Apple Vision Pro Costs RM16,000. Here Are 11 Things You Can Buy With That Money Instead
30 years' worth of toilet rolls or an Apple Vision Pro? Hmm...
By Yap Wan Xiang — 06 Jun 2023, 03:59 PM
After leading the tech industry with the launch of the personal computer in 1976 and the smartphone in 2007, Apple is now entering the realm of augmented reality (AR)
The drawback of this breakthrough, unfortunately, is its price, as the AR headset costs a whopping USD3,499 (about RM16,086)!
Describing it as the company's first 'spatial computer', Apple Vision Pro is a two-processor ski goggle-looking device.
It has a see-through lens that allows programmes to run in front of the user's vision, seamlessly blending digital content with the physical world.
"Vision Pro creates an infinite canvas for apps that scales beyond the boundaries of a traditional display and introduces a fully three-dimensional user interface controlled by the most natural and intuitive inputs possible — a user's eyes, hands, and voice," as Apple puts it.
That's all well and good, but the device costs USD3,499, about RM16,086 at an exchange rate of 4.6. It is undoubtedly a hefty price tag.
Even tech media practitioners think the price is exorbitant. Look at how they gasped when Apple unveiled its price:
Apple Vision Pro will only be available early 2024.
To illustrate the astronomical price tag of Apple's first AR headgear, here are 11 other things that you can buy with RM16,000:
1. 5,333 x nasi lemak packets
If a packet costs RM3, you can have nasi lemak three times a day for almost five years!
That's half a decade of not going hungry.
2. 8,888 x bags of Super Ring
If a hypermarket has a large supply of Super Ring for sale at RM1.80 each, you can buy 8,888 of them.
Enough for you to eat one bag daily for the next 24 years.
3. 10,666 x toilet rolls
Assuming you are buying mid-range toilet rolls at RM15 for a pack of 10, you can get 1,066 bags for RM16,000.
If a person uses one roll a week, that's enough to last them almost 30 years.
4. 53 months of petrol
If you pay RM300 for fuel a month, your car can keep running for 4.4 years!
That's about 104,897km, enough to take you from Johor, Malaysia to Stockholm, Sweden about 8.6 times.
5. 3 x Yamaha Lagenda 115Z
The common motorcycle retails for about RM5,180.
So, you can get three of them, with some cash to spare.
6. Europe trip for two
Forget about materialistic stuff, RM16,000 can buy you and your loved one a trip across several countries in Europe for about RM7,200 a person.
There is still some spare change for souvenirs, too!
7. 3 x iPhone 14 Pro
Each retails for RM5,299. If you decide to skip Apple Vision Pro to buy a few iPhone Pros, you could get new phones for yourself and both of your parents.
8. 1 x Mac Studio setup
If you are choosing an M2 MAX chip Mac Studio with 32GB memory and 515GB solid state drive (SSD), which retails for RM9,499, you can pair that with Apple's Studio Display for RM6,999.
To be fair, it is a few hundred ringgit over budget, but you would have a hell of a setup for maximum productivity.
9. 7 x Meta's Quest 3
If you did not already know, Meta, Facebook's parent company, acquired Oculus VR in 2014.
They are the biggest virtual reality (VR) player in the industry. Reuters, citing a research firm, reported that Meta controls nearly 80% of the market for AR/VR devices.
Their latest popular VR headset, Quest 3, retails for USD499.99 (about RM2,299). That is almost seven times cheaper than Apple Vision Pro.
10. 10 x ByteDance's PICO 4
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, also makes VR headsets. Their newest product, PICO 4, retails for RM1,599.
Imagine buying 10 of these to play games with your friends than one Apple Vision Pro. Think about that for a second.
11. 4 x PlayStation VR2 and 2 x PlayStation 5
Why buy one Apple Vision Pro when you can get four PlayStation VR2 (PSVR 2) and two PlayStation 5 for just RM15,794?
You won't be just FaceTiming friends and family with this setup. You will be playing immersive, full-fledged games, such as After the Fall, Marvel's Iron Man VR, HITMAN 3, and more.
