Apple opens pre-orders for the Vision Pro, which has an M2 chip with an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, and comes with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options

Apple today finally shared additional tech specs for its Vision Pro headset following the start of pre-orders in the United States.

MacRumors 2024-01-19 Joe Rossignol

Context & Ripple Effects

Vision Pro moved from pre-shipment preparation into a defined U.S. buying process, with its compute and capacity configurations now explicit. The subsequent move to U.S. sales made this the practical specification baseline for the first launch cohort.

Later coverage of an M5-based Vision Pro refresh shows that the initial M2 configuration was the starting point for an iterative product line rather than a one-off hardware release.

First-order effects

U.S. customers can place orders and choose among three storage capacities, while Apple establishes the M2-based Vision Pro as its initial commercial configuration.
The published CPU, GPU and memory specifications give buyers and software makers a clearer baseline for judging what the first device can run and store.

Second-order effects

Pre-order choices create an early signal for Apple about configuration demand, informing fulfillment and inventory allocation across the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants.
A fixed first-generation hardware baseline gives developers a more concrete target as the device moves from launch preparation to sale.

Third-order effects

The later M5 refresh suggests Apple is treating Vision Pro as a platform subject to regular silicon and industrial-design iteration, rather than keeping the launch hardware static.
If that cadence continues, spatial-computing software will increasingly need to span multiple Vision Pro performance tiers, a familiar platform-management challenge as hardware generations diverge.

The trend: Vision Pro is part of a broader shift toward spatial-computing platforms whose capabilities advance through recurring custom-silicon refreshes and evolving hardware configurations.

