Why Apple Vision Pro Is So Expensive

Summary

The Apple Vision Pro headset costs $3,500 due to its advanced technology and components that took over 6 years to develop, including custom micro-OLED displays with incredible resolution, fast processing for minimal latency, precise eye and hand tracking instead of controllers, real-time digital overlays of the user's face and hands, and more. These industry-leading capabilities enable an unmatched augmented reality experience closer to real life than any other consumer product today.

Takeaways

• 😲 The Apple Vision Pro headset costs $3,500, which is very expensive compared to other AR products.
• 💡 The high price is mainly due to the advanced technology and high-end components used in the Vision Pro.
• 🔬 It took Apple over 6 years and 5,000 patents to develop the Vision Pro, making it their most ambitious product yet.
• 📺 It uses custom micro-OLED displays developed with Sony to enable a true-to-life viewing experience with no latency or distortion.
• 🧠 It has precise eye and hand tracking for natural interactions, unlike controllers used by other AR headsets.
• 👀 The eye tracking uses 4 cameras and LEDs to achieve unparalleled accuracy and precision.
• 🙌 Hand masking allows you to see your real hands interacting with digital content.
• 😮‍💨 EyeSight shows your real eye expressions and face on an external curved display for social connection.
• 🔢 The Vision Pro has a custom Apple processor called R1 that updates imagery 8x faster than a human blink.
• 💰 Despite the high price, Apple believes customers will pay for the unmatched and ambitious AR experience.

Q & A

How much does the Apple Vision Pro headset cost?

The Apple Vision Pro headset costs $3,500.

What makes the Vision Pro display technology unique?

The Vision Pro uses custom micro-OLED displays developed with Sony that have pixels as small as human red blood cells, allowing for a true-to-life viewing experience.

How long did it take Apple to develop the Vision Pro?

The Vision Pro took Apple 6-7 years to develop with over 5,000 patents, compared to 2.5 years and 200 patents for the iPhone.

What allows the Vision Pro to have low latency?

The Vision Pro uses a custom processor called the R1 to stream images to the user's eyes within 12 milliseconds, 8x faster than the blink of an eye.

How does the Vision Pro track hand interactions?

The Vision Pro uses precise hand tracking with hand masking to show the user's real hands interacting in real time instead of using virtual hands.

What is unique about the Vision Pro's EyeSight feature?

EyeSight uses a curved lenticular display to show different perspectives of the user's face to others in the room to maintain social connection.

How many cameras does the Vision Pro use for eye tracking?

The Vision Pro uses four eye tracking cameras and LED illuminators to precisely track eye movement.

How does the Vision Pro display compare to other AR headsets?

The Vision Pro display quality is exactly like real life, while other AR headsets can cause motion sickness due to appearing similar but not exactly like real life.

Why does the Vision Pro use micro-OLED displays?

Micro-OLED allows the Vision Pro to deliver a true-to-life viewing experience not possible with other display technologies like LCD or mini-LED.

What makes the Vision Pro input methods unique?

The Vision Pro uses precise eye and hand tracking for natural interaction instead of physical controllers held in the hands like other AR headsets.

Outlines

00:00

🤑 Why Apple Charges $3,500 for Vision Pro AR Headset

Paragraph 1 explains why Apple's new Vision Pro augmented reality headset costs $3,500, much more than other AR products. It details the advanced technology inside Vision Pro, including micro-OLED displays, precise tracking cameras, a custom processor, and innovative input methods like eye and hand tracking. These industry-leading components took years to develop and patent, resulting in an unmatched AR experience worthy of a premium price tag in Apple's view.

😮‍💨 Vision Pro's True-to-Life Visuals

Paragraph 2 focuses on the micro-OLED displays in Vision Pro which enable true-to-life visuals without motion sickness or disorientation common in other AR headsets. Combined with advanced cameras and fast image processing, Vision Pro streams images to the user's eyes within 12 milliseconds, fast enough to eliminate perceived latency or distortion.

