I paid a lot of money for the privilege of receiving a brand new Apple Vision Pro in February. In total, with optical inserts and taxes, I financed just over $3,900 for the 256GB version of the headset. A day or so ago I made a mistake that I’m sure many newbies are familiar with: I checked how much it could sell for on eBay.
On Wednesday, a 1TB Vision Pro computer with all the included hardware, a fluffy Apple travel case for $200, AppleCare Plus for $500 and supposedly “worn for maybe about an hour” sold for $3,200 after 21 bids. The shipping estimate provided was $20.30. Brand new, this combo costs $5,007.03 for me on Apple’s website. Another auction on eBay, including my headset setup (but without the optical inserts), went for just $2,600 – again with most, if not all, accessories included. Several other 256GB and 512GB models sold for around that amount this week.
Look at these deep discounts. Screenshot: Wes Davis/The Verge
This is, of course, the case for early adopters, especially when you buy very expensive technology before mainstream adoption. Apple’s pricing doesn’t help, especially since the closest competing headset – the Meta Quest 3 – costs just $500. That’s a bummer, even if they’re ultimately not that comparable, at least in terms of target audiences and goals for their platforms.
But it still stings, doesn’t it? Knowing that I could have saved a few hundred dollars and gotten the highest storage configuration, AppleCare Plus, and a storage case is especially painful. I love the Vision Pro a lot — maybe more than any other writer at The Verge — but if I hadn’t missed the return deadline, I would have sent it back to Apple in a heartbeat to take advantage of one of these deals. Luckily, when I wear the headset, no one can see my tears.
Photo of a fool. Photo: Wes Davis/The Verge
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