9 mo. ago • 83%

Apple Vision Pro available in the U.S. on February 2

www.apple.com Apple Vision Pro available in the U.S. on February 2

Apple Vision Pro will be available beginning Friday, February 2, at all U.S. Apple Store locations and the U.S. Apple Store online.

I honestly doubt this will take off, but it'll be interesting as a tech demo for what AR/VR can be at the highest end.

99 comments

Apple Vision Pro will be available starting at $3,499 (U.S.) with 256GB of storage. Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro will begin on Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. PST, with availability beginning Friday, February 2.

So 256GB for all those movies and games you'll want to play on that long plane ride they keep showing as a way you'll definitely use these.

I'm in the Apple ecosystem pretty hard, but we'll really just have to see what rich folks do with this thing.

33
- How many movies do you actually need to store on the device itself? Apple has been all in on streaming stuff so you'd only ever need to actually download stuff when you're planning on going offline.
  
  That said for it's price that's hilariously small storage, but simultaneously peak Apple.
  
  14
  
  How much bandwidth do planes have?
  
  27
- This is going to be an interesting launch. There's been rumours about low production volumes so availability may get pushed back much further than February. Which will make judging the initial impressions harder when there are so few devices in peoples hands (or on heads).
  
  I'm also a bit surprised by the lack of build up from Apple. There's been no push on whatever third party apps are going to be ready for this. The Apple Watch had two dedicated events in the lead up to launch. Even the press release seems a bit basic, most of the imagery seems to be reused from the first events press materials.
  
  This is the biggest product introduction since the iPhone but it's being handled rather quietly.
  
  7
  
  I feel like this is the version they'll put in the goodie bags for celebs at the Oscars to let them create a bunch of buzz. And then next year there will be a version that only costs $2000 or something - still expensive but less out of reach for mortal humans.
  
  16
The anti-consumer apple BS aside. The lack of PC support or support for any real GPU that has a chance at running Games in full resolution, makes this dean on arrival for most people using VR.

29
- Apple is pushing productivity as the main application for Vision Pro, to the point they don't even call it VR but spatial computing instead. I don't think gaming is really for a focus for them at the moment, instead they want to try and tap into other markets who aren't using VR currently.
  
  35
  
  they don’t even call it VR but spatial computing instead.
  
  I was under the impression these were meant to be AR glasses, not VR glasses? Either way, I'm not really sure who their target demographic is supposed to be at that price point.
  
  6
  
  they don't even call it VR but spatial computing instead.
  
  Ugh. Apple marketing with their need to create words for existing tech is just so damned pretentious.
  
  3
- I mean this thing barely has Mac support, why would it have PC support? It’s basically its own computer you put on your head.
  
  3
  
  It just seems like a slap in the face to say buy one and then also need to buy another headset if you want to fire up a game with friends who don't own this headset or want to play something more serious than the apple arcade offers. Apple could have easily made this possible but that would require them to give users the ability to interface with non apple hardware and that's a bridge too far for them.
  
  1
I'm going to state the obvious and say it's simply too expensive for mass adoption. This is an enthusiast product for AR early adopters similar to the launch of the original Oculus Rift (for VR). I'll definitely be interested in a less bulky consumer facing product as the tech matures. I find AR fascinating, but I'll wait until the hardware is more streamlined.

13
- The original Oculus Rift was like $500.
  
  3
So glad Apple is inventing VR

13
- It's a whole new never before seen industry.
  
  9
It's a really interesting product but unless you're a trust fund kid you basically can't afford it.

The apple strategy usually is to make a stupidly expensive product that everyone laughs at (remember the wheels for the tower computer), and then the actual product they expect people to buy.

They seem to have forgotten the second bit, but I'm wondering if something's going to come out in 6 months called just the Apple Vision

12
- I have the equivalent of a trust fund and I'm not stupid enough to buy this for $3.5K.
  