👀 Natural Interactions via Eye & Hand Tracking

Paragraph 3 explains Vision Pro's eye and hand tracking capabilities for natural interactions without controllers, a costly differentiating feature. Four eye tracking cameras precisely track eye movements while hand masking technology displays the user's real hands interacting with digital content.

🙋‍♂️ EyeSight Builds Social Connections

Paragraph 4 introduces EyeSight, an exclusive Vision Pro feature that shows the user's real-time eye expressions on an external curved display visible to others in the room. This maintains social connections instead of isolating the user in a virtual world.

💰 Expensive Components Justify $3,500 Price Tag

The final paragraph summarizes that the culmination of all these industry-leading display, tracking, processing, and input technologies in Vision Pro results in an unmatched AR experience that Apple believes justifies its premium $3,500 pricing, even though it is much higher than competing products.

Keywords

💡Spatial Computing

Spatial computing refers to the technological capability of a device to understand and interact with its physical environment. In the context of the Apple Vision Pro, spatial computing allows the headset to map and respond to the user's surroundings, enhancing the augmented reality experience. This is a key aspect of why the Vision Pro is expensive, as it involves sophisticated sensors and software to accurately interpret physical space.

💡Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information onto the real world, enhancing one's perception of reality. In the video, the Apple Vision Pro is compared to other AR products, emphasizing its high cost due to superior AR capabilities. This involves advanced display technologies and sensors to merge digital content seamlessly with the user's real-world view.

💡Micro-OLED Displays

Micro-OLED displays are advanced screen technology used in the Apple Vision Pro. They are notable for their extremely small pixels, allowing for high resolution and clarity. The script mentions that these displays have pixels as small as a human red blood cell, which contributes to the headset's ability to deliver a true-to-life viewing experience, justifying its high price.

💡Processor R1

The R1 is a specialized processor mentioned in the script, designed for the Apple Vision Pro. It is responsible for rapidly processing visual information, enabling the headset to stream new images to the user's eyes within 12 milliseconds. This quick processing minimizes latency and distortion, crucial for a seamless AR experience.

💡Eye and Hand Tracking

Eye and hand tracking in the Apple Vision Pro refers to the headset's ability to follow the user's eye movements and hand gestures. This technology is used for intuitive interaction with the AR environment, making the experience more natural. The script highlights this as a significant factor in the product's cost, as it requires advanced sensors and software.

💡EyeSight Feature

EyeSight is an exclusive feature of the Apple Vision Pro, as described in the script. It displays the user's eyes and expressions on an external screen, allowing for continued connection with people around them. This feature uses a curved lenticular display to show different perspectives of the user's face, adding to the device's uniqueness and cost.

💡Patents

The script mentions that the development of the Apple Vision Pro involved over 5,000 patents, dating back to 2007. Patents are legal rights granted for new inventions, in this case, for the technology used in the headset. This extensive patent portfolio indicates the breadth of innovation and research that went into the product, contributing to its high cost.

💡Development Time

Development time refers to the period spent in designing and perfecting a product. The script notes that the Apple Vision Pro took six to seven years to develop, much longer than the iPhone. This prolonged development period, involving research and testing, is presented as a reason for the product's high price point.

💡Lenticular Display

A lenticular display, as mentioned in relation to the EyeSight feature, is a technology that allows images to change or move as the viewer's position changes. This innovative display type in the Vision Pro allows for the dynamic presentation of the user's facial expressions to others, exemplifying the advanced technology used in the device.

💡High Fidelity Cameras

High fidelity cameras in the Apple Vision Pro are crucial for capturing detailed and accurate representations of the real world. These cameras feed data to the AR system, allowing for a blend of real and virtual visuals. The script emphasizes their importance in achieving a high-quality AR experience, contributing to the overall cost of the product.

Highlights

The Apple Vision Pro is a $3,500 spacial computing headset, which is quite expensive compared to other AR products.

It took over 6 years and 5,000 patents to develop the Vision Pro, making it Apple's most ambitious product ever.

