If you’ve been hyped for the Magic Leap augmented reality headset since its official reveal late last year, then you better start saving. When asked about how much the Magic Leap will cost at launch by Recode in a video interview (seen below), company president and CEO Rony Abovitz said that the cheapest version will be priced similar to a “higher-end mobile phone to higher-end tablet.”
We all knew that this product was going to be a pricey one, somewhere deep down, but for the most affordable option to cost as much as, say, an iPhone X comes as a bit of a surprise.
Of course, this won’t be the only Magic Leap option available. However, the price will likely only climb from there, based on this aforementioned remark. For instance, Abovitz sees the ‘creator edition’ of the headset landing in price somewhere within the Microsoft HoloLens range, which is $3,000 or £2,719.
“I think we’re trying to establish certain tiers — we’re not going to be a single-product company over time,” Abovitz told Recode. “Higher-end mobile phone to higher-end tablet zone is probably our floor,” Abovitz said in regard to pricing.
During the interview, Abovitz didn’t object to a comparison to the new iPhone X, which we all know costs $1,000 or £1,000 to start.
The one device to rule them all
Why so expensive, then? According to Abovitz, Magic Leap is positioned to replace the majority of the devices we use today over time, which amounts to thousands of dollars.
That justification better be expertly laid out before Magic Leap comes to market with a final price because, on account of being a headset, it will be the most expensive one around by a long shot. Someone looking at, say, an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive Pro and a Magic Leap is going balk at such as massive difference in price.
Before we cast too much judgment, we’ll have to see what unique experiences Magic Leap offers and how exactly it will replace our increasingly pricier phones. A partnership with the NBA to broadcast games in augmented reality is a fine start, but discerning customers are going to need more.
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