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Conversely the fact that you need special fit lenses and a store appointment means its going to be hard to test out and hard to buy. You're probably not going t

Conversely the fact that you need special fit lenses and a store appointment means its going to be hard to test out and hard to buy. You're probably not going to be able to wander past the Apple store in the mall and take a quick peek in and play with the Vision Pro like you can with their other products like the iPad. Nor will testing your friend's necessarily be a good experience. Plus even in the U.S Apple Store's aren't that common requiring a multi-hour drive to get to in some places.

catchnear4321 3y ago
the price tag already made this a “not for everyone.” for the enthusiastic, apple is going to make it as low-friction as possible. this is a slow game.
- r_hoods_ghost 3y ago
  How on earth is forcing someone to go to a store, probably only in a few select locations far away from where you live, low friction?
  - evandale 3y ago
    You left out important context: > for the enthusiastic, apple is going to make it as low-friction as possible. Going to a store is not low friction for an enthusiast. We've already established that the price tag shuts out all but the enthusiast. Apple enthusiasts will do anything to buy Apple products.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      An Apple enthusiast not willing to go to the Apple Store? When I went to NYC, the Apple Store there was like nerd Mecca with people taking pictures in front of it.
      - fomine3 3y ago
        That's Apple enthusiast. I think xR enthusiasts (who mildly prefer using Apple products) don't like to visit jammed Apple Store.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        Who do you think is going to buy a $3500 Vision Pro if not Apple enthusiasts?
        fomine3 3y ago
        Why xR enthusiasts don't? Though population is smaller, I suspect that they want to buy it more than average Apple enthusiasts (for %). They may already imagined use cases. They know that equip HMD is okay. xR sometimes needs enough big room but Apple enthusiasts haven't prepared for it.
        catchnear4321 3y ago
        you underestimate apple enthusiasts. they may not have already prepared, but the device isn’t already out. besides, not all apple enthusiasts are wealthy. some will prepare last minute, by selling furniture to make space and help fund the headset. it doesn’t matter if that sounds silly, if it happens. this is why apple goes slow. bring the ecosystem enthusiast to the object by attempting to integrate the object into the ecosystem first. start with the most eager, guide them in, let them deal with the growing pains, convert enough to full believers in the new object. public-ish beta with an exclusive-ish signup fee. apple isn’t merely training enthusiasts in how to use a headset. they are training fans that sell product. enthusiasts talk. easiest way into the ecosystem is with a guide, and even better if that’s a friend or loved one not getting paid to do so. the least important part about this product is the product. it’s expanding the ecosystem into new territory. show apple enthusiasts that perhaps they want to be xr enthusiasts.
  - ajmurmann 3y ago
    How sparse are Apple Stores where you live? I have three within very comfortable driving distance and I live in a mid-sized city's metro.
    - BizarreByte 3y ago
      There is one in the whole on Nova Scotia. Not everywhere in an American city.
      - ajmurmann 3y ago
        Most people live in urban areas though. Nova Scotia has only a million inhabitants and half of them live in Halifax where I assume the Apple Store is. If something needs fitting and prescription lenses it seems reasonable that a physical location needs to be visited and this is the kind of trade off one makes when moving to a rural area. I'd bet that this will still be convenient for the vast majority of the population.
        BizarreByte 3y ago
        I mean you asked how sparse Apple stores can be and I gave an example.
        goosedragons 3y ago
        That one store in Nova Scotia is pretty much the Atlantic Canada store being the closest for most people in Newfoundland, PEI and a huge chunk of New Brunswick (on the Western side the Québec City store is closer maybe, still hours away). There's plenty of non-rural areas there without an Apple Store. There is still 4 U.S states that lack an Apple store entirely. It's not like Wal-mart or even Best Buy.
amelius 3y ago
> the fact that you need special fit lenses and a store appointment Sounds like a serious shortcoming if you can't share the device with friends and family.
- Kerbonut 3y ago
  Do you share your iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, AirPods or Apple Watch with friends and family? It’s touted as a work machine first and foremost right? Do you share your work laptop with others? Apple exec logic I’m sure. I get what you’re saying and it’s hard to describe (and never really does it justice) the experience of this technology. It’s something you have to experience yourself to understand.
  - Forgeties79 3y ago
    It shouldn’t have to be explained that dedicated video game hardware and personal mobile computers have very different use cases and sharing cultures around them. Do you share the use of your tv with friends and family?
  - kibwen 3y ago
    Regardless of Apple's marketing, for the vast majority of people this will be a media consumption device first and a media creation device second, just like the iPad. And you absolutely share your media consumption devices (television, game consoles, iPads) with your family/housemates.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      And in a lot of families, parents will buy each child an iPad or a cheaper tablet. But there will be enough people who will by the headset for them to sell all they can make in the first year.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
  - 3y ago
giobox 3y ago
> Plus even in the U.S Apple Store's aren't that common There are 270+ Apple stores in the US, I don't have the figures to hand but an overwhelming percentage of the country's actual population live within an hour of an Apple store. They are common, frankly. I'm not defending the decision to require a store visit here, but lets not paint a picture of Apple store availability that doesn't exist. The number of people with disposable income in the US to purchase a 3500 dollar headset and actually want to buy one who aren't living under an hour from an Apple store is likely a very small list.
- bombcar 3y ago
  That’s about one apple store for every twenty Walmarts.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    I’m not going to drive out of my way to pick up some Rustler jeans. But I will to buy electronic gear or even to get my right AirPod replaced that I dropped in the water when I was on a boat in Cabos…
    - spdif899 3y ago
      Yeah or in my case the apple store becomes a part of a trip, there's not one near my home but there is one near the beach house I rented this year, so when I wanted a better fitting waterproof watch band I just baked a trip to that store into my trip itinerary. If I were in the target market for the vision pro I would totally schedule an appointment and drive a couple of hours to get a curated experience and feel confident I'd come home with the right combination of lenses and everything.
  - FabHK 3y ago
    So, the next Apple Store will be around 4.5 times further than the next Walmart, on average.
- WheatMillington 3y ago
  My nearest apple store is 3 hours away.
fomine3 3y ago
Good point. Telling how xR device good is one of the most difficult thing for consumer market. Trying is the only way but it's annoying to setup. Let's see how Apple solves this.