Discussion

@brandonbutch Brandon Butch on x
Apple Vision Pro tidbits 🥽 - 256GB, 512GB & 1TB storage options - $499 for Apple Care - Extra batteries, light seals & travel case are $199 each - $49 for Battery Holder - M2 chip w/ 8-core CPU & 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, Bluetooth 5.3, 90Hz, 96Hz, and 100Hz refresh rates -... [imag…
@benz145 @benz145 on x
Vision Pro weight confirmed at 625g. Compared to: Bigscreen Beyond - 180g Magic Leap 2 - 260g Quest 2 - 503g Quest 3 - 515g PSVR 2 - 560g Quest Pro - 722g Valve Index - 800g Here's the thing about XR headsets though, ergonomics is often more important than weight. For...
@theapplehub @theapplehub on x
Apple is selling extra Vision Pro battery packs and a travel case for $199 each AppleCare+ for the Vision Pro costs $499 [image]
@pururajdutta Pururaj Dutta on x
BREAKING: Apple's $19 Polishing Cloth is not compatible with the Apple Vision Pro it seems [video]
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
oh sick the polishing cloth is indeed special, has Vision Pro embossed on it [image]
@munster_gene Gene Munster on x
I just ordered Vision Pro. It took 10 mins and including a face scan for proper headband fitting. All in this is a cool $3,809 (including tax). That is the cheapest option. The maxed option is a few hundred more. [image]
@bmfshow Matt on x
Apple has a full Vision Pro Walkthrough out now on the Vision Pro web page. Not gonna lie, it's expensive but it feels like Christmas all over again 😅. #AppleVisionPro [video]
@zollotech Aaron Zollo on x
Here is everything in the box of Apple Vision Pro. [image]
@ianzelbo Ian Zelbo on x
Apple has finally confirmed Vision Pro's weight [image]
@dylanmcd8 @dylanmcd8 on x
Okay Apple... I'm prepared for the Apple Vision Pro preorder! [image]
@jimmyg Jimmy Grewal on x
As I get ready to preorder the Apple #VisionPro I started to think about some past “expensive” computers I've bought in the past (or were bought for me by my parents): - Apple IIGS w/20MB HD ($2500 / $7,700) - Macintosh IICX ($5,400 / $11,200) - Macintosh Quadra 900 ($7,200 /...
@jeremyjudkins_ Jeremy Judkins on x
Apparently I can't bend my neck far enough to even order an Apple Vision Pro. This is discrimination. 😡 [video]
@snazzylabs @snazzylabs on x
Not only does the Vision Pro's AppleCare+ plan cost $500, but the deductible is another $300. That's batty. I decided not to get it. Sometimes you've gotta live life on the wild side (I will simply cover my entire room in foam instead).
@brandonbutch Brandon Butch on x
Here's the face-scanning process for ordering Apple Vision Pro 🥽 [video]
@sadlyitsbradley Brad Lynch on x
Vision Pro shipping dates for all storage tiers have now slipped to a whole month later to March, after only an hour of opened Pre-Orders [image]
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro headset has a separate carry case that you can buy for $199. Belkin has even made a “battery holder” clip that's... $50 lol [image]
@ijustine @ijustine on x
I'm tired but here's the setup process you go through to get the right fit for Vision Pro. It gave me a small. I thought I'd be ordering in the dark from my pillow but this step ensures a solid fit! You do this process twice. [video]
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
The Vision Pro weighs between 1.325 and 1.43 pounds depending on configuration, per Apple's tech specs page. That compares to 1.14 pounds for the Meta Quest 3. For an Apple comparison, the Vision Pro weighs a bit less than a 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
@briantong Brian Tong on x
Apple Vision Pro Pre-Order Options 256GB - $3499 (Starting) 512 GB - $3699 1TB - $3899 AppleCare $499 Vision Pro Travel Case - $199 Extra AVP Battery - $199 Belkin Battery Holder - $49.95 30W USB-C Power Adapter - $39 Final Total: $4484.95 (Starting) 1TB Maxed Out $4884.95 [image…
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
Yesterday, I had a 40-minute Apple Vision Pro demo (I've spent a total of 70 minutes with the device across two demos). I wanted to share one item with all of you today. Before I get to that item, all of my post-demo thoughts are available for @AboveAvalon members here:... [image…
@pronounced_kyle Christian Keil on x
This is one of the most mesmerizing videos I've ever seen — Apple Vision Pro manufacturing. (They REALLY could have chosen a better soundtrack though...) [video]
@mckaywrigley Mckay Wrigley on x
I've got some serious AI ideas for the Apple Vision Pro... Expect a lot from me on this in February! [image]
@autismcapital @autismcapital on x
$200 Apple Vision Pro Travel Case. Apple really does have the vision for how to best sodomize retail in new and exciting ways every year. [image]
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
Recently @jon_prosser did a video about Vision Pro not generating many YouTube views, and I can confirm it's fairly similar on the blogging side... this is a very niche product beyond the massive enthusiasm that is to be expected on Apple “Twitter.”
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
The Apple Vision Pro is available in 512GB and 1TB configurations for $3699 and $3899. There's also a hard carrying case.
@packym Packy McCormick on x
Bad News: I wasn't able to order the Vision Pro because I still haven't gotten my AppleID back after the hack. Good News: Telling Apple Support that I wasn't able to order the Vision Pro bc of the hack seems to have kicked me up to a team that might be able to get it back. [image…
@technolojai Jai Bansal on x
Such a cool video of making the Vision Pro [video]
@ijustine @ijustine on x
First look at the carrying case (sold separately) for Apple Vision Pro! $199 [image]
@bengeskin Ben Geskin on x
This Apple logo to Vision Pro transition animation 🤤 [video]
@appltrack @appltrack on x
Everything included in the box of Apple Vision Pro 👀 [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
Vision Pro comes with all the standard apps a user might expect like mail, messages, music, dinosaurs [image]
@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
Apple Vision Pro pre-orders begin today! We're so excited for you to experience spatial computing for the first time! https://www.apple.com/... [video]
@michaelbrwnjr Michael Brown on threads
I think this is an opportunity of growth for Apple to built it themselves. iMessage is really good. Continue to make it better so people don't miss WhatsApp. Build amazing experiences on Vision Pro so people don't care to miss YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, etc...x
@viticci Federico Viticci on threads
We have been able to independently survey the state of popular apps coming to the Apple Vision Pro - either in compatibility mode or as native apps. As of *today* the results are pretty concerning. We found no native apps and a lot of companies that manually opted out of compat…
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on threads
was that voluntary or involuntary?
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
YouTube and Spotify will also not have apps for the Apple Vision Pro, along with Netflix. This makes sense given the size of the platform will be too small to spin up dedicated teams in an era of cost efficiency. It's on Apple to sell them on the value of investing in the platf…
@gergelyorosz_ Gergely Orosz on threads
