What will make the difference in terms of the success of the Vision Pro will be the strength of Apple-related marketing because it not only has to convince more people to buy a Vision Pro, but it also needs to collaborate with the buyers of the product to assure and promote positive outcomes.
The Apple Vision Pro has started to ship, and reviewers are providing a range of opinions on this first-generation product. Like most first-gen hardware, the offering is strong on technology but still weak on applications, but both will change as it evolves and more developers start building for it.
As of this writing, Apple has pre-orders for around 200,000, which should be enough to get developers interested in the platform. Now we’ll see if Apple’s weakened marketing, which is still stronger than most of its peers, is up to the task of building demand for this device outside Apple loyalists.
For most of you, this device isn’t ready yet. It’s too expensive, has little app support, and using the rule of three, the current version has two more iterations to go before it hits the price and functionality that most will find compelling.
Let’s talk about Apple Vision Pro this week, and we’ll close with my Product of the Week, the HP Envy Move, an all-in-one portable PC that I have found surprisingly compelling over the last few months.Generation One Products
There are two kinds of Generation One products: those that are first generation for a vendor but exist in an existing robust ecosystem, and the other where the product is supposed to launch the ecosystem it will eventually use. The first product class tends to be far safer because you immediately have something to do with it, and the vendor bringing out the product can learn from those who went first.
The Apple Vision Pro is the latter class of Generation One. While there are VR apps and VR services in the market, Vision Pro doesn’t make use of them, and Apple and its partners are expected to develop the product’s ecosystem.
Generation One products of this type sell best to those experienced with this class of offering and willing to wait for or help develop apps for it. These are typically technically adept folks who can work around initial limitations and want to participate in the market creation process that will eventually surround the product. They have a high tolerance for breakage and can easily afford the $3,500 this device costs.
I expect a significant percentage of the initial 200,000 folks who bought this headset aren’t the right folks and will struggle with their experience. However, those used to or ready to experience the unique pain associated with a Generation One product will find this offering eventually compelling and fun.Focus on Functionality
When buying a tech product, a fundamental rule is to focus not on the product itself but on its capabilities and what it enables you to do.
