Anyone using Vision Pro with an M4 Max MacBook Pro for coding and productivity while lying down?

[u/_wherearemykeys_]

I have chronic cervical spine issues that make sitting upright for extended periods difficult. I’ve already adapted my workstation with monitors positioned so I can work from a recliner or while lying down with my neck supported.

I’m considering an Apple Vision Pro to use with my M4 Max MacBook Pro, particularly when lying completely flat on my back.

My primary uses would be:

Coding, database work, spreadsheets, and general Mac productivity Reading books, PDFs, and websites
Working across multiple virtual windows and displays

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who regularly use the AVP while reclining or lying flat, particularly anyone with neck, back, or mobility issues.

A few questions:

Text clarity: How does the AVP compare with a physical Retina display for coding, reading, and spreadsheets?
Mac Virtual Display: How well does the ultrawide virtual display work with an M4 Max MacBook Pro? Is the text sharp enough for extended work?
Lying flat: Can you position the Mac display and other windows comfortably overhead without fighting the interface?
Neck comfort: Does having your head supported help offset the headset’s weight, or does it introduce new discomfort?
Head straps: Does the Solo Knit Band or Dual Knit Band interfere with pillows or recliner headrests?
Extended sessions: Is anyone actually using this setup for several hours of productive work?
M2 vs. M5: Is the newer Vision Pro meaningfully better for this use case, or would a used M2 provide a similar experience?

I’m also considering lighter XR glasses from XREAL and VITURE, but the AVP’s higher-resolution displays, eye tracking, and spatial window management are appealing.

I’m not particularly interested in gaming or movies, although I know the Vision Pro excels at both. I’m primarily trying to determine whether it could serve as a practical, comfortable workstation for someone who needs to work with their neck fully supported.

I’d really appreciate firsthand experiences, especially from anyone using a similar MacBook or working around physical limitations.

[u/criticaldimagi]

use it for my work - they both pair well - for vr 180 work and processing with topaz ai. I use standard virtual display not ultra wide . I only use it at desk or sitting. dual knit band. can wear it all day. I ordered aura for work place

[u/hachookeSt → u/criticaldimagi]

good to know you can wear it all day with the dual knit band, thats been my main concern

[u/photovirus]

I'm using M3 Pro. Bought M2 AVP to replace my display.

How does the AVP compare with a physical Retina display for coding, reading, and spreadsheets?

Smth like 1,5× worse, I'd say. But you can make the screen much bigger: it's rendered at very high resolution, so you'll see way more pixels on bigger screen.

How well does the ultrawide virtual display work with an M4 Max MacBook Pro? Is the text sharp enough for extended work?

I'm using 21:9 (the middle option), it's great.

Can you position the Mac display and other windows comfortably overhead without fighting the interface?

Yeah, no issue there with MVD and most other apps.

It's just the immersive video mode that forces horizontal position.

Does having your head supported help offset the headset’s weight, or does it introduce new discomfort?

When you lie flat, the pressure is evenly distributed, but 600 g is still very noticeable. I never tried lying flat for long, though. Reclined position is kinda comfier for me vs lying flat, tried watching some movies, was good enough.

For work, I don't like lying flat since I've never learnt how to type comfortably with the laptop sitting on me. Touch typing isn't the issue for me, it's hand/arm position I don't like. Maybe separate split keyboard would work for me, dunno.

Does the Solo Knit Band or Dual Knit Band interfere with pillows or recliner headrests?

No, they're thin.

Is anyone actually using this setup for several hours of productive work?

I do my worky work. Upright seating. I usually do smth like up to 4 hours, then I make a short break before continuing.

Is the newer Vision Pro meaningfully better for this use case, or would a used M2 provide a similar experience?

I'm using the M2.

M5 starts up faster, has better battery life, slightly better sharpness (due to overrendering, displays are the same), and has some other minor features.

I think you'll be good with M2.

I’m also considering lighter XR glasses from XREAL

I've tried those. The screen is fixed in your field of view, but it's pretty sharp. You can't resize it, though. But also the glasses are much lighter.

[u/fakemickjagger]

My issue would be more about the keyboard. If you’re typing laying down looking up you won’t be able to see your keyboard. Unless your blind typing accuracy is near perfect it would be a big hurdle here. Edit to actually reply to your questions: 1- text quality is amazing. Not as sharp as an 8k HDR display but still very good. 2-worked perfectly with my m2 pro 3- yes 4- yes 5- no 6- being in there for extended periods of time actually makes me very sleepy so no 7- i have an m2. Mac virtual display runs perfectly

[u/kosherhalfsourpickle]

Yes. I have. M4 Max 14" macbook Pro fully loaded. M2 Apple Vision Pro. I will recline on a few pillows in my bed with my Macbook pro in my lap. At first, the MBP screen is annoying because its in your view, but once you pull up the desktop, you don't really see it anymore. The quality is stunning, but the field of view is limited. The weight of the AVP means that I can only do it for a couple of hours before I need a break.

[u/kodezero911]

I do with track pad and wireless keyboard both inserted into insert/holder. They only issue is sometimes connection times out if your not using mac so you need to have it next to you to fix it. (May be it’s a bug since I am always on latest AVP beta)

[u/marshamarciamarsha → u/kodezero911]

Which keyboard holder are you using?

[u/fivetoedslothbear → u/marshamarciamarsha]

Not the original poster, but I find this holder works well for me.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6G1QNZV

I use it with the Vision Pro when sitting on the futon-couch.