  Go get yourself a BigScreen VR for $1K, and then a fuckin' full top of the line prebuilt with the remaining $2.5K.
  
  2
  
  You can get VR working for a lot less than 2.5k which is my point really. Sure you can spend that much money if you want, but there's no requirement to.
  
  1
- Isn't this like 2.5k? There's plenty of adults who can afford this without a "trust fund"
  
  You're making it sound like it's 25k
  
  1
  
  $3,499.99 so 3.5k - I can buy a gaming PC plus VR headset for less than that.
  
  2
Really curious what this year will hold for this device. Even more curious to see the price tag and features on Gen 2

10
I don't really get the point of all this. Sci-Fi movies are trying go convince us for a very long time that interacting with a computer by standing and waving your hands around is the future but for me it just looks tiring. I prefer my keyboard and mouse. We'll see how many people Apple can convince. Maybe they are right and you just have to use it to believe it...

9
- I think exercise apps might be a prime application for something like this, things like Beat Saber (or even SuperHot VR of all games). As a package designer, I'm kind of salivating at the prospect of being able to use something like this to see things in 3D as I'm working on it (should an app like that even become available), but it would still never completely replace a flat screen for serious work (plus the Apple headset just uses hand gestures for everything).
  
  Otherwise, yeah, I'm not too hopeful about this thing's prospects, unless developers knock it out of the park with some killer apps for it. $3500 for a 1st-gen, Apple-only headset is just a bit too much for me. I paid ~$1000 for a Valve VR Headset and even that seemed astronomical at the time, but it works with nearly everything else, so it doesn't even feel like I'm in a walled garden. With this Apple headset, you're limited to Apple's store and that's it, I'm not sure that I would trust trying to jailbreak a $3500 piece of equipment and possibly brick it.
  
  6
  
  Problem with exercise apps is it's really uncomfortable to sweat in a headset.
  
  2
- Moving your body with little force seems tiring? Jesus.
  
  2
  
  Moving your body with little force seems tiring? Jesus.
  
  1
This thing is gonna sell so many Quest 3s.

7
Because the price is always the main topic, I’m gonna drop a link to an AR/VR expert contextualizing the Vision Pro price within the current (well, 7 months ago) market:

Apple Just Beat the “BEST VR Headset In the WORLD”.. and did it cheaper.

7
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  
  Apple Just Beat the “BEST VR Headset In the WORLD”.. and did it cheaper.
  
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
  
  0
With dwindling iPhone sales (it's not for a lack of market share, but smartphone purchases are down as people aren't refreshing their phones every year anymore), Apple needs to find the next accessory akin to Apple Watch that will further line their pockets. I mean, the stock price can't just remain stagnant, right?

7
No WiFi. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.

6
- Ah, someone with real grit.
  
  2
- And those people weren't wrong at the time. The iPod wasn't successful in its first few generations. It didn't become successful until several generations later after they changed a bunch of the problems with it. One of the aspects that makes Apple so successful is that they're willing to stick with a new product for many years while they keep working on figuring out what the device needs to become a good product.
  
  0
  
  It was successful immediately because there literally wasn’t any other player in the world that had its capacity and physical size.
  
  Everything else lacked mass market appeal because it couldn’t hold enough songs or couldn’t fit in your pocket.
  
  Not to mention the vast majority of the population didn’t know how to pirate music, and most music stores were shit compare to iTunes(and that is not a great endorsement).
  
  The only huge barrier to adoption was the initial FireWire only model, but I’d be willing to bet even with that restriction they sold more units in the first year than any other model of music player.
  
  4
So what are the controllers like?

6
- I don’t think there are any, you just use your hands.
  
  5
  
  Oh.
  
  So you can expect at least three revisions of this before they inevitably release one with optional controllers for when you need any amount of precision. And you'll need a Apple Vision Pro 4 to be able to use them.
  
