Apple Vision Pro Price Tag Swells For Those Who Need A Prescription Lens: Essential Adds-On Push Cost To Near Half That Of The Headset

The Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset supports prescription lenses with an additional $99 fee, but new details about the lens have emerged as we draw closer to the launch.

What Happened: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) offers an option for those who need prescription lenses to purchase optical inserts from Zeiss directly. However, new details about how these lenses will work emerged before the Feb. 2 launch.

Tipster M1 Astra shared the details about Zeiss' optical inserts for Apple Vision Pro, stating that they will come with a "personal code" to pair the inserts with the headset.

The optical inserts attach magnetically to the Vision Pro, and once they are in place, users will have to "scan the pairing code on the card inside the ZEISS Optical Inserts box to finalize the pairing process."

See Also: More Bang For Your Apple Buck: iPhone 15 Pro Max Costs The Same As Vision Pro Accessories Plus Support Plan

While it's unclear if this means that Apple Vision Pro users will have to go for the $99 Zeiss lens mandatorily or if the headset will also accept and pair third-party alternatives, it does mean that the Zeiss lens has an authentication system.

The note shared by M1 Astra also states that each Zeiss corrective lens comes with an individual serial number, so this could once again suggest that Apple will check for authenticity before allowing them to be used with the Vision Pro.

Why It Matters: Ahead of the Feb. 2 launch, Apple already has ten Vision Pro accessories listed on its website. All these accessories together cost $1,010, and coupled with the AppleCare+ plan, the total amount comes to $1,510. This is about 43% of the cost of the Vision Pro headset itself.

Some of these accessories are also essential, like the Light Seal, Battery, Travel Case, and Optical Inserts, which cost $700, or about 20% of the cost of the Vision Pro headset.

There are no third-party optical inserts yet for the Apple Vision Pro, so while this might not be an issue right now, it could prove to be restrictive if Apple does not allow non-Zeiss lenses to be used.

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