Many people are balking at buying an Apple Vision Pro for $3,500. Apple’s debut AR device tantalized WWDC 2023 viewers all the way until the end of the presentation. However, none of its cool applications could cushion the blow of how much it cost. With a price tag that blew past even the more cynical predictions, Apple made it clear that this isn’t a headset for the common man.
Is the Apple Vision Pro too expensive?
The Apple Vision Pro is too expensive for home use. So it’s odd that Apple even decided to present it as such. Instead, much like Microsoft’s HoloLens, the Vision Pro is an enterprise-grade headset.
It’s likely that the company will eventually release a consumer-grade non-Pro version of the Vision, but this is its first foray into a market that doesn’t really exist yet. The VR market is still niche, and there’s almost no demand for AR. So, Apple may plan to build an ecosystem around enthusiasts and businesses before launching a cheaper version of the Vision.
As a counterpoint, people might point to the iPhone Pro line and say that if people are willing to drop $1,000+ for a phone each year, then $3,500 isn’t such a big deal. However, most new iPhone Pros are purchased as part of a contract in the US. Sign up for a year of service, and your carrier will let you make monthly payments with 0% APR. That’s not going to be the case with the Vision Pro.
So, yeah, the Apple Vision Pro is too expensive if you buy into it being something you’re supposed to sit around and watch TV with. However, it’s more likely that it’ll be used for AR development, healthcare, art, industrial applications, education, and more. A $3,500 price tag is much more palatable to a large corporation than to an upper-middle-class household.
