Apple Has Sold Approximately 200,000 Vision Pro Headsets

[aliensporebomb]

More than likely, I would have ordered one but for the fact Zeiss doesn’t make my prescription. I’m waiting to see if HonsVR or VROptician decides to make lenses. My guess is they or someone else will. Anyway, I have really high astigmatism and Zeiss says they don’t make my Rx as of yet.

This was my concern - prior to LASIK I had horrific vision with astigmatism and very nearsightedness. After LASIK I had my distance vision adjusted so 20/20 starts at 8 feet. I can't be certain that a device like this would work with my weirdly set-up vision.

 

[surfzen21]

I think even YouTube reviews about AVP will be a flop 😂.

I don't think this will be a flop. Although I do think it will take a bit to take off, like a few versions from now.

This is the closest to Ready Player One that anyone has come out with.

 

[jhwalker]

This was my concern - prior to LASIK I had horrific vision with astigmatism and very nearsightedness. After LASIK I had my distance vision adjusted so 20/20 starts at 8 feet. I can't be certain that a device like this would work with my weirdly set-up vision.

Interesting - I had LASIK a LONG time ago (same issue; i.e., very nearsighted and bad astigmatism), and my vision is 20/20 still, with clear sight near to far.

I also have not yet needed reading glasses (I'm 60), which confounds my optometrist each time I go in for a checkup LOL.

 

[aliensporebomb]

I have some serious doubts that a majority of 200,000 units were bought by youtubers to review and return

I find it hard to believe that there are 200,000 technology youtubers.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Return rate over the next month (which we'll never know) would be fascinating to know

 

[xander49x]

The early estimates were that Apple would sell around 80,000 at launch. Now that the number sits at 200,000 it is clear how off those pundits were. Apple will sell as many as they can make. On Saturday I will be using mine on a four hour plus flight. I will have my Bluetooth keyboard along in case I have to do any intensive typing. I plan to design some keynote presentations, and will very much appreciate the large displays while sitting on the airplane. That alone is worth $4000. I am also sure that I will enjoy watching the in-flight entertainment that I bring along or that is available through Wi-Fi on the plane on a huge screen, with my head in a comfortable position, leaning back in my seat, and if I choose, in my virtual movie theater.

The folks around me will see that, and become intrigued. They have never seen a VR unit on an airplane. This will become more and more common as the weeks progress. It will begin to define the entire space, and establish spatial computing as different from a VR headset. I am sure I will get questions, and I will be asked what I think. The momentum will grow, and Apple will sell many many more of these than anyone here can envision, even in the first year, that is, if they can make enough.

I am not an enthusiast, well, maybe a little, I am not a developer, I am not an influencer, I am not a scalper, I’m just a typical guy who wants life to be a little bit better, and a little bit more fun. We also forget that Apple is offering 12 months to pay for this thing at 0% interest.

As more sport viewing is added to the Apple Vision Pro, we will see even more people acquire them. My son said he would order two of them on the spot if he and his partner could watch championship tennis as if he were there, and would need no other reason to purchase one. It won’t be long until people feel completely left out if they don’t have one.

Well said, I am glad I'm not the only one who can see all the possibilities of the AVP. People are looking at their screens out in public all the time so all the naysayers out there just admit defeat and be happy.

 

[xander49x]

Definitely sounds cool for an optional viewing experience. Something to try out now and then to mix things up. That being said, I think a lot of AVP owners would give it a try, but ultimately will find that they prefer a traditional TV set with friends or family, with all the different camera angles and instant replays, etc available to them. Being there in person is one thing; simulating it with a VR/AR headset is not quite the same and can never truly capture that experience.

But I can imagine if there was a way to watch a live sporting event or concert with the AVP and it provided the option of switching camera angles and giving a mix of simulating being there in person with more traditional television broadcasts, then that could be a unique experience that could be appealing to a wider audience.

fantasy leagues will love the AVP as they can watch up to five games at a time or less with stats at their fingertips if you are traveling or not in a place where you have a TV the AVP is a lifesaver.

 

[d-klumpp]

mostly to eBay scalpers

And Meta

 

[snoonw]

Quick question: How are you going to be a scalper when the wait time is only 6 weeks? It's not like it's 6 months FFS

the scalpers used bots to order the second the orders went live and one bot ordered over 1500 units according to the news

 

[75Batt]

This is going to blow your mind but this is a failure.

