Apple recently announced that its most ambitious and risky new hardware product in recent years, the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, will be available for purchase in the United States starting February 2, with pre-orders kicking off on January 19.
The Vision Pro headset, one of Apple’s most expensive products, is priced at $3,500. The company further announced that the headset will have a storage capacity of 256 GB. Additionally, prescription lens inserts for the headset will be available starting at $149, while reading lens inserts will start at $99.
In a statement announcing the Vision Pro’s release date, CEO Tim Cook did not mince words: “Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created,” Cook said. “Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore.”
The roll-out of the Vision Pro represents the first major hardware product that Cook has launched at Apple in seven years, and it’s only the third such product since he assumed the CEO role.
The Vision Pro device that looks like ski goggles allows its users to superimpose virtual images on real-world videos. Unlike some competitor devices, according to the demos last June, Apple’s mixed-reality device will showcase the users’ eyes on the external part.
The Vision Pro comes with its proprietary operating system named visionOS, also featuring a unique tri-dimensional user interface and input system operated by the user’s eyes, hands, and voice.
Although the device is set to encounter several challenges given Apple’s exploration of a market yet to be proven. Further, this market is scattered with many tech companies that have tried, but so far largely failed, to gain mainstream acceptance with their augmented reality hardware devices. The hefty price of the Vision Pro has also drawn scrutiny since its reveal at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this past June.
This news comes just as the tech industry’s annual CES convention in Las Vegas commences.
