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Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro VR Headset Launches Next Month

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Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro VR Headset Launches Next Month

Less than a month to go until we see how the tech giant's audience responds to such a high buy-in price.
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The virtual reality market, while not as niche as it was years ago, is still a relatively small one. Even Sony's PlayStation VR2 launch last year seemed to come and go with little fanfare (and even less support for the platform nearly a year later). However, tech giant Apple is making its own case for VR and it's doing so with the $3,500 Vision Pro headset launching next month.

While we've known about the headset and its, frankly, absurd price since last year, today, the company announced that preorders for it will begin on Friday, January 19, with a launch on February 2.

"The era of spatial computing has arrived," Apple CEO Tim Cook writes in a new blog post. "Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore."

Touching on what Cook writes in that press release, unlike Sony, Meta, and other VR headset makers, Apple is focusing less on the gaming side of the platform and more on its integration into our everyday lives, including work; hence the "era of spatial computing." Vision Pro aims to blend digital content with the physical world using its visionOS which allows users to control a virtual UI overlayed on a real space using their eyes, hands, and voice. New "spatial" games include Game Room, What the Golf?, and Super Fruit Ninja.

Apple is rolling out a new App Store to provide users with "more than 1 million compatible apps across iOS and iPadOS, as well as new experiences that take advantage of the unique capabilities of Vision Pro," too. Users can interact with apps by tapping their fingers to select, flicking their wrist to scroll, or using a virtual keyboard or dictation to type, the company says. And Apple's own Siri assistant can open and close apps, play media, and complete other tasks with just a users' voice.

Apple's new Persona (not that one) feature creates virtual avatars of users for use during FaceTime calls and more, and it's something to behold.

"If a user is wearing Vision Pro on FaceTime, they appear as their Persona, while others joining from a Mac, iPad, or iPHone will appear in a tile," the blog reads. "Persona is an authentic spatial representation of an Apple Vision Pro user that enables others on a call to see their facial expressions and hand movements, all in real time."

The company says Persona works with third-party video-conferencing apps, too, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of the Vision Pro, other than its price, is its EyeSight feature. When a person approaches someone wearing the VR headset, the device looks transparent, letting users display their eyes to those in front of them. It's certainly something:

"When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual clues to others about what the user is focused on," the blog reads.

The Apple Vision Pro VR headset will be available for preorder for $3,500 starting January 19 before it launches on February 2.
 
I feel I rather buy a VR headset instead of Apple Vision Pro because VR headsets are cheaper, and VR headsets may encounter fewer technical problems than new headsets like the Vision Pro.
 
Are people so rich that they can afford this and keep their house? Such a stark reality that hurts to see. This is more than just monetary inflation kicking in. This is classism.
 
I feel many buyers will more slowly pay off the Vision Pro with a monthly payment of a few hundred dollars per month or less money instead of paying $3500 all at once for the Vision Pro,
 
Artisan Vistra said:
Are people so rich that they can afford this and keep their house? Such a stark reality that hurts to see. This is more than just monetary inflation kicking in. This is classism.
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I’m not rich by any means, and I can easily afford it.

There’s also a lot more technology in this device than the competition. Is it actually worth $3500? Debatable, but it’s definitely not a $300 headset with a $3K price tag.
 
fords8 said:
It is only worth that much if someone is willing to pay that much. Not a Apple guy, so I will pass.
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I like this answer. If people really wanted it, they'd find a way to afford it.
I am not into gaming so this is not something I would like to spend money on.
 

Reviewers have the headset now and showing off its capabilities. The technology on what this thing excels at is pretty impressive, especially compared to the competition.

I’m curious what issues MKBHD has in his actual upcoming review, but I’m not surprised that lack of apps utilizing the hardware is the biggest issue, though that’s the issue with being an early adopter. As cool as FaceTime is on it, buying a headset just for that doesn’t seem worth it.
 
LEGEND67 said:
That makes more sense lol brand
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I think the price looks jarring at first glance when their competition is usually well under $1000. Then of course since it’s Apple of all companies doing it, they also think it’s a $500 headset with a $3000 profit margin.

I think if there were more headsets in the couple thousand dollar category, there’d be less shock at the price.
 
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Grungie said:
I think the price looks jarring at first glance when their competition is usually well under $1000. Then of course since it’s Apple of all companies doing it, they also think it’s a $500 headset with a $3000 profit margin.

I think if there were more headsets in the couple thousand dollar category, there’d be less shock at the price.
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Thats business if some other brand tries to sell headsets at the same price no one will be looking at it.
 
LEGEND67 said:
Thats business if some other brand tries to sell headsets at the same price no one will be looking at it.
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There’s still be buyers, and you can also see what’s available at the top end of the price range for headsets. That way they won’t be as limited in the technology they put in it, as opposed to trying to keep the price low. Then it’ll eventually trickle down to the affordable headsets when the prices for the tech gets cheaper.

