Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro now available for pre-orders.. here is how YOU can claim the new mixed reality headset

Apple's Vision Pro headset is now available for pre-order for $3,500The company hopes to reel in about $1.4 billion this year from Vision Pro READ MORE:  Apple's Vision Pro finally gets a release date

Apple’s Vision Pro headset is now available for pre-orders before it is officially hits shelves next month.

But customers looking to bring augmented reality and the virtual world right into your living room should expect to fork over at least $3,500.

The headset lets users merge the real world with a digital one navigated by their eyes, voice and hands – no controllers needed.

Users can watch movies, scroll the internet and doing work digital screens, without touching a physical device.

Those the Vision Pro can claim one on Apple’s website, which requires people to use an iPhone or iPad to take face measurements to ensure a perfect fit.

Apple’s Vision Pro is available for pre-order on the company’s website in the U.S. and officially goes on sale on February 2

The Vision Pro uses a visionOS system to bring users into virtual and augmented reality

Vision Pro users will have access to streaming services, internet, photos, and more

Before you can get your hands on the nifty device, you’ll have to use your iPhone or iPad to use a Face ID to get a precise scan of your head to ensure the Vision Pro is the right fit – and it is a 25-minute process.

Apple first introduced the Vision Pro headset at its Worldwide Developer Conference last year.

UBS stock analyst David Vogt told CNBC this month that he estimates the Vision Pro could generate $1.4 billion in revenue for Apple this year – meaning the company would have to sell 400,000 headsets.

The headset runs on VisionOS, which Apple has touted as ‘the world’s first spatial operating system,’ which blends content into the space around you.  

Apple’s human interface chief Alan Dye said at launch that users can select content inside the goggles with their eyes, tap their fingers together to click, and gently flick to scroll.

There is also the new EyeSight feature that shows people in the room your eyes, unlike Meta’s Quest, which features an opaque visor.

Vision Pro’s exterior screen goes dark when a user is fully immersed in a virtual world but displays signals when the device is in use, letting outsiders know the person is in an AR world.

When a person approaches a user in full virtual mode, the headset will show the user and the outside person to each other.

Through Vision Pro, users will be able to use FaceTime in an immersive way, by expanding the screen to make it appear that the person is in the room with them.

Working from home is no longer a problem as the headset gives you a virtual setup for a computer, complete with screens and keyboard.

Users can scroll online, access work documents and listen to music all at the same time without touching a physical device with their hands.

Apple is set to support  more than one million apps from iOS and iPadOS for playing games, streaming movies, viewing pictures and videos and immersive virtual experience that can bring the outside world to you.

For work uses, Apple showed how the headset could be used with a trackpad and keyboard to work like a traditional computer with multiple displays.

Vision Pro can recreate your workspace, allowing you to work fully through the headset

Vision Pro lets you watch home videos on a large virtual screen to make you feel like your really there

Vision pro will let you conference via Facetime or Zoom

Vision Pro can also playback memories in your living room, such as videos of your children or a fun party you attended.

‘Users can access their entire photo library on iCloud and view their photos and videos at a life-size scale with brilliant color and spectacular detail,’ Apple shared in the announcement last year.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset release comes after the company experienced its worst revenue decline in 22 years last year, with total smartphone sales dropping to their lowest in more than a decade.

In the 2023 fiscal year, Apple’s iPad revenue dropped 3.4 percent, to $28.3 billion and it lost roughly $135 million in sales per day when its Apple Watch models were briefly banned in December over an ongoing intellectual property dispute.

But Apple reportedly hopes to remedy 2023’s shortcomings with the Vision Pro which in addition to its retail price has add-ons that can significantly increase incoming revenue.

Add-ons include increasing the amount of storage from 256GB to 512GB for $3,699 and if the user chooses to further increase storage to 1TB, the price jumps to $3,899.

The Vision Pro has two hours of use with an external battery, which Apple said would reduce the weight on the user’s head.

Vision Pro starts at $3,500 and goes to upwards of $3,900 for the largest amount of storage

However, the device must be plugged into the wall or battery pack – there is no standalone use.

Users can also opt to add Zeiss optical inserts if they wear glasses so they won’t need to wear the Vision Pro over them.

There are reader inserts that tack on another $99 and prescription inserts for $149.

Now if you want to add a travel case, additional battery packs, and extra light seals, that’ll be another $199 in Apple’s metaphorical pocket.

Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring claimed in a note last month: ‘We believe success with the Vision Pro is less about 2024 and more about its longer-term potential,’ CNBC reported.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is likewise looking to the future, saying: ‘The era of spatial computing has arrived.’

He continued: ‘Apple Vision Pro is the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redefine how we connect, create, and explore.’