Meta sold 20 Million and it’s still not a success

Meta Has Sold Nearly 20 Million Quest Headsets, But Retention Struggles Remain

Meta has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets, but the company continues to struggle with keeping customer using VR. According to a report by The Verge, citing an internal Meta presentation held today, the company has sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets. This likely includes Quest 1, Quest 2...

www.roadtovr.com

Looking forward to see what developers do with this thing. Clearly Apple didn’t know either.

They’re going for it obviously not going to match those numbers with those figures but I hardly think close to $1B in additional revenue before it’s even launched is a failure.

 

[Born Again]

They’re going for it obviously not going to match those numbers with those figures but I hardly think close to $1B in additional revenue before it’s even launched is a failure.

do you think sales will be steady?

 

[Iwavvns]

The number of devices sold doesn’t actually tell you much without also being accompanied by the number of devices returned, the number of the defective devices found and the number of devices purchased for the sole purpose of teardown and testing.

 

[Velli]

New non-Pro versions will no doubt be introduced at some point but it is not too unusual for Apple to lower the price of new products within a year after launch. A couple of examples include "iconic" Apple products like the original Macintosh which was reduced in price in less than eight months (retailers had been discounting them before that too) and the original iPhone which was even more quickly reduced (and ticked off early adopters!) in less than three months. Apple would need to be careful not to reduce the price too much, too quickly.

Fair. Original Mac is too far into the past to have a relevance, but I was not aware of the iPhone price drop. It was never available in my country, AFAIK.

 

[webkit]

Fair. Original Mac is too far into the past to have a relevance, but I was not aware of the iPhone price drop. It was never available in my country, AFAIK.

In the U.S., the original iPhone launched in June 2007 at $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB) with 2 year AT&T contract. Less than three months later, the prices were reduced $200. To try to appease ticked off early adopters, Apple ended up giving $100 gift cards. When the next generation iPhone 3G launched in 2008, it was even cheaper at $199 (8GB) with 2 year AT&T contract.

 

[pacalis]

To put the price in perspective: In 1984 I bought an original 128K Mac for $2495. That's $7,300 in 2024 dollars. And, IIRC, I had two apps: Write & Paint, although I think Excel and Word were available pretty quickly.

Yes, but in 1984 those apps quickly replaced clay tablets and the abacus.

In all seriousness, those apps are some of the most useful tools ever created. Aside from making some flights a bit more tolerable, I have no idea what I could use this device for.

 

[Velli]

In the U.S., the original iPhone launched in June 2007 at $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB) with 2 year AT&T contract. Less than three months later, the prices were reduced $200. To try to appease ticked off early adopters, Apple ended up giving $100 gift cards. When the next generation iPhone 3G launched in 2008, it was even cheaper at $199 (8GB) with 2 year AT&T contract.

Thanks. I was aware of the 3G price drop, which is normal for a second gen product.

The price drop on the original seems higher than it is, due to the “with contract” part. I remember when I was selling Nokias, that a phone would go to “practically not selling” to “like hot cases” when it went from (equivalent to) 15-20 USD with contract to 0.1 USD with contract. People would scoff at phones that required you to take about as much out of their wallet, as they would pay on their first month of service.

 

[NeonNights]

Well said, I am glad I'm not the only one who can see all the possibilities of the AVP. People are looking at their screens out in public all the time so all the naysayers out there just admit defeat and be happy.

"all the possibilities" just comes across as wishful thinking. I'm still firmly rooted in naysayer-ville with regard to the Vision Pro. All those "people looking at their screens out in public" are not suddenly going to become Vision Pro users. You can't take the Vision Pro everywhere with you like a phone. The Vision Pro is fragile, lacks IP6* rating, has anemic battery life, and costs thousands more compared to an iPhone that you take everywhere. There are just too many other things I'd rather have or do with $3500 besides strap a Vision Pro to my face.

