'Price is Right' contestants nowhere close to Apple Vision Pro's astronomical price

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in Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro is from a company that's a fan of high markups and margins, so contestants on "The Price is Right" are thrown for a loop when their guesses are 1/3 the retail price.

VR headset with reflective lens and fabric strap on a concrete surface, against a blurred urban backdrop with buildings and greenery.
How much could a VR headset cost

If you're reading AppleInsider, chances are you have a good idea how much nearly any Apple product might cost. However, it is easy to forget that it isn't common knowledge, as was proven on a classic game show.

A Threads post from Justin Ryan shows a recorded video of a segment from The Price is Right. An Apple Vision Pro is shown, and the players have to guess the price without going over, and they all came in well under retail.

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If you're not familiar with The Price is Right, it is a game show where contestants are called down from the audience and are given a chance to play for bigger prizes after guessing a product price first. Going first is never ideal, as someone can snipe your bid by adding a dollar.

All four bidders realized the Apple Vision Pro was an expensive product, and likely even understood that Apple was a high-priced retailer. Some VR headsets cost $500 or less, easily, so $1,000 seemed like a safe bet for the contestants.

However, this is Apple we're talking about. None of the contestants came close, with the highest bid coming in at $1,250 -- nearly a third of the $3,499 base model price tag.

Some would suggest this is a sign that Apple's headset is truly overpriced. Average consumers don't know the value of such a product, so they're likely to come well under the expected price.

That said, Apple didn't build Apple Vision Pro for the average consumer. It is marketed as a high-end device that has its uses, but it isn't a mass market product.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this game show, it's that Apple needs a lower-priced headset. However, even with price reduced materials and limited features, it may be hard to hit a sub-$2,000 price anytime soon.

Apple is expected to reveal a new Apple Vision Pro model sometime in the next year. It is unknown whether it will be a low-priced model, a second-generation model, or both.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,811member
    A M2 MacBook Pro plus a R1 SOC, Lidar sensor plus 6 other sensors, 13 cameras, 2 Micro‑OLED screens no the Vision Pro is not going to be less 2 thousand dollars anytime soon… Most have unrealistic expectations that also applies to expecting AI to be Robbie the robot (permanently tied to Google’s super computers back home undercover except Google won’t be forth with with that fact)….

    https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/specs/ Note: the next generation probably will have a Apple C1 or C2 modem too.

    edited May 14
    neoncatlumineuxjas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 20
    SiTimesitime Posts: 95member
    It’s $3500?!?!?

    I’m on Apple news sites all the time and even I didn’t know it is $3500. For some reason I thought it was $2500 or so. So I would have been way off as well. Although my bid of $2500 would have been the highest without going over.
    edited May 14
    randominternetpersonwilliamlondongrandact73
     2Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 20
    Xedxed Posts: 3,201member
    SiTime said:
    It’s $3500?!?!?

    I’m on Apple news sites all the time and even I didn’t know it is $3500. For some reason I thought it was $2500 or so. So I would have been way off as well. Although my bid of $2500 would have been the highest without going over.
    Your bid should've been $1002 if you were the last to go if you didn't know the price -and- $2500 would've been over if the price you thought it to be followed the same pattern as the current price, which would've made it retail for $2499.
    edited May 14
    pscooter63watto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 20
    Xedxed Posts: 3,201member

    danox said:
    A M2 MacBook Pro plus a R1 SOC, Lidar sensor plus 6 other sensors, 13 cameras, 2 Micro‑OLED screens no the Vision Pro is not going to be less 2 thousand dollars anytime soon… Most have unrealistic expectations that also applies to expecting AI to be Robbie the robot (permanently tied to Google’s super computers back home undercover except Google won’t be forth with with that fact)….

    https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/specs/ Note: the next generation probably will have a Apple C1 or C2 modem too.
    In this case, I don't think it's about expectations at all. They have no expectations because it's so far out of their purview. They may be casual iPhone or iPad users, but VR headsets are a very different beast, especially at the high end of the market. They simply don't know. Even if Drew Carey gave them specs, including the bunkers OLED displays, it would mean nothing to them.
    edited May 15
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 20
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,656member
    Or it is not a device for average consumers. 
    Exactly like the laptop was not an average consumer device when it was $3500, or even $2500 of the first “mainstream” models.  
    No the laptop was not for average consumers till it hit the $1500 base price for reasonable self sufficient machine. 
    Which was 25 years ago and about 10+years to get from workable device to average consumer device. 
    Sure the iPhone was day one average consumer but only because the mobile phone was already mainstream the iPad took almost 5years to get from mainstream to average. 

