Echoes of launches past: Tim Cook likens Apple Vision Pro to iPhone launch

AppleInsider

Following Friday's launch of the Apple Vision Pro, Tim Cook ushered in a new era of Apple computing with a heartfelt memo to team members, likening it to the heady days of the iPhone launch more than 15 years ago.

Tim Cook dons the Apple Vision Pro | Credit: Vanity Fair

The Apple Vision Pro launched on Friday and marks the first new entry in the Apple lineup since 2015, when the company launched the Apple Watch wearable.

Apple CEO Tim Cook's memo to employees published by Bloomberg on Friday compared the launch of the Vision Pro to that of previous devices, most notably the iPhone, claiming the Apple Vision Pro "joins the pantheon of groundbreaking products."

Team,

Today we launched Apple Vision Pro, introducing an entirely new era of spatial computing. Moments like this should make us all pause -- to celebrate what we've achieved and reflect on the amazing potential that still lies ahead.

This morning I was with our team at Apple Fifth Avenue, where the excitement for this moment was palpable. It's an incredible thing to watch people experience Apple Vision Pro for the very first time. The impossible becomes possible right before their eyes, and often they don't have the words to describe the experience. It really is a technology you have to see -- and see through -- to believe. And it was truly a gift to hear customers share their amazement, their emotion, and their dreams for this incredible device we've created. The whole experience reaffirmed the magnitude of this moment, as well as our Retail teams' vital role in delivering this unprecedented technology to the world.

Apple Vision Pro brings together thousands of innovations to create a product that's like nothing the world has ever seen before. It's an extraordinary achievement, and as so many of you can attest, it has been years in the making. Apple Vision Pro is a reality thanks to you -- thanks to your commitment, your passion, and your contributions to the special culture that drives innovation at Apple. I especially want to thank all of the teams that have been dedicated to this project, who poured in countless hours over many years to yet again push the boundaries of what is possible.

Of course, for us, the most important thing about Apple Vision Pro is how it enriches our customers' lives -- strengthening connection, unlocking potential, and empowering people to accomplish things that simply wouldn't be possible any other way. It's profoundly moving to think of people reliving their most treasured memories, or even introducing a loved one to a relative they never had the chance to meet. It's exhilarating to imagine the unbelievable new entertainment experiences our customers will discover, and the innovative apps our amazing developers will create. It's exciting to think of everything this unlocks for industries the world over, and of the incredible opportunities that still lie ahead. Because with spatial computing, this is just the beginning of the impact we can make.

Two weeks ago we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Mac, a revolutionary device that transformed the world and laid the foundation for decades of innovation. When we shared iPod with the world, we put a thousand songs in our customers' pockets overnight. I remember the day we launched iPhone. We knew we had something special, but none of us could have foreseen its profound impact on our everyday lives. Then came iPad, a magical sheet of glass that becomes anything you want it to be, fostering new forms of connection and creativity for millions of people. With Apple Watch, there isn't a day that goes by I don't get a note from a user about its lifesaving impact. And now with today's launch, Apple Vision Pro joins the pantheon of groundbreaking products that have defined Apple and redefined technology as we know it.

It's not every day we have a moment like this one. Thank you for all you've done to make it possible.

Tim

While the launch is certainly less popular than previous devices, mainly on account of the $3,499 price, it is still a revolutionary enough product to attract modest crowds. Apple sold about 180,000 units during the pre-order period, amounting to a whopping $600 million in sales, which is sure to grow in the following months as more users become familiar with the device.

The Vision Pro promises a definitive step into augmented reality, though the ramping-up process requires a hands-on demo. That demo ensures users are comfortable with the unique environments, including eye movement navigation and hand gestures that may not come intuitively.

Despite the learning curve, the Vision Pro seeks to bring augmented reality into a mainstream space, where before, the technology was more of a specialty product.

Tim Cook believes the Apple Vision Pro will expand into uncharted territory, and initial impressions are promising. If lines around Apple stores are any indication, it's likely that Apple has another golden goose on its hands.



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Xed

I don't see that. I'd liken it to being more like the original Mac launch since it's very expensive with most people still wondering what they could possibly do with this bleeding edge tech. 

MplsP

Xed said:

I don't see that. I'd liken it to being more like the original Mac launch since it's very expensive with most people still wondering what they could possibly do with this bleeding edge tech. 

agreed. The iPhone was the right product coming into a waiting hole in the market. Virtual reality and augmented. Reality is still trying to find its place and a use and such Apple has much more of an uphill climb with Vision Pro. By all accounts it’s an extraordinarily well-designed product. I just hope there’s a market for it.

BlueLightning

I can remember Steve Ballmer of Microsoft saying the iPhone would never be successful, since it lacked a keyboard.  
Instead, both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were shown the door at Microsoft by the largest holders of Microsoft stock.  

Intel was not interested in manufacturing chips for the original iPhone.  How did that work out for Intel?  
H. P. opted not to build Macs, and chose to continue with minicomputers.  How many of those are they building today?  

9secondkox2

Nice try Tim. 

But this is nothing like the iPhone launch or even the Mac. 

This is more like the Apple Watch launch. 