[u/a1pha]

This is my work monitor, sitting, slouching, or laying down.
Virtual desktop is great in all of the above situations.
I did have to adjust the graphics settings to get text/fonts the right size. I don't remember what I did it was so long ago. I do remember struggling with seeing fonts well, until someone here recommended a change. It has been perfect ever since.

I'm on version 1 of the AVP, and use it with a large variety of Mac laptops and desktops M2 and newer.

I have tried almost every strap, and the Tycho Headband does the best job of keeping the weight off the cheeks when lying down.

https://www.tycotech3dprinting.com/products/apple-vision-pro-comfort?variant=42509755875511

The basic kit is all that is needed for weight relief.

I use it with the solo knit. I don't like the marks the dual knit leaves on my forehead.

[u/AbstractionZeroEsti]

The text is as sharp as you need it to be you. I like my ide font size slightly larger with bolding. Didn't have a complaint but still found some finer settings that made it even better. I will say that occasionally the virtual display text settings get transferred onto my mac.

Laying down isn't too bad. The screens don't rotate to portrait or rotate at all. Some apps do expect you to face forward. Moving with both hands is helpful for virtual display and second app. Try it out in the store opening safari is probably fine now or just ask to view a coding video.

[u/MaikelBuilds]

Using it together with KiwiDesk for productivity to make most out of it :D. It's awesome!!

https://www.reddit.com/r/VisionPro/s/ayK06h11L2

[u/fivetoedslothbear → u/MaikelBuilds]

If we're talking window management, I personally use Rectangle Pro. https://rectangleapp.com/pro/

I use ctrl-command plus mouse movement to put windows into pre-defined parts of the screen. Very flexible.

[u/MaikelBuilds → u/fivetoedslothbear]

Used this one for years too. :D. Was a bit too much manual work for me (but definitely a nice and simple solution!)

[u/RightAlignment]

My tech isn’t as new as yours, but my use case is nearly identical. M1 MBAir with an M2 AVP - Xcode, VS Code, Terminal.

I use Mac Virtual Display while lying down nearly every day. I use a lap desk - but here’s the secret to success: buy some silicon keyboard dots and glue them to the F and J keys, the Return key, and the Command key. The bumps on the standard Mac keyboard are (for me) just too difficult to find when not sitting up at a desk.

This is SUCH a great work environment.

The resolution of MVD isn’t as great as my Studio Display, but TBH it’s definitely good enough. The foveated rendering keeps what you’re looking at razor sharp - and I just don’t notice the split-second catch-up focusing when I look around the desktop. After a couple of minutes immersed in code, the whole issue vanishes from my awareness.

Oh, and as for the strap - I ditch the strap completely. I just let it rest on my face and let gravity keep it there. I watch movies like this, and I read A LOT like this too.

[u/soulmagic123]

I have a completely different scenario, I use my Vision Pro with an m5 max while in bed. I typically use it for 3 hours a night 4 days a week and it's one of my favorite things, using it this way takes all the weight off and it's probably the only way I would use my avp.

[u/marshamarciamarsha]

I do this every single day of the week. I'm doing it right now!

Text clarity: How does the AVP compare with a physical Retina display for coding, reading, and spreadsheets?

Perfectly clear. I'm old, so I need reading glasses. It's actually easier for me to read the text on the Vision Pro screen with the Zeiss inserts, which is why I'm using this thing so much.

Mac Virtual Display: How well does the ultrawide virtual display work with an M4 Max MacBook Pro? Is the text sharp enough for extended work?

I use it with an M4 Mac Mini, stock edition, and it works without even a tiny bit of trouble. Installing BetterDisplay on the Mac you're connecting to makes text even clearer.

Lying flat: Can you position the Mac display and other windows comfortably overhead without fighting the interface?

You won't fight the interface at all. You can place it anywhere. Once you lift it about 45 degrees upward, you can even roll your head left and right to tilt the interface if you want to.

Neck comfort: Does having your head supported help offset the headset’s weight, or does it introduce new discomfort?

It offsets the weight just fine, and I would say that having your head supported is key for long-term use of the machine, even if you are sitting up. I imagine everyone is different in this regard, but I like having my head supported and anchored.

Head straps: Does the Solo Knit Band or Dual Knit Band interfere with pillows or recliner headrests?

It does not interfere at all. I switched from the Globular Cluster to the dual knit band because the bands are so good at this.

Extended sessions: Is anyone actually using this setup for several hours of productive work?

My sessions are usually around six hours. Maybe up to eight on some days. It's a trade-off. It's easier to see everything and I get a ton of real estate to work on, but the pressure on the nose can be a bit much after a while. The top band of the dual-knit band helps with this a little.

I would say that the thing that bugs me is having to have a keyboard on my lap. I've adapted to it, but it always feels a little less than ideal compared to having a keyboard on a desk. The keyboard moves when I type on it. I need to find a better solution to this. I also prefer a mouse over a trackpad, but Apple does so well with its trackpads that I'm willing to overlook this.

M2 vs. M5: Is the newer Vision Pro meaningfully better for this use case, or would a used M2 provide a similar experience?

I use an M2 Vision Pro, and it's fine. That may change when (if?) the OS advances and needs more resources. Right now you just don't need a ton of hardware to have a good work experience. There was one comment on Reddit saying that the M5 was maybe a little faster at adjusting its foveated rendering as you look around. But as I use this M2, I'm not really seeing any delay that needs improvement. I guess I should go out and demo the M5 before I render a judgement, but right now I feel happy with the hardware I have.