 

[Black Tiger]

I just can’t see how this becomes mainstream. The price is astronomical at a time when inflation has hollowed out the middle class. And are the rich going to be strapping these to their heads out in public? I doubt it. It’s way too antisocial of a device, although maybe sitting in business class on a flight is the one very limited use case where this is actually useful. Although enjoy having the TSA scratch the crap out of it during inspection. The target market otherwise screams “20 something nerd living in his mom’s basement” vibe to me. Someone with disposable income, but has that income because of having no bills, and zero social life. I could be wrong but I can’t see how this would be more successful than a HomePod for example.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Good to see there is a moderate amount of interest so far, but I can't think of a single scenario where I would use it? I am a family man and when I consume media it is mostly in the company of others as it is an activity that is done socially. I like the idea of live sports being watched through it but not enough to pay £3k for a headset and an astronomical subscription fee on top of that. I think this will initially appeal to innovators and developers and once Apple release a version with a realistic price tag, it will attract a niche domestic market within the consumer sector.

A few years ago when Apple released the AirPods Max, many across the internet and on here suggested they would revolutionise the headphone market and dominate, because there are so many iPhone users. It never happened, although AirPods Max has done well within its niche and I think the Apple Vision Pro will have a similar effect.

 

[webkit]

Thanks. I was aware of the 3G price drop, which is normal for a second gen product.

If the second generation VP saw the same price drop percentage, it wold have a retail price of around $1,160 next year.

The price drop on the original seems higher than it is, due to the “with contract” part. I remember when I was selling Nokias, that a phone would go to “practically not selling” to “like hot cases” when it went from (equivalent to) 15-20 USD with contract to 0.1 USD with contract. People would scoff at phones that required you to take about as much out of their wallet, as they would pay on their first month of service.

What do you mean the price drop "seems higher than it is"? The original iPhone had a 2 year contract requirement from the beginning (when prices were $499/$599) and still had the same when prices were dropped $200 less than three months later. The $199 iPhone 3G also had a 2 year contract requirement.

 

[webkit]

I just can’t see how this becomes mainstream. The price is astronomical at a time when inflation has hollowed out the middle class.

It's not expected to be at the beginning but prices will come down over time and these types of devices will become more and more mainstream. The original $2,495 retail (around $7,500 in today's dollars) Macintosh, and computers like it, weren't mainstream at the beginning either but prices came down over time and they became more and more mainstream.

 

[pacalis]

What do you mean the price drop "seems higher than it is"? The original iPhone had a 2 year contract requirement from the beginning (when prices were $499/$599) and still had the same when prices were dropped $200 less than three months later. The $199 iPhone 3G also had a 2 year contract requirement.

The Palm Treo in 2007 was $399 at the time so the iPhone was a 25% to 50% premium to competitors.

This is what, a 300% to 400% premium?

 

[webkit]

The Palm Treo in 2007 was $399 at the time so the iPhone was a 25% to 50% premium to competitors.

There were multiple Palm Treo versions available at the time but with discount/rebate and 2 year contract, you could get one through AT&T for around $99 (Treo 680) or $199 (Treo 750) thereby making the iPhone launch prices (also with 2 year AT&T contract) much more than just a 25% to 50% premium.

 

[pacalis]

There were multiple Palm Treo versions available at the time but with discount/rebate and 2 year contract, you could get one through AT&T for around $99 (Treo 680) or $199 (Treo 750) thereby making the iPhone launch prices (also with 2 year AT&T contract) much more than just a 25% to 50% premium.

Agreed. I choose the top end just to show how out of whack the vision pro is with even the top oculus.

I'm not criticizing it's technical prowess. If I wanted something like this (though, I still don't know why I would), I'd like this one. It just seems like they overshot the market with this product.

 

[webkit]

Agreed. I choose the top end just to show how out of whack the vision pro is with even the top oculus.

I'm not criticizing it's technical prowess. If I wanted something like this (though, I still don't know why I would), I'd like this one. It just seems like they overshot the market with this product.

This really depends on products being compared.

Vision Pro is $3,499. Meta Quest Pro is $999. That makes the VP about 3.5 times the price.

The lower end iPhone at launch in 2007 was $499. The lower end Palm Treo at the time was $99. That made the IPhone about 5 times the price. Both through AT&T with similar terms.

The upper end iPhone at launch in 2007 was $599. The upper end Palm Treo at the time was $199. That made the iPhone about 3 times the price. Both through AT&T with similar terms.

3 to 5 times (iPhone vs. Treo) is in the same range as 3.5 times (Vision Pro vs. Quest Pro) but, again, it all depends on which devices are being compared.

I think we'll see a price drop on the Vision Pro and/or introduction of a lower level version within a year or so. Meta dropped the price of its Quest Pro from $1,499 to $999 about six months after launch.