catchnear4321 3y ago

the price tag already made this a “not for everyone.” for the enthusiastic, apple is going to make it as low-friction as possible. this is a slow game.

r_hoods_ghost 3y ago
How on earth is forcing someone to go to a store, probably only in a few select locations far away from where you live, low friction?
- evandale 3y ago
  You left out important context: > for the enthusiastic, apple is going to make it as low-friction as possible. Going to a store is not low friction for an enthusiast. We've already established that the price tag shuts out all but the enthusiast. Apple enthusiasts will do anything to buy Apple products.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    An Apple enthusiast not willing to go to the Apple Store? When I went to NYC, the Apple Store there was like nerd Mecca with people taking pictures in front of it.
    - fomine3 3y ago
      That's Apple enthusiast. I think xR enthusiasts (who mildly prefer using Apple products) don't like to visit jammed Apple Store.
      - scarface_74 3y ago
        Who do you think is going to buy a $3500 Vision Pro if not Apple enthusiasts?
        fomine3 3y ago
        Why xR enthusiasts don't? Though population is smaller, I suspect that they want to buy it more than average Apple enthusiasts (for %). They may already imagined use cases. They know that equip HMD is okay. xR sometimes needs enough big room but Apple enthusiasts haven't prepared for it.
        catchnear4321 3y ago
        you underestimate apple enthusiasts. they may not have already prepared, but the device isn’t already out. besides, not all apple enthusiasts are wealthy. some will prepare last minute, by selling furniture to make space and help fund the headset. it doesn’t matter if that sounds silly, if it happens. this is why apple goes slow. bring the ecosystem enthusiast to the object by attempting to integrate the object into the ecosystem first. start with the most eager, guide them in, let them deal with the growing pains, convert enough to full believers in the new object. public-ish beta with an exclusive-ish signup fee. apple isn’t merely training enthusiasts in how to use a headset. they are training fans that sell product. enthusiasts talk. easiest way into the ecosystem is with a guide, and even better if that’s a friend or loved one not getting paid to do so. the least important part about this product is the product. it’s expanding the ecosystem into new territory. show apple enthusiasts that perhaps they want to be xr enthusiasts.
- ajmurmann 3y ago
  How sparse are Apple Stores where you live? I have three within very comfortable driving distance and I live in a mid-sized city's metro.
  - BizarreByte 3y ago
    There is one in the whole on Nova Scotia. Not everywhere in an American city.
    - ajmurmann 3y ago
      Most people live in urban areas though. Nova Scotia has only a million inhabitants and half of them live in Halifax where I assume the Apple Store is. If something needs fitting and prescription lenses it seems reasonable that a physical location needs to be visited and this is the kind of trade off one makes when moving to a rural area. I'd bet that this will still be convenient for the vast majority of the population.
      - BizarreByte 3y ago
        I mean you asked how sparse Apple stores can be and I gave an example.
      - goosedragons 3y ago
        That one store in Nova Scotia is pretty much the Atlantic Canada store being the closest for most people in Newfoundland, PEI and a huge chunk of New Brunswick (on the Western side the Québec City store is closer maybe, still hours away). There's plenty of non-rural areas there without an Apple Store. There is still 4 U.S states that lack an Apple store entirely. It's not like Wal-mart or even Best Buy.

