from Hacker News

Magic Leap’s cheapest headsets will cost as much as a high-end phone

by tegeek on 2/14/18, 1:50 AM with 10 comments

  • by jamocon on 2/14/18, 6:03 AM

    So the comments here so far seem to be lamenting the price, which is kind of ironic given the crowd this place draws.

    The (possible) price range given is somewhere between $1-2000. Yes that's high but not obscenely so. Infact I'd guess a majority of you spend that on a yearly/bi yearly basis on a certain laptop for its brand merit and half that yearly for the latest phone "upgrade".

    Let's face it though, the price isn't going to be an issue for the early adopters and any techie, or "nerd" really worth his salt can see the potential of this tech. That's not to say that this specific device has that potential, after all Magic Leap has been less than forthcoming, they've made some claims and not really backed them up. At the moment, they don't need to. Sure it could be a scheme to suck money from investors and swindle early adopters, but it could just as well be excellent marketing. Either way they've certainly generated a buzz.

    They also mentioned it could be a replacement for a phone and why not? Integrate a 4/5G sim and your golden, though I can't see even the most hardcore wearing these things for ~14 hours a day perhaps it could be some sort of external BT connected lightweight minimal device - after all what's a phone? A speaker, a microphone and a cellular connection. That would open up the possibility for the "average" user to get it much the same way they get their $1000 dollar iphone, subsidized at 20-30 a month.

    Fact is, we won't know until it's out in the wild and the hands of hackers/developers for 6 months. Fact is that one day this kind of tech will be ubiquitous.

  • by jimrandomh on 2/14/18, 6:35 AM

    I'll believe it when they actually ship something. But seriously, the initial target audience for this is "first-wave application developers". The closest competition, Microsoft's Hololens, costs $3k. It shouldn't be priced like a consumer device, and it won't be.

  • by mankash666 on 2/14/18, 2:05 AM

    "the high cost is justified because over time, a Magic Leap headset can replace “your phones, your televisions, your laptops, your tablets, which add up to thousands of dollars"

    Does he even believe this? Even by marketing standards, this is a stretch

  • by blackrock on 2/14/18, 5:04 AM

    So they want to charge $2000 to $3000 for their AR headset. I think they are getting high off their own dope.

    If they are smarter, then they would aim for the $500 to $1000 range.

    When the iPad was first announced, all the pundits mocked it. But the reason why it was so successful with consumers, was its $500 entry level price tag.

    If they charge $2000 to $3000 for this device, then they are going to just shoot themselves in the head. This thing is dead-on-arrival.

    This AR, as "magical" as it might be, will not become mass market at these insanely high prices.

    And, there is a reason why people buy televisions. Often times, it is to just have a social experience at home, to share with the family. Everyone can watch the same show together. The Magic Leap AR is not a social device. Even the picture of Shaq modeling it, looks alien and unsocial.

    Everyone needs a phone. And the iPhone has taken over the high end segment. And the Androids have taken over the low end segment. But, not everyone needs a Magic Leap AR headset.

    Then, Apple will come out with their own AR device for $700, and wipe them out. I'll wait to see what Apple has up their sleeves.