When Apple announced the price of their groundbreaking new mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, jaws around the world collectively dropped. At a hefty $3,499, it’s not for everyone, but is it really so unreasonable if we take a closer look?
当苹果宣布其突破性的新型混合现实耳机Vision Pro的价格时，全世界的下巴集体下降。3，499 美元的巨额价格并不适合所有人，但如果我们仔细观察，真的那么不合理吗？

The Vision Pro Really Does Totally New Things Vision Pro确实做了全新的事情

First off, the Apple Vision Pro isn’t just another gadget; it’s an entirely new way of interacting with digital content. It blends the digital and physical worlds, enabling you to navigate digital spaces with your eyes, hands, and voice.
首先，Apple Vision Pro不仅仅是另一个小工具;这是一种与数字内容交互的全新方式。它融合了数字世界和物理世界，使您能够用眼睛、手和声音在数字空间中导航。
While other products have offered some subset of what the Vision Pro promises to do, there is no comparative mixed reality (really, we should say extended reality) product to compare it against directly.
虽然其他产品提供了Vision Pro承诺的一些子集，但没有比较的混合现实（实际上，我们应该说扩展现实）产品可以直接与之进行比较。

While we’ll have to wait for the device to get into the hands of independent reviewers to learn if the reality (ha!) measures up to Apple’s carefully-curated presentation, assuming it does what it says on the tin, this is a landmark device.
虽然我们必须等待设备进入独立评论者的手中，以了解现实（哈！）是否符合苹果精心策划的演示文稿，假设它做到了它在锡上所说的那样，这是一个具有里程碑意义的设备。
You can point at any number of things that are peerless in the Vision Pro. The micro OLED offers such high pixel density that we expect the pixel grid to be entirely invisible. The R1 spatial processor and complex array of sensors blow everything else we can think of out of the water. The eye-tracking system is practically precognitive.
您可以指出Vision Pro中无与伦比的任意数量的东西。微型OLED提供如此高的像素密度，以至于我们期望像素网格完全不可见。R1空间处理器和复杂的传感器阵列将我们能想到的一切都吹走了。眼动追踪系统实际上是预先识别的。
Yet, it’s not just the objectively novel subcomponents in the Vision Pro that make it something new and special. It’s the sum of those parts held together by the underlying software, the interface design, and its integration into the Apple ecosystem.
然而，不仅仅是Vision Pro中客观新颖的子组件使它变得新颖而特别。它是底层软件、界面设计及其与 Apple 生态系统的集成所支撑的这些部分的总和。
Setting aside whether the Vision Pro will do things as well as promised, there is simply no equivalent product that promises to do what the Vision Pro does—just like the first iPhone, which did not have a direct peer as a holistic product.
撇开Vision Pro是否会像承诺的那样做事，根本没有同等的产品可以承诺做Vision Pro所做的事情 - 就像第一部iPhone一样，它没有直接的同类产品作为整体产品。

The R&D Costs Were Likely Enormous 研发成本可能很高

The Vision Pro isn’t just an iteration of existing technology; it’s a dramatic leap forward. It represents years of research and development, with a hardware design that is both innovative and complex.
Vision Pro不仅仅是现有技术的迭代;这是一个巨大的飞跃。它代表了多年的研发，硬件设计既创新又复杂。
Make no mistake, Apple has been working on the building blocks of this device for a long time. They were acquiring AR startups years ago, and even now, just after the launch announcement of Vision Pro, have made another such purchase.
毫无疑问，苹果长期以来一直在研究该设备的构建块。他们几年前就收购了AR初创公司，即使是现在，就在Vision Pro发布之后，他们又进行了一次这样的收购。
Apple’s ARKit API in every modern iPhone and iPad paved the way for the Vision Pro to be spatially aware. When ARKit launched as a software solution working with existing iPhone cameras, it made Google hardware-based AR platform “Tango” seem quaint. It wasn’t long before Google killed off that project in favor of ARCore, its own ARKit-like solution.
苹果在每款现代iPhone和iPad中的ARKit API为Vision Pro的空间感知铺平了道路。当ARKit作为与现有iPhone相机配合使用的软件解决方案推出时，它使谷歌基于硬件的AR平台“Tango”显得古怪。没过多久，谷歌就放弃了这个项目，转而支持ARCore，这是它自己的类似ARKit的解决方案。
The big takeaway here is that Apple has to recoup some of the R&D costs from the first generation of their product, and because it contains so much new and cutting-edge technology, we can’t imagine that the cost of each unit is particularly low.
这里最大的收获是，苹果必须从其产品的第一代产品中收回一些研发成本，而且由于它包含如此多的新技术和尖端技术，我们无法想象每个单元的成本都特别低。
However, most of the major breakthroughs have been made, from here, it’s a matter of iterating, refining, and figuring out how to make a cheaper future version of the headset. Don’t forget, when the first HD TVs hit the market in the late 90s they cost, adjusted for inflation, around $15,000—only wealthy early adopters had any hope of owning such a shiny gadget. Today, you can buy an FHD 1080p TV for under $200.
然而，大多数重大突破已经取得，从这里开始，就是迭代、完善和弄清楚如何制造更便宜的未来版本的耳机的问题。别忘了，当第一台高清电视在90年代末上市时，它们的价格经过通货膨胀调整后，约为15，000美元 - 只有富有的早期采用者才有希望拥有这样一个闪亮的小工具。今天，您可以以低于 1080 美元的价格购买 FHD 200p 电视。

