The obstacle
Behind the scenes Tim was “Cook” in California. Watching Mark Zuckerberg’s train pass by with his Metaquest 3, he was trying to disassociate himself from the Metaverse as a concept of virtual worlds, this train was carrying too many passengers with the Metaverse in their heads.
When asked about the Metaverse, he preferred not to mention it, claiming that “people do not understand what it is” and also stressed that the idea of his competitor was good, but not the best, since VR (Virtual Reality) was not going to be something for everyday life, but rather for an immersion of certain moments. In this way, Tim already made it clear that for him neither Metaverse nor Virtual Reality as a battle general.
And here, Tim was not a visionary, he was right, we all knew it. Augmented reality is not only more fun, it also brings the best of the virtual into our real life. The implementation in our world and not the journey to another. It must be said that the journey to another is also great, but technologically speaking it is much easier to get rewarding experiences through augmented reality, virtual reality costs a lot to implement it in such a way that it makes us live a much more rewarding experience than video games on console or computer.
If Matrix, Ready Player One or Avatar were possible, we would surely have a different kind of conversation. Today it is what it is and Tim has been patient and has watched the market, having enough time to see how his rival, despite getting good numbers on their devices, failed to catch on with the user for more extensive use than their previous models.
Tim has made an impact on the streets, it’s real. Tim 1, Mark 0.
Tim “The Sybarite”
Tim has launched his product for $3500. This is about 17% of the average annual salary of a person in Spain. This shows us two things:
- They are not exactly cheap.
- Not everyone can afford them.
But as I don’t want to throw scores in the air, I bring you some interesting data:
Nearly seven out of 10 Spaniards, 69.39%, believe that the current price of cell phones on the market is too expensive to be devalued so quickly, according to a survey by IO Research.
But how much do we spend on mobiles? According to the same survey, half of Spaniards spend less than 500 euros. However, up to 18% spend between 500 and 1,000 euros and 8% of citizens exceed the threshold of the Interprofessional Minimum Wage (set at 1,080 euros), in the purchase of a cell phone.
“Roaring 20% of total gamers spend at most $1200.” the other 80% spend less.
And where am I going with all this? Well, to the main points. Apple Vision Pro viewers will NEVER reach the masses of users, at least not this model and at least not at these prices.
The reality as shown in this study above is that in the world 1 out of 7 users has an Iphone, currently that represents 14% of the world’s population. And we are talking about Iphone, available at a price 1/3 of the cost of the Apple Vision Pro.
Then we come to another conclusion:
Apple has launched the Apple Vision Pro for a specific public, with a high purchasing power for a customer loyal to the brand, giving it, in addition to the “premium” quality of the product, that feeling of scarcity, as would Lamborghini, a HermΓ©s bag or any very expensive collectible and with low circulation. To show it graphically I have made my own comparison in addition to the more complete one of Xataka :
To these we could add others such as the Hololens 2, which have a massive use in especially private sectors in aviation, industrial or military.
Things to note if you are thinking about buying the Apple Vision Pro
Internal tracking and powerful Apple Silicon M2 chipset with a dedicated neural chip for AI
The layered design of the “pancake” lens presents a drawback by obscuring the image by reflecting and redirecting light from the screen to the eyes
While Apple Vision Pro uses micro-OLED, it lacks LCD for peripheral vision.
The Vision Pro features an outward-facing display that mirrors the users’ eyes, a feature called “EyeSight.”
Final Conclusion
The Apple Vision Pro is definitely a very good product, however its sales strategy, although it may convince loyal brand lovers, does not fit with the vision of gamers passionate about video games, average pockets or simply with those who do not share the closed philosophy of the company. If you are looking for an open environment, with thousands of applications at an affordable price, this may not be your option. However, if you want to give yourself a little something to show off, with elegant touches and a leap in image quality and realism, it can be a good option.
Now just ask yourself :
1. Am I willing to spend $3500?
2. Will I use them on a daily basis or will they spend more time in the drawer?
3. Are they as useful to me if I already have a computer, console and cell phone ?
4. Do they replace the 3 previous devices for me ?
5. Am I willing to assume possibly more paid applications than in the version of your competition ?
6. Do I want them for fashion or for utility ?
