With Apple announcing its newest product, Vision Pro, at a price of $3,500, a question that is asked over and over is, “Is it worth it?”

This question, whether it is applied to anything from a vacation to a car to a hamburger, has no simple answer. It all depends on how much value you get from the product, service, or experience and how much it costs relative to how much money you have.

I like to think of the answer as lying on a decision grid where the value the thing brings the person is represented by the Y axis, the person’s available funds is represented by the X axis, and a diagonal line from the upper left to the lower right divides the grid (see diagram above). If you find yourself to the left of the diagonal line, then it is not worth it. If you find yourself to the right of the diagonal line, then it is worth it.

Several example positions on the “Is it worth it?” grid are:

You find the thing really valuable (“I really want/need this!”), but you just don’t have the funds. So, sadly, the answer is “No.”
You aren’t that excited by it, but the cost is pocket change for you. So, you might as well get it.
You find it useless, and you cannot afford it. The answer is a hard, “No.”
You find it fairly valuable, and while it is kind of expensive, you can afford it. The answer is “Yes.”
You find it incredibly valuable, and it is pocket change for you. The answer is a hard, “Yes.”

Getting back to the Apple Vision Pro, Apple provided a number of immediate value propositions.

Productivity — Surround yourself with massive windows to get your work done. I use three 27” monitors, so this is a value proposition targeted at me. Apple’s Freeform app could be a great whiteboard for brainstorming. Often, I am able to think better when I can stand up and walk around/pace and sketch out ideas on a whiteboard. If a product or service improves a person’s productivity, the money spent for it is seen as an investment.
Home theater — That 65” TV you currently have for movies will look puny compared to a massive movie screen in Vision Pro. This could be perfect for cinematic movies like “Top Gun: Maverick”. When someone says, “This is a movie you have to see in a theater”, that is a movie that will look much better in Vision Pro than on your current TV.
3D home theater — There may be no better way to watch 3D movies like “Avatar: The Way of Water”.
Slide shows — I am old enough to remember setting up a large screen and 35mm slide projector, dimming the lights, and watching a slide show from a recent vacation. It is a different experience from watching the photos on a phone, computer, or even a 65” TV. Apple Vision Pro could bring back that experience.
Panoramic slide shows — I only took a few panoramic photos when the feature first came out because I thought they looked silly to watch. They were just wide skinny photos in my Photos app. Apple Vision Pro finally provides a good way for viewing the panoramic photos. Now, I regret not having taken panoramic photos every time I went on vacation over the last several years.
3D memories — We started with black & white photos, then color photos, then film/video. Now, we have 3D photos and videos. I think this will be huge. From comments by people who have experienced theses spatial memories, the emotional impact is much stronger than a simple photo. However, I do think most 3D photos will eventually be taken with other devices than the Vision Pro - maybe an add-on lens to iPhones or special lenses for SLR cameras.
Immersive experiences — Watch a sports event or concert like you were there, maybe in seats you normally wouldn’t pay for, or maybe where fans aren’t even allowed to go. Sit in the recording studio as an artists records their next album. Unwind each evening by sitting in a beautiful landscape as the sun sets.
Meetings in 3D — In the examples of 3D meetings Apple showed, most other people were using standard cameras (that is, they were in traditional 2D frames), but you, wearing the Vision Pro, could move the 2D frames of people to different locations around you. However, Apple’s developer sessions showed that using Apple’s standard templates, up to five people wearing Vision Pros could meet together in multiple scenarios. For example, people could be in line watching a flat screen or gathered around a 3D volume.
Developer APIs — If you are a developer, this is a no brainer. New platforms often shake up the leadership in existing categories (e.g., the leaders in word processors and spreadsheets during the DOS-era were supplanted by new entrants when Windows-based computers took off), and new platforms create brand new categories of businesses. Mobile computing created the possibility for services like Uber and Instagram. This is the moment when incumbents can be overthrown and brand new billion dollar businesses are created.

Is the Apple Vision Pro (or any other thing, service, or experience) worth it? It all depends on where you lie on the decision grid.

For me — a developer who surrounds himself with multiple monitors, loves great movies but hates going to theaters, and loves taking photos with my iPhone — the Apple Vision Pro is a no brainer.

For many others, they may wait until great apps that are perfect for them are created by developers (i.e., the value of the headset increases for them), the price comes down, and/or the comfort level improves.

Note: Because of supply constraints, Apple is expected to make less than 1 million Vision Pros in its first year. Apple has 35 million registered developers. If just 2.8% of Apple developers buy one headset, Apple will sell its entire inventory to just developers.