The Vision Pro mask, Tim Cook’s risky and very expensive bet, is released on February 2 in the United States

The Vision Pro, the first mixed reality mask from Apple, will be released on Friday in the United States for the equivalent of almost 4,000 euros. Technologically, this mask impresses but the risk of commercial failure is far from excluded. And Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, is playing big with what he presents as a revolution, that of “spatial computing”.

Imagine a ski mask that combines a latest generation Mac computer, an ultra-high definition panoramic screen, a keyboard, a mouse, and a whole new vision of computing. Inside the Vision Pro, your entire open space, your living room, your office becomes your work space, when it is not transformed into a cinema room with immersive sound.

But here it is: at $3,499 excluding tax, the Vision Pro is expensive: almost seven times more than Meta’s Quest 3, three times more than the Quest Pro, twice as much as the Vive XR Elite. And yet, Apple would have sold nearly 200,000 copies during the first three days of pre-orders, knowing that the number of copies actually available is estimated at less than 90,000, for the release scheduled for this Friday, February 2.

Result: in less than an hour, the Vision Pro arrived out of stock with delivery dates starting to slip towards the beginning of March. So can we still speak of success? It is much too early and the quantities are tiny, if we compare them to the 234 million iPhones sold in 2023, or an average of 641,000 per day.

The risk for Apple is the “pschitt” effect: the first weekend, those who really wanted it, really needed it, or for whom money was not a problem, rushed. We will see, over the weeks and months, how sales hold up or not, at this dissuasive price for many.

Another important element: feedback from users and customers

Starting Friday, the general public will be able to test and discover what the Vision Pro offers in American Apple Stores. Some of the brand’s stores in the United States will have a dedicated space, with a vegan leather bench, and a square of carpet, to feel “like at home”, and a dozen masks available, for older children. Apple Store.

The risk is a bad buzz around the weight of the helmet (between 600 and 650 grams depending on the accessories used), once the “wow” effect has passed. Apple would have planned that each trial does not exceed 25 minutes, and not only so that as many customers as possible can experience it. After the surprise of the first moments, it would be a shame if the mass of the mask, and the pressure exerted on the head, became problematic…

The reception of the Vision Pro by application publishers and developers constitutes another major barometer of this new category of products, the first for Apple since the Apple Watch 10 years ago. And this welcome is very clear! On the one hand, the enthusiasts, those who want to be the first, to be noticed, to innovate. At least 250 optimized applications will be available at launch, including Paramount+, Prime Video, Disney+, Zoom, TikTok, Microsoft with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams. In France, myCANAL and Decathlon are also in the running, awaiting the arrival of the Vision Pro on this side of the Atlantic.

The Vision Pro? A market “insignificant” according to Netflix

And then, there are the heavyweights who will not release an optimized application, or even who will prevent their iPad app – although compatible by default – from working in the Vision Pro. Walk “insignificant”, says Netflix. Same for YouTube or Spotify. Fortunately, we can still use these services via Safari, Apple’s web browser.

The timing of the Vision Pro’s arrival in countries other than the United States will also be an indication of demand for the mask (and Apple’s ability to produce it in very large quantities).

By the next global Apple developers conference which traditionally takes place at the beginning of June, Tim Cook could announce the arrival of the Vision Pro in several other countries: we are talking about Canada, the United Kingdom and perhaps China or Germany. For France, we will probably have to wait for the next step, probably at the end of the year, even if it means benefiting directly from the second generation of the mask, potentially cheaper.