The 16:30 Lakeshore West GO Train out of Union Station is usually a sanctuary of polite, silent exhaustion. Commuters stare blankly at their phones, sip lukewarm coffees, and actively avoid eye contact. But the moment I strapped a massive piece of glass and aluminium to my face—the highly controversial Apple Vision Pro—that famously reserved Canadian etiquette instantly fractured. A distinct hush fell over the upper deck, quickly replaced by the unmistakable sound of shifting winter coats, muffled whispers, and the subtle click of smartphone cameras. I wasn’t just another weary commuter heading home anymore; I was a living, breathing spectacle testing the absolute bleeding edge of luxury technology in the most mundane environment imaginable.
The collective stares were intense, but the social friction was only half the battle. Within minutes of sinking into the familiar green vinyl seat, the harsh reality of operating a spatial computer on a moving train became glaringly obvious. My massive virtual movie theatre was bouncing violently with every rhythmic jolt of the tracks. Worse yet, the heavy external battery pack—awkwardly tethered to my belt like an expensive metallic leash—was draining faster than a double-double cools in January. As we hurtled down the tracks, I found myself racing against a rapidly blinking battery indicator, desperately trying to finish formatting a spreadsheet while dozens of strangers openly analysed my every invisible pinch and swipe.
The Deep Dive: Wearable Tech’s Awkward Public Phase
We are currently sitting on the precipice of a massive shift in how we interact with our digital lives, moving away from flat screens and stepping fully into spatial computing. However, taking a device designed for the controlled environment of a living room and throwing it into the chaotic reality of public transit exposes massive growing pains. To test this, I planned a journey of approximately 40 Miles from the city centre, boarding at Union Station and riding through the sprawling suburbs. The outside temperature hovered around a biting -4 Celsius, and while the sheer bulk of the headset kept the top half of my face surprisingly warm, the cold reality of public perception was chilling.
Navigating the crowded station concourse before boarding was a perilous exercise. While the Vision Pro features incredibly low-latency pass-through cameras to render true colour, looking at the physical world through dual micro-OLED displays fundamentally alters your depth perception. Avoiding rushing passengers, locating the correct departure board, and correctly tapping my Presto card required a level of concentration that left me sweating. I felt profoundly isolated, locked inside a high-resolution bubble while navigating a chaotic sea of humanity.
“I honestly thought he was having some sort of medical episode at first. He was just sitting there, staring straight ahead and aggressively swatting at invisible blackflies. It is definitely not something you expect to see on the Lakeshore line after a long day at the office,” noted Sarah, a fellow commuter from Oakville who was sitting across the aisle.
Once seated, I engaged the device’s much-touted ‘Travel Mode,’ specifically engineered by Apple to stabilise digital windows on aeroplanes and trains. While it mitigated the worst of the motion sickness, it was far from perfect. Every time the train banked around a curve or plunged into a darker section of track, my meticulously arranged virtual workspace—a colossal Safari window, a colourful Apple Music library, and a towering Messages application—would subtly drift or violently snap back into place.
- The Battery Anxiety: The tethered battery pack is rated for roughly two hours. In the cold, and while constantly searching for tracking points on a moving train, I lost 45% of my charge in under 40 minutes.
- The Social Isolation: The EyeSight feature, which displays a digital render of your eyes to the outside world, is too dim to be easily seen under the harsh fluorescent lighting of a train carriage. People assume you are completely blind to their behaviour.
- The Ergonomic Toll: Weighing over 600 grams, the headset creates significant strain on the neck when constantly looking down at a physical lap to type on a Bluetooth keyboard.
- The Glare Factor: Train windows reflect the carriage interior, severely confusing the outward-facing tracking cameras when staring out at the passing landscape.
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To truly understand the compromises, we must look at how the Vision Pro stacks up against the ultimate commuter device: the standard tablet.
| Feature | Apple Vision Pro | 12.9-inch Tablet Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Immersive Experience | Unmatched; limitless canvas size | Restricted to a flat 12.9-inch screen |
| Battery Life | Under 2 hours (external tether) | Up to 10 hours (internal) |
| Social Stigma | Extreme; constant staring from others | Zero; completely socially acceptable |
| Transit Viability | Prone to tracking drift on bumpy rides | Perfectly stable in any environment |
| Price (CAD) | Upwards of $4,500+ | Roughly $1,500 |
Ultimately, wearing the headset on the GO Train felt less like catching up on emails and more like a bizarre piece of performance art. The technology is undoubtedly magical, offering a glimpse into a future where our digital workspaces are unbounded by physical bezels. Yet, society—and the technology’s own battery chemistry—is profoundly unready for it to step outside the front door. Until the form factor shrinks to the size of standard reading glasses and the battery can survive a full day of transit, spatial computing will remain an isolating, hyper-expensive luxury best kept inside the home.
Can you safely use the Apple Vision Pro on a moving train?
Yes, but it requires manually activating Travel Mode in the Control Centre. This feature disables certain spatial tracking sensors to prevent your digital windows from flying away as the vehicle moves forward. However, sudden jolts, sharp turns, or drastic changes in lighting can still cause the displays to jitter or temporarily lose their tracking lock.
How long does the battery realistically last during a commute?
While Apple advertises up to two hours of general use, real-world transit conditions—such as the headset constantly working to track a moving environment, adjusting to fluctuating lighting, and dealing with colder temperatures near doors—can reduce this. Expect around 90 minutes of intensive multitasking before needing to plug the tethered battery into a high-wattage power bank or a wall outlet.
Is it socially acceptable to wear a spatial computer in public in Canada?
At this stage, no. Wearing a large, opaque headset in public spaces like trains, cafes, or waiting rooms violates unspoken social contracts regarding eye contact and situational awareness. Commuters expressed a mixture of intense curiosity, mild annoyance, and clear discomfort when interacting with or sitting near someone enclosed in a digital ecosystem.
Does the pass-through camera work well in dim train lighting?
The high-resolution cameras that show you the physical world perform admirably in bright, evenly lit environments. However, in the somewhat dim and flickering fluorescent lighting typical of evening train commutes, the pass-through video introduces noticeable digital noise (grain) and slight motion blur when turning your head quickly.