Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

401–410 of 729 posts

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#401

Post by type0 »

rchaud wrote: post #218
hghid wrote: post #197

Slightly tangential rant, but is anybody else becoming frustrated with the process of buying Apple products in Apple stores? For me, it started with the Apple Watch - I knew which one I wanted and was ready just to head down and buy one, but I was forced to sit through an entire "fitting" with patronising explanation on how to use the knob on the the side. Recently, I wanted to buy a new Phone. Again, I knew the one…

> The VR headset is a case in point - if I want to be guided through the process, then I will ask for that. The reason this is done is to: a) limit bad online reviews due to ill fitting headsets or unfamiliarity with the controls b) to ensure that people looking to buy it have their expectations managed c) to give it the upscale, prestige feeling of going to a tailor for a fitted suit. Useless theater for a tech prod…

Pageantry is the perfect word to summarize what Apple is

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#402

Post by PDTao5Q2TMaTp7U »

hghid wrote: post #197

Slightly tangential rant, but is anybody else becoming frustrated with the process of buying Apple products in Apple stores? For me, it started with the Apple Watch - I knew which one I wanted and was ready just to head down and buy one, but I was forced to sit through an entire "fitting" with patronising explanation on how to use the knob on the the side. Recently, I wanted to buy a new Phone. Again, I knew the one…

Buying online with in-store pickup is the best way to go these days. You can take your time evaluating which options you want int the comfort of your own home, and then be in and out of the store pretty quickly without worrying about delivery.

That's what I did when I got my last phone, and will do that on every subsequent purchase.

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#403

Post by efitz »

konschubert wrote: post #375
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> “Do you have an appointment?” No. “Oh, it’ll be about 45 minutes before someone can help you.” Ah, yes, the Ferrari customer experience. You need to be selected by the manufacturer to be allowed to buy their product. It makes the product feel rare and exclusive, and the customer feel "special", when it's a consumer product made by the same Chinese sweatshop workers that make your other e-waste. Obligatory Futurama…

No, it’s just bad service, cargo culting the Steve Jobs Store move

I think it’s more than that; I suspect that they have pretty onerous internal store processes about inventory control and device transfer to minimize employee theft.

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#404

Post by giantrobot »

smoldesu wrote: post #171
giantrobot wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RIM and Palm sold 15-20 million units this year. If Apple is only projecting selling a million iPhones they're going to have a hard time catching up to Palm and RIM's install base.

Yep. You left out the part where Palm ate Apple's lunch for 15 years, to the point that Apple was forced to abandon the Newton platform in order to compete. Spot-on recounting otherwise though.

You've always got the weirdest anti-Apple position. Palm ate Apple's lunch? Palm spent ten years trying to overextend their platform, selling themselves to anyone that gave them the time of day, and going out of business. By 2007 Palm was a brand name on an out of date platform. The Pre was a few good ideas on a bad foundation and underpowered hardware.

The Newton platform was never competitive. The only group that forced the Newton to shut down was Apple. Then Apple didn't compete at all in the PDA space. Palm had a better PDA than Apple and Ford in 2000, because neither company competed in that space.

Meanwhile the iPhone sells more units in a year than Palm sold units in its lifetime.

Meta's unit sales are not an unassailable moat just like Palm's unit sales weren't a moat. Apple setting low initial projections is also not necessarily indicative of them not taking the market seriously or not having faith in the product.

Hopefully Meta learned the lessons of Palm, RIM, and the other smartphone also-rans and focuses on making their platform better. Apple's not unstoppable. There's also likely plenty of market for VR/AR at all price points. There's certainly room for that market to grow if the offerings are compelling.

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#406

Post by dev_tty01 »

unreal37 wrote: post #301
BoppreH wrote: post #175

I'm very confused by Apple's strategy. As an owner of the original HTC Vive headset, its word-of-mouth power was off the charts. It was a blast at parties, and many of my friends bought their own $700+ devices after trying it. Here's what won them over: - Being able to try it themselves with little preparation ("put this on your head, tighten it here, and click these buttons on the controller"). You could even use it…

It's not a gaming device. It's two tiny iPads that you can put right up to your eyes and use hand movements to control.

