Apple Giving Employees 25% Discount on Vision Pro

[BellSystem]

Wow….so generous of them.. we should elect them humanitarians of the century. No other companies offer the standard hardware discount on standard hardware. Sooo generous!!! (Insert all over the top emojis)

I’m sure the 7th tier store check in associate can afford such a lavish item. It’s like a BMW dealer offering a 5% discount to the janitor.

If they are serious about getting high adoption rates they need to get it into employee hands to promote it. Such a cheap company.

 

[chineseguy38]

Can't wait to see what its trade in value is in 2025.🥲

Sorry to tell you. It goes straight to recycle.

 

[BellSystem]

Sorry to tell you. It goes straight to recycle.

Nah…they will go right to “Sorry Apple does not accept trades or recycling of this product “. They will want nothing to do with it. It will disappear from the world with Ping and iPod HiFi.

 

[trichardlin]

You know if employees could get essentially $900 off a Vision Pro, makes you wonder why the damn headset doesn't even cost that price for normal customers. $3500 is absurd, $2500 is an easier pill to swallow.

You do know Apple's operating margin is about 25%, right? If Apple offer that at cost, then they have to eat the expenses of having sales people spending a lot of time with customers with demo, etc. Plus the cost of Apple store rent, running an online store, etc etc. You get the picture. The end result is, the more unit they sell to customers at $2500, the more money they lose.

 

[Apple_Robert]

What about an active MR forum member discount?

 

[Surf Monkey]

Something tells me not many would care to take them up on that offer anyway. Not for Gen 1 anyway.

They hire the rabid Apple faithful to work at Apple stores.

What this article tells me is that Apple will be selling most of these to only the most rabid, see-no-evil Apple fans. Selling to employees guarantees that, both because of who they employ and because it will eat into the minuscule number of headsets Apple intends to make that are available to the general public. All of this is looking a lot like manufactured scarcity intended to build artificial hype.

 

[Surf Monkey]

You do know Apple's operating margin is about 25%, right? If Apple offer that at cost, then they have to eat the expenses of having sales people spending a lot of time with customers with demo, etc. Plus the cost of Apple store rent, running an online store, etc etc. You get the picture. The end result is, the more unit they sell to customers at $2500, the more money they lose.

Can you source that percentage? It seems low to me.

 

[Craptastic]

No, you’re probably right. I figured that too. Maybe they don’t have data regarding the employee discounts of the first iPhone and/or iPad.

I did a Google search and supposedly per calendar year, employees get 25% off one Apple product. I don’t know if the product is selected by Apple or if the employee can just use it on the iPhone or Mac if they choose. Sounds like Apple chooses, based on today’s story, though.

Apple employees get 1 25% off discount for each hero product.
1 Mac, 1 watch, 1 iphone, etc. For AirPods, there is a 25% discount on any AirPod set and 1 25% on AirPods Max, separately. Not to mention Apple care plus policies, free iCloud storage, Apple Services (tv+, arcade, and music)

This article is also incorrect. Apple employees are given their 1 time $500 discount every TWO years, not 3.

Apple employees also have discounts on the refurbished site, quarterly promotion discounts, and a holiday “wish list” with sales on various products on Apple.com.

Apple is extremely generous with employees and discounts.

 

[wigby]

They should offer the discount to registered developers as well if they want to encourage more developers to buy and build apps for the platform. If anything, Apple probably needs developer support for the Vision Pro now more than ever.

Developers can write it off in their taxes and they also will generate revenue by developing apps for this device. They need good support, solid APIs and better App Store commissions, not 25% off some hardware. And let's be honest, most developers would probably just turn around and sell it on Ebay.

 

[Blackstick]

Apple employees get 1 25% off discount for each hero product.
1 Mac, 1 watch, 1 iphone, etc. For AirPods, there is a 25% discount on any AirPod set and 1 25% on AirPods Max, separately. Not to mention Apple care plus policies, free iCloud storage, Apple Services (tv+, arcade, and music)

This article is also incorrect. Apple employees are given their 1 time $500 discount every TWO years, not 3.

Apple employees also have discounts on the refurbished site, quarterly promotion discounts, and a holiday “wish list” with sales on various products on Apple.com.

Apple is extremely generous with employees and discounts.

Extremely generous for a multi-trillion dollar org? Not really. Generous? Sure.

We sell our 3 year old MacBook Pros to employees for their personal (or family) use at $250 each.

THAT is extremely generous.

 

[gerald.d]

Extremely generous for a multi-trillion dollar org? Not really. Generous? Sure.

