Apple has sold out its initial stock of its Vision Pro virtual reality headset after getting 200,000 pre-orders from customers during the 10 days since opening its early sale.
A source who was said to have knowledge of the situation said that the iPhone maker began accepting pre-orders for the headsets, which cost $3,5000, on Jan. 19. The product is set to become available for purchase in company retail locations starting this Friday.
An analyst at TF International Securities, Min-Chi Kuo, who is considered an expert in Apple's supply chain, previously estimated that the firm had sold between 160,000 and 180,000 units of the Vision Pro headset based on the company's pre-order inventory.
In a blog post, Kuo wrote that he thought that the virtual reality headset would remain a "niche product" that would be in high demand among Apple's die-hard core customers. The tech giant previously said that the products' operating system will be compatible with more than 1 million apps designed for the iPhone and iPad, as per the New York Post.
While pre-orders for the headsets were opened to the public more than 10 days ago, buyers will still have to go to a store to be properly fitted for the Vision Pro. These are controlled with the eyes and a few simple hand gestures.
While Facebook owner Meta Platforms and other companies have been making virtual reality headsets for years with limited success, many analysts in the industry believe that Apple is capable of expanding the technology's audience beyond just video gamers and tech nerds.
Apple's virtual reality headset has already gotten largely enthusiastic reviews among the media who had the chance to test it in tightly controlled demonstrations that were monitored by the tech giant. However, the device's price tag probably means there will only be a few unit sales during its first year on the market.
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Launch of the Virtual Reality Headset
Analysts said that they do not expect the Vision Pro to drive massive amounts of revenue for the company initially. Investment banking company UBS anticipates that the tech giant will ship roughly 400,000 headsets this year, which would lead to a "relatively immaterial" $1.4 billion in revenue, according to CNBC.
However, some say that if the tech giant finds a way to make and sell cheaper versions of its virtual reality headsets, there will be millions being used in the coming years. The new product offers a unique experience that Apple calls "spatial computing."
This is where a person sits in their own world while looking at a digital one through the headsets. Then, the Vision Pro will show you different apps that will let you work, play games, watch movies, or surf the web.
Apple's goal is for the Vision Pro to be a complete device that can sit right alongside the Mac and the iPad. Users can use Excel, Webex, and Slack while wearing virtual reality headsets.
The goggles will also enable you to watch movies and TV shows on a gigantic 4K HDR display. Furthermore, those who buy the headsets will be able to mirror their Mac's display and just use the Vision Pro to look at a huge monitor that is floating in virtual space, said The Verge.
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