Apple promotes Vision Pro pre-order and launch dates by releasing a new ad

Earlier today Apple announced that the Vision Pro spatial computer will be launched on February 2nd at all U.S. brick-and-mortar Apple Stores and online Apple Stores priced at $3,499 with 256GB of storage. Pre-orders will begin on January 19th starting at 5 am PST/8 am EST. To help promote the upcoming pre-order period, Apple has released an ad that will surely be seen during network broadcasts, NFL playoff telecasts and streams, and other high-profile programming. 

The video is titled "Get Ready" and shows scenes from movies, cartoons, and television shows where one of the characters is donning a mask. This is the connection to the Vision Pro which will require users to wear a special headset. The ad quickly shows scenes from Young Frankenstein (with Gene Wilder), Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker getting a helmet from Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Snoopy sitting on the top of his doghouse masking up to take on the Red Baron.

Other big names appearing in the ad include SpongeBob Squarepants, Levar Burton playing Geordi La Forge in Star Trek wearing his iconic mask, Robert Downey Jr. closing his Iron Man mask, and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in "Back to the Future" also putting a mask in place. All of this is happening while 80's rock act Devo sings "Uncontrollable Urge" in the background.

Before the video ends, we see a Vision Pro user put her mask in place, and from her point of view through the glass, we see the familiar look of the default app icons appear on the screen. The ad goes dark and the tagline appears, "Get Ready. Vision Pro." TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo originally estimated that Apple would ship 800,000-1.2 million units of its spatial computer in 2024 but cut that estimate to less than 500,000 units. The Vision Pro is the most complex product that Apple has ever built.

If Apple is smart, the next ad for the Vision Pro will copy the second ad for the iPhone that Apple released in 2007. That commercial showed how easy it is for people to use the iPhone. The very first words of the ad were "This is how you turn it on" and was essentially a tour of the new product. Something similar for the Vision Pro would be a great idea.