Apple Vision Pro Price Jumps to $3,700 as Memory Crisis Bites Hard

Right, so Apple's gone and made the Apple Vision Pro M2 even more expensive, because apparently $3,499 wasn't quite enough of a barrier to entry. The spatial computing headset now starts at $3,700, alongside price increases across a bunch of Apple's other products. Tim Cook's come out swinging, blaming what he's calling an unprecedented global memory crisis – something he claims is "unlike anything he's ever seen" in his decades at Apple.

Now, I get it – component shortages are real, and when memory prices go mental, manufacturers feel the pinch. But let's be honest here: Apple's never been shy about their premium pricing strategy, and the Vision Pro was already positioned as a luxury device for early adopters and developers rather than your average VR enthusiast. This price bump just pushes it further into "absolutely taking the piss" territory for most people. When you consider the Meta Quest 3 sits comfortably at a fraction of that price and delivers a brilliant mixed reality experience, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow.

The timing's particularly interesting given we've already seen reports about Apple's headset strategy shifting over the past few months. While they haven't cancelled the Vision line entirely – contrary to some sensationalist headlines – it's clear Apple's navigating some choppy waters with spatial computing. This price increase certainly won't help adoption rates, which by all accounts haven't exactly set the world on fire since launch.

What does this mean for the VR industry? Well, it creates an even bigger gulf between Apple's premium approach and what companies like Meta are doing with more accessible hardware. If Apple's genuinely serious about spatial computing becoming mainstream – and not just a niche product for professionals and wealthy tech enthusiasts – pricing yourself further out of reach seems like a dodgy move. The memory crisis might be genuine, but it's also convenient cover for maintaining those juicy profit margins Apple shareholders love so much.

For those of you who were on the fence about picking up a Vision Pro, this probably isn't the news you wanted to hear. And frankly, unless you've got very specific professional use cases or money to burn, there are brilliant VR and mixed reality headsets available that'll give you fantastic experiences without requiring you to remortgage your house. The Vision Pro remains an impressive bit of kit technically, but at $3,700, it's further than ever from being something I could recommend to normal people wanting to jump into VR.