Online Pre-Orders Start from the 19th of This Month
Price Approximately 4.6 Million KRW for 256GB Model
Apple's mixed reality (MR) headset 'Vision Pro' will officially launch in the U.S. market on February 2 (local time). Online pre-orders will be available starting from the 19th of this month.
On the 8th (local time), Apple announced the U.S. release date and price for the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro will be officially sold at Apple Store locations and online across the U.S. starting February 2. Online pre-orders will be available from 5 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on the 19th of this month. The price starts at $3,499 (approximately 4.6 million KRW) for the 256GB model. The package includes two options: a solo knit band and a dual loop band, allowing users to choose the most suitable fit.
The Vision Pro is attracting market attention as it is the first major product category Apple has launched in about nine years since the Apple Watch in April 2015. The development period took over seven years, involving around 1,000 developers. Especially as concerns about Apple's growth outlook have increased recently due to consecutive downgrades by Barclays and Piper Sandler since the new year, all eyes are on whether this new product can serve as a turning point to reverse the situation.
Apple Vision Pro runs on visionOS, which is compatible with iOS, iPadOS, and others. It features 4K ultra-high-resolution displays for each eye to reduce eye strain, and it naturally renders the external environment even while wearing the headset. Additionally, Apple introduced that users can operate various applications through intuitive gestures such as tapping with fingers or lightly moving the wrist, without the need for a separate controller.
Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized, "The era of spatial computing has arrived," adding, "Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics product ever made. Its innovative and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore." Spatial computing is a concept Apple uses to highlight the interaction between reality and the computer-generated world, differentiating it from existing AR and VR headsets. According to market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the spatial computing market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 23.4% through 2028.
This announcement was made ahead of CES 2024, the world's largest ICT and consumer electronics exhibition, which will be held in the U.S. starting on the 9th. This is interpreted as part of a strategy to draw public attention focused on CES 2024 directly to Apple's Vision Pro. Earlier, major foreign media reported that the Vision Pro is currently being supplied in small quantities from warehouses across the U.S. to Apple Stores, and for this reason, the official release date was expected to be announced this week.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning in the New York stock market, Apple's stock price showed an increase of around 1.4% compared to the previous session, buoyed by expectations for the Vision Pro launch. Apple's stock price had fallen nearly 5% since the new year due to downgrades by investment banks.
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