Apple Inc’s limited release of the Vision Pro headset is fostering a resale market that is pricing the device far beyond its US$3,500 starting price.
On Japan’s Mercari marketplace, the base 256GB model sold for ￥800,000 (US$5,376), sellers on China’s Taobao (淘寶) are asking 36,000 yuan (US$5,017) and there is one seller on Singapore’s Lazada seeking S$8,500 (US$6,318) for the device.
In Hong Kong’s bustling Mong Kok, an electronics importer specializing in getting gadgets early asks for HK$35,800 (US$4,578), with the price shifting on a daily basis. His advice: best to wait.
Photo: REUTERS
Cupertino, California-based Apple put the Vision Pro on sale in a limited number of stores in the US at the start of this month, with an elaborate setup and customization process for each buyer. The company wants to ensure an optimal first experience with its virtual reality goggles — which it dubs a spatial computer, owing to the hand gestures used to control it.
Questions remain about how big the consumer market is for so-called extended reality (XR) devices, and especially ones with a price like the Vision Pro’s. However, the gadget’s early exclusivity is pushing prices up.
“Our observations indicate inflated prices on unofficial channels, reaching up to 40,000 yuan for Vision Pro units,” Counterpoint Research analyst Ivan Lam (林科宇) said. “However, these purchases likely represent a limited supply, originating from outside markets and deviating from typical consumer behavior.”
The drive to acquire an early unit of the new device comes from various sources, International Data Corp analyst Bryan Ma (馬伯遠) said.
Beyond dedicated Apple fans, overseas software developers as well as industry players and rivals would want to get hands-on experience quickly to figure out their next steps, Ma added.
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