We sell our 3 year old MacBook Pros to employees for their personal (or family) use at $250 each.

THAT is extremely generous.

It really isn't. From an accounting standpoint, laptops are typically depreciated to zero over a three year period. The book value of the laptop is zero.

Giving them away wouldn't hit the bottom line at all.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Apple employees get 1 25% off discount for each hero product.
1 Mac, 1 watch, 1 iphone, etc. For AirPods, there is a 25% discount on any AirPod set and 1 25% on AirPods Max, separately. Not to mention Apple care plus policies, free iCloud storage, Apple Services (tv+, arcade, and music)

This article is also incorrect. Apple employees are given their 1 time $500 discount every TWO years, not 3.

Apple employees also have discounts on the refurbished site, quarterly promotion discounts, and a holiday “wish list” with sales on various products on Apple.com.

Apple is extremely generous with employees and discounts.

Because they’re evangelists.

 

[Blackstick]

It really isn't. From an accounting standpoint, laptops are typically depreciated to zero over a three year period. The book value of the laptop is zero.

Giving them away wouldn't hit the bottom line at all.

As we well know... many companies could also slash CEO pay and give every employee a $50,000 raise... but they don't.

There's "extremely generous" and then there's "hey these are free, let's cause hell in the ranks for the lucky few who click fastest!" As it is, we have to raffle them at the price set. The Dells just sit when offered at $100, by the way.

 

[Born Again]

edit : awaiting confirmation if apple did this for other launch products

 

[gerald.d]

As we well know... many companies could also slash CEO pay and give every employee a $50,000 raise... but they don't.

There's "extremely generous" and then there's "hey these are free, let's cause hell in the ranks for the lucky few who click fastest!" As it is, we have to raffle them at the price set. The Dells just sit when offered at $100, by the way.

I'm dealing in facts, not hyperbole. Name a single company that could "slash" the CEO's pay and give every employee a $50k raise (a topical example - were Tim Cook to distribute his entire income for the last fiscal year and give it out evenly to all Apple employees worldwide, they'd get under $400 each).

You could raffle them off for free (and the Dells). They have zero book value. Why ask for a single cent for them?

But, your company, your rules of course. It's none of my business how yours is run. Just don't expect people to be impressed by your "extreme generosity". It's nothing of the sort.

 

[Blackstick]

I'm dealing in facts, not hyperbole. Name a single company that could "slash" the CEO's pay and give every employee a $50k raise (a topical example - were Tim Cook to distribute his entire income for the last fiscal year and give it out evenly to all Apple employees worldwide, they'd get under $400 each).

You could raffle them off for free (and the Dells). They have zero book value. Why ask for a single cent for them?

But, your company, your rules of course. It's none of my business how yours is run. Just don't expect people to be impressed by your "extreme generosity". It's nothing of the sort.

It's a Fortune 1000 company... not my company, if it were I wouldn't be chatting with you fine folks. Just a cog in the machine =)

I consider a $250 M1 MacBook Pro a very generous offer compared to 25% off employee discount at Apple, which is really 18% off because they're paying full MSRP (unlike Amazon's often discounted prices) and applicable sales taxes in Apple's store.

 

[trichardlin]

Can you source that percentage? It seems low to me.

Apple Operating Margin 2010-2023 | AAPL

Current and historical operating margin for Apple (AAPL) over the last 10 years. The current operating profit margin for Apple as of December 31, 2023 is <strong>26.16%</strong>.

www.macrotrends.net

Based on Yahoo finance, their profit margin is 25.31%, but operating margin is 30.13%.

 

[macduke]

Still too expensive for an M2 with 256GB of storage for a heavy device that has a couple hours of battery life and requires a battery pack in your pocket with a wire that is only kind of okay as a computer that is mostly for watching videos and is supposedly for gaming but I have no idea how it's going to crank out two displays at over 4K resolution at 90Hz with an M2 unless it runs at less than 90Hz in which case it will give you motion sickness because that's how most human brains work.

Maybe I'll pick one up in 5 years if it's decently spec'd and there are companies making apps for it. I see this thing Homepoding and the only Apple product since the iPhone that I've predicted would have poor sales is the HomePod, which did until it got discontinued and then awhile later they released a cheaper version that isn't quite as nice but still isn't a big seller.