They do it in other technology, so why not headsets?
 
Read from tweaktown:

The Apple Vision Pro is an expensive headset and some people returned theirs while they still could - and here's why they say they decided to do it.

Gurman was writing in his weekly Power On newsletter when he shared the details based on discussions with more than a dozen people who chose to return their Apple Vision Pro before their return window closed.

According to Gurman, there are a handful of reasons that seem to be an issue for those who bought the headset at launch.

The device is simply too heavy, too cumbersome to manage, headache-inducing, and uncomfortable.
The current lack of applications and video content doesn't justify the price.
The work features don't make people more productive than just using a normal external monitor with a Mac - and they're difficult to use for long periods.
The displays have too much glare, the field of view is too narrow, and the device causes eyestrain and vision problems.
The product can make users feel isolated from family and friends. Meaningful shared experiences don't yet exist, and the Vision Pro can't easily be passed around to others because of the need for a precise fit.
Gurman goes on to add that the people he spoke to were people who were either longtime Apple and technology fans or those who were shown an Apple Vision Pro demo at an Apple Store and chose to make a purchase. Gurman also notes that some Apple Stores have been able to turn as many as 15% of their demos into sales, a number that seems high considering the price of the headset.
 
cm2 said:
Read from tweaktown:

The Apple Vision Pro is an expensive headset and some people returned theirs while they still could - and here's why they say they decided to do it.

Gurman was writing in his weekly Power On newsletter when he shared the details based on discussions with more than a dozen people who chose to return their Apple Vision Pro before their return window closed.

According to Gurman, there are a handful of reasons that seem to be an issue for those who bought the headset at launch.

The device is simply too heavy, too cumbersome to manage, headache-inducing, and uncomfortable.
The current lack of applications and video content doesn't justify the price.
The work features don't make people more productive than just using a normal external monitor with a Mac - and they're difficult to use for long periods.
The displays have too much glare, the field of view is too narrow, and the device causes eyestrain and vision problems.
The product can make users feel isolated from family and friends. Meaningful shared experiences don't yet exist, and the Vision Pro can't easily be passed around to others because of the need for a precise fit.
Gurman goes on to add that the people he spoke to were people who were either longtime Apple and technology fans or those who were shown an Apple Vision Pro demo at an Apple Store and chose to make a purchase. Gurman also notes that some Apple Stores have been able to turn as many as 15% of their demos into sales, a number that seems high considering the price of the headset.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen the complaint from a lot of reviewers that the lack of optimized apps kind of kills the mood. Outside of FaceTime and the small handful of optimized apps, it’s basically an iPad in your face at this point.
 
Read this from tweaktown:

Users report that the headset's glass is cracking in a straight line around the halfway mark with no sudden impact or drops causing it. Some users say that their cracked glass was spotted after leaving the headset plugged in and charging and then returning to the device later. Others suggest that the crack could be related to the extra tension placed on the glass when the head straps are being tightened.

The number of people who have shared photos of cracked front glass on their Apple Vision Pro isn't huge, but the headset has only been on sale for a limited amount of time and in one country - and priced at $3,499 for the 256GB model and more for those who want more vast storage, it's unlikely there are a lot of these things floating around.

Right now there is no indication of whether or not Apple is aware of the issue or indeed why it's really happening. We do know that getting the cover glass swapped out via AppleCare coverage costs $300. Those who don't have AppleCare will have to pay the full $800, a huge sum of money for a crack that people say they didn't cause.

It's possible that Apple will replace the front glass as part of the Apple Vision Pro's warranty, but those who have reached out to Apple have so far been told that they must pay the cost themselves. That could change should Apple decide that this is an issue caused by the Apple Vision Pro's design, however.
 
Read from tweaktown :

The Apple Vision Pro launched to much fanfare but sales have been so slow that Apple has now slashed orders from vendors, analyst claims.

When Apple launched the Apple Vision Pro to the public in February it was the hottest thing in town, and it remained that way for a few weeks. But as is so often the case with these launches, once the dust settled, interest was already starting to wane. Now, a new report claims that demand for the high-end spatial computer has been so low that Apple has had to take drastic action.

That action, according to the normally well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, comes in the form of cutting its 2024 shipments to somewhere between 400,000 and 450,000 units which is considerably down on the market consensus of anything up to 800,000 units - and potentially even more.

Kuo points out that Apple cut the orders even before launching the Apple Vision Pro in new markets. Right now it's only available in the United States and it's thought that demand has fallen so sharply in the United States that Apple is taking a more conservative view of the demand it can expect when the headset finally starts to ship to other countries.
 
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