amelius 3y ago

> the fact that you need special fit lenses and a store appointment Sounds like a serious shortcoming if you can't share the device with friends and family.

Kerbonut 3y ago
Do you share your iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, AirPods or Apple Watch with friends and family? It’s touted as a work machine first and foremost right? Do you share your work laptop with others? Apple exec logic I’m sure. I get what you’re saying and it’s hard to describe (and never really does it justice) the experience of this technology. It’s something you have to experience yourself to understand.
- Forgeties79 3y ago
  It shouldn’t have to be explained that dedicated video game hardware and personal mobile computers have very different use cases and sharing cultures around them. Do you share the use of your tv with friends and family?
- kibwen 3y ago
  Regardless of Apple's marketing, for the vast majority of people this will be a media consumption device first and a media creation device second, just like the iPad. And you absolutely share your media consumption devices (television, game consoles, iPads) with your family/housemates.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    And in a lot of families, parents will buy each child an iPad or a cheaper tablet. But there will be enough people who will by the headset for them to sell all they can make in the first year.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
- 3y ago

giobox 3y ago

> Plus even in the U.S Apple Store's aren't that common There are 270+ Apple stores in the US, I don't have the figures to hand but an overwhelming percentage of the country's actual population live within an hour of an Apple store. They are common, frankly. I'm not defending the decision to require a store visit here, but lets not paint a picture of Apple store availability that doesn't exist. The number of people with disposable income in the US to purchase a 3500 dollar headset and actually want to buy one who aren't living under an hour from an Apple store is likely a very small list.

bombcar 3y ago
That’s about one apple store for every twenty Walmarts.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  I’m not going to drive out of my way to pick up some Rustler jeans. But I will to buy electronic gear or even to get my right AirPod replaced that I dropped in the water when I was on a boat in Cabos…
  - spdif899 3y ago
    Yeah or in my case the apple store becomes a part of a trip, there's not one near my home but there is one near the beach house I rented this year, so when I wanted a better fitting waterproof watch band I just baked a trip to that store into my trip itinerary. If I were in the target market for the vision pro I would totally schedule an appointment and drive a couple of hours to get a curated experience and feel confident I'd come home with the right combination of lenses and everything.
- FabHK 3y ago
  So, the next Apple Store will be around 4.5 times further than the next Walmart, on average.
WheatMillington 3y ago
My nearest apple store is 3 hours away.

fomine3 3y ago

Good point. Telling how xR device good is one of the most difficult thing for consumer market. Trying is the only way but it's annoying to setup. Let's see how Apple solves this.