With the big reveal of the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition in December 2017, and now the update on Feb. 13, 2018, we no longer have to speculate as to what the augmented reality headset will look like or when (in general) it will be available.
However, because Magic Leap left out a few important details, for now, we're left to use all the other information on hand to speculate as to what the device will cost, when we can pre-order it, and how long it will take to receive one. So let's dive in!
Price: Previous reports have cited sources who claim the device will cost between $1,500 and $2,000. That report was also closest to correctly nailing the size of the device (larger than a pair of glasses, smaller than a VR headset) and its configuration (tethered to a wearable computer). Considering that the Meta 2 comes in at $1,495 as a tethered headset, we're expecting a price that's closer to $2,000 for Magic Leap One.
At the Code Media Conference on Feb. 13, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz described the price as in the range of a "premium laptop." What does that mean? Well, a 15-inch MacBook Pro runs $2,799.00. A Microsoft Surface Pro with Intel Core i7 with only 256 GB storage sells for $1,599.00. So that's about the ballpark price range based on Abovitz's comments.
It's also worth noting another piece of information from the Code Media meeting, specifically, that Magic Leap intends to eventually offer devices in tiers, much like Apple does today with its iPhones and iPads. Abovitz set the floor as the range of high-end tablets and smartphones, such as the iPhone X. We also now know, based on the device worn by ex-NBA player Shaquille O'Neal in a Magic Leap promotional video, that there will be a "Magic Leap Large" sized version, with other versions presumably coming in smaller sizes, and perhaps offered at slightly different prices.
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Pre-order: The aforementioned report also claimed that the device would ship within six months in limited quantities. That was in October, giving us a shipping date of sometime around April 2018. So now, based on previous reports, the company has four months to organize a big launch event, release the SDK, open up pre-orders, and then ship the devices. That's seems ambitious, even for a company with almost $2 billion in investment cash. Therefore, the April time window seems a likelier target for pre-orders rather than any shipping of the actual product. This aligns with the spring announcement mentioned during the Feb. 13 event that Abovitz says will offer more details.
Release: In big, bold font, Magic Leap states that the Creator Edition will ship in 2018. CEO Rony Abovitz has also previously said that 2017 was going to be a "big year" for Magic Leap, but the company's biggest milestone didn't occur until less than two weeks from the end of 2017. That's why we expect the device to ship in December 2018.
We'll update you as we know more.
Do you think we're on the mark? We'll take friendly (non-monetary) wagers on these guesstimates in the comments below.
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