How to Prepare for Apple Vision Pro Pre-Orders.

The Apple Vision Pro Pre-Orders will be on January 19th, starting at 5AM PT. Here are some tips that will make sure your devices are optimized in order to avoid any hiccups on Pre-Order day.

This applies to any iPad or iPhone with Face ID, as Face ID is required to pre-order the Vision Pro.

1. Download the Apple Store App - you will need this app in order to make your pre-order. Apple will require you to scan your face within the app in order to make sure they can provide you with the proper light seal and band size for your head. 

   If you already have the app, make sure it is up to date since it was recently updated on January 11th to support the face-scanning feature.

2. Update all your other apps - this is a precautionary step, as it can avoid any potential bugs and glitches from apps that might be unstable and cause phone crashes. 

3. Restart your phone - this will clear the cache, RAM, and give the phone a clean boot that will make it more stable.

4. Backup your phone to iCloud - go to your iCloud settings and backup your phone so you have a clean backup of your device in case you have any issues during the next step…

5. Update your device to the latest software version - go to Settings > General > Software Update, and update your iPhone to the latest version.

6. Upload your eye prescription - if you have glasses or require reading glasses, it would be best to upload your prescription to the health app in advance in order to save time during the pre-order process.

• In the Health app, go to “Body Measurements.”

• Go to “Vision Prescription,” and follow the prompts to upload your prescription details.

7. Make sure your Apple Pay works in the Apple Store App - this is the key step, and can be the difference between you getting your Vision Pro on launch day or a few weeks later! 

   In the past, I have had issues where my address was somehow incorrect, even though I never had that issue before, so I had to adjust my address and re-enter my credit card info in order to make a purchase. Thankfully, I tested that out a day before an iPhone launch, so it didn’t delay my purchase during crunch time.

   The best way to do this is to simply make a purchase on the Apple Store App and see if the transaction goes through. You can buy something cheap and cancel the order after it has been placed, but this way you will know for sure that your Apple Pay payment will go through fine on Vision Pro Day. After you have done all of this…

8. Backup your iPhone once again to iCloud - now you should be ready!

9. One final bonus tip: re-boot your iPhone before your Pre-Order time an hour or so beforehand, in order to clear any rogue background processes that might cause your phone to crash.

Apple’s “One More Thing” is just not the same anymore…

When Apple revealed its Vision Pro spatial computing device, the initial sequence of events at the Keynote just weren’t as exciting as in the past. When Tim Cook mentioned that we have, 'One More Thing,' there was no usual fanfare, there was no cheering, and there was no anticipation that happens with a live event. In the live events before COVID, the camera angles change, people are shown smiling, sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the unveiling of the next big thing. You also got to see all those tech journalists frantically typing away which gave you another reality perspective!

I know I know, Apple technically does have live events at Apple Park, but they are still just watching a screen and the reactions are not part of the keynote for everyone to enjoy.

Apple always does a great job revealing their products and the main intro video revealing the Vision Pro was no exception. The next scene right after that though, it’s just Tim Cook in an empty theater. There is no audience that is standing and cheering, no fist pumps, no high fives, it’s all gone. Instead they cut right into the pre-recorded videos talking about the product. Imagine how insane it would have been if the event were live, and Tim Cook came out wearing the Vision Pro, with his 'real' digital eyes looking at everyone!

This wasn’t just another Apple Event. This was a 'One More Thing’ moment, and the last one was 6 years ago in 2017 when the iPhone X was revealed. The last ‘One More Thing’ event that was a new product category was in 2014 with the Apple Watch. As you can see, these moments just don’t happen that often.

It is definitely more efficient to have the pre-recorded stream, but sometimes efficiency gets in the way of the true to life character of the speaker. It’s like when I talk to my kids and I get to see their reactions to my dad jokes, the expression on their faces is priceless to me. If I were to script that same event and tell them to react the same way, it just wouldn’t be the same. It’s not a reaction anymore, but just a prompt.