    So really not surprising that the target for that show doesn’t know.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 20
    skingersskingers Posts: 40member
    "The Price is Right" contestants may not be the target audience for this.
    grandact73danoxwatto_cobra
     2Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 20
    davendaven Posts: 771member
    In all fairness, $3500 is only slightly more than the vet bill I paid for my dog yesterday. My dog is top priority but I am considering getting a Vision Pro.
    edited May 15
    randominternetpersonwilliamlondonAlex_Vgrandact73danoxwatto_cobra
     4Likes 2Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 20
    thedbathedba Posts: 845member
    skingers said:
    "The Price is Right" contestants may not be the target audience for this.
    And who or how many amongst us Appleinsider forum goers are the target demographic for this device?
    williamlondon
     0Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 20
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,084member
    mattinoz said:
    Or it is not a device for average consumers. 
    Exactly like the laptop was not an average consumer device when it was $3500, or even $2500 of the first “mainstream” models. 
    Um… remember the GRiD Compass, from 1982?  One of those would have set you back over $8000.
    Accounting for inflation, that’s equivalent to $27,000 today.
    edited May 15
    Alex_Vgrandact73jas99watto_cobra
     2Likes 1Dislike 1Informative
  • Reply 10 of 20
    CarmBcarmb Posts: 121member
    danox said:
    A M2 MacBook Pro plus a R1 SOC, Lidar sensor plus 6 other sensors, 13 cameras, 2 Micro‑OLED screens no the Vision Pro is not going to be less 2 thousand dollars anytime soon… Most have unrealistic expectations that also applies to expecting AI to be Robbie the robot (permanently tied to Google’s super computers back home undercover except Google won’t be forth with with that fact)….

    https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/specs/ Note: the next generation probably will have a Apple C1 or C2 modem too.

    There is a way to lower cost and weight. Develop a version that is tethered to an Apple device like a MacBook or desktop Mac, of which there are millions in use. Put this less expensive version out not to replace the untethered Vision Pro but to provide a more affordable compliment. For one thing, Apple has decided to call the current version the Apple Vision Pro and not the Apple Vision. So the next Vision Pro continues at a high niche price point and Apple launches a tethered Vision, minus the Pro, for the masses. To continue on the basis of a standalone device requires substantial compromises in order to check in at more palatable price. As such requiring an external Apple device for such a product makes more sense. 
    williamlondonjas99watto_cobra
     1Like 2Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 20
    The original "fat" Mac was US$3,195 (equivalent to $9,670 in 2024)
    Alex_Vgrandact73mattinozjas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 1Dislike 1Informative
  • Reply 12 of 20
    Xed said:
    SiTime said:
    It’s $3500?!?!?

    I’m on Apple news sites all the time and even I didn’t know it is $3500. For some reason I thought it was $2500 or so. So I would have been way off as well. Although my bid of $2500 would have been the highest without going over.
    Your bid should've been $1002 if you were the last to go if you didn't know the price -and- $2500 would've been over if the price you thought it to be followed the same pattern as the current price, which would've made it retail for $2499.
    And you would have lost. As the article said, the high price was $1,250. 

    But I'm with SiTime. I thought it was $2500 too.
    williamlondon
     0Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 13 of 20
    Xedxed Posts: 3,201member
    Xed said:
    SiTime said:
    It’s $3500?!?!?

    I’m on Apple news sites all the time and even I didn’t know it is $3500. For some reason I thought it was $2500 or so. So I would have been way off as well. Although my bid of $2500 would have been the highest without going over.
    Your bid should've been $1002 if you were the last to go if you didn't know the price -and- $2500 would've been over if the price you thought it to be followed the same pattern as the current price, which would've made it retail for $2499.
    And you would have lost. As the article said, the high price was $1,250. 

    But I'm with SiTime. I thought it was $2500 too.
    Here's the order of the guesses.

    1. $1,000
    2. $750
    3. $1,001
    4. $1,270

    As the fourth contestant (i.e.: the last to go) why do you think they would've lost had they said $1,002?
    edited May 15
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 14 of 20
    aderutteraderutter Posts: 639member
    I remember someone I know buying a graphics card to put in their PC for $3,500 around the year 2000… 

    I had the AVP demo recently and it was, even for me, surprisingly good.  It’s head and shoulders above what I have seen in the alternatives from Meta & Sony - it makes the PSVR2 seem like a low-end toy which I guess it is in comparison.

