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[parent] [thread] 12 comments
1. smolde+(OP)[view] [source] 2022-10-12 14:58:14
Apple is definitely enamored with the service business model, but I think the issue with VR is a lot more clear-cut; Apple can't release a $1,000 headset in a market where $400 headsets exist too. VR is a novelty, and people will probably reach for whichever option is cheaper.

If you want a more clear-cut example of this happening in the past, compare the launch of the PS3 with the Xbox 360. The PS3 was the better console in every way, being faster, having more features and not being made by Microsoft!

The Xbox 360 destroyed the PS3 at launch. Turns out, desperate consumers just wanted a cheap box to play vidya on. I think Meta knows this, which is why they go out of their way to undercut everyone, all the time.

replies(4): >>sircas+j1 >>hnacco+l2 >>giving+N2 >>toqy+0h
2. sircas+j1[view] [source] 2022-10-12 15:03:57
>>smolde+(OP)
>Apple can't release a $1,000 headset in a market where $400 headsets exist too. VR is a novelty, and people will probably reach for whichever option is cheaper.

I disagree. Apple did this kind of thing with the iPod and the iPhone. IIRC, the iPhone was $600 when it came out, and people paid it, even when there were dozens of other options. There are certainly people who are price sensitive, but Apple’s never really cared about selling to those people anyway.

replies(2): >>smolde+k3 >>scarfa+K4
3. hnacco+l2[view] [source] 2022-10-12 15:07:56
>>smolde+(OP)
Isn’t that the exact analog of “Apple can’t release 1+k$ phone in a market where 50$ phones exist”? Which they very clearly can and do.
replies(1): >>smolde+w4
4. giving+N2[view] [source] 2022-10-12 15:09:43
>>smolde+(OP)
“ Apple can't release a $1,000 headset in a market where $400 headsets exist too.”

They definitely will, especially since Meta’s new kit is $1,500.

replies(1): >>smolde+c5
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5. smolde+k3[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:11:01
>>sircas+j1
We'll have to see. Considering the amount of negativity I hear surrounding VR, I personally believe Apple is going to have an upwards battle selling their units. Even though people (myself included) hate Facebook, the value proposition of the Quest is a lot easier to sell.

FWIW, Macs still struggle to surmount the number of Windows machines in circulation, much less the number of Chromebooks floating around out there. Maybe you won't buy Meta's headset... but what options will schools make? How about businesses? Gamers? Thrill-seekers? Apple's marketing tactics are second-to-none, but many a business has outsmarted them in the past. Meta might just be next-up to bat.

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6. smolde+w4[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:15:51
>>hnacco+l2
It's more like "Apple can't release a set-top box in a market where people get them for free", which is right. So right, as a matter of fact, that Apple had to develop AppleTV apps for the likes of FireTV, Tizen and Android. There are a number of markets that don't give a rat's ass about brand recognition, and unless Apple partners with Valve, I reckon VR/AR will be another one of those segments.
replies(1): >>scarfa+W4
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7. scarfa+K4[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:16:45
>>sircas+j1
You mean like Apple can’t release a $1200 phone and sell a “low cost phone” that’s $400 in a market where $70 unsubsidized phones exist?
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8. scarfa+W4[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:17:23
>>smolde+w4
And yet they still sell a $170 set top box.
replies(1): >>smolde+N5
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9. smolde+c5[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:18:24
>>giving+N2
Sure, anyone can do anything.

Here's my "bold prediction" though - neither of those $1,000+ units will ever sell as well as the Quest. Especially WRT the consumer segment, Meta probably won't even stock the Quest Pro on shelves. It's clear that the Pro is more of a jab at the Hololens market anyways.

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10. smolde+N5[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:20:57
>>scarfa+W4
And it's by-far the lowest-effort product they make. Nevermind the rogue's gallery of subscription services they call a menu, the hardware itself has been copy-pasted across multiple generations, and the internals are mostly just repurposed/binned iPhone chips.
replies(2): >>scarfa+I6 >>hnacco+Y8
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11. scarfa+I6[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:24:05
>>smolde+N5
The internal of all of their products are “repurposed” iPhone chips - even the 27” monitor

I have multiple Roku TVs. But my main two TVs also have AppleTVs attached. The Apple TV has a faster, better interface and doesn’t have ads.

You can replace the top nav bar with non Apple apps that can also take over the “hero” portion of the screen when you navigate to them.

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12. hnacco+Y8[view] [source] [discussion] 2022-10-12 15:32:53
>>smolde+N5
So you are saying: "They don't put any effort into their infinitely more expensive product and they still sell it profitably." I really don't think that's an argument for the side you want it to be...
13. toqy+0h[view] [source] 2022-10-12 16:03:20
>>smolde+(OP)
I only got an Xbox 360 because I had an Xbox. I only had an Xbox because it had Halo, Halo 2, and Xbox Live. Price never came into the equation. If Sony had a better online multiplayer story and a killer game like Halo the PS3 things might have gone differently regardless of price point.
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