As expected, Apple’s new Vision Pro headset sold out as many as 180,000 units almost immediately. However, not all of those sales were sold to live, breathing humans.
Scalpers successfully used bots to order thousands of Apple Vision Pro headsets, in much the same way as concert tickets to performers like Taylor Swift are grabbed up before human fans have a crack at them, according to a report by bot mitigation company Kasada. It appears that the base 256GB Vision Pro models proved to be the most popular among the ordering bots.
Days before the pre-order event, people wanting to be one of the first to experience this new device could purchase a “confirmed pre-order” Vision Pro 256GB on secondary marketplaces for up to $5,999 – more than a 70% markup.
The company monitored botting communities over the last month, finding that many expressed interest in the Apple Vision Pro as a scalping opportunity. Bot developers both updated existing ordering bots and created new bots designed specifically to order the new headset.
While the ordering process required both an Apple ID and Face ID to order the Vision Pro (Face ID was used to ensure the light seal and headbands were of the proper fit), some had speculated that it could also be an attempt to battle the bots.
While bots don’t tend to have a physical face to be used in Face ID, many of the bots came hardcoded with the developer’s face scan data. This could prove to be a problem for customers who purchase a headset from a scalper, as the headset will not be sized to fit their head.
The Apple ID requirement didn’t prove to be much of a deterrent either, as scalpers grabbed a combination of new and existing Apple IDs before the pre-ordering event. Kasada found one bot alone successfully checked out 1,592 Vision Pro pre-orders.
As you might expect, ordering a bot pre-ordered Vision Pro from resellers on eBay will not be cheap. Apple’s asking price begins at $3,499 for the base model with 256GB of storage (512GB models go for $3,699, and a 1TB edition goes for $3,899). However, a look at eBay listings shows “guaranteed” 256GB Apple Vision pre-orders going for as much as $9,000+ and 1TB models being offered up for $10,000. (Of course, the asking price doesn’t necessarily mean the item will be sold for that amount.)
