Reporter Wang Jing
At 9pm Beijing time on January 19th, Apple began pre-sales of its first MR headset device, Vision Pro, on time. Within a few minutes of booking for sale, the booking server of Vision Pro was overwhelmed, and many people's orders could not be processed. Currently, the expected delivery time for the product has been scheduled for March.
According to Apple's official website, the 256GB version is priced at $3499 (approximately RMB 25000); The 512GB version is priced at $3699 (approximately RMB 26700), while the 1TB version is priced at $3899 (approximately RMB 28000). But on unofficial platforms, the purchasing price of Apple Vision Pro is relatively high. Taking a domestic e-commerce platform as an example, the purchasing price of this product ranges from 40000 to 80000 yuan.
Among them, When introducing the pre-sale of Vision Pro, a seller said, "The first batch of products is only sold in the United States, and global consumers and demanders can only go to the United States to grab goods. The company's first batch of domestic delivery time is at the end of February and early March, and the final booking price is 80000 RMB. $3499 is the official selling price in the United States, but does not include personal consumption tax. According to (the United States) The estimated cost for different states is around 10 points. The first batch of air logistics and insurance costs will cost around 25 points, and the taxes and fees for entering domestic customs will be around 17 points. The remaining costs include the cost of buying from the United States and receiving goods at a premium, as well as the risks we bear in the transaction. To confirm the order, a deposit of 40000 RMB needs to be paid in advance
Apple CEO Tim Cook sees Vision Pro as a revolutionary spatial computing device. Just like Mac introduced us to personal computers and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Vision Pro will introduce us to spatial computing, marking the beginning of a milestone. Vision Pro carries Apple's ambition, but whether it can become the darling of the market still needs further observation. In fact, considering the high price and small audience of Vision Pro, many institutions previously believed that the possibility of Apple's Vision Pro selling well this year was relatively low.
Unofficial channel premium of tens of thousands of yuan
According to Apple's official introduction, the Apple Vision Pro is equipped with 12 cameras, 5 sensors (1 Lidar, 2 structured light depth sensors, 2 IR sensors), and 6 microphones to achieve a good interactive experience; On the display side, the Apple Vision Pro uses Micro OLED for the main display screen, with a monocular resolution of 4K. This is also the first product on the market to use Micro OLED to achieve a binocular 8K effect.
In addition to the screen, the main difference in the overall cost composition of Apple Vision Pro compared to Meta Quest3/Pro and Pico 4 lies in the chip. The Apple Vision Pro is equipped with two chips, M2 and R1. Among them, the R1 chip is mainly responsible for dealing with real-time sensor processing technology. The official claims that data transmission can be reached in just 12 milliseconds, which is faster than blinking. In addition, the headset also adopts a brand new spatial operating system vision OS, allowing users to interact with digital content in an immersive way.
It is reported that spatial computing technology can refer to the physical world of reality to build a digital twin world, connecting the physical world of reality with the virtual world of numbers, allowing people to enter and manipulate 3D space, and enhance the real world with more information and experience. Simply put, human-computer interaction has evolved from 2D to 3D, where reality, virtuality, and humans interact, essentially expanding the boundaries of information input and output.
In a recent research report released by Tianfeng Securities, it was stated that after experiencing Vision Pro, most developers and media professionals coincidentally mentioned a concept: Vision Pro's spatial videos are more like memories than videos. Simply put, Vision Pro does not overly emphasize the immersion of virtual reality like traditional VR headsets. Space videos are centered around real space, with "truth" and "chaos". In fact, unlike previous AR/VR devices, Apple Vision Pro's space computing has shown great potential in social, office, and other scenarios, in addition to audiovisual, gaming, and other aspects.
However, the exquisite design and high performance of Apple Vision Pro also represent an increase in production difficulty. According to previous media reports, Apple's first generation Vision Pro has approximately 400000 units in stock. At present, Apple has not yet announced the specific release date of Vision Pro in China. It will be the first to be released in all Apple Store retail stores and online stores in the United States on February 2nd.
When browsing the unofficial channels of Apple Vision Pro, the reporter noticed that the current domestic premium is relatively high. The price of the 256GB version is 40000 yuan (about 25000 yuan on the official website). If you want it, you can place a deposit of 5000 yuan and bring it back to China in mid February. The final booking price is 80000 yuan. However, some sellers have also stated, "This product is expected to arrive in mid February through purchasing agents, and the online price (marked as 38999 yuan) is not the final price. Any excess or deficiency will be refunded or compensated according to the market price in the future."
Another boss who does global iPhone wholesale business told reporters, "We generally do not touch newly released premium products, and there is no quantity of such products. Currently, some people are quoting $4000-5000 outside, but per hour (price)." They are all adding up, because even speculators cannot keep buying indefinitely. Firstly, the quantity is limited. Secondly, I heard that this product has technical protection and cannot be used for random orders. Currently, it is estimated that some scattered scalpers are engaged in speculation, and speculation can definitely make a profit
"It has to be said that the domestic consumption capacity is still amazing." A supply chain insider sighed about the current purchasing price of Vision Pro in China. However, he believes, "The Vision Pro currently has the best experience in the US region. In China, the application level is not yet rich enough. If you only use this machine to watch some downloaded movies, it will not have much impact, but it is probably similar to the experience of the current Apple TV set-top box."
Regarding the reason why Apple is currently not selling Vision Pro in markets outside the United States, Guo Minggui, a renowned Apple analyst and Tianfeng Securities analyst, analyzed on social media on January 16th that firstly, the supply of Vision Pro was limited in the initial stage; Secondly, first verify the smooth operation of the sales process in the US market; Thirdly, it takes time to adjust the algorithm to comply with other national regulations. He also stated that Apple plans to introduce more development details of Vision Pro to global developers in WWDC 2024. If Vision Pro can be released in markets outside the United States before and after WWDC 2024, it will be helpful in promoting the global development ecosystem of Vision Pro.
The institution previously estimated that the shipment volume of Vision Pro in 2024 was not high
At present, people's roast about Apple Vision Pro mainly focus on the "high price", which is also one of the main reasons why many organizations predict that their shipments will not be high this year.
For the development of Vision Pro in 2024, IDC predicts that Apple's head display devices will attract a lot of attention, but the shipment volume within the year may be less than 200000. "In contrast, Meta's shipment volume in the first three quarters of 2023 has exceeded Apple's expected shipment volume by 10 times (accounting for 55.2% of the market share by the third quarter of 2023), and is likely to achieve year-on-year growth in 2024."
IDC also stated, "Although the new VR headsets are expected to drive sales, as average selling prices continue to rise, they may deter some consumers. The high price of Vision Pro may position it as an enterprise device, while Quest 3 is also breaking through the limits of consumer spending, making VR a pleasure for the rich, especially as production of older and more affordable headsets declines."
According to a report released by TrendForce Consulting on January 18th, Vision Pro is an important layout for Apple to expand the market size of virtual headsets, and can also be used to enter the VR/AR market, becoming a pioneer in technological innovation. If the first purchase is enthusiastic, it is estimated that the shipment volume of Vision Pro will reach 500000 to 600000 units in 2024.
In addition, Jibang Consulting also believes that although $3499 may seem high at first glance, it should still attract market buying under the premise of sufficient applications, good experience, and high brand loyalty. In addition, if there are rumors in the market that Apple will launch a budget version in the future, the high priced Vision Pro can actually highlight the price difference and stimulate the willingness to purchase the budget version.