Vision Pro is on sale now! Apple has released a video and press release detailing the experience that will be available on day one, and people are already complaining about what the service will be like. habit Stay there. Still, overall it seems to be a good product.
But how does this work? Not technically, but on a business level. Will it succeed?
Unless you're incredibly wealthy and aren't willing to shell out $3,500 for an impulse purchase, the barrier to buying a Vision Pro is high. Most people will want to try it first. This means going to the mall. About an hour. In 2024. Ash. Who wants to do that? Then, unless you happen to be blessed with 20/20 vision, you should get a current prescription. And is it from an optometrist or ophthalmologist? Who knows? You'll then have to pay an additional $149 (or $99 for non-prescription readers).
This isn't like going to Costco and carefully picking up another AirPod because you lost it. again. It also takes a bit of work before you get to the payment part.
There's an older product that may offer some clues about the Vision Pro's prospects. The original HomePod was also a premium product. “Look how good we sound!” It was the perfect product for those who wanted the best sound. Audiophiles, please skip to the next paragraph if possible. Are they gone? Okay, okay, the rest of us know that most people don't care. Sure. we want good It's audio, but it's so finely tuned by Ogg Vorbis that you don't need your homeowners' association sending you a letter because they think you have a 70-piece orchestra in your house. Good enough is good enough for many people.
Okay, let's catch up audiophiles. See you later at the summit. Hello audiophiles! No, we weren't talking about you.
Continuing with the HomePod example, the Vision Pro is convenient to use because its price is 10 times that of the original HomePod. The non-Pro Apple Vision headset costs $999. When you look at other headsets on the market, they seem to be in Apple's price range, but the Macalope is quite surprising to see one available for such a small price.
If you're still figuring out how this will work, the original HomePod Did not do it work. The $350 price tag was more than most people wanted to pay for a smart speaker, back in the days when Amazon actually gave it away for free. But it was enough to lay the foundation for the wildly successful HomePod mini, which cost $99. And the HomePod returned last year with a $299 discount.
So we decided we needed to lower the price of Vision Pro. We're very smart and we're doing a great job here. Unfortunately, you can't jump to the end. You can’t just say, “Make something cheaper.” Well, you can say But Tim Cook will hit you with an old burrito. He found a sign in his luxury refrigerator: “PROPERTY OF RON JOHNSON – DO NOT EAT.” Phil!” See, there’s this little thing called “economies of scale” that Apple has to achieve to keep prices down. It's like driving to New York. You have to go through northern New Jersey. No one wants to, but that's how you get there. Even if you're from Connecticut for some reason. No one knows why.
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Apple can't make parts cheaper until a lot of them are made and the process becomes more efficient. The good news is that Vision Pro appears to be off to a strong start.
“Apple reportedly sold nearly 200,000 ‘very niche’ Vision Pro headsets.”
It's not an iPhone number, but the iPhone doesn't cost $3,500.
So it will probably take longer for Apple to lower the price of the Vision Pro or release Vision for the rest of us. But it will happen. There's a reason they say patience is a virtue.