Tiny Brains

The  Apple Vision Pro is a game changer for XR. But perhaps not for the reasons your expecting. Yes, the technology is revolutionary, bringing brand new experiences to the home. Or enterprise. Or healthcare, education, architecture and innumerate other sectors. However, this is not the headset’s biggest strength in my opinion. What takes centre place is the branding.

Apple Gots the Clout

Yeah, we’ve all said it. Apple as a brand finally stepping into the world of XR will bring more attention from a much wider audience. There are surely many people that will be keen to adopt the technology based purely on the Apple brand alone. All the tech and possibilities fade into the background of ‘it’s Apple, it’s cool’.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. It may lead to many Apple Vision Pro headsets cluttering cupboards in the long run, but then again, when was the last time you used your Samsung Gear VR? Or original Oculus Rift? Or even your HoloLens?

$3,499 is a lot to spend on a device that could potentially end up doing very little. But that in itself is another opportunity for the industry.

High Pricing Sets High Expectations

I’m not suggesting that every Apple fan is going to go and buy the Apple Vision Pro just because it’s Apple. However, as we can agree that the branding brings more attention to XR, so too does the high price tag raise expectations of what is possible. It casts the Meta Quest 3 in a very good light, being a more affordable ‘budget’ headset. What was considered an expensive investment just a few weeks ago now seems like a reasonable entry point.

And after that investment – be it $3,499 or $499 – users are going to want to get the most out of their new device. No one expects to buy new hardware without an additional investment in media to experience upon it. And very few will spend such considerable amounts while still expecting $0.99 apps.

For developers, the era of a $10 entry point is upon us. Experiences reaching the same price as premium console game titles (currently $60-70) will no longer be considered too high. This in turn will allow developers to spend more resources creating richer experiences, meeting those raised expectations. It’s a cyclical system. And it’s one that we surely have Apple’s high barrier for entry to thank for.

So yes, $3,499 is good for XR. It’s good for the hardware, and for the software. It’s good for expectations and acceptance. Now I just need to build up that piggybank for launch day!