Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset launches in U.S.
Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset is now available for purchase in the U.S. It was launched after Apple reported strong fiscal first-quarter results. The CEO, Tim Cook, defended the headset's pricing, stating that it is priced appropriately for its value.
Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset launches in U.S.
Apple's Vision Pro virtual reality headset officially launched in the U.S. on Friday. Customers who preordered the headset will begin to receive it or pick it up at Apple Store locations.
Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared at the company’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City on Friday morning to celebrate the headset’s release. Speaking to CNBC’s Jim Cramer at the event about the Vision Pro’s high sticker price, Cook called it “tomorrow’s technology today.” The Vision Pro starts at $3,500.
“People can spread their payments out over time, and so that’s one affordability kind of thing,” Cook said, referring to a monthly financing plan that buyers can choose. “It’s chock-full of invention. It’s got 5,000 patents on it.”
“We think we priced it at the right level considering the value of it,” Cook added.
Apple's Vision Pro embraced as an enterprise product
On Apple’s earnings call Thursday, Cook said the Vision Pro is also being embraced as an enterprise product, citing companies including Walmart, Nike, Vanguard, Stryker, Bloomberg, and SAP that “have started leveraging and investing” in the headset as a platform for customers and workers.
Still, Cook said Thursday that he believes Apple can remain “both” a consumer- and enterprise-focused company going forward with the Vision Pro now among its offerings, considering the gadget’s “ton of use cases.” He said more than 600 apps and games are available on the headset that are specifically designed to provide a “spatial computing” experience.
Apple's fiscal first-quarter results and market predictions
Apple reported fiscal first-quarter results that exceeded revenue and earnings estimates. Despite a decline in year-over-year sales for the wearables category, which includes the Vision Pro headset, analysts do not expect the headset to initially drive significant revenue. However, it is seen as a strategic addition to Apple's wearables business alongside the Apple Watch and AirPods.
