Summary
- Apple Vision Pro has struggled to sell due to its high $3,500 price tag and limited functionality.
- Production cuts are expected for 2024 as sales are said to have fallen far below initial predictions of 700,000 to 800,000 units.
- Apple is reportedly reevaluating its VR market strategy with a focus on more affordable mixed-reality headsets for 2025 and beyond.
AR and VR headsets have been trendy devices in the past several years, with giant tech firms like Google, Apple, and Meta launching their products in this segment. With Google bowing out of the segment, Apple and Meta continued the trend. Now that the initial dust has settled, companies realize that maybe tapping into this market wasn’t as fruitful as hoped. As it turns out, Apple Vision Pro might not be selling well, and the company is planning on production cuts for 2024.
Apple Vision Pro brings into focus Google’s failure with AR
But Google might be cooking something in the wake of Apple’s efforts in VR
Unveiled at WWDC 2023, the Vision Pro was Apple’s ambitious entry into the VR headset market. However, its steep price tag of $3,500 made it a tough sell. It’s not surprising that few consumers have been willing to shell out such a large sum for a device with limited functionality and content.
Apple changes its roadmap for the upcoming Vision Pro headset
The Verge, citing Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reports that Apple is cutting Vision Pro production for the year ahead before releasing the device to international markets. The iPhone maker now expects to sell around 400,000 to 450,000 units of Vision Pro headsets in 2024. Meanwhile, Apple initially predicted that the “market consensus” for its $3,500 device would be around 700,000 to 800,000 units. So, Vision Pro sales fell way behind Apple’s predictions.
Despite the disappointing sales of the Vision Pro, Apple is not giving up on the product. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is reevaluating its VR market strategy and is now focusing on a more affordable mixed-reality headset for 2025 and beyond.
For now, we should take this information with a pinch of salt as the company might change its plans at any time due to market predictions and other factors. However, if Apple has any other VR headset in the pipeline, it surely needs to carry an affordable price tag — ideally less than $1,000. For comparison, the Meta Quest 3 headset is now priced at $500, while the Quest 2 model is available at just $200.
Apple Vision Pro
The Apple Vision Pro is an ambitious device with what is perhaps an overly ambitious price tag. But in the realm of mixed-reality headsets, it clearly has the edge on hardware and build materials.
