Directly hit the first day of the launch of the national version of Apple's Vision Pro: the price starts at 29,999 yuan, the customer flow is not large, and the agency predicts that the follow-up sales are not optimistic

China Times

2024-06-28 20:08China Times official account

On June 28, Apple's Vision Pro headset was officially launched in the Chinese mainland market, with a price starting at 29,999 yuan.

On the morning of the same day, a reporter from the "China Times" visited the Apple store in the MixC in Shenzhen and found that there were customers who came to try it out one after another, but the flow of people was not large, and some customers also got the opportunity to try it without an appointment. Prior to this, Apple's official website in China opened retail store demo trial appointments, and the first day of sales in stores in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places showed that they were full.

At the same time, the reporter found that the national version of Apple's Vision Pro has been equipped with a Chinese simplified Chinese system, and some domestic software has also been adapted to the Vision Pro operating system, including Migu video, Tencent video, DingTalk, Weibo, Taobao, Jingdong, etc.

A "fruit fan" who placed an order on the spot told the "China Times" reporter that in view of the discomfort of the wearing experience and the lack of rich software ecology, he was not sure whether he could use it for a long time in the later stage.

Zhou Hua, chief analyst of CINNO Research, said in an interview with a reporter from China Times: "According to the data monitored by CINNO Research, when Apple's Vision Pro was not officially released in China, the monthly domestic sales were about 600 units. Therefore, the sales of the Vision Pro of the national version may not be too optimistic. ”

A variety of domestic software has been adapted

The Chinese version of the Apple Vision Pro has three storage capacity versions, including 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, and the prices start at 29,999 yuan, 31,499 yuan, and 32,999 yuan respectively. In addition, depending on their vision condition, consumers can also purchase accessories for ZEISS optical lenses (for both nearsightedness and farsightedness).

According to the on-site staff, there are currently various models of Vision Pro in stock in the store, and customers can purchase them by placing an order online and picking up the goods in store. However, if customers need to purchase ZEISS optical lens accessories, the accessories need to be customized on the official website and then mailed to customers.

The "China Times" reporter found that the national version of Apple's Vision Pro has been equipped with a Chinese Simplified Chinese system, and some domestic software has also been adapted to the Vision Pro operating system, including Migu Video, Tencent Video, DingTalk, Weibo, Taobao, Jingdong, etc. According to the staff, there will be other adaptation applications launched in the future.

Before the start of sales, Apple's official website in China opened the reservation for demonstration trials in retail stores, and the reservation for the first day of sales in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places showed that it was full, and the reservation time was after July at the earliest. It is understood that customers who make an appointment in advance can enjoy one-on-one explanations and trials after arriving at the store, which lasts for 30 minutes.

However, on the morning of the same day, the reporter found in the Apple Shenzhen MixC store that there were 6 experience locations on site, and the number of customers who came to experience it was not large, and many customers could try the experience without making an appointment in advance. In addition, the Apple Vision Pro is the most expensive item in Apple's history, and most customers do not buy it immediately after experiencing it. According to the reporter's incomplete statistics at the scene, about 4 Vision Pro units were sold in the store that morning.

After a trial on site, Mr. Chen, a "fruit fan", decided to order a 256GB Vision Pro. He told this reporter that there are still some deficiencies in the current trial experience, on the one hand, the lens hood of the device is not enough to fit the Asian face shape, and the equipment is heavy, so it feels uncomfortable to wear the neck; On the other hand, the adaptation software resources of the system are not rich enough.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it forever. Because no matter how well the equipment is developed, it is useless without corresponding software support, and I am worried that its software ecology will not be updated fast enough after that, after all, the foreign Vision Pro has been on the market for more than half a year, but the software adaptability is still very low. Mr. Chen said.

It is rumored that the development of the next-generation Vision Pro has been suspended

It is worth mentioning that Apple's Vision Pro briefly set off a boom at the beginning of its launch in the United States in February this year, but sales were cold soon after. According to a survey, 45% of users in the first Vision Pro return survey chose to return the product within the 14-day no-reason return period.

Recently, it was also reported that Apple has suspended the development of the next-generation Vision Pro in favor of a cheaper model. Dubbed the "Affordable Edition" headset, the model costs around $1,500, which is close to the price of a high-end iPhone and significantly lower than the current $3,500 Vision Pro.

According to analysts, the "people-friendly version" headset, called N107, is expected to meet consumers as soon as the end of 2025. Compared to the existing Vision Pro, it has been reduced in functionality and independence, and the biggest difference is that it cannot be used on its own, and it must rely on an iPhone or Mac device.

However, from Apple's official point of view, it is still full of expectations for the sales of Vision Pro in China. Not long ago, at WWDC24, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview that he was "full of confidence in the Chinese version of Vision Pro", and revealed that the Apple Development Lab in Shanghai has received many developers in the past year, and a number of Chinese apps have been adapted to Vision Pro, expressing Apple's efforts to build a national version of Vision Pro software ecosystem.

In Zhou Hua's view, Apple's decision to suspend the development of the Vision Pro and switch to a cheaper "people-friendly" model is a decision based on multiple factors such as cost and price.

Zhou Hua said that first of all, as a high-end headset, Vision Pro has high manufacturing costs and high prices, which limits its market popularity to a certain extent. Apple may believe that by developing a more accessible version, it will be able to reduce production costs while attracting more consumers at a more reasonable price, thereby increasing its market share. Second, Apple may also be reevaluating its product line and R&D priorities. With the continuous development of technology and the continuous change of market demand, Apple may believe that devoting more resources and energy to the research and development of the affordable version of the model can better meet the market demand, and at the same time, it can also bring greater business benefits to the company.

Regarding the concerns expressed by some customers on the first day of listing that they may not be able to use it in the later stage, Zhou Hua said that this may be related to factors such as the high price, technical threshold, and ecological content of Vision Pro.

According to data monitored by CINNO Research, when Apple is not officially released in China, the monthly domestic sales are about 600 units. Therefore, the sales of the Vision Pro of the national version may not be too optimistic. Zhou Hua said.

Editor-in-charge: Xu Yunqian Editor-in-chief: Gong Peijia

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