apple The Vision Pro mixed reality headset will be available in more countries outside the United States on Friday.
Australian customers As of Friday morning, the headphones were available for purchase. Vision Pro will also be available in stores in Canada, France, Germany and the UK upon opening.
This comes after headphones First landing in Asian market – China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore – June 28.
In one of Apple’s largest stores on London’s Regent Street, customers have reserved a placement for the Vision Pro. While Apple has long allowed potential customers to test other products in stores, the Vision Pro is an expensive new product.
When the store opened at 8 a.m. local time, Apple employees applauded those who entered the store to test the headphones.
Liam Nicholson was the first to walk into the Apple Store on Regent Street, one of London’s most popular shopping districts. He has made an appointment in advance to receive Vision Pro.
“I think it has a really good sense of space and immersion. But at the same time still being connected to the outside world,” Nickerson told CNBC, describing why he likes the device.
“So I tried it on at a conference and it felt like I was still in the room. Then someone brought out a dinosaur demo and the dinosaur came out and bit your hand and it felt like it was really there. So clear Compared to what I’ve seen elsewhere, it’s amazing.
With mature hardware like the iPhone, people can usually pre-order it online without any fanfare or in-person testing. But the Vision Pro demo is an opportunity for Apple to convince people why they should buy the headphones at $3,499 — which is significantly more expensive than other mass-market headphones. The Vision Pro is priced at £3,499 in the UK.
Nicholson said he thinks the high price is worth it because it fits within Apple’s broader lineup of products.
“I think with all the apps and things like that, it might be something that’s really worth it. Like I have an iPhone, I have an (Apple) Watch, it’s definitely worth having them,” he said.
Liam Nicholson was the first to enter the Apple Store on Regent Street in London when the Vision Pro went on sale in the UK on July 12, 2024
Arjun Kapoor CNBC
Bryan Ma, vice president of IDC, said there is no doubt that Vision Pro is exciting because it is “a relatively new product category and far from the mainstream.” In addition, it is a “product from Apple that is far ahead of its competitors.”
The challenge, however, is whether Apple can sustain the excitement of the first few weeks and turn it into sustainable sales, Ma said.
“This will be difficult, not only given the current sky-high prices, but also given that the ecosystem of applications and use cases is still evolving,” Ma said in emailed comments.
the first season, Yuan Apple maintains its lead in the hybrid/virtual reality headset market, with its recent entry pushing it into second place, according to one company. International Data Corporation Report Released on June 18, ByteDance, Xreal, and HTC also ranked among the top five.
“Meta’s Quest 3 and Vision Pro both help educate users and engage developers to create mixed reality content that blends the digital and physical worlds,” said IDC.
“Unfortunately, this is costly for users,” IDC added, referring to the high price point.
Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple analyst at TF International Securities, said Apple has reportedly lowered its 2024 Vision Pro sales forecast to around 400,000 to 450,000 units from the previous forecast of 700,000 to 800,000 units. Guo Attributes lower shipment forecast to lower demand.
“We expect Apple to ship approximately 400,000 units this year, almost half of which will be sold outside the U.S., for a total market of 7.3 million units. If we start to see hardware prices drop, this number could be even higher. The usefulness of applications quickly increases as well.
– CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.