Hmm. Are you aware that mobile gaming revenue is larger than console and PC and that the majority of mobile gaming revenue comes from iOS (iPad and iPhone)?

https://www.businessofapps.com/data/mobile-games-revenue/

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#407

Post by [deleted] »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #244
justapassenger wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think people who pack Apple stores are target audience. From my experience they’re either not a target audience (older, non tech savvy) or lack funds (teenagers).

Can we please get rid of the stereotype that older people aren't "tech savvy"? Older people today have been using computers since they were in their teens or twenties. Conversely, I know a 20-something woman who can't understand why her iMessages quit working when she switched to an Android phone, despite explaining it to her multiple times. As you note, they also have more money.

[deleted]

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#408

Post by wkat4242 »

kreitje wrote: post #281
hghid wrote: post #197

Slightly tangential rant, but is anybody else becoming frustrated with the process of buying Apple products in Apple stores? For me, it started with the Apple Watch - I knew which one I wanted and was ready just to head down and buy one, but I was forced to sit through an entire "fitting" with patronising explanation on how to use the knob on the the side. Recently, I wanted to buy a new Phone. Again, I knew the one…

A few years back I bought a MBP online with the pickup option. I picked it up, declined their assistance setting it up and went about my day. I get home later that day, start to set it up and it’s locked to employees of a bank in Canada. Live support is no help so I take it back, only to find out the serial number did not match that on the box. They had their security guard quietly come stand near me until they figur…

That corporate lock thing is called DEP, device enrollment program. It used to be easy to bypass (just don't connect to internet during setup) but then it would bug you constantly once you did. On T2/M1/M2 macs it's no longer bypassable similar to the apple account lock anti theft feature (which is a different thing)

Apple can remove it of course. It was probably a laptop stolen from the bank or their suppliers, then returned to Apple to whitewash it.

I'm not surprised this happens. What I am surprised about is that Apple apparently sells a returned item to another customer as new. Pretty sure that's not their policy and in most cases illegal. Perhaps they checked the seals (for activating DEP you don't need to open the box at all!) but still this shouldn't happen.

Normally these items go through a cleaning and reimaging process and then end up on the refurb store at a reduced price.

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#409

Post by amelius »

gizajob wrote: post #399
hghid wrote: post #197

Slightly tangential rant, but is anybody else becoming frustrated with the process of buying Apple products in Apple stores? For me, it started with the Apple Watch - I knew which one I wanted and was ready just to head down and buy one, but I was forced to sit through an entire "fitting" with patronising explanation on how to use the knob on the the side. Recently, I wanted to buy a new Phone. Again, I knew the one…

Yeah absolutely. Every time I’ve been in my local Apple Store, I’ve basically been talked out of purchasing, or it becomes a huge hassle of upselling and extra worrying charges, and quite frankly, stupidity and lack of knowledge from the pseudo-smart staff. All they can do is toe the party line and what they’ve been trained to say and do, which kind of falls apart when faced with someone who has used Apple computers…

Is this a new sales tactic, playing hard to get?

Re: Apple plans a slow, appointment-only rollout of Vision Pro

#410

Post by Animats »

It's too clunky to be more than a niche product, like everybody else's VR headsets. John Carmack, after he quit Oculus, said this wasn't going to work as a product until the size got down to swim goggle size, and wouldn't go mass market until the devices reached eyeglass size and weight.

What seemed more likely from Apple was the form factor of the Vuzix Ultralight, which looks like ordinary glasses. AR-only, offering access to a smartphone functionality with hands free. That's a mass market product. Several companies showed such things at CES.

What Apple is demoing is nicely engineered, but has every bell and whistle known to VR headgear. It shows in the weight, bulk, price, and battery life. It seems to have roughly the same market as the Microsoft HoloLens, which is an nice piece of expensive equipment sold to corporate buyers.

Meta and Microsoft have something in this space, so Apple had to have one too, in case somebody made this niche grow.

Post reply on HN