What to make of Apple’s intriguing $3,499 Vision Pro headset

Enlarge / Vision Pro: The computer you can keep using while grabbing unbranded sparkling water from the fridge (credit: Apple)

We’re still reeling a bit from today’s announcement of Vision Pro, Apple’s biggest new platform/hardware product rollout in years. The magnitude of the entirely new computing interface the company is trying to sell here is matched only by the augmented reality headset’s significant $3,499 starting price.

Whether or not Apple’s gambit here can succeed in a headset-curious but still largely headset-skeptical market will depend in large part on the quality of the “immersive” experience Apple can deliver. We’ll only know by actually putting this thing on our heads. Before we get that eyes- and hands-on time, though, here are some immediate thoughts on how to position Vision Pro in the market and in your mind.

Don’t judge Vision Pro by the standards of VR

Comparing the Vision Pro to the current state of the art in virtual reality makes its value proposition seem like a real uphill climb for Apple. After all, for the same price as just one Vision Pro, you could buy three-and-a-half Quest Pro headsets (after the recent price drop to $999) or a full seven of Meta’s upcoming Quest 3 headsets (one for every day of the week).