It’s fine for what it is. The best vr/ar headset out there. But let’s stop pretending it’s more than that. 

Respite

9secondkox2 said:

Nice try Tim. 

But this is nothing like the iPhone launch or even the Mac. 

This is more like the Apple Watch launch. 

It’s fine for what it is. The best vr/ar headset out there. But let’s stop pretending it’s more than that. 

He's not going to listen to you dude.  Give it up.

eightzero

MplsP said:

Xed said:

I don't see that. I'd liken it to being more like the original Mac launch since it's very expensive with most people still wondering what they could possibly do with this bleeding edge tech. 

agreed. The iPhone was the right product coming into a waiting hole in the market. Virtual reality and augmented. Reality is still trying to find its place and a use and such Apple has much more of an uphill climb with Vision Pro. By all accounts it’s an extraordinarily well-designed product. I just hope there’s a market for it.

This. Steve was in unknown, yet prophetic territory when he envisioned the mac as a tool to replace most office tools of its time. It became a business and personal *appliance* because there was a very specific need and market with the tech that was emerging. I do think there is a market for the AVP now, but it is unclear (!) exactly how it will emerge. This is clearly (!) the needed first step, and the technology is impressive. I think back to a few of Apple's clear failures like the Newton MP and a few iterations of the Starmax Attack of the Clones, and I get the feeling the AVP is not those.

radarthekat

MplsP said:

Xed said:

I don't see that. I'd liken it to being more like the original Mac launch since it's very expensive with most people still wondering what they could possibly do with this bleeding edge tech. 

agreed. The iPhone was the right product coming into a waiting hole in the market. Virtual reality and augmented. Reality is still trying to find its place and a use and such Apple has much more of an uphill climb with Vision Pro. By all accounts it’s an extraordinarily well-designed product. I just hope there’s a market for it.

Agree, with one caveat.  The iPhone came into a nascent Apple ecosystem with tens of millions of Mac users and maybe 150-200 million iPod users.  Vision Pro is joining a world with 2.2 billion active Apple devices and a gigantic library of existing apps.  Its challenge to reach critical mass is eased a bit by this fact.  Countered, of course, by its far more narrow scope of use cases and its physical challenge of being a relatively bulky headset.  But the installed base of Apple devices and the wide variety of existing apps will help.  

miiwtwo

9secondkox2 said:

Nice try Tim. 

But this is nothing like the iPhone launch or even the Mac. 

This is more like the Apple Watch launch. 

It’s fine for what it is. The best vr/ar headset out there. But let’s stop pretending it’s more than that. 

 don't worry they know what you said, cause is true,

miiwtwo

radarthekat said:

MplsP said:

Xed said:

I don't see that. I'd liken it to being more like the original Mac launch since it's very expensive with most people still wondering what they could possibly do with this bleeding edge tech. 

agreed. The iPhone was the right product coming into a waiting hole in the market. Virtual reality and augmented. Reality is still trying to find its place and a use and such Apple has much more of an uphill climb with Vision Pro. By all accounts it’s an extraordinarily well-designed product. I just hope there’s a market for it.

Agree, with one caveat.  The iPhone came into a nascent Apple ecosystem with tens of millions of Mac users and maybe 150-200 million iPod users.  Vision Pro is joining a world with 2.2 billion active Apple devices and a gigantic library of existing apps.  Its challenge to reach critical mass is eased a bit by this fact.  Countered, of course, by its far more narrow scope of use cases and its physical challenge of being a relatively bulky headset.  But the installed base of Apple devices and the wide variety of existing apps will help.  

 will be a challenge because it's price, another true

M68000

That is a nicely crafted memo by Tim Cook.  Thinking back to the 1980’s I remember seeing the original Mac in somebody’s house.  They were using it for a document and it had the 9 inch black and white screen CRT screen, it’s all they had in those days.  I knew then how cool it would be to have one.    Then,  onward to 2007 and the iphone launches.  It looked miles ahead of the Blackberry stuff which I almost bought.  Again,  I knew right away I wanted to try iphone and was able to get the original.    

Now,  the vision pro device is here.  I can respect the effort and tech that went into this, but at the same time have no interest in having one.   It just does not appeal to me. 

hexclock

Millions of people already had cell phones when iPhone launched. Barely anyone has any sort of VR gear. Other than starting with zero market share, they are really not similar at all. I did see the first ad for AVP yesterday though, nicely done. 

eightzero

hexclock said:

Millions of people already had cell phones when iPhone launched. Barely anyone has any sort of VR gear. Other than starting with zero market share, they are really not similar at all. I did see the first ad for AVP yesterday though, nicely done. 

Lotta people had portable music players when the iPod launched. I remember those Sony CD players that could play 14 songs off a CD you had to carry around. And those millions of cell phones were exactly that - phones. You could sometimes make a phone call with them. And that was *all* they did. Sometimes. IIRC, there were electronic book readers (the "nook" and the "kindle") available when iPad launched. Those book readers were exactly, and only, that too. Oh, and there was a lot of watches in the world when Apple Watch came out. The could tell time. Usually. Similarly, I expect AVP to do some things no one one they wanted to do besides watch a movie on a plane.