[turnsout]

First of all, I disagree with the premise—plenty of Android users buy AirPods. But putting that aside, why does the success of AirPods invalidate the point that Vision Pro could be successful without being as big as the iPhone?

[rchaud]

Airpods are an existing product category (headphones) that everybody with a phone already uses. Couple that with Apple products being a status symbol, advertised everywhere, and it's not hard to see how Airpods could succeed even at a $200-ish price point.

As for AVP, it is a brand new category where the use cases are yet to be identified. It costs 2 months' rent, it has no killer apps that people are going to line up for, and you'll look weird wearing it. It's a completely different proposition.

[turnsout]

The history of Apple is a history of "no one in their right mind would pay a premium for THAT." A $500 unsubsidized phone? A $350 watch to get notifications? Stupid-looking $200 earbuds that will fall out of your ears?

AirPods got so much hate in 2016, it can be hard to remember. They were far from a sure thing.

[rchaud]

Apple Watch can only be said to be a moderate success at best, considering Apple themselves have never disclosed how many they've sold.

As for unsubsidized phones, the US is the only country that sold them on contract, and the iPhone didn't take off until Apple had AT&Tcut the price to $199 to match other flagships. The Nokia N95 for example retailed at $730 and sold millions in 2007.

[turnsout]

According to industry analysts, Apple sells over 40 million watches per year and is by far the top smartwatch seller, taking over half the revenue of the entire market. Given how Apple protects its margins, that adds up. I'd sure love to have that kind of "moderate success."

Regarding the iPhone, I'm not sure what your point is, but my point is: people mocked the iPhone for having a ridiculously high price at launch despite having fewer features than other high-end phones. It's a direct analog to the Vision Pro reception, because this happens literally every time Apple launches in a new category.

[scarface_74]

Apple hasn’t disclosed unit sells in years of any of its products.

But the Watch is a moderate success compared to what? What other consumer electronic product by any other company is either selling in the estimated volume and with the margins of the Watch?

[scarface_74]

Not the “Apple products are status symbols” canard.

How is something a “status symbol” if it has a 60% market share in the case of phones?

Any teenager working at McDonalds can buy an iPhone on 2 year contract or get one “free” with a contract from one of the low end MVNOs

[smoldesu]

> How is something a “status symbol” if it has a 60% market share in the case of phones?

Perhaps the majority of humans alive today don't live in a market where that's true?