On June 28th, it is the day when the national version of Apple's Vision Pro is officially launched in the Chinese market, and consumers can choose from 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB in three versions, with prices starting at 29999 yuan.
Compared with the rush to buy when the Apple Vision Pro was officially launched in the United States, there were long queues outside the store and the panic buying boom caused by the crowding in the store, the first day of the official sale of the Chinese version of the Vision Pro was a little colder, and some Apple stores did not trigger a rush to buy, nor did they appear to be full of buyers. In addition, there is also news that there are many people who make on-site appointments for experience, but there are few buyers who actually pick up the goods; Even some directly managed stores still have stock in stock, and you can pick up the goods when you place an order.
An Apple product user told Sina XR that although he is a senior Apple product user, he, like many people around him, is not interested in Apple's headset, and he doesn't even know that the Chinese version of Vision Pro is officially on sale today, and he hasn't seen Vision Pro in the circle of friends.
In fact, it is not surprising that the Apple Vision Pro is officially on sale. As early as when the national version of Apple's Vision Pro was still in the pre-sale period, there was constant news on the market that "Apple's Vision Pro's first sales were cold". At that time, many netizens complained that Apple's Vision Pro was too heavy, the price was high, and there were few content resources.
However, just as Apple's Vision Pro officially went on sale in China, Singapore, and Japan, there was a sudden news that XR headset giant Meta's Quest 3 sales had exceeded one million. Although it is not an official disclosure by Meta, it still can't help but make people wonder, is this a coincidence, or is it to "smash the field" or to "slap the face"?
01.Vision Pro is not very popular
Today, the buying boom of the Apple Vision Pro in China has not come as expected. According to various sources in the market, today's Apple Vision Pro national version of the official sale did not trigger a rush to buy, compared with the previous Vision Pro store in the United States when it was crowded by customers, the current domestic Apple store seems quite "deserted".
It is reported that there is still a lot of stock in an Apple direct store in Beijing, and you can pick up the goods when you place an order today. Some netizens said that when they went to the store to experience the Apple headset, they did not encounter a long queue.
There are also media who visited an Apple store in Beijing and said that within an hour of the store's opening, a total of four Apple Vision Pro were sold, but it is worth noting that it is not ordinary people who buy these four headsets, among them, three are self-media bloggers and one is a well-known host.
In an Apple store in Chengdu, the sale opened for more than an hour in the morning, and the scene was also not full of customers. A buyer who picked up the goods at the store said that the Apple Vision Pro experience was great, but the neck would be sore after wearing it for a long time.
An Apple product user told Sina XR that although he is a senior Apple product user, he, like many people around him, is not interested in Apple's headset, and he doesn't even know that the Chinese version of Vision Pro is officially on sale today, and he hasn't seen Vision Pro in the circle of friends.
Perhaps, the news of the official launch of the national version of Apple's Vision Pro today is not very hot, and it has not attracted too much attention. Industry insiders said that most of the buyers of Apple's Vision Pro are technology enthusiasts.
In fact, it is not surprising that the first sale of the Apple Vision Pro in China has been cold, and there have been signs before. After it was released in the United States, many netizens complained that Apple's Vision Pro was too heavy. For example, wearing it for a long time will make the neck uncomfortable, the price is too high, and the content ecology is not rich. Some netizens said that after the freshness of Apple's Vision Pro, the frequency of use has been greatly reduced.
As the timeline lengthens, after the buying boom, Apple's Vision Pro sales in the United States have not shown a sustained good state. At present, there are frequent rumors in the market that the sales of Apple's Vision Pro are slowing down. Industry insiders also pointed out that Apple cut Apple's Vision Pro production orders at an early stage, and it is expected that sales in 2024 will only be 400,000 to 450,000 units.
Previously, on the eve of the pre-sale of the national version of Apple's Vision Pro, a media survey showed that 78% of netizens said they would not buy it; About 13% of netizens said that they would experience it first and then make a decision; About 9% of netizens said they had to buy it.
In addition, many netizens told Sina XR that for them, Vision Pro is not much use, and the price is too high, and they will not buy it. For example, a netizen told Sina XR: "I still like Apple, and I have bought Apple products such as mobile phones, computers, headphones, and iPads. Buying Apple products mainly feels easy to use and durable, and can be used for many years after buying, and will be replaced for many years after buying. But this (Vision Pro) doesn't feel like it's going to be of much use to me, and the price is high, so I won't buy it. ”
Through the above data, it is not difficult to see that for domestic C-end consumers, the enthusiasm for buying Apple Vision Pro does not seem to be high.
In the background, there are frequent rumors in the market that Apple will suspend the follow-up product development of the Vision Pro and shift to the release of cheaper models by the end of 2025.
02. Is it a coincidence or a "slap in the face"?
It is worth noting that just as the national version of Apple's Vision Pro is about to go on sale, the news of XR headset giant Meta suddenly came to the market, that is, evidence that Meta Quest 3 has sold more than one million.
Although the sales volume of the Meta Quest 3 was not officially disclosed, a third party announced the sales volume of the product. VR developer Daven Bigelow deduced that the Quest 3 had already surpassed one million sales, based on the performance of First Encounters.
It is understood that Daven Bigelow has been tracking the number of users who have experienced the Meta First Encounters mixed reality tutorial, which is designed specifically for the Meta Quest 3 headset. Every user who has a Meta account and has experienced the app at least once will be rewarded with an achievement. To date, more than 1 million users have achieved this achievement, which is a strong proof that the Quest 3 headset has sold at least one million.
It's worth noting that not all users who purchased the Quest 3 experienced First Encounters. As a result, the actual sales of the Quest 3 could well exceed 1 million units. For example, if one out of every two buyers had experienced the tutorial, the Quest 3 could have sold as many as 2 million units.
For a while, the news that the Meta Quest 3 sold more than one million spread to the world, which also aroused domestic attention. It should be noted that the point where the data of Meta Quest 3 sales exceeding one million occurred coincided with the eve of the official sales of Apple's Vision Pro in China, Japan and other countries. One can't help but wonder if the data appeared by coincidence or by accident?
Previously, Meta boss Zuckerberg had "stepped on" Apple's headset, saying that he initially expected the Quest to be more valuable for most people because it was "seven times cheaper" than the $3,500 Vision Pro. However, after testing a competitor's product, he came to the conclusion that the Quest was "a better product."
另外,似乎平价版Quest 3也被Meta提上了日程。 此前,Meta或许不小心透露了其下一款头显的名称——Quest 3S。 外媒消息称,多个Quest官方应用商店页面列出了对"Meta Quest 3S、Meta Quest 3、Meta Quest Pro 和 Meta Quest 2"的支持。 这或许预示着,Quest 3S正在测试准备中,发布时间已经临近。
Although Meta has not officially released any relevant information, according to well-known whistleblower Lunayian, the Meta Quest 3S will be equipped with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 3 chip as the Meta Quest 2, and is expected to be equipped with dual 4MP RGB cameras and support 18PPD mixed reality technology. Although the sensor arrangement is different from that of the Quest 3, its specifications match those of the Quest 3 and provide users with a rich VR experience.
As early as March this year, there was news about the Quest 3S, which is also regarded as an affordable version of the Quest 3. Industry predictions suggest that the Quest 3S may cost around $300.
In the face of the 30,000-yuan Apple Vision Pro national version, some netizens once said, isn't the Meta Quest 3 about $500 fragrant? So, in the future, will you pay for Apple's headset?