If Apple plays it's cards like they did with the Apple Watch reveal, they will have another event sometime early next year to give more details about the Vision Pro. With all due respect to those who make these amazing pre-recorded streams, I still really hope that event is an actual live in-person event so we can get some of that impromptu spark and humor back. I mean just look at this clip of Joz during the iPhone SE reveal, where he talks about the iPhone SE’s camera and describes the guy on the skateboard as Phil Schiller’s doppelganger. I thought that was hilarious.

Apple Vision Pro - What is the True Cost?

Apple revealed their Vision Pro headset on Monday, and one of the biggest concerns people have about it is the $3,499 price tag. Everyone keeps saying that it is way too expensive, but no one has really mentioned the fact that Apple stated:

“Apple Vision Pro, starts at $3,499.”

Did you catch that? That’s right, it STARTS at $3,499.

So what will be the true “out the door” price? We can only speculate, but let’s gather some numbers.

I’m going to say that AppleCare+ for the Apple Vision Pro will be around $500. I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out. If the $5,000 ProDisplay XDR which is a stationary product, costs $500 for AppleCare+, it really isn’t a far fetch to assume that the Apple Vision Pro will have a similar price. The Apple Vision Pro is more prone to bumps, drops, and is probably more delicate with all its sensors and cameras. I don’t normally tell people to buy AppleCare+ (even though I do buy it myself), but I would strongly recommend everyone to get AppleCare+ this time around because the Vision Pro is an amazing piece of technology that will cost you big time if you break it. I would say that out of warranty coverage would be $999, since it sounds psychologically better than $1,000. This is being reasonable when you consider that an iPhone 14 Pro Max screen replacement out of warranty is $379. That is 34% of the cost of the base model iPhone Pro Max. With that extrapolation, the Vision Pro out of warranty repair would be $1,200, but I’m “optimistic” at $999.

Let’s talk about that charging brick with magnetic cable. You get one with the headset, and you will want to buy another one because it is another proprietary magnetic charging system. You don’t have any spares lying around, and most of your friends won’t either. God forbid you lose it or damage it and then have to wait forever to get another one if they’re on backorder. Considering Apple charges $100 for the MagSafe battery pack, this is much more significant and sophisticated with a higher capacity battery, so let’s be generous and call it $200 for the brick. The cable seems to be detachable from the brick, so let’s add another $50 for the cable. On the plus side, the charging brick does look elegant, and even looks like the original iPhone. 

What about memory upgrades? Let’s hope that the Vision Pro starts at at least 256GB. Add $200 for 512GB and another $200 for 1TB. I’m basing this from iPhone pricing. I would probably keep the base storage option for myself.

How about a nice stand to keep your Apple Vision Pro looking smug and fresh, and to prevent it from sliding around on your desk. Let’s price that at $100. How about a carrying case for when you’re on the go, just like the lady in the hotel room in Apple’s keynote? I mean after all, not that many people will have this device, so you can show it to your family and friends, but you don’t want to wear it across town. Another $100. 

Do you wear glasses? Well, you have to purchase special lens inserts that attach magnetically to the Vision Pro. Those are rumored to be around $300-600 per Mark Gurman.

So far, our total is $4,450 without lens inserts, and $4,750 with lens inserts (assuming $300):

1. Apple Vision Pro - $3,500

2. AppleCare+ - $500

3. Extra charging brick - $200

4. Extra charging cable - $50

5. Apple Vision Pro Stand - $100

6. Carrying case - $100

7. Custom prescription lens inserts - $300-$600

Let’s stop there. Now let’s add sales tax which averages to 5%. Our grand final total is a whopping $4,673 without lens inserts, and $4,987 with lens inserts.

I haven’t even gotten into the different head band options that will probably be available, but you can easily expect each band to cost around $100. Once again, I think I’m being generous with this price because those much tinier Apple Watch Ultra bands also start at $99.

You can see how this $3,500 device can easily creep into the $5,000 mark. Even the people who were able to stomach the $3,500 price tag might think twice when the costs get that high.

I primarily wear glasses, but I do wear contacts when I play sports. Let’s see what the cost of those Zeiss lenses are before I go full throttle on contact lenses.