It's June 2007 all over again (well, sort of) as U.S. consumers flock to Apple Stores for Vision Pro
June 29th, 2007 was quite a day. Nearly half a year since Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld and said, "This is the day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years," consumers had been waiting for the release of the iPhone. Long lines wrapped around Apple Stores and many of those at the front of the line spent multiple days camping out overnight outside the stores.
Today, with the release of the Vision Pro spatial computer, foot traffic picked up at U.S. Apple Stores, especially at the flagship location on New York's tony Fifth Avenue. And Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand to celebrate the first person to buy the Vision Pro from that Apple Store who shelled out at least $3,499 for that honor. Images posted on a tweet sent by Cook show the first Vision Pro buyer walking out of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store flanked by applauding store employees on both sides.
What a thrilling morning celebrating the launch of Apple Vision Pro at Apple Fifth Avenue! The era of spatial computing has arrived! pic.twitter.com/SORkEO87d6
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 2, 2024
Pictures taken outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store show a large contingent of Apple Store employees, media, and consumers as Tim Cook appeared outside the store. The iconic glass cube at the front of the store showed a large outline of the Vision Pro with the Apple logo. Inside the Apple Store, a smiling Cook spoke with shoppers at the Vision Pro station where consumers get to try the headset and those buying the device are fitted for the Light Seal and head bands.
"I remember the day we launched iPhone. We knew we had something special, but none of us could have foreseen its profound impact on our everyday lives. Then came iPad, a magical sheet of glass that becomes anything you want it to be, fostering new forms of connection and creativity for millions of people. With Apple Watch, there isn’t a day that goes by I don’t get a note from a user about its lifesaving impact. And now with today’s launch, Apple Vision Pro joins the pantheon of groundbreaking products that have defined Apple and redefined technology as we know it. It’s not every day we have a moment like this one. Thank you for all you’ve done to make it possible."
Excerpt from Tim Cook's memo to Apple employees
The 256 GB version is priced at $3,499 or 12 monthly payments of $291.58. The variant with 512GB of storage is priced at $3,699 or 12 monthly payments of $308.25. The 1TB model will cost you $3,899 or 12 monthly payments of $324.91. Besides U.S. consumers picking up their Vision Pro at a nearby Apple Store, or making the decision to purchase the device once inside the store, Apple also started shipping out units to those who pre-ordered the Vision Pro online. Apple did not allow pre-orders for the first-generation iPhone which was a major reason for the long lines outside Apple Stores 6,062 days ago.
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