It was at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue, in New York, that Tim Cook and a delegation from California went to launch sales of the Apple Vision Pro. It was also in this Apple store that Numerama planned to meet the first buyers of the product before bringing it back to France. We tell you about this special day.
Regardless of the Vision Pro’s success, February 2, 2024 will forever be a historic day for Apple.
After nearly 13 years at the helm of the Californian giant, Tim Cook is playing on his legacy with a product that is as ambitious as it is different from the brand’s previous successes. The Apple Vision Pro is worn on the face, uses a camera and screen to mimic reality, and aims to move computing from 2D to 3D. This is the second major launch in the Cook era after the Apple Watch, which some have rightly or wrongly qualified as Steve Jobs’ last project. Vision Pro can only be associated with its successor.
Eight months after previewing the Vision Pro, Numerama now owns an Apple “space computer.” It was in New York that we acquired the Vision Pro in a store chosen by Tim Cook and several senior Apple managers to launch the product. informed.
It felt like 2007 when the iPhone launched on February 2, 2024, a little more than 16 years later.
If many American Apple stores didn’t experience big crowds, the one on 5th Avenue, known for its glass cube, was the scene of a big launch as only Apple knows how. At 7:30 a.m., half an hour before opening, several people were waiting in line. Some came to place orders, others to try out the Vision Pro. Among them, at least fifteen Frenchmen who crossed the Atlantic to visit New York and bring back Vision Pro. As a reminder, the product will remain available “I hope very soon” In France, as Tim Cook told Numerman. As of February 2, only the United States is affected.
A few minutes later, Tim Cook, Greg Joswick and other top Apple executives arrived. There were clues: Many media were on hand to witness the launch, even though the glass cube had received work the day before to accommodate a giant Vision Pro. Apparently, that’s all it took to excite those in the queue, all delighted to learn that Apple had chosen their store for its big launch.
At 8 a.m., after the countdown and applause typical of an American launch, the first customers entered the store. For more than an hour, Tim Cook took several selfies (we really wonder how he manages not to get tired of them), first at the entrance of the store, then inside. Apple’s boss has wet his shirt at what may be his last major launch at the helm of Apple, regularly repeating to buyers that they “Love the product”. I was surprised.
Inside its Apple Store, the Californian brand has completely redesigned the space. A sofa replaces a table for curious people to sit on while they explore the Vision Pro, proving just how much Apple believes in it. In some places, you can observe the product and make an appointment to try it (there was at least one day of waiting from 8:30am). Vision Pro lets you move around while you’re wearing it, so it’s transformed the Apple Store into a weird place where you walk around with people wearing helmets without knowing what they’re looking at.
Regardless, the atmosphere inside the Apple Store in New York was electric and almost gave the impression that the Vision Pro was on its way to the success Apple had hoped for. There were not only developers, but also simple tech fans, people envisioning the product as a TV replacement, or professionals envisioning specific needs. Obviously, we now have to see if Apple manages to convince more widely. The Vision Pro may not be an exclusive product like other virtual reality headsets.
Apparently, Numerama was not satisfied with this report and left with his hands in his pockets. To offer you many articles and a long test of Vision Pro (and surprise, for French people who dream to try it 🤫), we decided to buy Apple’s space computer. This is the base configuration, with 256 GB of storage, that we now have in our possession.
Apple offered two shopping experiences:
Initially, the first option was our goal. Unfortunately, the sellers were too impressed and encouraged as many people as possible to settle for withdrawals. So much for the demo.
This article was written after about two hours of first testing, with the Apple Vision Pro on my face. There is a lot more to say about the product, but more articles are coming (besides the video). In the meantime, you can find our first impressions on Twitter. Just a hint: it is possible that we will start measuring the face again, because the selected elastics are a little too small. The rest is generally fantastic.
After the Mac, iPod or iPhone, will Apple change the world again with its new Vision series? A question that Numerama will try to answer in the coming days, although it will undoubtedly take several years to decide Tim Cook’s stake.
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