  10
  
  If they ever decide to sell controllers for this I bet will be $599 each
  
  3
I’m an early adopter and probably Apple’s target audience. I sure as hell don’t have the cash on hand to buy it and I’d consider financing it but - I have such a bad taste in my mouth from the AR/VR concepts over the years. The Quest was a flop for me. The XReal Air too.

They’re fun, for a bit, then they sit in a corner. I could see it being useful on my work from home days but outside of that, my phone is the most compelling partner to my Mac.

6
They are lucky that no one decided to compete with them. They have some features that aren't otherwise to market yet. So their price is less obviously bloated. If other headsets had been positioned to directly compete, they would have been able to do so at the 2000$ price range.

Overall, any new company entering the market is good news. VR is finally ready for normal people. Quest 3 basically crossed the line to being worth recommending as a virtual monitor alone, not to mention all it's other capability.

So at this point, more exposure of what VR is now can only be a good thing. All it's missing now is being considered a normal thing to do. The more "normal" companies making VR headsets, the better. As long as their headsets don't suck. Cuz even if I wouldn't want to use it anyway, it getting bad press still affects the rest of VR.

I don't care if it's over priced, as long as it doesn't end up having any glaring issues. People lamenting that it's too expensive are at least still interested, and can be redirected to a more reasonable headset. And even if only influencers end up having the apple headset, as long as they like it, it's a net positive for the whole community.

6
I’ve never been more excited to not buy a product in my life.

5
- I don't know man, the apple pencil and pro stand both exist.
  
  -5
  
  The pencil isn't a bad stylus for art, especially on the go.
  
  5
  
  The Apple Pencil fucking slaps for art.
  
  I’m guessing you don’t art.
  
  4
Given Apple's track record i wouldn't bet against it succeeding, but... I don't get it. My oculus that cost 350 does 95% of what the apple device does but costs literally 10 times more.

5
- Its absolutely a ridiculous price tag, but its naive to say oculus is 95% the same
  
  24
  
  You wanna say 90% the same? Fine, it's 90% the same for 90% less money.
  
  -4
- This thing isn’t for me, but the screens alone make it worlds superior to any Oculus ever made.
  
  11
- Does yours have _creepy stalking eyes _ on the front? I thought so. Clearly the killer feature that justifies the extra 2000 bucks
  
  7
  
  Do your research. This has been possible with Oculus for some time: https://imgur.com/Kfmt88E
  
  7
- I feel like Apple is taking a different approach to VR than other companies, making it a more mobile device than competitors.
  
  2
I can't wait for this to be released all the fan boys to spend a fortune on it and make apple even more billions in profit for a product that isn't going to be worth it.

But at least it will help with vr and ar. I really think this could be the last bit of momentum needed to get it moving and I'm excited for that future.

3
I don't see mass adoption at this price point. What's the point?

I really don't see the productivity sell. I do see it as functional entertainment to get more use out of an 800 square foot apartment in NYC. If my partner and I disagree on something entertainment wise I can throw them on. That's about it..

3
- The point of this isn't mass adoption. It's to get developers to start developing for it. I'm sure within a couple of years they'll release a non pro version for like a 1500 and people will be all over it
  
  6
  
  Yes we are saying the same thing, mass adoption that was for this moment in time at that price point.
  
  Lower the price point and it will be more common, essentially when it's no different than the price of a laptop.
  
  1
- I don't see mass adoption at this price point.
  
  VR isn't doing well already. With this price point it's going to fail real fast.
  
  1
- They will perfect this tech over the next few years, then put in mind-treading tech too, and sell it to you for 5 bucks. Don't mind the mind-reading tech, it's only there to make the product better, I promise.
  
  -3
Can't wait for the tech reviews on this thing.

1
I am just waiting for Mrwhosetheboss to try it out.

1
- Maybe he could even do a little VR prison tour
  
  2
Huh. So Apple is now making VR goggles. Didn't expect that. They look kinda weird though.

1

You've viewed 99 comments.