I've said it before but I think Apple missed the mark by not making this thing an accessory to the iPhone, iPad and Mac. I doubt wireless video is capable of this yet but maybe they should've waited. Using the iPhone, iPad, or Mac as the brains would've enabled a much lighter headset, and maybe they could've just offered an option to plug it into them over USB-C/TB and not even need a battery pack?. Imagine an Apple Vision Pro that you just plug into the USB-C on your iPhone Pro in your pocket. Maybe wait a year until the iPhone Pro can power it, and let it be used on M2 and A18 Pro devices and up. Cut the external display, the M2 chip, and that makes it a lot lighter and cheaper and it runs off the device's battery. Charge $1499 for it. BOOM.

 

[Alan Wynn]

No, they only get half of the standard discount. The standard discount is 50%.

No, on a few new products, they have been offered 50%. Their standard discount is 25% per category per year (so one computer, one iPad, one iPhone, etc.).

 

[tomwhom]

'Every three years, employees are provided with a $500 credit toward a Mac.'

Wrong, used to be three years but changed to every two years many years ago, not only toward a Mac but also iPhone..etc.

 

[Kylo83]

Still a waste of money with that discount, get the quest 3 for £480

 

[gerald.d]

Still too expensive for an M2 with 256GB of storage for a heavy device that has a couple hours of battery life and requires a battery pack in your pocket with a wire that is only kind of okay as a computer that is mostly for watching videos and is supposedly for gaming but I have no idea how it's going to crank out two displays at over 4K resolution at 90Hz with an M2 unless it runs at less than 90Hz in which case it will give you motion sickness because that's how most human brains work.

Maybe I'll pick one up in 5 years if it's decently spec'd and there are companies making apps for it. I see this thing Homepoding and the only Apple product since the iPhone that I've predicted would have poor sales is the HomePod, which did until it got discontinued and then awhile later they released a cheaper version that isn't quite as nice but still isn't a big seller.

I've said it before but I think Apple missed the mark by not making this thing an accessory to the iPhone, iPad and Mac. I doubt wireless video is capable of this yet but maybe they should've waited. Using the iPhone, iPad, or Mac as the brains would've enabled a much lighter headset, and maybe they could've just offered an option to plug it into them over USB-C/TB and not even need a battery pack?. Imagine an Apple Vision Pro that you just plug into the USB-C on your iPhone Pro in your pocket. Maybe wait a year until the iPhone Pro can power it, and let it be used on M2 and A18 Pro devices and up. Cut the external display, the M2 chip, and that makes it a lot lighter and cheaper and it runs off the device's battery. Charge $1499 for it. BOOM.

What you describe is probably only 6 months or so away. Combine the display of the Bigscreen Beyond with the compatibility of the Viture One XR, add the cameras and sensors from the AVP for hand and eye tracking, and you basically have the perfect device.

(no need for wireless video if you're going to have the external device powering the headset)

 

[contacos]

Just occurred to me that the Vision Pro is 3,500$ before tax so it would be like 3,500$ + 19% here 🤯

Yeah, there isn’t a market for that here

 

[jo-1]

employees get 25% off most products. they just only get one of each category per year. like one watch or one phone

which sounds fine to me - since the devices last for years you can equip the whole family with a solid base level of devices and reasonable age

Developers can write it off in their taxes and they also will generate revenue by developing apps for this device. They need good support, solid APIs and better App Store commissions, not 25% off some hardware. And let's be honest, most developers would probably just turn around and sell it on Ebay.

probably - we get company shares at a discount price and many sell them immediately - can't get my head around that concept

Extremely generous for a multi-trillion dollar org? Not really. Generous? Sure.

We sell our 3 year old MacBook Pros to employees for their personal (or family) use at $250 each.

THAT is extremely generous.

Well - car makers do basically a similar thing. 25 % is the number that I heard here as well - but that'
s also for tax reasons. It's a so called monetary benefit and there are limits you can offer as a company - otherwise the employee or the company have to pay taxes for the discount.

Apple employees get nice products - I get shares and others get $ 250 used Mac Books - well I'd be glad to accept 25 % on every Apple device once a year.

But the real story behind is that the usual 50 % discount for a new market introduction of a product family is cut in half - in other words the margin on this product is lower than usual.

When Apple does a new product I normally count on material cost which are much less than half of the end price.
That does not seem to be the case here and it clearly shows the massive distance of the AVP to all other pendants in the market.

I am really hoping that we'll see this game changer in Europe lastest mid of the year.

If I were an employee of Apple I would gladly take the 25 % off and my $ 500 gift coupon and get it immediately - no-brainer IMHO.

 

[Kylo83]

You know what’s mad, even with 50% off at 1750 it’s still way over priced over the quest pro etc, I still doubt many people would pay that, it just shows the £3500 asking price is absurd