It Costs Less Than All the Things It Can Replace 它的成本低于它可以替代的所有东西

When you consider all the devices that the Vision Pro could potentially replace, the price starts to seem more reasonable. Think of it as a super-powered tablet, 4K television, game console, and computer rolled into one. Plus, it offers unique experiences that these devices can’t replicate, such as creating a workspace that extends beyond the physical limitations of your room, or making your memories come alive in 3D.
当您考虑Vision Pro可能取代的所有设备时，价格似乎变得更加合理。把它想象成一台超能力的平板电脑、4K 电视、游戏机和电脑合二为一。此外，它还提供了这些设备无法复制的独特体验，例如创建一个超越房间物理限制的工作空间，或者让您的记忆在 3D 中栩栩如生。
That being said, there’s no doubt that mixed reality technology like this will come with some cultural resistance. Even as especially enthusiastic tech geeks we felt some of the presentation felt a little weird, with people inexplicably alone most of the time, or the somewhat dystopian image of a dad filming his children under his watchful fake eye projection. But over time as such tools become less obtrusive and more widely used, it might feel less uncanny and more commonplace like the use of smartphones feels now.
话虽如此，毫无疑问，像这样的混合现实技术会带来一些文化阻力。即使特别热情的科技极客，我们也觉得一些演示感觉有点奇怪，人们大部分时间都莫名其妙地独自一人，或者有点反乌托邦的形象，一个父亲在他的监视下拍摄他的孩子在他的假眼睛投影下。但随着时间的推移，随着这些工具变得不那么突兀和更广泛地使用，它可能感觉不那么不可思议，更像现在使用智能手机一样司空见惯。

Crucially, the Vision Plus isn’t an accessory. It’s designed to be a full-fledged standalone computer system. While you can use it as an extended display for your existing Mac, you don’t actually need one to use the Vision Pro just like you don’t need a Mac to use the iPhone or iPad.
至关重要的是，Vision Plus不是配件。它被设计成一个成熟的独立计算机系统。虽然您可以将其用作现有Mac的扩展显示器，但实际上您不需要使用Vision Pro，就像您不需要Mac来使用iPhone或iPad一样。
Of course, a major caveat here is that the headset can’t be used by multiple people at once, but if you’re looking for something aimed at personal use, it might actually be a bit of a bargain in some ways.
当然，这里一个主要的警告是，耳机不能同时被多个人使用，但如果你正在寻找针对个人使用的东西，它实际上在某些方面可能有点便宜。

First-Generation Devices Have an Early Adopter Tax 第一代设备有早期采用者税

It’s also worth noting that early adopters often pay a premium for the privilege of being the first to experience new technology. Consider the first-generation iPhone, which cost $599 at launch, a price many balked at at the time. Today, the original iPhone is now seen as a game-changing device worth the initial investment and few people debate the value of high-end smartphones, although crucially there are smartphones at every price point!
同样值得注意的是，早期采用者通常会为成为第一个体验新技术的特权支付溢价。考虑一下第一代iPhone，它在发布时售价为599美元，当时许多人都对这个价格犹豫不决。今天，最初的iPhone现在被视为值得初始投资的改变游戏规则的设备，很少有人争论高端智能手机的价值，尽管至关重要的是，每个价位都有智能手机！

The early-adopter tax can be over and above the other cost factors we’ve already discussed, but there is a subset of customers that Apple knows will pay to be the first people to experience and perhaps even capitalize on what the Vision Pro offers.
早期采用者税可能超过我们已经讨论过的其他成本因素，但苹果知道有一部分客户会付费成为第一批体验甚至可能利用Vision Pro提供的人。
It’s thanks to professional and enthusiast early adopters that Apple can learn what works and what doesn’t. It’s how we’ll eventually get the Vision Pro equivalent of the iPhone SE or MacBook Air.
多亏了专业和发烧友的早期采用者，苹果才能了解哪些有效，哪些无效。这就是我们最终获得相当于iPhone SE或MacBook Air的Vision Pro的方式。

Less Advanced Headsets Are Selling For Similar Money 不太先进的耳机售价相似

Finally, when comparing the Vision Pro’s price to its competition, it’s important to keep in mind that less advanced headsets are selling for similar money. For instance, the Microsoft HoloLens 2, which doesn’t offer the same level of integration, immersive experience, or wide app compatibility as the Vision Pro, costs $3,500. If the Vision Pro can deliver on its promise of a seamless blend of the digital and physical worlds, its price could be justified in comparison to its less capable peers.
最后，在将Vision Pro的价格与竞争对手进行比较时，重要的是要记住，不太先进的耳机的售价相似。例如，微软HoloLens 2不提供与Vision Pro相同级别的集成，沉浸式体验或广泛的应用程序兼容性，售价为3，500美元。如果Vision Pro能够兑现其无缝融合数字和物理世界的承诺，那么与能力较弱的同行相比，它的价格可能是合理的。
There are obviously open questions when it comes to whether this product and its notional successors will gain any traction. No matter how good the Vision Pro may turn out to be, it doesn’t mean much if no one wants what it’s selling.
当谈到该产品及其名义上的继任者是否会获得任何牵引力时，显然存在悬而未决的问题。无论Vision Pro有多好，如果没有人想要它所卖的东西，它就没有多大意义。
I don’t think that’s the case, since clearly the reaction to the technology itself has plenty of people interested, and if Apple was selling this device for $500 like the upcoming Meta Quest 3, it would fly off shelves. At seven times that price (or more!) that enthusiasm is quenched for now.
我不认为是这样，因为显然对技术本身的反应有很多人感兴趣，如果苹果像即将推出的Meta Quest 3一样以500美元的价格出售这款设备，它就会下架。以这个价格的七倍（或更多！）现在，这种热情被熄灭了。