You've got to wonder why Netflix and Spotify would refuse to help out Apple's Vision Pro launch (and odds of success) when Apple has been such a tyrant in policing their apps for years, banning even a hint of mention of where iOS users can buy a subscription - as Apple promotes A…
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on threads
not surprised that Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and WhatsApp aren't gonna work natively on Vision Pro - but it is still a bummer
@joenandez Joe Fernandez on threads
Tough, but I'm not super surprised. I think the appetite to spend precious engineering resources on speculative hardware platforms is significantly reduced from where it was a few years back. It's not just about building the app, you need to support it and maintain feature pari…
@firerock31 Andy Cheng on threads
Netflix won't build a native app for Apple Vision Pro and reportedly won't even allow its iPad app to work with it, leaving Vision Pro users stuck using the browser for Netflix access. This stands in contrast to their approach with Meta Quest headsets, where they developed an ap…
@viticci@mastodon.macstories.net @viticci@mastodon.macstories.net on mastodon
Here's @markgurman confirming our findings from earlier today. — Welp. No YouTube, Spotify, and Netflix at launch is pretty rough. Especially because using them in Safari means no offline downloads. — https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@maddox@mastodon.social Jon Maddox on mastodon
tvOS versions of media apps would 100% be a better fit for Compatibility mode on visionOS than their iPad counterparts. tvOS apps are already designed for focus based interactions and iPad apps are soooooo not doing this. The layouts of iPad apps are also pretty terrible for vis…
@film_girl@mastodon.social Christina Warren on mastodon
I agree with @gruber that this is a corporate pissing match, but I also understand not dedicating engineering resources (any of them) to a $3500 dev kit masked as a consumer product (it prob will be a consumer product but it won't be at launch) at launch. Especially when the com…
@macstories@mastodon.macstories.net @macstories@mastodon.macstories.net on mastodon
A Survey of Popular Apps Currently Compatible With Apple Vision Pro https://www.macstories.net/...
@film_girl@mastodon.social Christina Warren on mastodon
@chockenberry 1000% And frankly, there are very few companies that can take this stance this way. I much prefer the Netflix method to the Epic method and Netflix has done this before (when it removed IAP from their apps in 2018 but let users know anyway). We need companies who …
@viticci@mastodon.macstories.net @viticci@mastodon.macstories.net on mastodon
We have been able to independently survey the state of popular apps coming to the Apple Vision Pro - either in compatibility mode or as native apps. — As of *today* the results (coming straight from the App Store API) are pretty concerning. We found no native apps and a lot of…
@gergelyorosz Gergely Orosz on x
For years, Apple banned Spotify and Netflix to write “if you want to listen/stream, sign up on our website.” They had these awkward screens for non-logged-in users. Lost a bunch of business. No one likes a bully. Apple is a bully to many devs. Via https://newsletter.pragmaticengi…
@christianselig Christian Selig on x
@msnmatt Last I checked YouTube caps the iOS web browser at a paltry 720p, which would be brutal on a device with 4K per eye
@snazzylabs @snazzylabs on x
In less than 24 hours, you will be able to buy a Vision Pro—a device shipping in two weeks—for which we still have no specs sheet. We don't even know what it weighs.
@gergelyorosz Gergely Orosz on x
Got to wonder why, after years of being bullied by Apple to get a 30% cut of their revenue - and after refusing, Apple not allowing even a hint of mention on how users can subscribe - after all this, why Spotify and Netflix wouldn't help the latest Apple product succeed. Odd!
@jetscott Scott Stein on x
So..."metaverse" always implied cross-ecosystem and cross-device compatibilities. But if what's happening with apps not appearing on Vision Pro is an indicator, there's a whole new platform tug of war that'll be happening.
@dhh @dhh on x
Computing is a series of cooperative games. You can win a round by being ruthless, but it makes it harder to play the next one well.
@leguilloux Christian LeGuilloux on x
Honestly, using YouTube and Netflix via the browser is fine with me. It was a pain point on other headsets when even the browser wouldn't work with streaming services so this is a non-issue since it's full Safari.
@zacbowden Zac Bowden on x
Will this be Apple's “app gap” moment?
@eliblumenthal Eli Blumenthal on x
If companies are going to take a stand against Apple's App Store policies, this seems to be the product to do it for. $3,500 price (and reported limited supply) allows for pushback with a very high profile product all without impacting large amounts of their own users.
@stevesi Steven Sinofsky on x
A Survey of Popular Apps Currently Compatible With Apple Vision Pro https://www.macstories.net/... // this is exactly the wrong way to view whether AVP is gaining momentum or not. Legacy apps won't make or break the platform. It's about new apps. Every shift has shown this “rule”…
@tina__nigro Tina Debove Nigro on x
Remember Spotify has an app on Magic Leap. But won't have a visionOS app. Ok. [image]
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
NEW: YouTube, Spotify — two of the world's largest streaming services — join Netflix is not planning to launch apps - or support their iPad apps - on the Vision Pro. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@christianselig Christian Selig on x
That's a shame about YouTube on the Vision Pro, the YouTube app on the Meta Quest is actually pretty cool
@ishanagarwal24 Ishan Agarwal on x
@markgurman it's not a mass market product. it's not surprising. Apple refuses to make an android app for tv+ so honestly 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️
@snazzylabs @snazzylabs on x
“Out of the most 46 popular apps on the App Store, none of them will have a native visionOS version” and many apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify will even specifically block the iPadOS versions from running on visionOS. ... yikes. https://www.theverge.com/...
@anshelsag Anshel Sag on x
They will, there just isn't any actual ROI on spending the resources to ship on a headset that everyone believes will ship under a million units in the first year. This is normal. Unless Apple pays a developer for it's time and resources, there's little incentive for a big comp…
@rakeshlobster Rakesh Agrawal on x
And some of the powerful legacy players have strong incentives to slow apple's efforts to advantage their own products or to give themselves time to finish their strategizing.
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
@stevesi Totally agree although you do need table stakes until the new ones come. My question isn't what the new compelling apps will be, if I knew that I'd find a way to make them. I'm concerned they're not going to be many and that's a problem for a platform. Time will tell on …
@dylanmcd8 @dylanmcd8 on x
At this point Apple shouldn't let you disable your iPad app. There is ZERO REASON for these companies to be disabling them. Zero.

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