The lower cost successor mentioned in the article is rumored to be aiming for ~$2000, and I honestly can't see there being that many people who wouldn't pay $3500 for Apple Vision but would pay $2000 for it. That's still just too much money for a platform with no killer apps yet, and the way the hype around the first generation fell off a cliff once it was actually in the wild is only going to make the second generation even harder to sell. When's the last time you heard anyone mention using a Vision Pro?
Just target the rich kids. A few million units there. Watched a guy drop $3700 on stocking stuffer iPads last Xmas. Had to call wife whether 1TB was enough. Sales kid said it had been like that all week. I apologized for buying a 64GB air.
Couldn't even get into the Apple Store this year, too crowded.
I myself and surrounded by early adopters - none have moved to this - it's cumbersome and uninteresting in general. Let's hope for a "glasses form factor" in the future.
I honestly feel that if they can get the sports content, it'll sell.
They have three short videos, one football/soccer, one nfl, and one nba and they are really compelling of an experience. If they can do them for the games, I think everyone I know would be buying one.
The problem with this is that it's not an AR experience. If 6DOF video streaming takes off, then Meta is going to explode selling $400 standalone headsets.
Apple doesn't seem to understand that they cannot rely on branding to compete in this segment. If you're going to sell VR at Macbook Pro prices, then you better be courting Macbook Pro customers and not casual iPhone owners.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. How is what you’re describing different than immersive video or the non-immersive sports apps that do stuff like project a diagram of the field and advanced stats around you?
You're right that there's no technical moat at play with immersive video, however, I foresee this as a licensing moat that Apple could capture. If they are the only cameras on the field, it doesn't matter if Meta's headsets are cheaper.
I doubt any big-time streaming services would sign onto that unless Apple ammortized the expected losses. The price of the headset means nothing to media rightsholders, they just want to sell their content to the platform with the largest audience. If Apple's got 50,000 recurring viewers and Meta's got 500,000, most platforms are going to focus on where the eyes are.
I recently demoed one and the immersive feel is insanely realistic. I was blown away. At the same time, I’m not sure how I’d use it. I had hoped it could allow having a multi-screen virtual desktop anywhere. It could, sort of. But there is enough input lag to make a power user frustrated. And after 30 minutes I was tired of wearing it. I hope they keep working on it, though. Version 3 or 4 could be when it really takes off…
I'd be careful not to read certain conclusions into a headline like this. It's phrased to be misinterpreted as clickbait. Designers often order a run of units up front. Making consumer electronics essentially means renting space and labor from a Foxconn mega-factory. If an assembly line stays in continuous production, it means they can barely keep up with demand. That would be ideal, but it's not the norm. More often, the designer orders x units by y date and accepts early delivery. The mega-factory makes them as fast as possible, so they can squeeze more contracts in. When the run is complete, they crate up the customer owned molds and tooling, spin up another customers assembly line, and start on a run of units from that other customer. Meanwhile, Best Buy continues to sell said product as brand new for years, despite coming from a storage warehouse. Then, if they run out and need another run of units, they spin the old assembly line back up. It doesn't mean the product will flop if they suspend production after the first run finishes - it's just how manufacturing often works. If sales are poor and the initial run takes longer than projected to sell (and maybe it is), then maybe can call it a flop. But you'd be surprised how many products you buy, thinking they're the latest cutting edge thing, which are "out of production". Its a reality the marketing teams do not want leaked to fickle customers.
No surprise. I called failure the moment they announced the price and features, as did most other people.
Stupid price tag, did absolutely nothing new, and they didn't learn from the mistakes and downsides of all the other VR headsets, and made them worse in some cases.
Then to top it all off, they had the genius idea of putting on that dumb front screen that displayed your face, but at 96% actual size. I still have no idea how something that stupid made it to release.
Here's my prediction for Apple's (everyone's) next VR set:
- It will still weigh too damned much. No one currently likes the feeling of having a cinder block strapped to their face. No one will like it in the next product because it will also weigh too damned much. Here's a hint: move compute and battery to a stronger appendage than someone's nose. Now introducing the new Apple ComputeScarf™! Compute pack on the left, battery pack on the right. Short cable from the shoulder to the Vision glasses and these things have instantly become much more usable. Or even a ComputeBelt™.
- It will still have no software or any compelling reason to use it.
- Apple will still give it stupid pricing. $2k is too much. $1500 is too much. $1000 is too much. These things are $500 devices. Price them accordingly, or people will continue to ignore them.
If you're still on the fence whether AR/VR will ever take off, and haven't tried it in a while (or ever), take some time this year to try the Quest 3 ($499). Latency is great, the headset is comfortable enough (with a halo strap), and the apps are getting there.
Content is really what is going to make or break these platforms, and I don't fully understand why Apple and Meta aren't pouring money into a new title release every month or two.
I think we will have chips wired directly to our brain before that kind of thing really takes off. Better remove the need of a screen in front of our eyes than invent goofy/fragile/heavy contraptions.
Put all the compute and battery into a celtic torque around your neck and light weight raybans with full immersion on your face for a $1000 package and they'll capture the market.
> In October, The Information's Wayne Ma reported that Apple had abruptly reduced production of the Vision Pro headset ahead of potential plans to stop making the current version of the device completely by the end of 2024. With the year now coming to an end, this means that the device may no longer be in active production.
lmao great article
"in October this other article made a prediction about what would happen in three months. Well, it's three months later now, maybe that prediction came true? We don't know"
Welcome to the world of Apple rumors sites. There aren’t nearly enough actual leaks to fill a feed, so you end up with a ton of filler like this. And a lot of fans are desperate for anything that even resembles secret knowledge, so they eat it up.
I first tried AVP in May and it was amazing! I was really frustrated by the price tag and so I ended up returning it. Fast forward to October and I found AVP for $3,000! I bought it and have never been happier. I use it every day for programming. The new visionOS that added the support for ultra-wide screen is insane! It keeps me in the flow and makes me more productive.
It's so difficult to switch back to just coding on my 16" MBP.
I really hope the product line doesn't die out and they keep iterating and lowering the price. What a stupid move, in the middle of high inflation and possible financial crisis, they launch the most expensive product ever...smh
Interesting. If you really use it every day for longer periods of time, have you noticed anything like eye strain, eye dryness or headaches thus far? These are the things that concern me the most.
I'm...not sure. I know it's not really helpful answer, but I don't want to lie to you or to myself. I'm concerned about the long-term effects of staring at this 5+ hours each day.
Have a look at /r/VisionPro subreddit to find more impressions. The best answer is: it depends. It really bothers some people a lot, others can wear it for hours.
I'd suggest everyone to at least use the free 2-week trial and test it out for themselves. I love how futuristic it feels and all of my friends (no past VR experience) have been completely blown away.
If Cook was Jobs, and 2025 was 2035, it would have jacked into the nervous system. Why release semi-lame product when you can do the ultimate experience?
