Recently, Apple opened pre-orders for its new product Vision Pro in North America, and the official website was crowded. According to the official website, the Vision Pro opened offline pickup on February 2, and the first batch of pre-orders is said to be only 50,000 units, and the current pre-order pick-up time is 5-6 weeks later. In China, Apple has not yet determined the release date, and some scalpers said that they can increase the price of human flesh to help them return to China, and some offer as much as 100,000 yuan a unit. In addition, there is also news that the names of many Chinese factories have appeared among the suppliers of such a "tall" Vision Pro. Apple said, "Customers may not be able to access certain apps, features, or content due to licensing or other restrictions in these countries or regions, and we look forward to bringing Vision Pro to more countries later this year." ”
Apple's release of the Vision Pro is seen as an epoch-making product
In June 2023, at WWDC, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, which Apple called a "revolutionary spatial computing device" that makes digital content feel like it exists in the real world.
According to BGR, a news and review website for the U.S. consumer electronics market, 5 minutes after the Vision Pro opened for booking, Apple's official website server was crowded, and many orders could not be processed for a while. 18 minutes later, the new products in some offline stores of Apple in the United States were sold out, and 2 hours later, the pick-up date was postponed to March ~ April 2024.
A reporter from Beiqing Daily saw that if you book Vision Pro in the United States, you need to measure the buyer's light seal and headband first, and then measure your vision to check whether you need Zeiss optical inserts, and finally choose the storage size, ranging from 256GB to 1TB, you can pay for it, and the price ranges from $3499 to $3899, about 25,000 yuan to 28,000 yuan. If you book online, you can pick up your order in 5-6 weeks.
Beiqing Daily reporter saw that, according to Apple's demonstration, when users wear this headset, they can see the real world at the same time, see 3D digital content, such as surfing the Internet, playing games, browsing photos and videos, etc., users can move these interfaces to any position and adjust the size through gestures such as pinching, and they can even echo changes in natural light and shadows.
What can users do with it? Apple Vision Pro can provide users with a 3D interface, so that apps are no longer limited by the boundaries of the display, and apps can be side-by-side in any size ratio. For example, when watching a movie, the Apple Vision Pro transforms any space into a personal theater with two ultra-high-resolution displays, a screen that feels 100 feet wide, and is equipped with Apple's spatial audio system. Users can watch movies and TV shows, or enjoy 3D movies, such as playing games, where spatial computing enables new game genres, games that offer a variety of levels of immersion, more than 100 Apple Arcade games on an infinite number of screens, plus immersive audio, support for popular gamepads, and browsing photos, Apple Vision Pro with Apple's first 3D Camera, users can access the full photo library on iCloud, and every panoramic photo taken on iPhone can be unfolded around the user, as if they were in it. In addition, Apple said that Apple Vision Pro has a new App Store that allows users to discover apps and content provided by developers, and tens of thousands of familiar apps on iPhone and iPad can be displayed at a very large scale.
In particular, when you put on the headset, you won't be able to lose sight of the world around you. Apple Vision Pro features EyeSight to help users stay connected to those around them. When someone approaches the user who is wearing the Vision Pro, the device's field of view becomes transparent, allowing the user to see the person, and those approaching to see the user's eyes. When the user is immersed in the space or using the app, EyeSight provides visual cues to let others know what the user is focusing on.
The device was seen as an epoch-making new technology and new product, but Apple's stock price was not boosted by it. According to a report released by UBS on January 7, the Vision Pro sales contribute "relatively insignificant" to Apple's earnings per share in 2024. Apple's financial report shows that iPhone sales still contribute nearly 50% of revenue, with more than 200 million units shipped, but the first batch of pre-orders for the Vision Pro is said to be only 50,000 units.
The original price is 25,000 yuan, and at present, scalpers offer a maximum of 100,000 yuan
Currently, Apple has announced a starting price of $3,499, which is about 25,000 yuan. Why is it so expensive? According to a research institute, the total BOM cost of the Vision Pro is $1,509. Among them, the most expensive components are two silicon-based OLED screens supplied by SONY, with a total cost of about $700, accounting for about 46% of the total BOM cost, and there may be a large room for cost reduction in the future. The main + co-processor of the Vision Pro is self-developed and is the second most expensive component, with a total of $180, accounting for about 12%. The cost of optical and interactive sensors is 80 and 121 US dollars, accounting for 5% and 8% respectively. Its cost remains high for the time being, and it is expected to be further reduced in the later stage.
On January 23, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily saw in the second-hand market that the price of Vision Pro has soared, with at least 10,000 yuan per unit, and most of them sell for 40,000-60,000 yuan, and some claim that they can "get the goods first", and even require buyers to bear round-trip air tickets, with a total price of more than 100,000 yuan.
"On February 4th, I will go to Beijing Airport, you can hand it over in person, or deliver it to your door, so that you can get it before the year and be the most beautiful boy", a scalper said that he is currently in the United States and has booked 2 Vision Pros.
A seller said that taking the official website 1TB price of $3,899 as an example, if you send express delivery to China, it will cost $150 with USPS, $350 with Fedex, and during the mailing process, you may have to pay customs duties of $840, so it will cost more than 30,000. "Add in a little errands, $800 on Feb. 2, $630 on Feb. 4, and $520 on Feb. 7, for a total of about $40,000, which is not a sky-high asking price," he said.
