Apple will charge $3,499 for its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, testing whether consumers are ready to pay that much for a technology that the company sees as the future of computing.
The Vision Pro headset is the culmination of more than seven years of development by the company. The product is the first major new category since Apple began selling watches. One of the riskiest launches in the company's history could be the Vision pro.
The device, which resembles high-tech ski goggles, will have its own operating system, visionOS. It is expected to arrive in the US early next year.
Apple hopes the Vision Pro will help it keep sales growing. It will try to redefine the industry in the same way that the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad have redefined it. This time, Apple is launching with a high price, and jumping into a market that hasn't been well received by consumers.
It wants to change the way people interact with the world. It's possible that Apple is looking for a new platform to take it beyond the iPhone and iPad. The Wearable device mixes virtual and augmented reality, meaning it can fully engross a user in content with high-resolution displays, ideal for video watching, or overlay apps on top of the wearer's field of view.
Tim Cook said that it was the first Apple product that he had not seen.
The Apple headset looks sleek in person.
The investors are skeptical. After the Vision Pro was announced, the shares fell back down from their previous highs. They were down 0.8% by the end of the day in New York.
This product may be one of the biggest challenges for Apple since it has convinced consumers to spend more and more on their phones. Rival headsets cost less than a dollar. The headset is more of a high-end laptop than a device.
The interface is described asspatial computing. When people are nearby you can see an image of your eyes on the headset. The product will show the people in your field of vision while you are wearing it.
A so-called digital crown is a term used by the Apple Watch. In order to make the product comfortable, Apple studied thousands of people's heads. Two main chips make up the headset. There is an M2 processor from the Mac that handles main computing tasks and a second chip, the R1, that works with the dedicated sensors.
According to Counterpoint Research, Meta Platforms owns 81% of the virtual reality headset market. In its first year, Apple expects to sell almost one million units of the Vision Pro, giving it a commanding share of the market. It would be a fraction of what its other devices produce.
For years, companies have been trying to find the right formula.
You can find the research here.
Bob Iger said that the Disney+ streaming service would be available on the day of the device's launch. Disney shares were little changed at $91.
Iger believes that Apple Vision Pro can make his vision a reality.
They will be able to make their own apps for the device.
Many of the millions of iPhone and iPad apps won't require additional work from their creators, thanks to the headset. Third parties can create their own software with Apple's software development kit.
Apple said that it was working with Unity Software on the headset.
One of the most advanced consumer gadgets is the Vision Pro. There are 12 cameras, dual 4K microLED displays, and the ability to take 3D photos and videos in the headset. It can either be plugged into a wall for all day use or an external battery pack.
At the end of the day, Apple introduced new Macs and software for its major devices, as well as the headsets. Cook hoped that the Vision Pro would leave consumers with the idea that there was more to come.
A lower-cost version of the headset is being worked on by Apple.
He said this was just the beginning.
(Updates with details on the rollout in third paragraph.)
