like, but even when he smiled or frowned, the smoothness of his skin and the detail in his eyes seemed a little off.
I watched movie clips on a giant virtual screen with the room digitally darkened around me like a cinema theatre. a huge, 3D T. My face got a rex dinosaur sniff. I watched digital flower petals dance around the room during a mindfulness meditation.
A physical dial that controls the size of whatever you're viewing allows you to adjust your level of immersion. It can take up the entire space or take on the appearance of a TV screen projected against your wall.
No matter how immersed you are, you can see someone walking in front of you in real life.
I had a laborious go at trying to respond to a text message on the digital keyboard that popped up in front of me. Every time I said something less than glowing, I got the enthusiastic reply, "Remember this is not a finished product!".
Unfortunately, I can't show you any of this because taking pictures or videos was prohibited there. Noticeably, nobody from Apple actually wore a Vision Pro either - not even the boss, Tim Cook, or Disney CEO, Bob Iger, who described the device as "real-life magic".
I've tried a lot of virtual-reality (VR) and mixed-reality headsets in my time as a tech journalist and this was one of the better ones. And with a $3,499 (£2,899) launch price tag, you'd hope so.
When it goes on sale the following year, it'll probably still be the most expensive headset available. Bloomberg has reported that Apple hopes to shift 900,000 in the first year of sales.
Although I'm not sure if it will succeed, I believe Apple is using very clever marketing in this situation. Mixed-reality headsets have traditionally been marketed toward gamers and promised grand, extravagant experiences. Rock out at Wembley Stadium while slaying monsters the size of your house.
Apple barely mentioned gaming at all. The message was much more: perform all of the actions you would normally perform on your phone, but larger, brighter, and in front of your own home.
There was much speculation that the Apple Vision Pro announcement would be an "iPhone moment" - that is, a huge, game-changing product from Apple in the way the iPhone changed the smartphone landscape forever.
However, what if the Apple Vision Pro really did. is . newest iPhone?
By making it a useful bit of every day kit rather than an occasional thrill, Apple is very much aiming this at the mainstream.
I'm not sure whether it will work. Apple has a unique magic and a very loyal customer base. People who like the brand really, really like the brand. But hardware has long been a barrier in VR.
Wearing a headset for long periods of time just does not feel great. Numerous people experience nausea; I do as well, though not on Monday; my demo lasted only 15 minutes, with a few minutes spent on each section.
I can tell you with certainty that while it was a remarkable experience, I'm not sure I want to be sniffed by a virtual dinosaur again any time soon.
Now clearly $3,499 is not a novelty product price. I still recall my groaning when Facebook-owner Meta announced that its Quest Pro headset would cost roughly $1,500, less than half the price (it has since dropped to $999).
You are of course paying for the years of research and development that goes into building the first generation of any product. But what if you use it every day? .
You should spend the most money on the clothes you wear the most frequently, according to a friend of mine who works in the fashion industry.
So if you spend £100 on a dress and wear it once, that single wear was £100. However, if you wear it 100 times, it will only cost you £1 each. .
Perhaps Apple is gambling that if it can make the headset useful enough, people are more likely to think about it that way. To make that work, a lot of developers and content are required.
But if you like Apple, and you like mixed reality, and you have the cash - you'll probably like this headset.
If in five years time it's replaced your smartphone - well, perhaps our avatars can virtually FaceTime each other and have a chat about it.
Adhere to Zoe. on Twitter.