Another seller is selling a Vision Pro for 69,999 yuan, saying that he can get the goods on February 5, "The price should include my cost, and I am not a scalper, just a purchase." If you want to pick up the goods on February 4th, then give me 85,000, and you also need to pay 15,000 in advance for the ticket, which is the limit of the earliest pick-up. ”
Apple: Experience varies outside of the United States
In fact, the first person who buys it from scalpers will not customize the capsule and headband for the consumer to fit their size. In other words, the comfort of wearing it will be greatly reduced. Secondly, because consumers cannot use the Vision Pro while wearing glasses, but if the user is nearsighted, Apple has partnered with Zeiss to customize the optical inserts, but this customization is not available to scalpers.
Apple officially said that the Apple Vision Pro is only sold in the United States, designed for American customers, and can be used at home, work, and travel. Apple Vision Pro only supports English (US) language and typing, Siri in English and dictation. The App Store needs to set the region to the Apple ID in the United States. Purchases on Apple Music and TV apps require an Apple ID with the region set to the United States. For customers with vision correction needs, ZEISS only accepts vision prescriptions issued by eye care professionals in the United States and only ships to US locations. Apple Support is only available in the United States.
Most importantly, "customers may not be able to access certain applications, features, or content due to licensing or other restrictions in those countries or regions." ”
Apple officials said, "We look forward to bringing the Apple Vision Pro to more countries later this year." ”
Many of the parts of the Vision Pro are supplied by Chinese manufacturers
Apple did not specifically announce the supplier of the Apple Vision Pro. However, a number of research institutions have released lists, saying that 64% of the parts are made by Chinese manufacturers. Among them, the "Apple Vision Pro concept stock" also took off in the capital market.
For example, according to the data of the agency "Weishen", the IPD adjustment supplier of Vision Pro is Zhaowei Electromechanical, the supplier of camera/sensor module is Gaowei Electronics and Foxconn, the supplier of structural parts is Changying Precision, Lingyi Intelligent Manufacturing, the supplier of PCB printed circuit board is Pengding, and the MIC/SPK/OEM and other links are Meilu, Goertek, Luxshare, etc.
Since the announcement of the launch time of Vision Pro, related concept stocks have fluctuated significantly and risen against the trend. Goertek, Wufang Optoelectronics, Sanlipu, Lianjian Optoelectronics, Yitian Shares, Gongda Electroacoustics, Akeli, Space-Time Technology, Daoming Optics, Kechuan Technology, Weishi Electronics, Shenzhen Kangjia A, Fengyuzhu, Yashi Optoelectronics, Qingyue Technology, and Liding Optoelectronics all gave a price limit.
Some investors also asked listed companies on the interactive platform whether they participated in or invested in related projects or technologies. For example, on January 16, an investor asked in Yitian shares, "According to reports, SeeYA will be the second supplier of Apple's Vision Pro silicon-based OLED, does the company have huge business opportunities?" In response, the company responded: "In the field of VR/AR/MR display equipment, the company provides Micro OLED (silicon-based OLED) wafer display polarizer attachment equipment, PF film attachment equipment, OCA bonding equipment, HTH optical bonding equipment and other equipment basically cover the related equipment required for module assembly and back-end assembly process section in the VR/AR/MR process section. The company will continue to pay attention to the new trends of the industry, actively explore and dig into market opportunities. ”
However, the list of Chinese factories has long been a regular in Apple's supply chain. At this year's Chain Expo, Apple disclosed for the first time that 151 of the top 200 suppliers produce Apple's products in China, and these top 200 suppliers account for 98% of Apple's total purchases. Among them, Bozhon Seiko from Jiangsu is one of the important suppliers of intelligent manufacturing equipment for Apple in China; Hunan's Lens Technology provides front and rear glass covers, sapphire lenses on the rear camera, and Apple Watch and other products for the iPhone series, while Guangdong's Changying Precision is not only an excellent representative of intelligent manufacturing, but also a leader in green manufacturing.
Ge Yue, vice president and managing director of Apple Greater China, said that China's local supply chain companies are already global leaders in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
Ge Yue also said that in improving the process and level of intelligent manufacturing, Apple's engineers and intelligent equipment engineers and supply chain engineers are very close, Apple engineers will bring new technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning and other new technologies to the production line, and even some of the latest materials, processes, etc. are brought to the supply chain to help the supply chain move towards intelligent manufacturing.
Ge Yue also said that as China's local supply chain companies grow, they have the opportunity to produce the latest products for Apple, including the Vision Pro.
Beiqing Daily reporter saw at this year's chain expo that Apple's supply chain automation and intelligence level is very high, independently developed by Bozhon Seiko, with 100% intellectual property rights of multi-station visual inspection equipment, not only can flexibly grasp products for inspection, to meet the needs of large-scale mass production, but also integrate big data models, the use of artificial intelligence and deep learning to continuously self-iterate, so as to improve the accuracy of inspection, to provide decision-making basis for production. Independently developed by Everwin Precision and completely domestically produced 6-axis force-controlled robot, it can quickly engrave delicate patterns on thin, brittle eggshells with different curved surfaces through high-precision path planning algorithms, which are currently used to polish the handles and feet of Mac Pro.
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Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Wen Jing
Editor/Fan Hongwei