Dan Aives, an analyst at well-known US investment bank Wedbush Securities, recently stated that the official release of Vision Pro this Friday will be a "historic moment" for Apple, marking the company's first true entry into the AI field.
This $3500 headset is Apple's first new product since the launch of AirPods in 2016, and also Apple's first new computing device since the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015, marking the company's entry into its so-called "space computing" field.
Although Vision Pro has attracted global attention from technology users and industries, its high price also exceeds the affordability of many consumers. Some analysts are concerned that this may affect demand for the product.
Regarding this, Avis pointed out that the price of the next generation of Vision Pro products will be significantly reduced.
"Our industry survey shows that the next generation Vision Pro 2 will be priced much lower, below $2000 (with 2-3 potential releases), as Apple hopes to more actively drive growth in its golden user base," Ives wrote in a report on Tuesday.
The "golden user group" referred to by Ives refers to Apple's over 1 billion iPhone users. Wall Street estimates that if Apple could convert 1% of its iPhone users into Vision Pro users, it could generate enough revenue to have a significant impact on the company's profits.
Avis has raised its Vision Pro sales forecast for 2024 from 460000 units to over 600000 units. He also predicts that the sales of Vision Pro will exceed 1 million units by 2025.
"We also believe that in the coming years, Vision Pro's exterior dimensions will be similar to sunglasses and provide Apple users with a wider coverage/functionality. Our initial sales target for Vision Pro for the fiscal year 2025 is over 1 million units," Ives wrote.
According to insiders familiar with Apple's sales data, Apple has sold over 200000 Vision Pro headsets to the media on January 30th.
According to Apple's previously announced sales schedule, Vision Pro will start accepting bookings from January 19th and will be officially released on Friday (February 2nd).
Apple's stock price can still rise by another 30%
Aives believes that the true appeal of Vision Pro is that it will become a platform for Apple to achieve its AI ambitions. This product will ultimately help Apple's stock price rise to $250, with over 30% potential for growth compared to current levels.
On Tuesday, Apple's stock price closed down 1.92% at $188.04.
"This is Apple's first step into the AI field, and we expect Apple to discuss establishing an independent AI app store at this summer's WWDC conference," explained Ives. "We believe that Apple's ultimate goal is for Vision Pro to be used in conjunction with iPhones and other Apple devices in the coming years, with many consumer AI use cases exploding in the fields of health, fitness, sports content, and autonomous driving."
Ives reiterated his rating of Apple's stock as "stronger than the market". The company will release its first quarter financial report after the US stock market closes on Thursday.