China Economic Weekly reporter Zhou Ruifeng
Apple recently announced that Vision Pro will begin selling in the United States on February 2nd through all Apple retail stores and the US official website. The pre order was opened at 5am on January 19th.
(Screenshot of Vision Pro Apple website)
According to foreign technology media MacRumors, the Vision Pro features an aluminum frame and is equipped with a laminated glass on the front. If users do not purchase AppleCare+, they may have to pay high repair costs when the glass breaks or the device is damaged.
On the service page of Vision Pro, Apple lists the repair costs. If a broken glass cover needs to be repaired, the cost is $799 (approximately 5748 RMB), but if any other components need to be repaired, the cost can reach up to $2399 (approximately 17300 RMB). This cost is only $1100 lower than the starting price of Vision Pro.
Users can choose to purchase a two-year AppleCare+warranty program for $499, or choose to pay $24.99 per month for AppleCare+, which will last until payment is cancelled and is also not cheap.
The AppleCare+program of Vision Pro includes unlimited accidental damage repairs, Apple certified services and support, quick replacement services, and priority access to Apple experts 24/7. It should be noted that a deductible of $299 is required for AppleCare+repair of the device itself (including display screen breakage), while a service fee of $29 is required for any accessories that require repair (such as a light seal kit).
Considering the high cost of maintenance, purchasing a protective case will be a necessary choice for users who plan to carry the Vision Pro with them. The official protective case offered by Apple is currently priced at $200, however, multiple third-party products will soon be launched on the market.
According to Apple analyst Guo Minggui, Vision Pro sold 160000 to 180000 units in its first pre order weekend.
According to Guo Minggui's latest post, Vision Pro quickly sold out after opening the pre order process, resulting in a 5-7 week delay in the delivery time for all models. Although at first glance, immediate sales and extended delivery times seem to be positive signs of product sales. However, 48 hours after the pre order opening, the delivery date of the product remains unchanged, which may mean that demand may rapidly decline after core enthusiasts place orders.
However, in contrast, the new iPhone models are quickly sold out after opening bookings, but usually the delivery dates will continue to steadily extend in the next few days, indicating sustained demand. Guo Minggui believes that shipping 500000 Vision Pro units this year "should not be challenging," but demand is a key issue because "Vision Pro is still a very niche product.".
In addition, according to MacRumors, the outer packaging of Vision Pro is very large and adopts a typical Apple unique design style.
Vision Pro features a box that slides open from the top. The top of the box is the front view of Vision Pro, and the sides of both long sides are simply printed with gray Apple "Vision Pro".
Although the design itself may be quite simple, the size of the box is exceptionally large. This is because the box contains Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band, a light sealed kit, front glass cover, an external battery pack, a USB-C charging cable, a power adapter, a polishing cloth, and the Vision Pro itself. To protect the equipment, a particularly spacious base is also required inside the packaging box. At present, there is no specific information available for reference regarding the size and design of the box.
Customers who purchase Vision Pro offline need to have Apple Store employees package the various size components of the Vision Pro together with the device itself, and connect them in advance with the Solo Knit Band. In addition, although the packaging box of Vision Pro is much larger than that of Mac Studio, the latter is equipped with a fabric handle at the top for easy handling. However, the top of the Vision Pro packaging box is not equipped with a gripper.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently stated that, like the first generation iPhone, Apple will provide a commemorative shopping bag for consumers who purchase or pick up Vision Pro in store.
