Apple’s Vision Pro is available for sale in the US. How much does it cost and how is it?

(CNN)- The Vision Pro, Apple’s first new product in seven years, officially hits US stores this Friday.

The mixed reality headset went on sale in Apple Stores across the country and some impatient buyers were among the first to grab what promises to be one of the most innovative technology products in recent years.

At Apple’s flagship store in New York on Friday morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook greeted customers waiting in the store by waving and taking selfies while employees applauded. About 200 people were standing in line before the 8 a.m. launch, including customers from around the world.

Customers will be able to enter stores on a first-come, first-served basis and receive one-on-one personal demonstrations.

CEO Tim Cook has long talked about the potential of augmented reality to help people communicate and collaborate. Now he must prove that a device that combines virtual reality and augmented reality – technology that superimposes virtual images over live real-world video – is indeed the future of computing.

Before its release, Cook called it “the most advanced consumer electronic device ever created.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple employees welcome customers arriving to purchase Apple’s Vision Pro headphones at the Apple Fifth Avenue Manhattan store on February 2, 2024 in New York, United States. (Brendan McDiarmid/Reuters)

But it won’t be easy to sell: It’s a useless $3,499 computer you wear on your face. The device will have 256GB of storage and special adapted lenses will be available starting at US$149. Reading glasses start at US$99.

Once you include additional accessories, such as a $200 travel case and a battery holder worth more than $50, the price can reach up to $4,600, The New York Times reports.

The headset enters just as the extended reality (XR) market – a category that includes augmented, virtual and mixed reality – has stagnated with low consumer adoption. The Vision Pro has limited apps out of the box and will be tied to an iPhone-sized battery, providing about 2.5 hours of battery life on a single charge.

However, when it comes to watching immersive videos and interacting with the world around you the experience is unmatched. It’s rare to find new technology that seems innovative, but in two demos experienced by CNN ahead of the launch, it’s easy to see the future, or at least an early and very expensive prototype of it.

Vision Pro, Apple’s headset, on June 5, 2023 in Cupertino, California, U.S. On display at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at the company’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Credit: Lauren Elliott/Reuters.

user experience

The Vision Pro itself looks like a pair of designer ski goggles. It has a soft, adjustable strap on the top, a “Digital Crown” on the back (a larger version than the Apple Watch), and another Digital Crown on top that acts as a kind of power button. start over.

Although it’s still an eyesore-looking computer, it’s surprisingly light and comfortable to use.

The setup process is simple: First, the headset tracks your eyes, scans your hands, and maps the room. Users will then see an iOS-like interface in front of their environment.

Using eye movement and tapping the thumb and index finger together activated a “Select” button, allowing people to seamlessly enter and exit apps like Messages, FaceTime, Safari, and Photos. Is. The interface also responds to voice to activate Siri.

The first customer leaves an Apple Store with a purchase of a Vision Pro in New York on February 2, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Photos can be viewed life-size or as if you were viewing them on a giant movie screen. Panorama, meanwhile, brings you straight into the scene. Vision Pro also offers a spatial photography option, allowing users to view 3D images and videos for an even more realistic experience. Use cases for the Vision Pro range from cooking and meditation to working out. Users can turn the screen into a larger screen by syncing their Mac computers and connecting a physical keyboard.

To maximize productivity, it’s possible to have multiple windows open at once: email can be placed on one side, a Safari browser perhaps open in the middle, and a FaceTime call on the right. If a user uses Vision Pro on FaceTime, they appear as an avatar-like digital representation of a person or their face.

However, the real magic of Vision Pro lies in immersive videos.

During a recent demo, we watched a clip from “Star Wars” on Disney+ while sitting inside a virtual representation of Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, a visual experience that will satisfy any movie lover’s imaginations. Meanwhile, watching “Avatar 2″‘s underwater scene in 3D was also unrealistic, taking users straight to the ocean.

Apple has taken steps to reduce the motion sickness problem that has plagued other headphones, thanks to a custom chip that reduces the latency issue found in similar products. The Vision Pro includes surround sound with an audio module that sits outside the ears to deliver rich, immersive sound.

To help users navigate its new headphones, Apple has included a roughly 10-minute guided tour on its website.

People line up outside the Apple Store in New York on February 2, 2024, as the Vision Pro goes on sale in US Apple Stores. (Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

consumer appetite

Nearly all of Apple’s new products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch, promise to use screens of different sizes to change the way we live, work, and interact with the world. Vision Pro has the ability to do all this in even more amazing ways.

But from the start, the Vision Pro will likely remain a niche product for hardcore Apple enthusiasts and developers, largely because of the price.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that during the first weekend of pre-orders last month, the company sold about 160,000 to 180,000 Vision Pro headphones.

Shipping times remained largely unchanged after the first 48 hours, indicating that demand may have slowed after core fans placed orders. Shipping times are often extended once new iPhone models sell out.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate the company will ship up to 400,000 Vision Pro units this year.

CNN’s Claire Duffy contributed to this story.