    I would say at the same price as a very good (and large) TV it is priced quite reasonably if you get enough use out of it. 
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 15 of 20
    Xedxed Posts: 3,201member
    aderutter said:
    I remember someone I know buying a graphics card to put in their PC for $3,500 around the year 2000… 

    I had the AVP demo recently and it was, even for me, surprisingly good.  It’s head and shoulders above what I have seen in the alternatives from Meta & Sony - it makes the PSVR2 seem like a low-end toy which I guess it is in comparison.

    I would say at the same price as a very good (and large) TV it is priced quite reasonably if you get enough use out of it
    I just spent twice that for a TV so I'd say AVP is a good deal in comparison, especially when you compare to other products and their longevity. I'm getting. 5 year warranty and I'll probably have it longer than that which certainly helps bring down my TCO.
    edited May 15
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Weird for Appleinsider to do focus on the idea that it’s overpriced. Yes, it’s expensive. It may even be slightly overpriced. But considering what it does, the tech behind it, the ultra high resolution display, and the quality of the materials, I’d argue it’s priced almost appropriately.

    But to draw a conclusion that the contestants guesses - contestants who clearly know nothing about the device and the tech behind it - proves it’s overpriced, is ridiculous.
    grandact73watto_cobra
     1Like 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 17 of 20
    Wesley_Hilliardwesley_hilliard Posts: 544member, administrator, moderator, editor
    Weird for Appleinsider to do focus on the idea that it’s overpriced. Yes, it’s expensive. It may even be slightly overpriced. But considering what it does, the tech behind it, the ultra high resolution display, and the quality of the materials, I’d argue it’s priced almost appropriately.

    But to draw a conclusion that the contestants guesses - contestants who clearly know nothing about the device and the tech behind it - proves it’s overpriced, is ridiculous.
    I never said it was overpriced, though I did say that some people say it is. I was clear that it was expensive but that cost was warranted given the technology. So we agree.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 18 of 20
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,656member
    Weird for Appleinsider to do focus on the idea that it’s overpriced. Yes, it’s expensive. It may even be slightly overpriced. But considering what it does, the tech behind it, the ultra high resolution display, and the quality of the materials, I’d argue it’s priced almost appropriately.

    But to draw a conclusion that the contestants guesses - contestants who clearly know nothing about the device and the tech behind it - proves it’s overpriced, is ridiculous.
    I never said it was overpriced, though I did say that some people say it is. I was clear that it was expensive but that cost was warranted given the technology. So we agree.
    No but calling the price astronomical is loaded that way. 
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 19 of 20
    skingersskingers Posts: 40member
    thedba said:
    skingers said:
    "The Price is Right" contestants may not be the target audience for this.
    And who or how many amongst us Appleinsider forum goers are the target demographic for this device?
    Early adopters willing to pay the premium for tomorrow's tech today and developers.  Anyone who thought it was even meant for "consumers" was not listening to Apple's projections for this.
    edited May 16
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 20 of 20
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,811member
    CarmB said:
    danox said:
    A M2 MacBook Pro plus a R1 SOC, Lidar sensor plus 6 other sensors, 13 cameras, 2 Micro‑OLED screens no the Vision Pro is not going to be less 2 thousand dollars anytime soon… Most have unrealistic expectations that also applies to expecting AI to be Robbie the robot (permanently tied to Google’s super computers back home undercover except Google won’t be forth with with that fact)….

    https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/specs/ Note: the next generation probably will have a Apple C1 or C2 modem too.

    There is a way to lower cost and weight. Develop a version that is tethered to an Apple device like a MacBook or desktop Mac, of which there are millions in use. Put this less expensive version out not to replace the untethered Vision Pro but to provide a more affordable compliment. For one thing, Apple has decided to call the current version the Apple Vision Pro and not the Apple Vision. So the next Vision Pro continues at a high niche price point and Apple launches a tethered Vision, minus the Pro, for the masses. To continue on the basis of a standalone device requires substantial compromises in order to check in at more palatable price. As such requiring an external Apple device for such a product makes more sense. 

    I think it could be cheaper in the second generation somewhere between $2000 and $2500 but it’s unrealistic to expect something under $2000 even for a stripped down version. I don’t think it’s gonna be less than a base MacBook Pro (with three modest upgrades) or a M4 iPad Pro (with similar modest upgrades).

     Both are under or in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500. Look at the bill of materials. It just isn’t gonna be that cheap (the Vision Pro has to many state of the art sensors/screens and a new secondary R1 SOC along with a possible C series Apple modem in the future).
    neoncatwatto_cobra
     1Like 1Dislike 0Informatives
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