The micro-OLED displays are the most advanced in any consumer headset, providing a true-to-life viewing experience.

The R1 processor streams new images to your eyes within 12 milliseconds, 8x faster than the blink of an eye.

Precise eye and hand tracking allows for natural interactions without controllers, but adds significant cost.

Four eye tracking cameras and LED illuminators precisely track eye movement, unmatched by other headsets.

Hand masking allows you to see your real hands interacting with digital content, unlike superimposed virtual hands.

EyeSight displays your real-time eye expression and face on an external screen to maintain human connection.

The first ever curved lenticular display shows different perspectives of your face simultaneously to others.

The combination of expensive technologies results in an unmatched AR experience worth the $3,500 price.

Apple thinks customers will pay the premium price to have the cutting-edge Vision Pro AR experience.

The micro-OLED displays deliver an AR experience exactly matching real life, unlike other headsets.

The Vision Pro took years more development and many more patents than even the iPhone.

The R1 processor and displays work together to provide zero perceived latency or distortion.

The EyeSight feature maintains human connection while using the headset, unlike fully isolated alternatives.

Transcripts

The Apple Vision Pro is a $3,500 spacial computing headset.

Which, compared to other augmented reality, or AR products, is quite expensive.

So why are they charging so much?

Well, its mainly due to the product’s unique technology and component costs.

You see, not all headsets offer the same functionality and experience.

There are differences in display quality, resolution, contrast, processing speeds, latency,

and more.

And as you can see, the Vision Pro delivers incredible specs without compromising on size

or design.

Which is made possible by years of technological development and high costs of industry-leading

hardware.

Just consider the iPhone, it took Apple about two and a half years to develop.

With over 200 patents on new technology.

Vision Pro, on the other hand, took six to seven years to develop.

With over 5,000 patents that date back to 2007.

So calling it Apple’s most ambitious product ever is an understatement.

But what exactly are those expensive technologies?

Well, the displays themselves are the most advanced in any consumer headset today.

Instead of using LCD or mini-LED panels, Apple worked with Sony to create first-of-their-kind

micro-OLED displays with pixels as small as a human red blood cell.

Without this display technology, Vision Pro wouldn’t be able to deliver a true-to-life

viewing experience.

After testing Vision Pro himself, tech journalist John Gruber said, “What I didn’t expect

was that it wasn’t almost exactly what I see with my eyes without the headset on, but

it was exactly the same.”

And that’s something you rarely hear about AR headsets, which can cause motion sickness

and disorientation due to appearing similar to real life, but not exactly.

Achieving this experience not only required expensive micro-OLED displays, but also expensive

cameras to capture the world around you in high fidelity, then a completely new processor

called R1 to instantly stream new images to your eyes within 12 milliseconds.

8x faster than the blink of an eye.

This allows for a true-to-life experience without any perceived latency or distortion.

But perhaps the biggest difference between Vision Pro and existing AR headsets is the

input.

Typically, physical controllers are held in each hand to interact with content.

But Apple went a different direction.

They opted for precise eye and hand tracking.

This makes interactions feel more natural and keeps your hands free while using Vision

Pro, but it comes at a cost.

Apple had to use four eye tracking cameras alongside LED illuminators to track your eye

movement.

Something other headsets can do, but as precisely as Vision Pro.

Plus, hand masking allows you to see your real hands in real time as you interact with

digital content.

Whereas most other headsets superimpose virtual hands instead.

But there’s one feature exclusive to Vision Pro that adds to its expense even more.

It’s called EyeSight.

Where your eyes and expression is displayed in real time on an external screen.

This way, you can maintain a connection with people around you, instead of being isolated

in a virtual world.

But this isn’t just any screen, it’s the first ever curved lenticular display that

shows different perspectives of your face to each person in the room simultaneously.

All of these expensive technologies and components result in an AR experience that can’t be

matched by any other product today.

And Apple thinks customers are willing to pay the $3,500 price to have it.

This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if you want to learn how I make videos like these,

let me know by tapping the link in the comments.