LEHI — A social media video has gone viral for showing a man wearing a new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset while driving a Tesla Cybertruck in Utah County.
The video, posted to X on Saturday, has been viewed over 17 million times as of Monday morning. The four-second clip is filmed from another vehicle, which pulls alongside the Cybertruck on Timpanogos Highway in Lehi.
The truck’s driver is wearing the Vision Pro headset and briefly touches the steering wheel with one hand before letting go to fully interact with the headset as he drives past a Traverse Mountain sign.
“We’re so f*****,” read the video’s post.
Tace Anderson, a content producer for @supercarRon on Instagram, an anonymous collector that creates and posts videos on social media of supercars and hyper cars, posted the original video.
“One thing that we love to do on Instagram is doing the fundraising for charity, and the more that we can grow on social media and show what we’re doing on there, the better opportunity that people have to get involved and help out with the things that we’re promoting,” Anderson said.
He said he and his friends had the goal of making a viral video using two of the most talked about pieces of technology right now.
“The entire thing was a skit, it was made as a joke,” Anderson said.
Anderson said they filmed the video along a short stretch of road Saturday. He said the social media personality he works for strives to gain a bigger following online to raise more money for charity. Anderson said he would never attempt to use the headset while driving.
“I would never actually do that because it’s stupid and it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Obvious safety concerns
Several X users were quick to point out the dangers of wearing a $3,499 clunky computer on your face while driving.
“Never use Apple Vision Pro while operating a moving vehicle, bicycle, heavy machinery, or in any other situations requiring attention to safety,” reads part of Apple’s Vision Pro user guide.
Reminder—ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times. pic.twitter.com/OpPy36mOgC
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 5, 2024
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also shared the video, reminding the public that all advanced driver assistance systems still require the human driver to be engaged the whole time.
Additionally, other social media users said the Cybertruck does not have Tesla’s full-self driving or autopilot features enabled — neither of which allow a driver to disengage with the steering wheel.
“Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment. While these features are designed to become more capable over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous,” reads a section of Tesla’s website on autopilot.
In December, Tesla was forced to recall nearly all of the vehicles it sold in the U.S., more than 2 million across its model lineup, to fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when they use Autopilot.
The recall came after a two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into a series of crashes that happened while the Autopilot partially automated driving system was in use. Some were deadly.
And of course, it is illegal under state law to use “a device used to display a video, movie, broadcast television image, or visual image; or a substantially similar communication device used to initiate or receive communication, information, or data” while driving.
Potentially a stunt?
Another viral video appeared to show a man driving while wearing a Vision Pro headset, only for him to be pulled over and arrested. However, the driver confirmed it was a “skit” he filmed with friends and he only drove the Tesla for 30 or 40 seconds with the headset on.
Due to the Utah video’s short length, some users suspected it was also staged for engagement.
This is either dumbest pr stunt from apple for vision pro or we really lost the plot 😄😄😄 pic.twitter.com/tjNHXLpeSj
— 🆗 (@henrixbt) February 4, 2024
“We thought it was clear enough that it was satirical but other people just didn’t read into that,” Anderson said. “You have to understand that the internet’s always going to have some sort of reaction to something.”
The Apple Vision Pro
The headset itself looks like a pair of designer ski goggles. It features a soft adjustable strap on the top, a “digital crown” on the back — a bigger version than what you’d find on an Apple Watch — and another digital crown on the top that serves as a kind of home button.
Although it’s still a computer around the eyes, it’s surprisingly light and comfortable to wear.
Read more on the headset’s release here.
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